Plastic, Plastic, Everywhere... - GreenTown Los AltosGreenTown Los Altos

Oct 2018

~by Margie Suozzo

On Wednesday, September 12, GreenTown hosted a screening of the documentary film, A Plastic Ocean, at the Los Altos Library with over 50 people in attendance. Tim Giacomini of Mission Trail Waste System also presented on the state of recycling, given changes in China’s recyclable materials import requirements. The film painted a bleak picture, indeed. In the end, much of the hope for getting ourselves out of this mess comes down to changes in our personal behavior and habits.

Below are a few resources that may prove useful to you both for shifting your own behavior and for helping others shift theirs.

GreenTown’s Waste Cheat Sheet – This handy reference guide is designed to help Los Altos residents know where their waste goes. Tim Giacomini of Mission Trail Waste System helped inform our interns to make the Cheat Sheet as current as possible. The front indicates which materials can be recycled, composted and trashed. The back provides an overview of how to re-think disposables. Feel free to print out copies and give them to your friends! A key takeaway: recyclables need to be CLEAN and DRY!
Plastic Oceans Foundation – The makers of the film provide some useful resources on their website. My favorite are the research papers. You can find them here.
A Plastic Free Life – Beth Terry, an unassuming and not particularly environmentally-inclined accountant, started a blog and then wrote a book about how to live without plastic. Her decision to do so was motivated by images, similar to those presented in the movie, of baby albatrosses with stomachs full of plastic.
Least Waste – This is a store that features environmentally-friendly products. What I love is their Instagram page, which I recently discovered. It offers great tips on how to live a life with less waste. If you are an IG user, check it out.

If you would like to borrow a copy of the movie or have any other resources you can recommend on waste reduction or reducing plastic, please email us at info@greentownlosaltos.org!