I’ve been a good recyler ever since it became a thing. But lately I’ve been noticing how much plastic my household (just DH and me) uses. It’s enormous! My meat is wrapped in plastic, any sort of beverage I buy is in a plastic container, even fruit like berries in in plastic, and of course things like electronic devices are wrapped in and even made from plastic.
What are some ways to reduce my consumption of this stuff? I already use reusable bags for shopping, but that’s just a drop in the ocean.
Plastic straws seem to be a big culprit. But if you go on you tube and search Chegg and plastics there is a video about what they are doing with plastics to reconvert them into useful material. Just happened to see it last night. So recycling to me is important and we have bins in our house.
There are 2 problems with plastic - one is they are toxic to produce anyway, the other is the lack of ability to be biodegradable. I’d focus first on getting rid of single use plastic especially the kind that can’t be recycled or easily recycled - things like plastic wrap, plastic bags, ziploc bags, etc.
I’d also focus on eliminating items with PFAS/PFOAS which are toxic to humans and the environment in any quantity. We’re going to be hearing more and more about this issue.
@thumper1. That’s what I am talking about… Lol. The video I saw was that they like shredded the plastic, melted it and then heat modeled it for another use. At least it’s not ending up in a landfill.
Trex partners with merchants and corporations Nationwide to recycle plastic bags/wrap to be used in manufacturing there decking products. This link includes a PDF which list participating companies by state. https://www.trex.com/recycling/recycling-programs/
The Eco Club of our local elementary school participated in their recycling contest last year.
I did some research and found you can reduce your plastic usage by using less straws. Another way to reduce plastic usage is by using a refillable cup at places like coffee shops. Lastly, use cloth diapers instead of disposable ones. Hope this helps!
My favorite coffee shop switched to paper straws and they’re also selling metal straws I($1.00). I bought a metal straw and keep it in the car. I preferred the metal straw to the paper. Also, I threw away all the old plastic food storage containers and bought a bunch of glass containers for food storage. I also use glass canisters (got them from The Container Store) and Mason jars for food storage–take stuff out of plastic wrapping and put it in there.
When we stayed with our daughter who lives in Denmark, I was struck by how she and her boyfriend stored leftovers in the refrigerator without any type of cover such as Saran Wrap, ziplock baggie, etc. they didn’t have any of these items in their kitchen. Sure the sliced tomatoes became a little dry, as well as the cheese, but they weren’t bothered by that. It’s really made me reevaluate our use of plastics.
My county quit recycling glass recently, but still recycles plastic. So does that make using plastic more desirable? I’m an avid recycler & was really disappointed when glass was no longer recycled.
“Sure the sliced tomatoes became a little dry, as well as the cheese, but they weren’t bothered by that.”
Personally, I would be. I think their are alternatives to disposables that still keep your food in fresh shape. Food waste isn’t really economical or sustainable, either, and I’m picky about quality.
In my town, we recently started separating glass out of single stream recycling again because we actually get more $$ for glass, so it is odd to me that your county completely gave up on recycling glass, @shellfell.
For loose fruit & veggies, I’ve made and am using cloth bags. (A double savings here as I used fabric/tea towels that I had but wasn’t using) Really cuts down on plastic bag use, but there are still a surprising number of plastic bags that come thru our house. I’ve switched to mostly glass containers, but do have some plastic ones that we bring with us for use as to go containers. For years I’ve used a TupperWare container when I get fish at the fish market. Is butcher paper compostable? Does it biodegrade in the land fill? I’m still trying to figure the meat portion of food purchase/storage out in this context. Thanks for posting, @VeryHappy .
Its often more expensive (and uses more energy) to recycle glass than it is to make new glass. Crushed glass is essentially sand which isn’t harmful to the environment. That is one of the reasons some areas have stopped recycling glass.
Big issue I have with recycling is its often hypocritical. People often live in houses bigger than they need (using more energy than they need), drive vehicles much bigger than they need (US is closing down car factories and opening/converting plants to make trucks despite family size getting smaller), fly all over the world, etc. Makes people feel good. Its a lot like buying a Big Mac and large fries but with a Diet Coke.
Obviously, one of the more obvious ways to reduce plastic waste is to reduce the use of single use plastics. For example, many people buy bottled water even when the tap water is safe to drink. Bottled water typically comes in single use plastic bottles. It is also much more expensive than tap water.
