The news about plastics has been pretty alarming lately, causing some of us to go dashing for the water bottles to see what kind of plastic they are -- and find out if we've been unwittingly poisoning our children and ourselves with chemicals leaching into the water from them. 

Simple Solution: 

If you've been concerned, here is a handy chart that identifies the good, bad, and ok plastics and where they are found.

1. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE) Used to make soft drink, water, sports drink, ketchup and salad dressing bottles, and peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam jars. GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. 

2. High density polyethylene (HDPE) Milk, water and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash and retail bags. GOOD: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. 

3. Polyvinyl chloride (V or PVC) Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses and other foods sold in delicatessens and groceries are wrapped in PVC. BAD: To soften into its flexible form, manufacturers add "plasticizers" during production. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of PVC when in contact with foods. According to the National Institutes of Health, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), commonly found in PVC, is a suspected human carcinogen. 

4. Low density polyethylene (LDPE) Some bread and frozen food bags and squeezable bottles. OK: Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones, but not as widely recycled as #1 or #2. 

5. Polypropylene (PP) Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs. OK: Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones. Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2. 

6. Polystyrene (PS) Foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, some toys) BAD: Benzene (material used in production) is a known human carcinogen. Butadiene and styrene (the basic building block of the plastic) are suspected carcinogens. Energy intensive and poor recycling. 

7. Other (usually polycarbonate) Baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans BAD: Made with biphenyl-A, a chemical invented in the 1930s in search for synthetic estrogens. A hormone disruptor. Simulates the action of estrogen when tested in human breast cancer studies. Can leach into food as product ages. 

- Adapted from Green Remodeling, by David Johnston and Kim Master (New Society Publishers, 2004).

What is Composting?
From www.composting.org

Compost is organic material that can be used as a soil amendment or as a medium to grow plants. Mature compost is a stable material with a content called humus that is dark brown or black and has a soil-like, earthy smell. It is created by: combining organic wastes (e.g., yard trimmings, food wastes, manures) in proper ratios into piles, rows, or vessels; adding bulking agents (e.g., wood chips) as necessary to accelerate the breakdown of organic materials; and allowing the finished material to fully stabilize and mature through a curing process.
Natural composting, or biological decomposition, began with the first plants on earth and has been going on ever since. As vegetation falls to the ground, it slowly decays, providing minerals and nutrients needed for plants, animals and microorganisms. Mature compost, however, includes the production of high temperatures to destroy pathogens and weed seeds that natural decomposition does not destroy.

Did You Know That Compost Can
• Suppress plant diseases and pests
• Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers
• Promote higher yields of agricultural crops
• Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted and marginal soils.
• Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste
• Remove solids, oil, grease and heavy metals from storm water runoff
• Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air
• Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable

Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 23 percent of the U.S. waste stream, as documented by EPA. An estimated 56.9 percent of yard trimmings were recovered for composting or grass cycled in 2000, a dramatic increase from the 12 percent recovery rate in 1990. Accompanying this surge in yard waste recovery is a composting industry that has grown from less than 1,000 facilities in 1988 to nearly 3,800 in 2000. Once dominated by public sector operations, the composting industry is increasingly entrepreneurial and private-sector driven, led by firms that add value to compost products through processing and marketing. Compost prices have been as high as $26 per ton for landscape mulch to more than $100 per ton for high-grade compost, which is bagged and sold at the retail level.

While yard trimmings recovery typically involves leaf compost and mulch, yard trimmings can also be combined with other organic waste, such as food residuals, animal manure, and biosolids to produce a variety of products with slightly different chemical and physical characteristics. In contrast to yard trimmings recovery, only 2.6 percent of food waste was composted in 2000. The cost-prohibitive nature of residential food waste separation and collection is the primary deterrent to expanding food waste recovery efforts. Yet in many communities, edible food residuals are donated to the needy, while inedible food residuals are blended into compost or reprocessed into animal feed. In some areas, composting operations are working with high-volume commercial and institutional food producers to recover their food byproducts, saving these firms significant disposal costs.

What to Compost - The IN List
• Animal manure
• Cardboard rolls
• Clean paper
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Cotton rags
• Dryer and vacuum cleaner lint
• Eggshells
• Fireplace ashes
• Fruits and vegetables
• Grass clippings
• Hair and fur
• Hay and straw
• Houseplants
• Leaves
• Nut shells
• Sawdust
• Shredded newspaper
• Tea bags
• Wood chips
• Wool rags
• Yard trimmings

What Not to Compost - The OUT List, What to Leave Out and Reason Why
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs: Releases substances that might be harmful to plants
• Coal or charcoal ash: Might contain substances harmful to plants
• Dairy products (e.g., butter, egg yolks, milk, sour cream, yogurt): Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Diseased or insect-ridden plants: Diseases or insects might survive and be transferred back to other plants
• Fats, grease, lard or oils: Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Meat or fish bones and scraps: Create odor problems and attract pests such as rodents and flies
• Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter): Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens and viruses harmful to humans