My Plastic Free Challenge

In my previous post about plastic bags I mentioned that I was signing up for Beth Terry’s plastic challenge.  Beth has a wonderfully informative blog about living without plastic called myplasticfreelife.

The rules for the first week are to tally up normal plastic use.  That means purchasing, eating, and business as usual per your normal life.  Being an eco-conscious person I thought I’d do pretty good. Well at four days in I was already stressing at the amount of plastic I had used.  Seven days in and I definitely suffered some guilt.  Here is my complete list.


Week One


1.) Wine bottle cap (twist off type)
2.) Cheese wrapper
3.) Bag that kiwi’s came in (Trader Joe’s)
4.) Packaging for organic bell peppers (Trader Joe’s)
5.) Fresh flowers packaging (2) plus material of unknown origin that might be plastic
6.) pouch for flower food
7.) plastic film covering raw chicken, plus styro-foam container
8.) bike light plus packaging
9.) grocery bag (I forgot to bring mine!)
10.) take-out container from salad bar
11.) lid from take-out soup container
12.) telephone headset plus packaging
13.) packaging for ‘savory thins’ rice crackers
14.) plastic soup spoon
15) Bubble wrap mailer received from an online purchase
16.) Three small containers for minerals make-up (eco friendly make-up in unfriendly packaging!)
17-19) More bubble wrap from an online purchase of organic coconut oil & vitamins from iherb.com


Yikes that’s a lot of plastic! Much of which is ending up in the ocean in a cesspool of consumer waste. I am appreciative of Beth for bringing more awareness to the world about plastic. But I've got to admit, it's not easy!!!




Week two


Week two went a lot better.  Here is my plastic talley:


1.) Two coffee cup lids
2.) Tube of anti-itch cream
3.) one take-out container
4.) One water bottle (found in the fridge at work, so I don't know if it counts)


It became clear to me that in order to reduce my use of plastic I will no longer be able to shop at Trader Joe’s.  Last weekend I attempted to shop 100% plastic free there and I was able to get just a few items.  Lemons, apples, gluten free mac & cheese and organic wine.  There are a few more items I could have gotten, like butter and eggs but that is a dismal percentage of the majority of their inventory.  The love affair is over (unless I need cheap wine, however my wine bottle had a plastic cork…sigh).  Well if anything It’s got me thinking(and talking) about how to reduce my use of plastic. 


Things I can do to reduce my plastic consumption:

• Buy larger quantities
• Leave house earlier on Sunday morning to get to the farmer’s market.
• Refill my own containers at the health food store
• Buy flower's at farmer's market (local and sustainable)
• Purchase re-usable lunch container such as Lunch Bots

Be sure to visit Beth Terry’s blog at myplasticfreelife for tons more information (and inspiration) on how to live plastic free. 


Another great slice of life article on living without plastic is on the Earth911 website.  
1 Month, No Plastic: How Real People Did It.

Zen and the art of Reusing Plastic Bags

• Research shows that plastic bags will take 1,000 years to decompose
• 500 Billion to one trillion plastic bags are used each year
• Plastic bags are the second-most common type of ocean refuse, after cigarette butts (2008)

Trying to live sustainably can seem staggeringly complicated at times.  We have so many things to think about.  Waste reduction, toxins, fair wages for coffee workers in Mexico.

How can we keep from becoming discouraged? Like they say in alcoholics anonymous, "one day at a time".  Today I want to talk about plastic.  We use too much! Plastic is everywhere and in everything. As I scan my apartment I see plastic shoes, plastic cell phone, plastic computer, plastic toothbrush, the big blue plastic Ikea bag, and the list goes on. Plastics packaging is cheap and out of control! The depressing part is that many of these items cannot be recycled. 

I've recently taken a hard line with my plastic use. In fact I was inspired by Beth Terry who has been living plastic free (and blogging about it) since 2007. So I decided to join her "Plastic Challenge" - I will post my results here and on her blog.

My goal is to be a more mindful consumer. As I reach for that handy produce baggy I want to stop and think "hold the boat, do I need this? This baggy is going to take 1,000 years to decompose." I am also trying to buy non-plastic packaging like glass and paper, but it’s not always easy. In the grocery aisle as I stare at the 20 plastic yogurt containers I wonder if I will have to stop eating yogurt altogether.  Sometimes I feel like it's a lost battle.

No funky bags – Clean ém dry and dry 'em right!

Re-using plastic bags is one way I am reduce plastic waste in my life.   And I'm a bit of a germ-o-phobe so I did some research.on how to prevent food-born illnesses from bacteria and such. Particularly on how best to clean that baggie that came from the butcher.  You might think yuck, I'm not going to re-use a bag that had raw meat in it. Never fear...follow these easy tips for sanitizing the baggy.

Hot soapy water and vinegar

You can simply wash the bags by hand in the sink. Turn the bag inside out and give them a good scrubbing with hot soapy water. If the bag contained raw meat follow with a 5% vinegar rinse.  (the kind you find in the market).   Vinegar has been proven to kill mold, germs and viruses! Alternately you could use a store bought product such as Cleanwell which claims that thyme is a great natural anti-bacterial. 

Too much moisture left in the bag can breed bacteria so it's important to dry well before storing. If you have drying lines in your laundry room, it's easy, just hang them up to dry and after a few hours turn them inside out to dry the other side. Speed along the process with a quick wipe with a towel.

Another way to dry plastic bags is in your dish drainer by standing a big knife or spoon up and hang the bag over that.  Also a coat hanger can work if it's bent in such a way that you can lay the washed bags over them to drip dry.

Here's one I made, I know it's not very pretty but it works! For your crafty types I found  DIY bag dryer on Ehow...it sounds cute!  Send pics if you make one.

Repeat this mantra...Use it, clean it, dry it, bring it! (It does no good hiding in your pantry).  Then read this article by Reusit.com which will likely terrify you into re-thinking that plastic bag.