One week of no single-use plastic
Facing the challenge of avoiding single-use plastic in my daily routine I started avoiding single-use products in general
Day 0: Preparation
As soon as I got home today after class, I told my family that I would have started my “no single-use plastic” challenge. I found myself replacing different single-use objects that are part of my daily life, even if they’re not made of plastic.
- I prepared food for tomorrow trip to Turin: a lot of boxes
- I started using a piece of cloth instead of paper napkins during the dinner: so did my family!
- Makeup removal without pads was a struggle, I also think I’m wasting a lot of water.
Day 1: Trip
Today I went to Torino Graphic Days and keeping up with the challenge was hard. Moreover, I’m on my period.
- At the entrance they gave us a paper bracelet to go in and out of the fair whenever we want.
- My group decided to go to a restaurant named M** Bun. I chose to eat there too because they use compostable packages for everything.
- We bought single-use metro tickets to go to the city centre. How can the public transportation find an alternative solution for tourists or older people?
- I had to use pads.
Day 2: Family Sunday
I explained the challenge to my boyfriend’s family and we started to talk about the topic. His mother is a doctor and doesn’t see any alternatives to the use of plastic in her field. She is also worried about the widespread of diseases related to the lack of hygiene and about progress in healthcare.
- I couldn’t refuse a mint candy because I had a strong sore troat. Only then I realized it was packed with double plastic layers.
- Removing waterproof makeup was a real struggle. I used a lot of water.
Day 3: A day at home
It’s three days I don’t have coffee at home because we use a Nespresso machine. Today my challenge was easy because I spent the whole day at home. But I miss coffee and tea.
Day 4: Keeping up with the challenge
Today I spent half of the day at home and half in university so it was easy to maintain my “no disposable” habits in meals. In the morning I went to the dentist and I observed that there a lot of sanitary tools are packed with plastic.
- I started to think about the discussion we had on Sunday about Healthcare: how can we provide an alternative? Is it really healthy to replace plastic in this case? What if Healthcare will be the only sector allowed to use plastic and single packed tools?
Day 5: Dinner out
Today, after lesson, I had a dinner with my friends. In the afternoon we cooked a lot of stuff.
- The supermarket is a jungle of disposable packages and objects like tissues, snacks…
- As I was I guest and we had to cook for 18 people we had to save money and time so our grocery shopping wasn’t totally “waste-aware”.
Day 6: Digital Design Days
Day 6 and I’m still using cloth as a tissue, avoiding coffee pods in the morning and removing makeup with water and cleanser. Moreover, I have managed to replace my break snack with biscuits brought from home.
- I couldn’t prepare my lunch so I had to buy something in Bovisa. I chose to buy pasta from Pasta&Mi, a Plastic Free restaurant in the neighborhood. Everything they provide is compostable. They also gave away delicious biological apples.
Day 7: A regular day in Bovisa
As many other days, today I went to lesson and brought my own food. But something changed this week:
- I’m more aware of my consumption. :)
- I’m using a cloth bag to bring the lunch and I cut off the Scottecs.
- I’m preparing my own snack for the breaks.
Conclusion
Sometimes its difficult to avoid single-use plastic or products in general because you can’t find alternatives, especially when you’re not at home. The task of the designer should be provide alternatives. I’m eager to see which solution I’ll need to find next week.
