Any ideas for alternatives to buying the following, which normally come in plastic containers, here anyway:
dental floss cat treats & catnip “rubber” spatulas 1st Aid-related items like bandaids, Rubbing Alcohol, Hydrogen Peroxide, medications
Location:Â Â Brooklyn, NY, United States… Read the rest
I am unclear if certain items count as plastic (those are on the right in the photo) and if they are made from petroleum. Can anyone tell me? See below:
1. Inner candy bard wrapper that looks to be cellulose? 2. Inner candy bar wrapper that is gold on one side? 3. Wine bottle cap (non-corked wine)? 6. The flexible, metalish part of the olive oil bottle cap? 7. Labels that stick to the packing of a product. 8. Plastic wrappers for sponges (cellulose?) 9. Thick paper that is shiny on both sides (the kind that is often used for short product instructions). Wonder if it is coated in plastic? 10. Metallic butter wrappers.
Also, what do you do when your partner brings home tempting, addictive food in plastic?
Does anyone make a lot of food from scratch (or know of any plastic-free versions to purchase) like mayo, veg burgers, chips, crackers, whole grain gluten-free rolls/bread, etc.? Can any of this be cooked/baked/prepared very quickly and easily?
Also, under… Read the rest
Is there a way to get less plastic when ordering from Amazon?
Location:New York, New York, United States… Read the rest
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
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
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
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m TheGreenCat. I blog over at It’s a Green Green Green Green World. I live alone in Manhattan (where I also work full-time). I try to limit my overall waste anyway, so while I don’t avoid plastic, I do try to avoid tossing it in the landfills (as I try to avoid tossing anything in the landfills). Here’s my first go-round with Beth’s plastic challenge:
Total plastic waste generated in 7 days: 4.5 ounces of plastic (not including the few items noted below).2.5 ounces is recyclable.
Plastic that I owned prior to Monday:
3 cellophane bags from some gift boxes a couple strips of tape 1 cellophane bag from soup mix a couple of bandaids (not pictured or weighed) 1 take out container 1 shampoo bottle and cap 1 fruit container 1 synthetic wine corkNew plastic I acquired during the week:
1 styrofoam tray, plastic pad and plastic wrap from chicken breasts (not pictured or weighed) 1 disposable… Read the rest