Two weeks of no single-use plastic

Some final considerations

A brief sketch of the consumption that can be avoided with small habits

On this second week I felt like I had to put less effort in my commitment to avoid single-use products, especially plastic, because my planned efforts started to become habits. Here is a list of some of the actions that I would like to maintain in my daily routine:

1. Bringing a snack in a plastic box instead of buying a box of snacks that are packed individually. This saved at least 10 plastic packagings during these two weeks, because I’m used to eat snacks during the breaks.
2. Using cloth napkins instead of paper ones. This saved probably two and a half handkerchiefs packages. Moreover, I found this solution way better for the skin.
3. Using an aluminium bottle instead of plastic bottles. This made me save hundreds of bottles and also of euros because it’s three years I’ve been using it. So I cheated on this one because it is already one of my habits ;) . But during these two weeks I started to realize the great value of this choice!
4. Avoiding cotton makeup removal pads. This action is something controversial in my opinion. Is it really a sustainable choice? Isn’t an eccessive waste of water to remove makeup without producing waste? During these two weeks it took a lot of time and water to me to remove makeup and the result was even worse. But despite this I would like to investigate new solutions!
5. Using shoppers instead of disposable plastic bags for the grocery shopping. This habit is something that has roots in our family habits. My mother always brings with her folded reusable bags: I find this very inspiring and I started to pay more attention when I have to do the grocery shopping myself.

Concluding this two weeks, what I found very inspiring was the fact that even if I couldn’t totally stick to the challenge, this attitude started to affect my habits in a small but significant way. For example I started loads of discussions with my friends. Also, the fact that the focus shifted from plastic to many types of products was an unexpected consequence.