For the past year, I have been pursuing a low-waste lifestyle, if not zero-waste and plastic-free. My quest to become waste free started with the Plastic Free July Challenge. Established in 2011 by the Plastic Free Foundation, the Australian initiative seeks to rid the world of plastic waste. I’ve participated in the challenge for the past several years in order to remind myself of how ubiquitous plastic is in our lives and to discover ways to reduce my plastic consumption. As with many holidays, living plastic free should not be restricted to just one time a year, and now it’s been a year-round challenge to reduce my trash, especially plastic waste.
What have I learned from seeking to live plastic-free? I realized that it’s impossible to live without plastic in our current modern society. From labels on glass jars to medicine packaged in blister packs, plastic is everywhere. In modern society, we are surrounded by plastic, whether packaging or products.
Progress comes in fits and starts. A traditional grocery store in my area recently eliminated its bulk foods section, and now one finds the food, which was once sold in bulk, now neatly packaged in small, clear containers stacked in the place where the bins once existed. On the other hand, several refilleries, which sell cleaners and toiletries in bulk, opened in my region.
Sometimes the weight of the negative news becomes overwhelming. Recycling has fallen to a rate of less than 5% per Greenpeace. Whales consume millions of microplastics per day per a new study. There is so much plastic in our environment that we now breathe, drink, and eat microplastics. Most compostable plastics do not break down in backyard compost bins as advertised. And the polluting plastics industry continues to expand.
There are a few bright spots that give me hope: Kraft Heinz Company is removing the “shaker” bag from its popular Shake ‘N Bake product. This will eliminate 900,000 pounds of plastic waste annually. Clorox will roll out a recyclable refill cartridge of the cleaning solution, which replaces thirty (30) bottles, for its multi-purpose spray. (After all, such products consist mostly of water with a titch of concentrate.) Amcor has transformed blister packaging into a recyclable version: the innovative AmSky Blister packaging is PVC and Aluminum Free and abides by all safety regulations with a reduced carbon footprint.
For anyone who is beginning their plastic-free journey or who needs some encouragement, these are my takeaways:
1. Become aware of what plastic you tend to buy and use. With our busy, modern lifestyles, convenience packaging has become ubiquitous and even glamorized (think of that paper plastic-lined coffee/tea cup.) Majority of my plastic consumption consists of energy bar wrappers and chip bags, and I recently learned that non-dairy milk cartons are not recyclable anymore in my area. Solutions to reduce or eliminate this plastic waste include concentrates or making non-dairy milk from scratch.
2. Take baby steps. Some action is better than no action. If we all made even one small reduction in our plastic consumption, all our efforts would add up to create a large change. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, so where does one start? Go for the low-hanging fruit, such as utilizing reusable bags, bottles, and utensils. Shop with your reusable bags, and don’t be conned into believing that single-use plastic grocery store bags will be recycled. Plastic film is seldom recycled! Save money by bringing water in your own reusable bottle. Help stop ocean plastic pollution by drinking with reusable straws. Some can even collapse and hang from a key chain. Buy bulk whenever possible. Cook instead of eating take-out or processed meals. I’ve learned to bake my own energy bars and simply consume alternatives like granola trail mix. Select packaging made from natural materials other than plastic – such as paper, glass, or metal/tin. I seek candy wrapped in paper packaging, and I buy less candy in general. It not only reduces my plastic footprint but also saves money and my health. Instead of racing off with convenience food in hand, slow down and even sit down to eat on a ceramic plate. We need to change our throw-away culture, and we do that by breaking our plastic habits.
3. Use what you have before buying any eco-friendly alternatives. There’s no point to trash an item just because it consists of plastic unless, of course, it sheds toxins into your food or water. Consumerism and our throw-away society are destructive. We currently “need 1.75 planets to provide the resources for our consumption and absorb our waste.” (theworldcounts.com) We must reduce consumption because the environment cannot support this economic growth model.
When you do need a new item, buy reusable items. Whether it is beeswax wraps for plastic cling wrap or bamboo or stainless steel containers for plastic ones, swapping for natural materials can be reused multiple times without the worry of leaching toxins into your food or off-gas. Glass is great too. Still, bamboo and stainless steel are less breakable and lighter.
4. Advocate for systemic change. Advocate for environmental justice because new plastic production plants tend to be built in poor, minority neighborhoods. Push for legislation for bans against single-use plastics. Cities, states, and countries have prohibited plastic bags, if not other types of plastic. The United Kingdom and three other countries have passed legislation banning single-use plastic.
We, individuals, can also vote with our purchases. Shopping at farmers’ markets is great because one can use reusable produce bags, and your money goes directly to the farmer. By catering to a certain retailer or buying a plastic-free product, we are demanding more of that plastic-free product or service – and thus, motivating the industry to manufacture items made from non-plastic materials. Even though systemic change must happen, our individual actions do matter. If each shopper stopped buying single-use plastic, a profound transformation would occur.
5. Have self-compassion for yourself and others on this journey. Plastic is well entrenched in our daily lives. The petrochemical industry helped create our throw-away society by promoting single-use items and planned obsolescence for decades. Recycling makes us feel good because we think we’re doing something to protect the environment. Forming new habits to shop less and differently will take time. I am a true believer that all we need to do is to focus on one step at a time, and each contribution makes a difference, no matter how small.
It’s a plastic world
It’s everywhere. We need and want it. We find it in places where we wouldn’t expect it. A world without plastic is inconceivable. But do we know the consequences of our self-indulgent plastic consumption? This film shows various problems associated with plastic and looks at possible solutions.
