9 Tips For Living With Less Plastic

LessPlasticUK has some wonderful graphics with common sense suggestions

I joined a local group to advocate for less single use plastic in my county.  I feel a bit of a fraud as it is an offshoot of folks who fighting pipelines mightily.  We've got two pipelines being built in my state and it is not a good situation.  I think by temperament I am against pipelines.  Pipes, in my experience, always leak.  And even a small methane leak is horrendous for the environment.  But of course my husband works for an energy law firm.  He mostly does rates and economic stuff so he isn't in the thick of most of this, but still he's on the wrong side!  Hey, and that's what pays the bills and puts food in my mouth.  So I feel like a real hypocrite.  I really just want to work on the zero waste issues because I feel that is something I can change in my personal life.  And it is something I can advocate in for my community.  It is much more cut and dried for me and therefore I can let my zeal go whole hog, so to speak.  I feel really constrained on other issues because of who butters my bread!

Anyway,  I thought I'd use this graphic (and maybe others that lessplasticUK puts out) as sort of an examination of conscience on where I am in terms of these 9 suggestions.  I feel like I lapse a lot.  More than I care to admit.

#1 Bring your own reusable bag.  I would say I am about 85% on this.  However, occasionally a cashier will wrap something up in a plastic bag and put it into my cloth bag when I am distracted.  I don't notice until I get home. R and J are terrible about remembering to bring bags or ask for paper.  They are the ones that bring plastic into the house. Also I do sometimes get paper bags.  Now in my book, the paper is better than the plastic because it is made from a renewable resource and is biodegradable and fully recyclable too.  I find there are times at home when I need a couple of paper grocery bags.  I don't know how to get around that yet.  But I do know that even though paper is better, it still isn't good.  It takes a lot of trees and a lot of serious chemicals to make all the paper.  So I should try a little harder to reduce the amount I use.   I must renew my efforts to keep some extra reusable bags in the car.  And to prep the car weekly so it is fully loaded zero-waste speaking.

#2  Carry a reusable water bottle.  My lips have not touched a disposable water bottle in a long time.  There are anathema to me anymore!  I would rather go thirsty.  I am very good at keeping my water bottle with me most of the time.  I often fill up a 25 oz bottle I saved from a sparking water I bought, as extra water to keep in my car.  Even if the water gets warm, I'd rather drink that. On this subject of water, I still really want a water filter.  I drink mostly the filtered water from the fridge but not always.  But that' s more health related in my mind than zero waste related.  Now sometimes when I am out and really craving a soda, I'll get a paper cup (no Styrofoam for me - (no) thank you very much Chick fil A!) with no plastic lid or straw.  But I know the cup still goes to a landfill.  One problem with water bottles is that J and S working at the marina don't have a place to fill up water bottles.  They only have the bathroom sinks which aren't deep enough to fit a water bottle in for refilling.  This is crazy because you'd think a marina would be among the most interested in cleaning plastic debris out of the river.  My solution is to send them with full water bottles at the beginning of the day so at least they don't use as many water bottles.  Sometimes they are working all day in the hot sun and do need a lot of water.  I'm thinking though I should get them some kind of big thermos water dispenser that will give them enough water for the whole day.

#3 Bring your own cup.  I don't buy coffee out unless I've got my reusable travel mug with me.  Since I've taken to drinking black coffee or plain tea, I find I can actually bring the drink with me from home and even if it sits in the car for a while, I can still drink it later.  It doesn't go bad.  Now when I am at the co-op, occasionally I crave a cup of coffee and I've given in and used their stupid K cup thing, but put the coffee in my own reusable coffee mug. Still K cups are the spawn of the devil in terms of needless plastic waste. Sometimes though I go out to the nearby Dunkin' Donuts and get a refill from them.  But overall I'm doing well in this category.

#4  Pack your lunch in reusable containers. I am pretty good at this though I do sometimes buy zip lock bags.  I had to buy some for something at AHG for some reason.  So I do occasionally resort to using them.  What I do need to do is pack up more lunches and not resort to eating out so much.  Today is a prime example.  I had to take B to her math class.  She'd eaten eggs for breakfast but now it was lunchtime. I had to drive her directly from math to voice and she needed to eat on the way.  So I went to Panera and got her a salad, but it comes in a plastic bowl with lid.  Now I'll try to use that bowl for something, and when I'm done, I'll put it in recycling.  But recycling plastic is largely a joke so the chances are it will end up in a landfill.  I really have to work on being able to prep and plan for meals in the midst of our busy schedule.  This is an area where much of our plastic waste comes in.

#5  Say no to single use straws and cutlery.  I am pretty good on the straws now.  It is hardest when I go into a sit down restaurant, to remember to tell the waiter.  But more and more I am remembering.  The plastic cutlery is a different issue.  I know CAVA has compostable (commerically) cutlery so I do compost those.  And sometimes I remember my own little bamboo kits which I keep in the car.  The problem is that I forget to bring them in to the house to wash them.   And also I don't like the little velcro cover they come in because it doesn't close all the way.  They get dirty in my purse.  I want something that closes completely.  So this is something I do need to work on more.  Maybe I can find a solution this weekend.

#6 Skip the plastic produce bags.  I am pretty good at either not using produce bags or remembering to bring my own.  My problem with this is I often am lazy and throw the lettuce or whatever into the fridge still in the muslin bag.  But then it sits in there and the next day I wind up in a store for another kind of produce but no longer have a bag!  So I need to work on this as well.  I really need to wittle down how much shopping I do on the fly.  I have to plan meals better and be more thorough about having all the supplies and ingredients.  I should do one major shopping each week, with maybe another quick trip at some other point during the week.  As it is now, I do quick shopping trips nearly every day.  It's ridiculous.  It doesn't help that in trying to go zero waste, I have to go to different stores to get certain items.  For instance if I plan for hot dogs one meal, I know I can go to The Fresh Market and get them over the counter and bring my own container.  Everywhere else, I have to buy them in plastic.  But anyway, I am straying from the subject of plastic produce bags!

#7  Slow down and dine in.  Ugh.  This is my downfall.  I have such a hard time cooking 21 meals a week for my crew of divergent tastes and requirements.  It is hellish at times.  LOL.  I get so frickin' burned out.  Pardon my French.  I love that at Panera if you dine in, they serve you in a real bowl with real stainless steel cutlery.  You can request a real bowl at CAVA too if you are eating in, though they run out and then switch to disposable.  However, their containers are compostable.  Chipotle's bowls are also compostable and the aluminum cover is recyclable.  I bring my stuff home from Chipotle though because they do not actually recycle at the stores, even though they have a recycle bin.  When S worked there both receptacles were dumped in the trash.

#8  Use glass jars for leftovers.  I definitely am much better at storing leftovers.  I use old glass jars, or soup bowls with a saucer on top.  Or I use aluminum foil if necessary.  No plastic wrap is used pretty much ever, anymore.

#9  Share these tips with your friends.  I think I'm actively working on this one with the facebook group and getting involved at St. Mark and with 350 Fairfax.