Argh! It's "life without plastic" month!

[siglinde99]

This is going to be tough, especially since I didn't plan ahead and therefore can't cheat because I bought a house full of stuff at the end of January.

Day One wasn't too bad. I convinced the girl to buy a bar of saddle soap (in a paper wrapper) instead of a spray bottle. However, we did buy two sponges that were wrapped in plastic. I can only conclude they had plastic on them so there would be a place to attach a price tag/bar code. It's not like they would get damaged by dirt or water, or broken.

The grocery store was a bit worse. The girl had convinced me she needed potato chips, so we bought a plastic container of sour cream to make dip. I also got a plastic container filled with feta cheese to make a baked egg dish that nusbacher had posted on FB a few weeks back. I debated getting some reusable vegetable bags, but a) they were wrapped in plastic; b) they were $5; and c) I know I have some at home (time to clean out that front hall closet again). I also bought canned tomatoes and pasta sauce (cans now have plastic liners), and the girl needed menstrual pads (plastic package, individually wrapped in plastic, and then plastic in the pads themselves: http://www.natracare.com/p146/en-gb/our-environment/sanitary-waste.aspx). I have explored options such as menstrual cups and reusable pads, but I don't know if I could be that diligent, and I know the girl couldn't!

Now that I'm thinking about the month, I'm going to fuss about the fact that I don't have enough meat to see me through, even though I have a fair bit in the freezer. This is one way to increase my bean consumption, I guess.

In an amusing prelude to the month, the girl didn't understand why I wanted to get a replacement canister for my Sodastream machine. "Why can't you just drink plain water?", she asked. This from the girl who abandoned two/two Dasani water bottles in my living room this weekend. As I write this, I am sad that I didn't get around to refilling my Sodastream bottles; the water at my office is so heavily chlorinated that it is undrinkable, so I have taken to bringing in a bottle or two. I had a bottle for plain water in my bag, but it was almost empty (and is now completely drained).

Comments

[emortimer.livejournal.com]

Why are you doing life without plastic month? Is that a thing?

[siglinde99.livejournal.com]

It is a thing. This is the one that inspired me originally: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/monthwithoutplastic. However, if you Google life without plastic, there are now tons of different sites and blogs with ideas and products. I know of a very good store near here that sells water bottles and food containers that are very tempting: http://www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/ca/. The biggest takeaway from the original blog was microbeads in face wash. I haven't used them since (though my facewash with peach pit microbeads comes in a plastic jar), and I am trying hard to force myself to go back to a face cloth.

[shyska.livejournal.com]

Pervasive plastics! Awareness is good, right?

[siglinde99.livejournal.com]

It is good, and I'm pleased that the most common sources (plastic water bottles and grocery bags) are already very rare in my house. Still, it is pervasive - I forgot to post that I bought some canned goods, and there is a plastic lining even there.

[buttongirl.livejournal.com]

On the not having enough meat thing: The sobeys near our place sells traditional types of dry sausage that have a sort of wax cloth wrapper on them- no plastic and shelf stable- at least till the cover is breached. IF you get tired of beans! :-D

[siglinde99.livejournal.com]

Good to know. I'll be making more as part of my WWF challenge, but they won't be done in time for Life Without Plastic. The girl probably won't eat them (leaving more for me) but she might surprise me. This week she gobbled down all of my chicken soup, with a comment that it was a) delicious and b) like something she would eat at an SCA event.