Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There was a piece on nightly news tonight reporting on a family that had purportedly gone plastic-free. By the time the segment was over I still didn't know what they were doing that most people aren't. Their "plastic-free" life was buying lettuce in recyclable plastic container! Another tidbit was that 99% of plastic is not recycled. Why am I paying for recycling then?
One can get rid of the most obvious plastic, like carpets (poor crawling babies), (wool carpets are ok), minimize tupperware, opt for furniture made of natural wood.... But even hardwood floors are covered with acrylic glossy sealer.... unless you scratch it off? Washing machines, bathtubs, isolation materials... we are doomed.
I know it's not a battle that I'm going to win, but some changes I have made:
- Use my small thermos for water whenever possible (avoid plastic water bottles).
- Shop at the farmer's market when it's open and use my own cloth bags for carrying food. (Limited packaging! I can put six apples directly into a cloth bag).
- As much as possible, avoid buying products that are in plastic bottles or wrappers. One example: with powdered milk, I not only save money by using my own water, but I can store it in a glass pitcher, which I can wash and reuse.
- Wrap sandwiches in wax paper
All that said, there are times when something I need is in a plastic jar or there are only plastic bags available, and that's just how it is. Still, I've reduced my garbage significantly in the past several years. I've had weeks where everything either went into the recycling bin or the compost pile, and there wasn't much of either. I've had several zero trash weeks, but it's really hard for me to do.
All solutions require compromises among the competing factors.
I buy cases of grape jelly to feed orioles. Some is in plastic bottles--much, much lighter in weight than that in glass bottles--> much, much less fuel used to ship it.
Many items (like the lettuce in OP) is packaged individually now to reduce spoilage, so fewer shipped (lower cost/less fuel) to fill demand.
Many items now made out of plastic that used to be made of metal or wood-- same cost & fuel savings argument.
It's not the use of plastic that's the problem, it's the disposal of it. On the other thread about the ocean garbage patch, I just posted the report of the study that says re-cycling plastic is inefficient and a major contributor to that garbage patch.
Plastic is a carbon based product-- just burn it to produce energy. Problem solved.
I have not tried as hard as i could, but I am appalled at the waste we generate that is not recyclable. Our recycle only takes #1&2 plastics, clean paper, and cans.
There are small things I do, but I doubt it has much affect on the big picture. My guilty pleasure was buying Crisco in 1cup blocks, which must be one of the most over packaged items in the store. Now I buy the tub. I always use cloth bags.
I’m amazed that we can’t do things as simple as banning plastic bags and straws. When I rule the world, things are going to be a lot different.
I have not tried as hard as i could, but I am appalled at the waste we generate that is not recyclable. Our recycle only takes #1&2 plastics, clean paper, and cans.
I can't believe how many things are recyclable but aren't recycled for purely financial reasons.
There are small things I do, but I doubt it has much affect on the big picture. My guilty pleasure was buying Crisco in 1cup blocks, which must be one of the most over packaged items in the store. Now I buy the tub. I always use cloth bags.
Buying things in larger sizes is fine, except if you live by yourself. 39% of households in America now consist of one person. Your options are to buy smaller sizes and use more packaging, or buy the large economy size and end up throwing out some of the food it contains. You can't win.
I’m amazed that we can’t do things as simple as banning plastic bags and straws. When I rule the world, things are going to be a lot different.
When I rule the world, I'm promptly banning packing peanuts and junk mail. They're both horrendous wastes and everyone hates them, so why do we still have them. And I'm also imposing some commonsense regulations on Amazon's shipping dept. Unless the merchandise is the size of a breadbox, it doesn't need to be shipped in a carton that's bigger than a breadbox.
When I rule the world, I'm promptly banning packing peanuts and junk mail. They're both horrendous wastes and everyone hates them, so why do we still have them. And I'm also imposing some commonsense regulations on Amazon's shipping dept. Unless the merchandise is the size of a breadbox, it doesn't need to be shipped in a carton that's bigger than a breadbox.
I agree. At least junk mail is recyclable.
There is a beach town nearby. They see first hand the harm that plastic bags, etc. cause to the beach and sea life. There was a movement to require reusable bags at the town’s only grocery store, and I suppose there are a few convenience stores too. It failed. I find this incomprehensible. The town could have sold souvenir tote bags, which the tourists would love, and they could have made some money from the sales to support the ongoing beach clean up efforts. Some things I will never understand. Also, how hard would it be to ban plastic straws? Paper straws work perfectly fine.
A few easy things most people can do -
1. use reusable shopping bags or at least paper bags.
2. don't take plastic straws at restaurants.
3. Don't buy bottled water - use reusable water bottles. If your local water is bad, look into reusable options like water delivery etc.
4. Some people have access to grocery stores and markets where one can buy with reusable glass containers in a bulk section.
5. Look for options that use less plastic packaging that will just be discarded.
6. Some people avoid using things like Ziplocs and go for reusable options or even something like aluminum foil instead.
I wash all my ziplocks and reuse many times. Couldn't live without them. We reuse our plastic grocery bags for trash bags so nothing is wasted. Reuse the vegetables bags too. There isn't much practical alternative for Tupperware so we use ours constantly.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
