Thursday, August 5, 2010

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE! / REDUZA, REUTILIZE, RECICLE!

Discarded PET - abbreviation for Polyethylen terephthalat - bottles used for soft drinks, mineral water, etc, is a growing environmental problem, since they are often just thrown away everywhere, even in the rivers and seas. It's bad for the economy and a burden for the environment since the bottles do not decompose for 200-300 years! But this garbage can be transformed, through recycling, into valuable materials and it can be also a good business! PET is fully recyclable and about three-fourths of recycled PET may be used for manufacturing new products in many industrial areas, such as packaging for detergents, cosmetics, carpets, foils, car spare parts, pillow fillings for allergic persons and fabrics. A good example of this: in the last World Cup in South Africa, Nike has diverted nearly 13 million of plastic bottles from the landfill by using them as recycled jersey, which was used to create many teams’ outfits and each one comprised up to 8 recycled plastic bottles! See below the pics of another awesome example: houses made of PET, an outstanding project from a country side city of Rio de Janeiro! And don't forget: reduce, reuse, recycle!!!

As garrafas PET (politereftalato de etileno) usadas para engarrafar refrigerantes, água, etc., têm se tornado um grande problema para o meio ambiente, pois elas são descartadas por todo lugar, até mesmo nos rios e nos mares. Isto é um desperdício para a economia e uma agressão ao planeta, uma vez que essas garrafas levam de 200 a 300 anos para serem decompostas! Porém, esse lixo pode ser transformado, através da reciclagem, em materiais valiosos, e podem até mesmo render bons negócios! As PETs podem ser totalmente recicladas e até ¾ dessa reciclagem podem ser usados na manufatura de novos produtos em várias áreas da indústria, tais como embalagens de detergentes, cosméticos, carpetes, chapas e lâminas, peças de carro, enchimento antialérgicos de almofadas, e até tecidos. Um bom exemplo: na última Copa do Mundo na África do Sul, a Nike reciclou aproximadamente 13 milhões de garrafas plásticas, transformando-as no jérsei que foi utilizado na confecção dos uniformes de vários times! Cada uniforme foi confeccionado através da reciclagem de pelo menos 8 garrafas plásticas! Veja abaixo outro bom exemplo: casas feitas de garrafas PET, um fantástico projeto de uma cidade do interior do Rio de Janeiro! E não se esqueça: reduza, reutilize, recicle!!!





















9 comments:

Senior Debutante said...

OMG! What a way to promote the 3R's! Very resourceful. A Disneyland of -throwaways. That's really a funtastic creation. Love it, Vania! Cheers!

nothingprofound said...

This is fantastic! So creative and efficient. There are people here in the US doing the same thing, building their homes out of discarded bottles and tin cans.

Vania Moreira said...

Dear Lita, thanks for dropping by!
Did you see how many amazing and useful ways of recycling we have? For me it was also a great surprise, 'cause I have no idea that we could built a lovely "PET House"! Yes, like a 3R's kind of Disneyland!
Have a nice weekend, my friend!

Vania Moreira said...

Hi Marty! Yes, I know!!! Besides recycling PET bottles, there are many other ways of helping the Planet. I’m no more using plastic bags and I’m also trying hard to separate my garbage into organic, plastic, paper and metal stuff. In my building we have those big and colored dust-bins to discard the garbage in an organized way, and you know, everybody has been doing it! So, have a splendid and 3R’s weekend!

Europa Travel said...

Parabéns pelo blog contêm matérias muito interessantes.

Vania Moreira said...

Olá! Obrigada! Dei uma "surfada" pelo seu blog também e adicionei-o aos meus favoritos, uma vez que estou sempre viajando! Apareça mais vezes!

robert said...

Recycling is a true problem and most of us do not take into account.
Perhaps these ideas should open our eyes and will do something usefull with all these PETs.

Vania Moreira said...

Yes Robert, it's true. Our Planet deserves respect and a better treatment from us, humans! Besides the 3R’s, I think that we also need a reeducation on values virtues and ethics… but this is another complex subject!
Nice weekend!

Vania Moreira said...

Thanks a lot, "h"!
I have just tried to visit your blog, but unfortunately it was not working...I'll try again latter!