Disposables:

• diapers
• milk lids
• plastic packaging
• 2 superglue dispensers
• 3 cereal bags
• 1 cheese package
• 1 sugar bag
• 1 tortilla bag
• 2 tortilla chip bags
• 1 velveeta cheese wrapper
• styrofoam cup with lid and straw
• cocoa tub
• broken belt
• broken sunglasses
• dried-out marker
• random craft pieces

Recyclables (not pictured):

• 2 milk jugs
• 3 soymilk containers

A few notes about some of the items:

Diapers: We use cloth during the day and disposables at night because my kids get terrible rashes when we try cloth at night. The babe that’s in diapers now has about six more months, I think, until we’ll be done with diapers for good.

Broken sunglasses: Second Son got these from the doctor. They broke the next day.

Milk jugs: Normally we buy milk in returnable glass bottles, but Whole Foods was out of stock last week.

Brainstorming Solutions

• Diapers: Try cloth at night one more time. If that doesn’t work, prepare to potty train.
• Plastic packaging: Be more mindful of the packaging on products I buy.
• Cereal bags and boxes, tortilla bag, tortilla chip bags: Make food from scratch.
• Sugar bag, cocoa container: Check the bulk bins.

Now I have a plan of action for reducing my trash.

It was a humbling experience to say the least as my daughters and I counted almost sixty pieces of disposable, single use plastic.  Jesse collected twenty-seven pieces.  The plastic didn’t last long in our house but it will definitely last forever on the planet.

Read more about Elisa’s experience on the See Jane Do blog.

Name: Team See Jane Do with Elisa Parker and Jesse Locks

Total number of items:  58 in the Parker Household (family of four) and 27 in Jesse’s houshold (1 person)

Analysis:

What items could I easily replace with plastic-free or less plastic alternatives?

cups and veggie/fruit bags.

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic-free alternative doesn’t exist?

Bottled water and to go plastic cup tops.

How many of these items are from “convenience” foods that could be made from scratch with less packaging but might take more time to prepare? 

hummus, shampoo,

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?

supplements and makeup

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption? 

Bring my own cup and containers for food.  Silverware.

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?

Plastic veggie bags in the produce section and canvas bags for shopping (not just at the market).

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?

An eye opening experience!  Everything at Costco and Trade Joe’s is packaged in plastic.

Week #: 1
Name:  Karey Harris

I’m a female living in a single family home in Maryland. I have one roommate, and work about 3 miles from my home. I have no children, and as of yet, there are no options at my job to telecommute.

List of Recyclable Items

My county, in an effort to make their website more user-friendly, makes finding the numbers accepted rather difficult… they do however list the TYPES of plastics recyclable (Plastic bags & shrink wrap, cups, plates, utensils, etc)

* Bottle of Crisco Pure Vegetable Oil- number 1
* Two plastic cups- number 6
* Two plastic grocery bags- number 4 (The county might take them, but I usually save them and take them to the store later)
* One plastic Gordon’s Jewelery bag- number 2 (The County says they take it, but I did not know that!!)

List of Non-recyclable Items

* Two contact lens cases
* One plastic container of dressing from Chick-fil-a
* Two black plastic dressing containers from a restaurant (only one is pictured)
* Four plastic envelope windows
* One bag of cat food
* Some plastic that flowers came in
* Two twizzler wrappers
* One string cheese wrapper
* Three straws (only two are pictured)
* Three drink lids (only one is pictured)

Total number of items: 26!

Tally analysis

What items could I easily replace with plastic-free or less plastic alternatives?

I saw the link to glass straws, so if I was carrying that around, I could eliminate the plastic there.

The candy and cheese were all 100% impulse. The candy could be bought in bulk instead of individually wrapped (thank you, vending machines.) The cheese could be bought in a different form, like sliced from the deli.

I’m usually pretty good about grocery shopping with my cloth bags, but I forget about them in convenience stores and the like. Those could easily be replaced.

Plastic cups/lids are easily replaced if I could remember to bring my reusable bottle everywhere. Like the grocery bags, I have one, and I’m USUALLY pretty good, but not always…

There might be a paper cat food bag out there… but I’m really hesitant to switch foods for her, since she does so well on it!

All of my bills are paperless; I don’t know how to get people to stop sending me mail that I don’t want! There must be a way…

It would be easy to ask for no plastic at dinner, if I could remember.

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic-free alternative doesn’t exist?

Drink lids and straws would be easy on most days.

I really should give up on candy.

The dressing when I’m out is usually unnecessary

I don’t need flowers (these were a gift…)

How many of these items are from “convenience” foods that could be made from scratch with less packaging but might take more time to prepare?

Three- the two Twizzlers, and the string cheese

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?

Possibly the cat food bag, depending on my willingness to experiment, and the bottle of Vegetable Oil.

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?

I would have to be better at remembering to bring my reusable containers around with me, and asking for no plastic at restaurants.

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?

Food wrappers!

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?

I’m amazed — I feel like I ate out a lot more than usual this week, but this was a lot more plastic than I was expecting. And I’m pretty good about packing lunches in reusable containers, grocery shopping with cloth bags, etc. What does this look like for people who don’t do that?

Take the steak package above.  We could have bought the steak from a butcher in paper and put it in the freezer.  But on a weeknight when we are rushing, haven’t planned ahead, and need dinner *now*, we often end up at our local health food store 3 blocks from the house buying dinner on the way home.  And their meat is all in plastic.

I’m confident we’ll get there.  I think I need to allow us the time it takes to change our habits and ease up a bit on the guilt.  It’s hard though!

Good steps this week – instead of buying the baking powder I normally get (includes plastic), I bought it in bulk.

Recyclable plastic:

• milk carton – recycled in our curbside pickup

Non-recyclable plastic:

• cheese curd package
• candy wrapper (found in purse)
• 2 cans tomato paste (can recyclable but plastic liner not)
• 2 cheese wrappers
• 1 spice package (months ago let my cayenne run out and then needed to replace it asap  – no time to go to the bulk store. )
• top from baking soda
• plastic from needle cases (replaced these with this)
• plastic from new tv antenna (bought by hubby but will be enjoyed by me as well).  The whole dang thing is plastic though.  Sigh.  Hopefully it lasts a long time.
• 1 misc wrapper
• 1 eye dropper
• 1 vitamin bottle security seal (glass bottle, plastic top)
• 1 vanilla bottle security seal (glass bottle, metal top)
• 1 package – steak
• 1 take away container
• 1 tie from a stack of paper yard waste bags

Number of plastic items: 21

Weight: 7.75oz

Changes I will make starting this week to avoid plastic:

• Don’t let bulk and plastic free stuff run out – keep extras on hand if required

Here’s the tally:

Recyclable Items

1. Plasticized milk carton (part of the curbside program but unsure how it’s recycled)

Non-recyclable Items

1. nacho chip bag
2. 2 windows from bread bags
3. plastic wrap and inner packaging – fig bars
4. 1 piece saran wrap(cucumber was wrapped in plastic – why is this necessary??)
5. 2 empty deodorants
6. 4 lids and 2 security seals from glass milk bottles
7. fountain pop lid and straw
8. top from a hot choc (disposable paper cup)
9. envelope window
10. 1 bag beer nuts – not depicted
11. 1 plastic bag that whole local org chicken came in – not depicted
12. 3 plastic grocery bags (for garbage) – not depicted

Total number of items = 24
Total weight of plastic stash = 8oz
Tally analysis

• What did I do this week to avoid plastic?
  *Bought lots of stuff in bulk (see pic below) – I brought all those containers to the health food store this weekend and filled them all up!
  *Switched to a plastic-free deodorant
  *Brought my lunch to work most days and on days I didn’t bought lunch from the deli that sells sandwich wrapped in paper.

Questions I’m not sure the answer to:

1. Is it better to buy milk in glass bottles with plastic tops which are not recyclable vs. buying milk cartons which are recyclable (but I’m not sure how and to what extent)
2. What to do at events that don’t allow you to bring any food and drink (e.g. The beer nut bag, fountain pop top and straw and hot choc top are all from an NHL game I went to this week). I def. could have brought a mug for the hot choc – didn’t plan on having any but the arena was FREEZING (I know you are all like, well duh! but normally it isn’t that cold in the stands!). But not sure what I could do about the drink. Here too I tried to pick the best option but still not sure I succeeded – I chose to pick a fountain drink because it seemed to contain less plastic. However if I’d have chosen a plastic bottle of pop, the bottle could have been recycled. What’s better?

Bulk food purchases this week – no new plastic!

I wanted to get below 40 pieces of plastic this month and I made it! This was actually pretty hard and didn’t leave much room for splurging.

Number of items: 38
Weight of items: 3 1/4oz

Items:
4 x candy wrapper
deli bag + wrapper
Hot chocolate pot
italian sausage bag
hot dog bag
blue cheese plastic
cheddar cheese bag
7 x milk lid
7 x milk zipper
lime juice lid
icing sugar bag
graham cracker bag
cocoa seal
3x pasta window
plastic fork – will be reused by my husband
Goya bottle wrap
cider sample cup
2x butter wrapper
GF International coffee seal

My sins:

I am sorry… but life is extremely stressful and I bought a tin of GF international coffee. I used to drink this everyday and managed to give it up for a couple of months. After this tin is done, I will strive to not buy it for another couple of months.

I have no idea where my head was when I picked up the plastic fork. We have real forks at work but the plastic ones were out and that is what I picked up at the BBQ.

I am sure I am missing some plastic from prior lists because it just dawned on me that the Goya Mango juice in a glass bottle has a PLASTIC wrapper on it! ARGH!!!! Normally I buy Jumex in a can but occasionally I bought the Goya. *sigh* This is officially struck off my list.

That cider sample cup came about due to Hand, Food and Mouth disease. My throat was so scratchy due to said disease at the Farmer’s Market that I grabbed the sample cup and downed it BEFORE I realized it was made of plastic. ARGH!!!!

What could I live without?

blue cheese plastic is no more. I bought a 2lb block of cheese wrapped in foil and have been munching on that for the last month.

Hot chocolate pots are no more. I have switched over the Nestle which lasts a month and produces 2 pieces of plastic per month.

What are convenience foods?
Graham crackers? I don’t know if this is a convenience food or not. I do know that I have no desire to figure out how to make them.

What won’t I give up?
My butter – I have deliberately went with local butter which comes in plastic wrap rather than go with butter shipped in from who knows where in cardboard and wax paper. This is a locavore decision that flies in the face of my plastic challenge. Sometimes you can’t do everything.

Milk, pasta, my occasional candy and

meat. I am down to 1-2 lbs of meat a week. Only one meal a day has meat in it. I am not yet prepared to get my meat at Whole Foods.

My goal next month is to try to stay within the 40 plastic items.

1. Week#: Wednesday 30 September to Wednesday 7 October
2. Name: Bibi
3. List of Recyclable Items
1. PowerAde bottle
2. laundry detergent bottle….x1
3. dish liquid bottle…x2
4. hair shampoo plastic bottle 
4.  List of Non-recyclable Items:
   1. Plastic wrapping bags for Klean Kanteen aluminum bottles…x2
   2. Plastic wrapping for Wallstreet Journal…..x7
   3. Plastic wrapping for BMJ…x1
   4. Plastic wrapping for Surgery Magazine…x1
   5. Plastic bag wrapping for children clothing Olive Juice…x3
   6. Plastic bag mail….x1
   7. Paper envelopes with plastic windows….x2
   8. Ecover dishwasher tablets…x6
   9. Plastic and paper bag wrapping with plastic hanger children underwear…x3
   10. Powerade bottle cap
   11. Box with plastic window kids car…x3
   12. Egg white tetra brik (have a glued plastic rim)….x6
   13. Egg white tetra brik caps….x6
   14. Egg white tetra brik whatever you call to open the hole!….x6
   15. Organic Whole milk tetra brik (have a glued plastic rim)…x2
   16. Organic Whole milk tetra brik caps…x2
   17. Organic Whole milk tetra brik whatever you call to open the hole!…x2
   18. Bottle Pedialyte… x2
   19. Crab supreme bags…………x4
   20. Orange juice straws…x4
   21. Plastic wrapping for children ice pops
   22. Frozen vegetable bag…x1
   23. Sanitary towel plastic wrap….10
   24. Spiderman plastic freezing face (for swellings…)…x1
   25. Plastic bags from lego toy….x6
   26. Tap plastic wrapps……..x3
   27. Rubber glove
   28. Shower gel plastic bottled
   29. Plastic wrap on cheese sticks organic valley….x6
   30. Back to nature cashew plastic bags…..x4
   31. Plastic strips for facial cleansing….x3
   32. Plastic wrapping for cold depilatory wax
   33. Plastic bag premixed cookie….x1
   34. Plastic bag gummie bears..x1
   35. Plastic wrapping ice creams….x6  
5. Total number of items:
6. Total weight of plastic stash: 4.8 lbs
7. Tally analysis (answers to the following questions)
   • What items could I easily replace with plastic-free or less plastic alternatives?

     Plastic bag premixed cookie…. Do it myself
     Plastic wrapping for children ice pops…. Do it myself
     Lego toys… buy previously used

   • What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic-free alternative doesn’t exist?

     Cheese sticks, cow milk, facial cleansing strips,

   • How many of these items are from “convenience” foods that could be made from scratch with less packaging but might take more time to prepare?

     Ice cream, orange juice, lemon juice, cookie dough

   • What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?

     Female sanitary towels
     Nuts
     BMJ (British Medical Journal)/ Surgery magazine/Wall Street Journal
     Shampoo
     cold depilatory wax system

   • What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?

     Be more aware of plastic. Spend more time in the kitchen, Live a more “aware” lifestyle and sacrifice convenience…

   • What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?

     Shower gel for soap bar
     Ecover: no more tablets… will buy powder

   • What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?

     I have to take it easier, and live my life a notch “slower”. I must remind myself more often to respect our Earth

8. Personal description:
   South Florida
   Female
   One child
   Retired surgeon, currently have a start up company which inevitably adds stress in my life because I am in an unknown territory.
   After this week I feel terribly ashamed and embarrassed with myself.
   Thank you Beth for this wake up call.

I love you!

Recyclable Items

1. Plasticized milk carton (part of the curbside program but unsure how it’s recycled)

Non-recyclable Items

1. plastic lined can (can is recyclable but the plastic lining isn’t
2. plastic wrap from local cheese
3. bag choc chips
4. 1 piece saran wrap(was used to cover pie brought home from M&D’s)
5. remains of a scrubber (used to wash dishes)
6. two labels from local beauty products (came in glass jars)
7. plastic top from sour cream
8. sticker removed from brother’s guitar case (which I’ve adopted)
9. top and security seal from vitamin bottle (glass)
10. two cereal bags
11. wrap from eye drop box and 4 eye droppers
12. vitamin powder package
13. top of cheese curd package
14. misc plastic wrap (not sure what this is from)
15. 3 plastic grocery bags (for garbage)

Total number of items = 25
Total weight of plastic stash = 4.75oz
Tally analysis

• What items could I easily replace with plastic-free or less plastic alternatives?
  *milk (could buy in glass)
  *choc chips (could buy in bulk)
  *saran wrap from pie (could have brought a container to M&Ds)
• What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic-free alternative doesn’t exist?
  *cereal (I could make my own granola)
• How many of these items are from “convenience” foods that could be made from scratch with less packaging but might take more time to prepare?
  *sour cream?
• What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
  *eye droppers. I hated using them but it was a bit of a necessity this week
• What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
  *make an effort to buy more food in bulk and maintain a good stockpile of food essentials to prevent last minute trips to our neighbourhood grocery store (which doesn’t have any bulk food). E.g. choc chips
• What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
  *non-bulk choc chips
• What did I do this week to avoid plastic?
  *Make cookies from scratch
  *Buy soap wrapped in paper
  *Brought my lunch to work most days and on days I didn’t bought lunch from the deli that sells sandwich wrapped in paper.

green_grrl - plastic garbage challenge - week 1

Week one is done.  Hadn’t quite thought about how personal posting pics of one’s garbage is!

Is worth it though.  Is such an eye opener and it’s already having an impact.  Today at work we had an all day meeting so pizza was ordered in for lunch.  With styrofoam plates.    I certainly couldn’t use one since I just promised (see below) to not use any more styrofoam.  So I walked back to my building to get my plate and cutlery from my office. 

Recyclable Items

1. 2 jugs (local apple cider) – recycling #2 – this is included in our curbside recycling

Non-recyclable Items

1. 1 potato chip bag
2. 1 package – organic sausages
3. 1 bag tortilla chips – bag looked to be paper but is fully plastic on the inside
4. 2 pieces saran wrap *
5. 1 plastic window from a bag of bread
6. 1 bag local cheese curds
7. 2 stickers from a box of choc
8. plastic security seal from eye drops
9. label from a glass bottle of juice
10. cough drop wrappers
11. 2 cookie wrappers*
12. 1 bag salad greens – opened badly so hard to reuse
13. conference name tag (printed on hard plastic like a credit card – grrrr)
14. conference name tag holder
15. styrofoam container – went to a restaurant that only served in styrofoam!
16. small plastic pot and lid
17. 4 plastic grocery bags (not depicted)

*items with a star are from my lunches at a conference I attended last week – I was going to bring my own but figured since they were making a lunch for me and the plastic would be going into the garbage anyway, I may as well get the lunch. Good decision?

Total number of items = 32
Total weight of plastic stash = 7oz
Tally analysis

• What items could I easily replace with plastic-free or less plastic alternatives?
  *sausages – bought from a butcher in butcher paper
  *choc box stickers – easy to get choc in non plastic packaging
• What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic-free alternative doesn’t exist?
  *potato chips
  *tortilla chips
  *any food served only in styrofoam at restaurants
• How many of these items are from “convenience” foods that could be made from scratch with less packaging but might take more time to prepare?
  *cheese curds?
  *perogies (was what was in the styrofoam)
  *bread
• What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
  *local apple cider (I know not really essential but so good and only available for a short period. Will keep looking for glass though)
• What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
  *less junk food
• What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
  *styrofoam
• What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
  *I’m actually surprised there wasn’t more plastic. I’m annoyed at the conference pass thing. Am going to write to the organizers to see if they can do it with less plastic next year (is an annual conference).

Personal description

• location = Ottawa, ON, Canada
• gender = female
• relationship status = married no kids
• work=in an office

Weight Loss: 3lbs (all in the last week)
Items: 58
Weight of plastic: 10.25 oz

21 hot chocolate pots
tortilla bag
candy wrapper
peanut butter jar +lid – recycled
Bavaria Blue cheese plastic wrap
3 milk lid
3 milk zipper
3lb beef tray
chocolate chip bag
celery bag
vinegar lid
pasta window
tea bag
thai instant soup
ice cream wrapper
ice cream seal + ring – disclaimer
seal from bottle of garlic
cracker sleeve
seal from hot chocolate

Plastic from Travel:
Carls Jr – Fish and chips styrofoam
– tartar sauce cup + lid
Arranchero House – plastic sheet
– styrofoam cup for soap
Days Inn – styrofoam cup
– peanut butter
– spoon, fork, knife
Plane – mini pretzel bag

Disclaimer: this was a friends contribution to the meal and wouldn’t you know it, she purchased a brand with plastic!

I spent 3 days in travel. In fact, I spent most of those three days in the airport and less than 24 hours in Mexico with the client. As a result, I ate for almost 3 days in the airport. I gained a lb in those three days because I ate absolutely HORRIBLY in an effort to keep my plastic down. Instead of eating fruit in a clamshell, I ate Popeye’s chicken and fries. The one time I tried to make a good choice, I ended up with styrofoam from the fish when I could have had a burger in cardboard. The ride from DC to Atlanta was supposed to be 1.5 hours. I didn’t bring food with me. Who is going to starve in 1.5 hours? Apparently me, because I was on that plane for 5 hours and ended up landing in a different state due to weather. I managed to keep my hunger appeased with a single packet of mini pretzels.

The rest of the list looks pretty good.

What I can get rid of?

When you look at a whole month, you see the amount of plastic that you end up with when you use the hot chocolate at work. Almost 1/3 of my items comes from that alone. It is time to change. Goodbye hot chocolate from work. I will miss you. Hello humungous container of Nestle hot chocolate with the plastic lid and seal. But that will be all the plastic for a month’s worth of drinks or more. And naturally, I forgot it this morning so you will see a plastic pot on my list next month. You think this might have been a easy substitute and wonder why I didn’t do it earlier but it wasnt. Nestle has nothing on the taste of Green Mountain hot chocolate and the hot chocolate at work was FREE!

I have one more piece of blue cheese plastic to come in next month and then it will be all gone. I finally found a very reasonably priced blue cheese that comes in foil that I actually like the taste of. I bought my first 2lb brick of it this week. Goodbye blue cheese plastic and hello Castello blue cheese block! YUM!

Forgive me but I have sinned. That ice cream wrapper was completely uncalled for but I WANTED IT! And I guess we simply can’t have chocolate chips in the house. Forget the cookies or muffins. I just want the chips and ate them right out of the bag! *sigh* carob chips are completely not the same and all I can get in the bulk section.

What am I not giving up?

crackers
milk
meat – but 3lbs of waste from meat in a month is NOTHING! meat consumption is way down.
pasta
thai instant soup

Conclusions?

I have been holding steady at about 15 pieces of plastic a week. I have been seriously trying to reduce the plastic but it is incredibly difficult. Lets see how next month works after I substitute in the Nestle hot chocolate. Can I keep my plastic below 40 items?

Next time I travel and find myself in the airport for days on end – I am throwing my plastic challenge out the window. I ate like complete crap while I was gone in an effort to reduce my plastic and this is not what my challenge is about. It was about eating better and clearly that can’t happen in an environment that worships plastic. The cool thing about this was that I actually asked vendors how they packaged their stuff and I even managed to get this across in Spanish such that the vendor changed how they served the meal for me. Baby steps!