Reducing plastic usage

Caterina

I am not sure there has been a thread specific to this topic, if there is I hope this post can be linked to it.

If not, though, I would like to open a dialogue among OSers who are fed up and concerned by the impact of plastic in the environment.

I have worked at reducing plastic in my home and in my life for a long time but finding it very difficult to eliminate it completely.

it would be great if people could post here how they have got rid of plastic in one aspect of their lives and what they are using instead.

The simplest thing is, obviously, the supermarket plastic bag. I have just found a fantastic song about ithis particular issue and here it is, hope you enjoy it:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hFgtIziShmc

I really look forward to hearing people's experiences about plastic reduction and hope to learn from them!

thriftwizard

Nasty stuff, plastic. I've steadily been removing it from my kitchen cupboards by acquiring big glass storage jars whenever I see them at sensible prices, which sadly isn't very often. When I say big, I do mean it; I'm feeding 7 adults so normal size Kilners and the very-useful Douwe-Egberts coffee jars aren't really big enough for, say, lentils, oats, or other cereals. We use them for herbs & spices; we go through industrial quantities of those!

I am a very happy bunny if I stumble across an old glass sweet jar, particularly if it still has a lid! Jars with square or rectangular bases make the best use of cupboard space; round ones mean a lot of wasted space.

My kitchen generally looks like something out of a 1970s sitcom; very hippy-dippy, with jars and stainless steel or cast iron cookware cluttering up every flat surface and hanging from home-made racks & things fermenting busily (kombucha, kimchi, kefir, sourdough) in glass jars in corners. But somewhere deep inside me I believe there'll be a price to pay for those neat easy-stacking plastic containers, non-stick saucepans & clingfilm, and it may be rather more scary than just money.

tiredwithtwins

for many years ive used reusable carriers for shopping.
I recycle everything I can, although Sheffield city council only does basic plastic recycling collections so I tend to take any plastic packaging, plastic trays etc that cant go in the blue bin to the recycling site (as its on my way to work).
my main bug bear is the black bin ... I try to use paper based bags for rubbish but inevitably plastic rubbish bags get used - my other half buys them! I try to get him to buy the ones that are recycled or are compostable, and wash the bin out so any spillage doesn't smell but with 3 teenagers it can be fighting a losing battle lol


I also use old jars for storing things ... I buy herbs and spices in bulk in bags and decant into jars ... I have a bit of a thing for jars lol!

PasturesNew

I'm not fed up, nor am I concerned. I've not got a lot of plastic in my life, imho. What I do have is (probably) recyclable: certainly the Council take it in the recycling ...and my recycling bin takes a year to fill up with tins, cardboard, plastic bits/bottles, tiny cheesecake pots (about 30/year).

One shampoo bottle/year; one conditioner; two washing up bottles .... and about 10 microwave meal for one dishes.

The only plastic I don't recycle is 3 potato bags/year and about 8 loo roll wrappers.

bmma

Hello like thriftwizard I am changing the plastic storage containers for the glass kilner/mason jars-when they are on special offer-also brown paper bags for the black bin is next to find and a non plastic bag for the cat litter x

suki1964

I love my lock n lock and wouldn't change them for the world. Glass is heavy and cumbersome and not always air tight

What plastic that comes into the house is recycled as much as is possible, bags are resued , tubs are used in the freezer etc but most ends up in the recycling bin

I have a lot of plastic in my home, just looking around me right now I see the mop and bucket, oil bottles, babies high chair, broom, the bowls of my food processor, washing up liquid bottles, squash bottle - the list goes on

I don't worry too much about it tbh. It's a by product anyway so I will be produced no matter what. And I like the convienence of it, being washable, lightweight and strong

SailorSam

I have to plead guilty. I always took plastic bags. But i reused them for bin liners, and when a had binbag full i use to take it around to one of the little local shops to save them having to buy more. So all the bags i took had at least one more life.
But now when i go shopping i have my rucksack. I'm not paying 5p
As for binliners i'm using the freebie newspapers and wrapping everything up to keep the bin clean.

Caterina

Suki, I am not advocating that people throw away usable and useful plastic to replace it with alternative materials! What I have done is using less and less plastic over several years, choosing to buy natural materials when replacing a broken objec, eg our mop bucket, now galvanised metal bucket but the mop is still plastic, no reason to throw it away.

With regard to food containers I stilk have a few boxes but only use them to store food when it's wrapped up in paper or foil first. Like cheese or sandwiches, butter etc...because I have read so much about how some plastics pass minute particles on to foods. Over the years, visiting chastity shops and jumble sales, I have acquired a few bowls, jars, crocks etc and I keep food in those.

I have replaced my ruined old plastic broom with a horsehair one, expensive but very durable, use fabric tablecloths and wooden kitchen spoons. Except for a few old but still useable implements, including food processor and blender, super useful and their metal equivalents are prohibitively expensive, my kitchen is pretty much plastic-free.

Above all I try to avoid single use plastic, such as polystyrene cups, wrapped food (preferring to buy it unwrapped when possible), over packaged goods etc. Not always possible mind you, when I tried to go totally plastic free I nearly went round the bend for the complication of finding the alternatives to so many things, and nearly bankrupted my family, trying to feed them unwrapped foods at all costs. Did not last long.

So I am quite pragmatic, for example unless I grow my own I find it almost impossible to find unpackaged salad and veg. As my allotment is not very productive in winter, I bite the bullet and buy the plastic wrapped stuff if no alternative is available.

My aim is to continue looking for natural alternatives and less packaging, but also less objects, it is also part of my desire to declutter, to live a more streamlined life.

This is only my way to do things and I hope that it does not come across as judgemental of people who have more plastic than me. Each of us need to choose our own individual battles! I am just very interested to hear about any other plastic free wannabe experience, to learn new tricks and find alternative, my intention is not to preach!

[Deleted User]

I keep all my dry store goods in large lidded glass jars out on shelves over the freezer in the kitchen, it's good to see stock levels that way. I have very little by way of plastic box storage and what I do have are the red and white 'tough' boxes from I*ea that have a steam vent and can also be used in the microwave, I've had them for a long time and they're very useful. I store leftovers in the fridge in recycled glass jars too as again it's nice to see what's needing to be used up rather than have plastic boxes fermenting at the back of the shelves as I can't see what's in them. One of the biggest problems for me is that supermarkets only supply plastic bags for loose produce in the fruit and veg area and I prefer to go to our local farm shop where they only use brown paper bags which can be reused and when they're past it can go into the compost heap.

Caterina

Hi Suki, why do you wish that people did not get hung up on plastic? Each to their own, I am not asking you to change your way, I am just expressing an interest about personally reducing my own plastic use.

I am not preaching and also like a vegetarian which I am, I am not telling people not to eat meat, each of us has to make their own choices and it is useless preaching to people, in fact it is counterproductive! Please do not feel that I am trying to change your mind, I am just expressing an interest to read in this forum about other people's experiences of their own plastic reduction.

There are a lot of reasons for me to want to reduce plastic use. Some plastics are toxic to food, and are used in food packages. It's recycling cycle is not efficient. There are entire islands of plastic in the oceans, which are killing marine life, here is just one of many links that can be found online about it
http://www.livescience.com/46871-plastic-islands-forming-pacific.html

I could go on, but anyone who wants to do a bit of research would find lots of other links.

Last but not least, and this is really, highly personal, I find plastic in the household, generally, aesthetically rather ugly, preferring more traditional, natural materials such as wood, glass, stone, metal, fabrics etc.

I apologise if my post came across as preachy and anyone felt that I was trying to change their mind or lifestyle. It was not my intention at all.

Edited as I notice that Suki's post was deleted, please please keep posting, I really did not intend it as a personal attack on anyone and your contributions are as valid as everybody else!

MrsL, the paper bags in my home get extra usage before they go into the compost, even when they are broken and tattered they are great to absiorbe the extra fat from fried food, then they get composted. I learnt rgs from my mum, in the 50s in Italy we did not know what kitchen roll was! :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

Not a bit of it CATTIE it's good to raise awareness and challenge existing 'normalities' particularly when it comes to something as damaging to the environment as plastic waste, thanks for starting the thread, it might just be the catalyst that's needed for change!