Dang nabbit, plastic! You wascally wabbit!
* Disclosure: some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase
Plastic! I shake my fist in fury in your general direction!
Ok, so this is kinda blowing my mind right now. In the bestest way possible. Plastic = a real issue for the health of our planet and the creatures on it (that includes creatures of the human variety). That’s the topic, not the bestest part of the topic. Keep reading, trust me…
It’s a bit of a ritual that at some point on Sunday afternoon, my partner suddenly lights up brighter than a Christmakkuh tree and exclaims, “BON! (one of the many pet names he has for me) AREN’T YOU SO EXCITED TO WATCH 60 MINUTES TONIGHT!!??!!” My response: “meh?” Always. This happens every single week. Yet each week, we snuggle in to watch the three 13 minute long episodes and after each one you’ll hear me remark “dang, that was a good episode!!” and off I scurry to do research of some sort on the topics.
The same unfolded this past week. SAME! Yet something different happened. There was an episode on the impact that plastic is having on our oceans and, as a result, the creatures that inhabit and live off the ocean (again, ahem, that’d be us too). Here’s the link if you want to watch it for yourself:
This was just after we watched about a ginourmous lawsuit on drug manufacturers around the opioid crisis. That, I can’t really do much about. I’m no prescribing physician, not a consumer of prescription drugs, not affiliated with any distributor or anything. I have ZERO influence on changing that situation in our world. But plastic… now that’s my bag (bad dad joke). I pat myself on the back vigorously for being a devout recycler. And up until this episode placed full faith that recycling was helping things… and it is, until it isn’t. Did you know we SHIP our recycling across oceans to China, Vietnam, Indonesia for them to deal with? In some cases, they just put it in a big pile (aka dump) which floods their rivers, streams, and streets. And those all flow to the ocean eventually. Ummmm….. say whaaat?
We ALL use plastic. After this episode, I started to really pay attention to where plastic showed up in my life. Shit. It’s everywhere. Shampoo bottles, laundry detergent, to-go containers, vitamin bottles, toothbrushes, spice jars, garbage bags, toilet seat covers, remote controls, my earbuds, clothing (hello non-wool fleece and moisture wicking workout pants). Eeeevvvvverywhere.
I put up a post on facebook asking peeps what steps, big or small, did they take in reducing plastic usage in their world. And the comments were AMAZING!! Things I had never even considered:
No special sweet treat at the coffee shop if you didn’t bring your refillable mug (or use one of their washable mugs). Nice self slap on the tastebuds for that one!
Bringing these mesh baggies* to the grocery store to put you produce in (hello, mushrooms, kale, parsley, etc). They’re biodegradable (like, compost ‘em when they get too worn), washable even!
Or these neato-bandito bees wax wrap* instead of plastic wrap!? One friend even had a dedicated one for smelly items like onions (side note: did you know that there’s a National Onion Association?!)
These reusable bulk bags* I’m particularly excited about, as I am a bulk food fanatic (nuts anyone?)
There’s SO many great examples or fresh habits, conscious products and ways of thinking that when added up make such an impact. Try some of these on for size:
Bring your own “to-go” container to a restaurant. Serves two purposes 1) you won’t forget it on the table since it’s your own personal belonging, unless you’re someone who leaves your wallet lots of places… and 2) no more plastic!
Hippo Sak* - Garbage bags made out of sugar cane so they’re biodegradable and according to my friend who won’t go back to any other garbage bag “they’re stronger than plastic-flex bags! win win!”
One friend recommended stainless steel drinking straws and compostable k-cups
Another was genius enough to think of pump tops for mason jars for shampoo, conditioner, lotions and dish/handsoaps. Many co-ops, natural grocers or large stores sell items in bulk where you can bring your own container and fill it there (or just buy a super large one and fill at home - still plastic, but less of it at least). In my own poking about found this sleek looking olive oil pour spout for mason jars.*
If you’re thinking laundry detergent - go powdered and recycle (or if you have a woodstove, burn) the box. Another adventurous friend MAKES her own laundry detergent (recipe here), and also had the great idea to get reusable/washable cotton pads for make-up remover and face toner - how cute!
Now if we’re getting into the delicate matters down south, here’s a great suggestion from another planet and health conscious friend: “Use a menstrual cup or sponge/Thinkx undies/washable pad in place of all the plastic feminine waste.” Can you even fathom the amount of waste that goes into our landfills, water systems, etc on this one alone? Yeeeesh.
And lastly, if you’re a yogurt, kombucha or kefir consumer - did you know you can make your own very easily (and inexpensively) at home? In 24 hours or less you can have your own hand crafted, custom flavored and plastic free treats and drinks - yay!
So I’d love to hear from you. I know there are so many neat, inventive, simple and fun ways to reduce our use of plastic. Perhaps you’re already doing something you didn’t even realize what eco-friendly. Share your smarts, brainy smurf! Just doing a simple search on Amazon for Eco-Friendly Gifts* reveals a whole host of really cool ideas! It’s the gift giving season, so let’s give a gift to the planet as well and put less waste into our world.
PS- I’m earth conscious, like you probably are, and know that supporting things like Amazon, use of fossil fuels through shipping and mailing has it’s own drawbacks, too. This post is to help curate choice and sense of empowerment in the ways that attempt to reduce our load on mother earth. I’m also a Shop Local gal too, so if you can buy products that support the cause that are also close to where you live and support small business owners, DO IT! Triple whammy :)
* Disclosure: some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.