We did it!

Well, we made it! A month of avoiding single-use plastic, and we mostly succeeded, with some exceptions. We learned how to reduce our plastic consumption habit considerably, and most of out newly-adopted habits will stay with us. It's been fun, challenging, frustrating, and time-consuming, but it's been worth it, definitely.

What are we sticking with?

• Bulk snacks, flours, sugar, spices, oils and vinegars, coffee, tea, granola, most pastas
• No-plastic versions of laundry and dish detergent, and bulk refills of dish soap
• Bar hand soap and shaving soap, shampoo, and bulk lotion
• Plastic free toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes, dental floss
• Plastic-free packaged meats, seafood, poultry, deli meats, sliced cheese
• Plastic free produce (except for the little plastic sticky labels)
• Breads from the bakery (or homemade)
• Condiments in glass jars/bottles with metal caps, or homemade

What will we probably still buy sometimes?

• Five-Hour Energy (Thom never had plans to give this up)
• Tennis balls (although I have just ordered Wilson balls in 100% recyclable paper containers - very exciting!)
• Potato chips
• Cases of canned cat food
• Milk and juice in cartons with the small plastic caps
• Boxed pasta in cardboard with little plastic windows
• Condiments with plastic caps
• Makeup for me, and some skincare products
• Products ordered online that are delivered in some amount of plastic packaging, although we will be cutting back as much as we can

Our single-use plastic usage at the end of the month. The latest additions included remnants from a cat food order and our tennis ball habit.

Progress Week Three

Time to check in our progress after three weeks, and the disposable plastic continues to grow... Unfortunately, Thom's new shaving kit came in plastic packaging. But we're doing okay (although Thom might consider switching to beer in growlers). The next challenge coming up is to see how we do while traveling!

Our disposable plastic after three weeks

Disposable plastic after two weeks

Personal Care Plastics

A very large percentage of personal care products are encased in single-use plastic packaging. We have already switched brands for some products, and are also trying out new products to make sure they will work for us. For me, it meant that on February 1, I put all my plastic-encased personal care products into a sack, which I stored away (note that my frugal side does not allow me to throw those items away, but rather, when it comes time to replace them, I will make plastic-free choices, or at least plastic-reduced choices).

Basically, anything medical-related is most likely (> 99%) going to involve plastic packaging, which includes my meds and the contact lens solution. I like the deodorant, made by Booda Organics, and the bulk body lotion from Eco Collective is very nice. The dental floss was made by Georganics, and we'll continue using it. I'm probably not going to switch my Lancôme or Ever skincare products, but they are mostly glass jars with plastic caps. Not perfect, but not 100% plastic, either. I haven't made up my mind about the conditioning shampoo bar - it is from Dulse & Rugosa, derived from kelp, so it is supposed to be good for the scalp, but I'm not sure whether it is conditioning enough, although my hair is soft and shiny. One bar will last, a long time, though! As for the other hair care products, I am using a dry spray-on conditioner for non-shampoo days, which is in a metal can with a plastic cap. The other Aveda hair products are in storage for the time being - and I really don't think I need them, since I have the moisturizing oil.

As for shaving, Thom has bought a shaving kit (which came in plastic of course) with shaving soap and a brush, and an old-fashioned metal razor with replaceable blades. I don't use a razor that often (thank you, genes), but my nephew Troy recommended the Leaf Shave razor, which I am planning to try out - they are all about plastic-free, including the packaging.

It can be a tricky thing to switch up personal care brands, but, although we cannot go completely away from plastic packaging, we can make a lot of progress in that direction - wish us luck!

Progress Week Two

A few more disposable plastic items crept into our lives this week. We now have three disposable plastic bags in the tub: one wrapper for a live basil plant (I just really wanted some fresh basil, dammit!), one empty bag of birdseed, and one bag that was wrapping a frozen sheet of puff pastry. I could have sworn the puff pastry was wrapped in paper, but I might have put plastic on it when I used the first one. I don't remember.

There is also a clear plastic box that an individual-sized cheesecake came in, that Thom brought home from work yesterday (Valentine's Day) - the wife of one of his coworkers had made them for everyone. This isn't something that we would buy, and what do you do when someone gives you a gift, and it contains disposable plastic? Say "thank you - that is very nice."

The other new item is the empty lotion container, but we have switched to a bulk shea butter lotion that we like, so we won't be buying plastic-encased lotion anymore.

Disposable plastic items after 2 weeks. We used up a tube of lotion, bought some live basil, and used up a bag of birdseed. Thom was gifted a small Valentine's Day cheesecake, which came in a plastic box.

Disposable plastic items after 1 week.

The birdseed bag is a tricky issue, because I looked around quite a bit online before making a few phone calls. There was one company that was very dedicated to the plastic-free concept, and had several brands that came in paper bags - woohoo! The downside is that they are located in Glasgow, Scotland - wanh wanh… Wild Birds Unlimited in Lake Forest Park has lots of selections, but nothing that doesn't come in a plastic bag. However, the guy I spoke with directed me to Skagit Wild Bird Supply in Mount Vernon WA, which he remembered as selling bulk birdseed, "but that was years ago." Well, I called them and Robin (perfect name for working in the bird supply business) told m that yes, they do sell bulk birdseed, as well as paper sacks. There also happens to be a brewery in Mount Vernon that I've been meaning to try, so... road trip!

Condiment City

Condiments seem to be a mixed bag, in that there are lots of plastic options but also lots of glass options. Here is my refrigerator door today, with each container marked according to type (milk, which I used up this morning, comes in a cardboard carton with no cap). The goal here is to reduce the red star containers as much as possible.

Anyway, red star containers include:

• Anchovy paste - I can make this from metal-tinned whole anchovies
• Dijon mustard - I will buy it in a jar next time (I have tried making it, but I have not been able to get it quite right)
• Ketchup - there are glass bottle + metal cap versions
• Newman's Own ranch dressing - I can make a ranch dressing (we don't go through it very fast, so it's better if I make small amounts as we need it)
• Maple syrup - PCC Market has bulk maple syrup, so I can refill this
• Sriracha - I don't think there are glass bottle versions, but I will look!

I have been making my own balsamic vinaigrette for at least six months now, and I just tried my hand at homemade mayo and it passed! The homemade mayonnaise was surprisingly easy to make, and I started off with a half-recipe (in case it was horrible), and did fiddle with the ingredient amounts here and there to make it taste as close to Best Foods (Hellman's) as possible. But it was very easy and keeps in the refrigerator for two weeks. Score!

What is striking to me is that we are all strongly encouraged to use plastic because of its convenience. I am unusual because I have the time and inclination to make my own foods and condiments, but most people just don't have that kind of time. Is there a way to give ourselves a bit more time each day? I don't know...

Snacks!

If you browse the snack aisle in any grocery store, it is wall-to-wall plastic. Dried fruits, nuts, chips of all kinds, cookies, everything in plastic or plastic composite packaging. There are a few tortilla chip brands that come in paper bags with little plastic windows, so those are available as a last resort. Although I love to cook, making chips is really a hassle when buying them is so easy - they are everywhere! I could make my own tortilla chips of course, but tortillas all come in PLASTIC bags. So I could make my own tortillas. Which I actually do sometimes, having a tortilla press. Anyway...

The bulk aisle of most stores, Whole Foods included, has snacks but these are mostly in the form of nuts and dried fruits. Thom likes peanuts but not other nuts, and he's not big on dried fruit. So I was really happy when I went to Ballard Market and saw the selections they had. They remodeled the store in 2018 and the bulk foods section is the largest I've seen so far (although Central Market, part of the same group, is even larger - I will have to check that out). It's also nice that they encourage you to bring your own container. They provide plastic bags but I brought my own paper ones.

The picture below is only half of the snack section - the other half has lots of dried fruits, a half wall of nuts of all kinds, and lots of seeds, too. But in this section, there in the bottom row, fifth bin from the left, are peanut butter stuffed pretzels, which are a big hit with Thom. Lots of other great options, too.

Jackpot!

In addition to the snack-and-candy section shown here, there are legumes, rices and grains, a few pastas, flours, sugars, salts, spices, chocolate of many forms and hues, coffees and teas, and a wall of olive oils and vinegars. This is the place to be!

Progress Week One

We didn't do too badly over the week! Thom is sticking with his 5-hour Energy drinks, as he has not found an acceptable substitute. There are a couple of beer four-pack lids, but we could switch to using growlers, and some brands we like come in cardboard packs. We decided to keep with his preferred juice, which is Dole Pineapple-Orange-Banana, which is in a milk carton-type container, but the small pouring spout is plastic. We looked in many stores and could not find an acceptable substitute in a glass bottle. I was happy that the Knudsen Low-Sodium "Very Veggie" juice in the glass bottle actually tastes better than the V-8 Low Sodium in the plastic bottle. Twice as expensive, though. :(



Day Eight: our disposable plastic usage so far.

We know which stores carry which kinds of items. We are getting used to buying in bulk, and asking the butcher and deli staff to wrap without plastic. We are not using packaged or frozen foods*, but luckily I have the time and inclination to cook. We still go out to eat about once or twice a week. We are doing better than I expected, but it is still a challenge.



This was us on Day One.

 

*… well, excluding the occasional frozen king crab that I bought direct from Trident foods in December - it came in a cardboard box with 10 pounds of king crab legs inside a large plastic bag.

No Plastic-Wrapped Meat and Seafood!

… almost all of the butcher and seafood areas of the grocery store are displays of plastic-wrapped protein items. As luck would have it, yesterday I received a weekly specials e-mail from Whole Foods, and one of the items was whole chickens, and the picture did not show it wrapped in plastic. I has been wondering how I was going to do a roast chicken for dinner tonight, because I usually buy the wrapped up whole bird. Not this time. I rolled the dice and went to Whole Foods this morning, and I was so happy to see the following:

Even the whole birds were not wrapped in plastic - woohoo! And all the different pieces and parts you could want. I was very pleased to see this. I did ask the butcher to not use plastic in wrapping it, and she held up the tissue and the wrapping paper. Yes! So Whole Foods is a go, as is PCC.
Unfortunately, in my excitement, I picked up a container of blueberries on sale, which I was very excited about. So... I had to return them. "What's wrong with them?" "Nothing, I'm just doing plastic-free February and so I can't buy them." The other customer service person said that he and his girlfriend are also trying to reduce their plastic use, so we talked a bit about what I had learned so far, and told him about Eco-Collective.

Another find of the morning was tahini (sesame paste) in a jar with a metal lid - score! The previous brand I had been using in my hummus came in a metal can with a plastic lid.
Small victories... keep 'em coming...

I Didn't Even Think About the Mail

About once a week I go through my incoming snail mail, which is largely bills and offers and various junk mail. Now, I actually do my bill-paying online, but I still receive many invoices through regular mail. Along with a lot of other crap. You know those see-through windows in the envelopes? Yep, plastic. Which means that today's bin is looking like this:

Some single use disposable plastic is mailed directly to me!

Yes, I had to cut out all those little plastic windows, both from incoming statements and invoices, as well as most of the included envelopes. Many of these were simply offers from various companies or solicitations from charitable organizations.

So it turns out that many of these originate from entities that I have never done business with. Well, it is possible to reduce the number of little plastic windows coming into my mailbox. Here are some options:

• The USPS website links me to the Direct Marketing Association, which allows me to opt out of (a) catalogs, (b) magazines, and (c) other mail, for the reasonable fee of $2. However, it does take ~ 60 days to go into effect.
• There is also another service that allows me to opt out of credit card offers, which I also receive regularly, but through a separate website. You can opt out easily for five years, or permanently, but you have to then mail in a filled-out form or provide your SSN (I'm not biting). I did the five year thing.
• Write REFUSED on the offending piece of mail and return it to the post office or leave it in your mailbox as outgoing mail.

More information can be found here and here.

For me, there are still some invoices that I receive via mail, even though I pay all my bills online. I will make sure to contact them directly to resolve it. However, some of us are just more comfortable paying by mail. In that case, maybe suggest to these companies that they eliminate their use of plastic windows, even though these windows provide some protection against the elements and tampering. 

And reduction in junk mail may save some trees, too!

Go!

… and we're off! Today I tried out the deodorant paste, and I think it's going to work. Whew! I filled a small sack with (almost) of all my plastic containers of personal care products, and put them away for storage until March. I made an exception for my eye cream, my face cream (glass jar with plastic lid), and the saline solution for my contact lenses. I will also be making exceptions for my make-up, which I did not wear today.

I put a large dish-bussing tub on the dining room table to collect all of our disposable plastic waste. Thom thinks I am being optimistic that we will need only one tub! I will update with a photo once per week so you can follow along with our progress. Here is the plastic waste tub at the end of day one:

Plastic waste at the end of Day One.

Thom cleaned the kitchen using latex gloves (there are natural rubber ones, but we forgot to get them), with a 5-hour Energy for motivation. There is also a small piece of plastic from opening a new can of canola oil spray and an empty container of gum.

But this afternoon, we went to the movies and a purchased soda was involved. The cup is wax-infused paper, and although Thom didn't use a straw, he did use the lid. I guess we should bring our own glasses next time? We wouldn't be the weirdest people in the neighborhood... maybe...

Set...

To prepare for tomorrow's start of our month of No Disposable Plastic, I went out and picked up a few more critical items. And by critical, I mean that toilet paper was one of those items. Very critical. Since we haven't had the bidet installed yet...

Last minute prep items for the No Disposable Plastic Challenge!

The laundry detergent was not a problem - most powdered detergent comes in cardboard boxes, and Seventh Generation offers it. We already use the Seventh Generation powdered dishwasher detergent in the cardboard box, and we've been pretty happy with it. It is about the same price or cheaper than the equivalent Seventh Generation liquid detergent that we have been using. 

The individually-wrapped toilet paper is actually slightly cheaper than the brand Thom likes. It's definitely thinner, though, so we'll see what he thinks.

I bought some bulk shea butter lotion from Eco Collective, and when you bring your own container (this tin was originally for fennel pollen), they weigh it before and after and then charge you by weight. It was $1.62 for a half-tin.

The Booda Butter deodorant (kind of a paste in a glass container with a metal cap - "coconut cream" scent) and lip balm I found at PCC. The deodorant is twice as expensive as the kind I normally use (Secret solid). I tried the mint lip balm, and I liked it - it comes in a cardboard tube and you push up from the bottom to advance the stick. Kinda like those Flintstone frozen yogurt pushups we had when we were kids. It is $3.49 at PCC, as compared to Burt's Bees mint lip balm at $2.99 at Fred Meyer.I would guess it would last the same amount of applications, but I'm not sure.

We'll see how it goes!

Ready...

Getting ready! T-minus two days and counting until the No Disposable Plastic Challenge begins!


Paper towel replacements (because they come wrapped in plastic): I picked up some disposable cotton towels (washable replacements for paper towels) from Eco Collective a few days ago. $38 for a 12-pack, which would also buy me 35-65 rolls of paper towels. If only they came wrapped in paper - jeez!


Personal care products: this is going to be a tough one. Thom and I browsed PCC Natural Market in Ballard, and they have bulk all sorts of things, as does Eco Collective. But there is no problem with personal care products... as long as your brand loyalty is pretty low...


PCC market has bulk personal care items - you just have to buy their reusable containers (or bring ones of the same size with you). There are various body oils, soaps, and scented bath salts. I was wondering about the dishwashing soap myself, but I suppose any refillable liquid soap would do (not too perfumey, though)

Eco Collective has refillable shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion, etc. I felt bad about the big plastic jugs underneath, though.


But we are set for toothpaste now. It's really hard to find toothpaste in metal containers anymore, although Tom's of Maine used to make it (plastic caps though). Most of the natural toothpastes at PCC come in plastic tubes. But we found a solution!

I got myself a bamboo toothbrush, that comes in 100% biodegradable packaging - the plastic wrapper is plant-based (unfortunately the bristles are recyclable nylon) "Crush Brush" are tablets that you crush into powder with your teeth and then put a wet toothbrush in your mouth - it fizzes up a little, and is an unexpected sensation, but afterward it feels very clean!

Be Prepared!

Weaning oneself off plastic means that it is tougher to be spontaneous. If you are aiming for maximum spontaneity, then you need to be prepared!
I found this out by casually ordering a Bloody Mary when we were out for breakfast. What did I not bring with me? A reusable straw, of course!


Cocktails such as this Bloody Mary often come with plastic straws :(

And of course, not even thinking about it, I failed to order my drink sans-straw. For me, I actually enjoy using a straw with my Bloody Mary because sometimes I forget to order with no salt on the rim. Like I just did. The funny thing is, I do have (at least) one reusable straw at home. It is made of a thick plastic, and originally came inside a camping thermos-type cup that I borrowed from a friend (Lawrence, let me know if you have been looking for this...)


But not to fear if you don't have a camping cup with an extra heavy-duty straw! Eco Collective is a store in Ballard that sells reusable glass and stainless steel straws. Regular AND Bubble Tea size - how do you like that? Some of them come in a little kit that includes a custom brush-type thingy for cleaning the inside. As for carrying it around, you would need some sort of tube container or a long narrow padded bag. I bet they have something like that on Etsy.

Straw/Chopstick Travel Bag 

Well, look at that - they do! Now I can be prepared in style!

BYOC - Bring Your Own Container!

Yesterday afternoon, I went to a Starbucks in Bellevue and, due to some advance planning on my part, I brought my own cup. They gave me a 10 cent discount for bringing my own cup, so... savings!

A carabiner is handy to clip my coffee cup onto my computer bag. Very stylish, and I like to think the carabiner makes me look like a bad-ass.

I was curious, and asked the barista how typical it was for people to bring their own cup (in case you hadn't noticed, they have a LOT of cups and travel mugs for sale, which I have to assume are actually purchased from time to time). He told me that about 5% of customers bring their own reusable containers., but that number goes up when they run occasional "free drip refill" months with the purchase of a cup. I told him about my project, and it really got him thinking!


I also went to the grocery store, in this case my local QFC in Ballard, and perused the bulk aisle. Bulk food selection varies quite a bit from store to store, and this one had a good selection of nuts, dried legumes and fruits, and granola. I decided to buy some roasted peanuts. To avoid using the plastic baggies, I used a small brown paper bag that I had brought from home (although these are available in the mushrooms area, bakery area, and at the checkout bagging area).

I used a paper bag to weigh out the bulk peanuts. Unfortunately I overserved myself a bit.

This QFC has a scale on which you weight the item. You punch in the item number, and then print out a label. an unfortunate aspect of using a paper bag is that it is tricky to judge how much is in your bag. Of course you can feel the weight, but I usually judge it by eye. Next time! So I ended up with more in my bag than I really wanted, but that's okay. It turned out that I saved $0.83 per pound by buying in bulk, so... savings again!

Before the Challenge: Being Aware of My Plastic Usage

Going to the grocery store: I can use paper bags for measuring out bulk items, and I have breathable cheese bags that can be used at the deli for both sliced meats and cheeses, and a reusable glass container with a plastic lid for other packaged items.

Let me describe my day yesterday, in terms of awareness of single-use plastic consumption.

• Took a shower: all these single-use shampoo and body wash containers! I have heard that there are some companies that offer refills in milk carton type containers.
• We already use bar soap (either cardboard or no packaging) instead of liquid hand soap, but there may be hand soap refills for those who do use them.
• Coffee: If I buy Peet's from the grocery store, it comes in a plastic bag. But if I go to a Peet's (the closest one is 4 miles from my house) and order ground coffee, it comes in a paper bag. Alternatively, I can try a different brand that comes in a paper bag, like Tony's or Stumptown - there are lots of them.
• Fed the cats - their kibble comes in a big plastic bag. I think that All the Best Pet Care sells bulk food, and there are brands that use paper bags - I remember how fun it was to undo the string on the paper Meow Mix bag when I was a kid.
• Picked up prescription: the little orange plastic bottles with the white caps. Next time I will try using my own container, but this would mean not calling ahead, but going in and handing them the previous (empty) bottle. I don't even know if reuse of prescription bottles is even legal in Washington State.
• Went to Tall Grass bakery to try their sandwich bread (our standard bread comes sliced in a plastic bag). Unsliced bread comes in a paper bag, so my baguette and seeded dark rye loaf were fine, but after Madison sliced the sandwich loaf, she put it in a plastic bag with the tiny breathing holes. The solution here is to keep the bag and reuse it, or not have it sliced.
• Replaced the battery in my kitchen scale. Batteries will always come in plastic blister packs - there is no getting around it. However, I will look into using rechargeable batteries to at least reduce the consumption.
• Did laundry: Seventh Generation offers powdered detergent in a box, so we will use that instead of liquid detergent from a plastic jug.
• Made dinner: the chicken breast came in Styrofoam and plastic packaging, so I will have to go to the butcher directly and have them wrap it in just paper. For seafood, I might be able to bring my own container (seafood is always wrapped in plastic, then paper) although our friend Stuart says that the stores may not allow that for health liability reasons.

Some things we may have to do without, and some alternatives are going to involve more time and/or more money. This experiment will be easier for me than for many people, because I have several advantages:

• I live in the city of Seattle, which means that I happen to have a great fish market, bakery, butcher, and a selection of grocery stores for every price point, including the new PCC Natural Market that just opened in our neighborhood a few months ago;
• I work remote from home, which means that I have flexible time to say, make my own cottage cheese or drive farther;
• I can afford to pay more for non-plastic alternatives;
• There are no children in my house, which means that I don't have to deal with fallout over lifestyle changes. Although if I did have children, ideally they would be old enough to buy in to and participate in the experiment. Talk about teachable moments!

An Idea Has Formed

Most people I know use a tremendous amount of plastic in our everyday lives, and especially disposable "single-use" plastic. I got to thinking about plastic usage this past fall 2019 when I was watching the Netflix series "Rotten." Each episode discusses one aspect of food production in detail, bringing awareness to different things going on. Although I found all of them to be thought-provoking, the episode on bottled water and the consequent scourge of single-use plastic water bottles really got me thinking. A bit later on, I was watching a similar Netflix series called "Rotten", where each episode focuses on a specific industry, how it typically works in various global locations, and the effects on people and the environment. There was an episode on recycling, and how our best efforts as a human race to recycle plastic are extremely inadequate.

What to do?

The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to take action and reduce my "plastic footprint". But how big is it, really? I but recyclable plastics in the recycle bin, including a plastic bag full of plastic bags. Well, not anymore. As of January 1, 2020, City of Seattle doesn't accept plastic bags for recycling (they gum up and contaminate the works), but you can take bags of bags to the grocery stores, where they have special receptacles for them. The Fred Meyer in Ballard and the Fred Meyer in Greenwood both have them. So I've been doing that. For information about drop-off places in your area, go to https://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org/.


This is my organization under the kitchen sink. My plastic bags for recycling could be cleaner...

But what else? There is much more to do. After talking about it with my boyfriend (and housemate) Thom, I proposed that we attempt to minimize our plastic usage for the month of February 2020. He agreed! Since it is impossible to completely eliminate single-use plastic, I am planning to use a special bin to collect all our single-use plastic for the month, and then see where we end up. Wish us luck!