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...