Dumpster dive | July 30, 2025

To honor those who protested during the convicted felon's visit to Scotland, here are some bins from the lovely Princes Street Gardens of Edinburgh. Image by the Garbage Lady.

• Please, urge your government to support a strong global UN plastics treaty. The UN has been negotiating for a treaty since 2022, and while the majority of countries is willing to reduce plastic production, ban toxic chemicals, and safeguard human health and the environment, the treaty could be weakened by just a few plastic-producing countries, the US among them. Citizens of the world are being held hostage by plastic. It's contaminating our water, air, soil, food, and bodies. It's contributing to climate change, destroying wildlife, and harming our health and communities. It's everywhere, it's inescapable, and matters are getting worse by the minute. Implore your country's Minister to have the courage to take a stand against Big Oil and the fossil fuel industry and adopt a treaty that will put an end to the plastic crisis. #BreakFreeFromPlastic #PlasticsTreaty [Break Free From Plastic]

  
  

• Not at all related, how have I never heard of the Exploding Plastic Inevitable? Though a fitting description for the plastic crisis of our times, it's actually an Andy Warhol project from the 1960's featuring the Velvet Underground. When describing the inspiration behind the project, Warhol stated, "The Pop idea, after all, was that anyone could do anything, so naturally we were all trying to do it all." Experience it on YouTube (14min). [Wikipedia]

  
  

• Google alone handles more than 90% of global Internet searches, and I contribute to that statistic. But I've grown increasingly frustrated with Google AI hijacking my searches and feeding me garbage overviews gleaned from untraceable and questionable sources. After one overview informed me that a particular container made with PET plastic was compostable—it irrefutably is not—I'd had enough. I set up a search filter to disable Google AI  and return traditional results. It was quick and easy to do (even for this luddite). You can get similar results by appending your search query with "-AI", as in "Should I switch to the DuckDuckGo browser -AI". [Ars Technica]

  
  

• Garbage search results aren't the only reason to disable AI: Every Internet search contributes to climate change, and AI is accelerating the impact exponentially. AI search engines carry a much larger carbon footprint than traditional ones, using ~30 times more energy to generate text versus extracting text from an existing source. Most of that energy is supplied by dirty fossil fuels, and AI servers generate a massive amount of heat, driving up water consumption needed to cool them. Generative AI is expected to consume 10 times more energy in 2026 than it did in 2023. [Scientific American]

  
  

• Companies brazenly use "greenwashing" to deceive us into thinking that their products and practices are more sustainable than they are, while on the other hand, and far less apparent, is "greenhushing." This practice is where companies downplay or stay silent about their sustainability goals and achievements for fear of backlash, whether it's criticism for not doing enough and being labeled greenwashers, or for being "too woke" and alienating climate deniers. The potential for fines and lawsuits are other factors. The trend is unfortunate, since commendable achievements celebrated in silence are unable to inspire others to follow suit.

  
  

• Attention pet owners: If you're looking for toys not made of plastic and synthetic fibers, turn toilet paper rolls into cat toys and upcycle old t-shirts into durable dog toys. All that's required are a pair of scissors and a few snips. [The Cool Down]

  
  

• Attention campers: Save those little silica packets that come in product packaging and use them to protect your gear from mildew. Tuck them into stuff sacks, backpacks, hiking boots, tent bags, camp kits, and more. [The Cool Down]

• My husband is an avid mountain biker and unlikely to change his ways, so I've kept silent on this article: How much microplastic is generated during mountain biking? [Phys.org]

• Yes, some packing peanuts are made from a biodegradable, starch-based material, but that doesn't mean you should eat them. [Vice]

  
  

• Washington became the seventh state to adopt "Extended Producer Responsibility"legislation, joining California and Oregon to solidify the entire West Coast. The new law will bring curbside recycling to hundreds of thousands of households and hold accountable the companies that produce the waste. Producers will be required to reimburse waste service providers 90% of their recycling system costs, providing funding to invest in and improve recycling systems, and hopefully encouraging producers to minimize waste in their packaging. [Waste Dive]

  
  

• ScienceAlert explains how boiling water can effectively remove microplastics from it.

• The Strategist featured Plastic-Free Kitchen Week, where it served up five days' of content focused on eliminating—or at least minimizing—plastic from your kitchen. Check it out for inspiration and product recommendations, including ways to make coffee that don't involve plastic, tips for a plastic-free pantry, how chef Edward Lee built a plastic-free restaurant, and an exhaustive list of plastic-free kitchen swaps. Note: Many of the product recommendations link to Amazon. I encourage you to source these items locally or from other online retailers.

• More incentive for a plastic-free kitchen: Cleaning plastic containers in a dishwasher creates microplastic pollution as a result of chemical, thermal, and abrasive cleaning processes. [Phys.org]

  
  

• Time to reuse your protest signs: The next day of action is Saturday, August 2, and the theme is Rage Against the Regime, sponsored by 50501. Follow the link to find out where to attend a peaceful protest near you, and don't forget to bring your reusable water bottle.

• There's plenty to rage about. Maybe you're tired of the hypocrisy, abuse of power, and blatant lies, or appalled by the corruption and cover ups. Perhaps you're disgusted by a bill that steals from the poorest in our nation to benefit the wealthiest. Or concerned that eroded healthcare and environmental and consumer protections will cause inexcusable deaths and exacerbate pollution and climate change. Unlawful kidnappings and cruelty by ICE, the dismantling of FEMA, complacency to the atrocities happening in Gaza. An authoritarian strategy to silence opposition and stifle education and science. Tariffs. Pick your battle; there's ever so much to choose from, and the list keeps growing. #RageAgainstTheRegime