For the past five posts I have
been penning on green symbols. I have done so to let you know that consumables
bear symbols that tell you how you can dispose of those consumables without
compromising the natural environment. In applying what the symbols and notes
that accompany them tell us to do, we help the natural environment in many
ways. A hypothetical example is that if you dispose of a recyclable plastic
waste in a proper way you should have helped produced a new consumable without
going to mine the raw materials needed to produce that consumable. The
environmental disruptions associated with the extraction of the raw materials,
for example, would have been avoided.
I intend using this post as a
point of convergence for the symbols I have covered so far in my previous five posts.
So at one point you can avail yourself of more than just one symbol and what
they stand for and their applications. The symbols are as follows:
CROSSED- OUT
WHEELED BIN
The technical name for
the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol is WEEE symbol. WEEE stands for Waste
Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. It is a directive of the
European Union regarding the management of electrical and electronic wastes.
The directive is to encourage the reuse and recycling of electrical and
electronic waste.
There are two main
reasons the electrical and electronic products bearing the symbol of the
crossed out wheeled bin are to be disposed of differently. The reasons are
recycling of the waste to make new products, and prevention of dangerous
materials seeping into the ground from the electrical and electronic wastes.
MOBIOUS LOOP
The Mobius Loop symbol on products indicate
that such products are recyclable. There are variations of the Mobius symbol. There
are indicators (e.g. acronym of chemical compound) on the Mobius Loop symbol
labels telling you of the particular chemical compound used in making that
product. The Mobius symbol label tells you that the product is either made up
of recyclable materials or the product can be recycled. The Mobius symbol label
does not only tell you that the product is recyclable or recycled, more
importantly it directs you to the facility where you can go and deposit the
product for recycling. If you cannot go to the designated points of collection,
people come round to collect them (this is done in Ghana for example), please
avail yourself of this opportunity.
ENERGY
RATING SYMBOL
The Energy rating symbol is significant in
a way that is different from the other labels, yet ultimately it contributes to
an improved natural environment as they do. The energy rating symbol is used in
measuring the energy efficiency level of a product- home appliance. The energy
efficiency level is determined by the number of stars the symbol bears. Normally
there is a scale of one to five stars. One star is an indication of lowest
efficiency, and five stars is an indication of highest efficiency. Also there
are different forms of the energy rating label. The one I have presented here
is a Ghana energy rating label. I took a shot of the label in an LG shop on
Oxford Street (Cantonment Road) at Osu-Accra, Ghana.
The energy rating label tells you the level
of energy the product uses. So if you buy say a five star rated refrigerator it
means you are going to use a lesser amount of energy compared to the one who
bought a two star rated refrigerator. In the same way if someone bought a one
star refrigerator they would be using lesser energy than the one who bought an
unrated refrigerator. You should benefit from using a star rated product by
saving money on energy consumption, and reducing harm to the environment.
CE MARKING
CE
The CE marking is an acronym meaning
European Conformity, originally speaking it is Conformité Européenne. A product
with the CE mark indicates that the product could be traded on the European
Union market. The product can be manufactured outside the European Union and
still have access to the European Union market. Products with the CE mark
manufactured in the European Union trade on markets outside the European Union.
The CE mark on a product shows that the product meets the health, safety and
environmental standards (among others) of the European Union.
The concerns of the European Union
regarding the natural environment are sustainable energy and climate action, concerns
mainstreamed from the United Nations SDG Agenda 2030.
These two concerns bring out the
significance of the CE mark on products because by the mark, the manufacturers
are conforming to standards that contribute to inducing a natural environment that
can be used and reused sustainably from generation to generation.
PHOTODEGRADABLE
SYMBOL
A plastic shopping bag with the
photodegradable symbol, as shown here, breaks down on exposure to sunlight over
a relatively shorter period of time by the integration of an additive into
normal plastic. The plastic shopping bag breaks into pieces, and remains
plastic in the environment nonetheless. The plastic, in this case does not lie around
or is it blown around like the normal plastic materials (plastic that lie
around for longer periods of time), giving the natural environment an
unpleasant look.
However some additive (d₂w) can
be added to normal plastic to make it biodegradable, as a leaf would
biodegrade.
PARTING SHOT
Through this post I have listed some
symbols that speak for, and lead and guide us consumers, for that matter earthlings,
to a sustainable and clean environment. I myself noted and took interest in some
of these symbols of late, and by chance. Curiosity lead me to a little research
on them. I must say that this has been a valuable experience for me. If we can
take the little step of taking notice of these little symbols on the products
we buy, and heeding what they stand for and say, we should be making greater
strides towards a clean and sustainable natural environment.
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