Karen’s recent lunch box post at Thrifty Mommy reminded me of the importance of avoiding soft vinyl lunch boxes.
If you can find a soft lunch box that’s PVC-free, go for it. If it doubt, look elsewhere. Karen found cute PVC-free lunch boxes at both Target and Wal-Mart.
Lunch boxes made of PVC may be dangerous because many of them have tested positive for high levels of lead in the recent past. In response, many companies have cleaned up their acts.
It never hurts to be on the safe side, especially when you’re talking about something that will hold your child’s lunch day …read more

I’m a nice person overall. And I generally don’t like to tear down products made with good intentions. At least I hope the intentions here were good. Still, why would you produce a supposedly “green” product with PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a product material that major retailers like Target are systematically reducing in their stores (in items like toys, infant products, packaging and fashion accessories)? If you missed it, here’s the Dangers of PVC post from earlier.
What are dryer balls?
The makers say that they will soften your clothes and help prevent static cling. They are billed as green because you …read more

This week I’m going to do a few posts involving PVC. It’s not exactly a fun topic, but I think it’s important. First, obviously, I’m going to talk about why PVC is considered dangerous. Then we’ll discuss a so-called green product made of PVC (hello?!). And then we’ll talk about one cool little PVC-free company.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride), recognized by the recycling symbol 3, is very difficult to recycle and usually ends up in a landfill. Most recycling centers won’t accept it. Less than three percent of PVC is recycled, and some estimates put that number at less than one percent! …read more