June 1, 2016

Plastic Challenge: Cy, Week 2

Motivation! to keep morale high. And an alternative for contact lenses containers and cleaners.. couldn’t find anything that is not wrapped in plastic. Suggestions welcome.

Location:  Berlin, Germany

Name: Cy

Week: 2

Personal Info:

I’m 32 and I share a flat with another person. We don’t share our food so it’s pretty easy to see what I use at home.

I have mostly 3 plastic generation centers (besides what I generate on the way, which is a also a lot I notice):

– my house,
– my office (where I commute day everyday and spend quite some time including lunches),
– my partner’s house

I did this challenge for a week already but my flatmate trashed my plastic because she didn’t know I was collecting. Oops. And this second week has been funny because everyone who knows me have been wondering why I have been carrying all that plastic from one place to another.

List of plastic items REFUSED this week. (Yay!)
Shopping bags, I carried my own fabric bag everyday and that felt awesome. Bottled water. Biggest achievement this week: replacing all shampoos and soaps for some good bar soaps.

Total items collected: 20

Total weight:

Items: Recyclable
– Cheese packages
– Soja yogurt package
– Vegetables packaging (champignons, blueberries)

Items: Nonrecyclable
– Contact lense cleaner
– Disposable contact lenses containers
– Plastic sticker on fruit
– Wrapper from dishwasher detergent tablet
– Icecream box
– Soap bottle
– Hafer drink package
– Yerba mate package
– Coffee package
– Gloves

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?
Soaps and shampoos. Cheese.
Plastic wrapping for all vegetables.
Washing liquid (replaced for powder) and dishwasher tabs (replace for powder)
Cookies and snacks in my office for fresh fruits

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
Contact lenses containers and cleaners. Toothpaste, toothbrush. My own glasses (strong dioptrie, another material that is not plastic is very heavy as far as I know).

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
Make myself time to go to different stores where I can get products that are free from packaging instead of one massive store.

Buy larger quantities of foods in order to avoid excessive package, such as grains, seeds.. I was buying a lot of 0.5kg package of several grains, it makes no sense.

Cook more at home and take food with me in order to stop buying quick lunch alternatives in my office. It’s also nicer and healthier, but it needs more time.

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
Vegetables packaging

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
Every dishwasher tab comes wrapped in plastic!!!!

It’s very very difficult to avoid plastic completely but I am determined to heavily reduce my consumption. My perspective about this turned 180 degrees.