My Plastic Trash: Week 3

Here are the results of my second week cataloging and saving all my plastic waste. Despite the long list, it’s a big improvement over last week’s results.

2 newspaper bags 1 plastic bag from loaf of french bread 1 plastic packaging from crackers 1 Ziploc 1 plastic bag of walnuts plastic wrap from cheese 1 Soyjoy wrapper 1 fruit leather wrapper 1 Cliff bar wrapper 1 plastic case for razors 1 plastic spout, cap and pull tab from milk carton

My waste includes 5 plastic bags this week, down from a high of 19 the first week and 6 the second. The Cliff bar and fruit leather were purchased before the start of the challenge (the Soyjoy mango bar was a free sample and not very good). The most obvious ‘oops’ is the plastic bag for the French bread I bought at the farmer’s market. As I walked away, I almost slapped my forehead when I realized I’d grabbed a load wrapped in plastic.

Nine of my 12 items of plastic trash… Read the rest

Kathryn: Counting My Plastic Waste: Week 2

Here are the results of my second week cataloging and saving all my plastic waste. Despite the long list, it’s a big improvement over last week’s results.

Non-recyclable 1 bag of feline pine cat litter 2 shopping bags 4 small plastic bags, 2 plastic molded forms, a software cd, a hang tag and a plastic security tag from my new camera1 molded plastic form from scissors 1 plastic cover for the father’s day card I bought several weeks ago but still didn’t mail on time 1 #6 plastic cup from a club 1 plastic cup from brunch at a friend’s house 1 tiny Ziploc bag and plastic hanger that contained extra buttons 1 plastic planter 1 herb marker 1 broken clothespin 2 Ziploc bags 1 bag that held coconut 2 #6 containers and plastic wrappers that held shiitake mushrooms 1 plastic top and seal from a box of raisins 1 plastic bag that held muffin mix plastic wrap from cheese 1 Soyjoy wrapper 1 licorice wrapper 1 fruit leather wrapper

Recyclable… Read the rest

Kathryn McGrath: One Week of Plastic Waste

I work for the NRDC in New York and often write stories about making more sustainable choices on NRDC’s green living site. As you’d expect, I avoid disposable packaging and buying plastic items, or so I thought until I started dragging all my plastic trash home with me.

I stayed true to the spirit of scientific inquiry and didn’t avoid plastic despite my growing dismay at the pile accumulating in the kitchen. Once you begin setting aside your plastic trash you being to see plastic everywhere. Because it IS everywhere. My bag of plastic trash was larger than the week’s other garbage, which doesn’t include food scraps.

At the end of the week my plastic refuse covered the dining table, filled two bags and filled me with dread.

I was surprised at the amount of plastic that came from food purchases. In the photo below, most of the plastic on the right is food-related. And I’ll admit, sometimes it’s just far easier… Read the rest