50% Less Plastics — An experiment
I consider myself to be somebody who cares about and is conscious about the environment. I’m been a long term supporter of Friends of the Earth, I usually vote Liberal (even on occasion Green Party), I pay extra to source our energy from 100% renewable sources. However, I am a modern, working, consumer, a capitalist, and I like to operate effectively / efficiently to allow me to get more done. For example, I am an Amazon Prime customer and a regular online shopper, and I’ve often turned to high quality freezer meals or easy cook options to eat well and stay sane.
For a little while now I’ve had an uncomfortable nagging feeling about my consumption and the waste that is generated as a result. Take-out coffee cups, plastic bags, plastic packing everywhere. Our recycling bin is full of the stuff every week. And sadly so is the black bin, with items that can’t be recycled. Not to mention what’s thrown in other bins, when out and about. I tended not to think too hard about it because it’s difficult to opt out when it’s part of our society, and I assumed that if we recycle (as we do) then that’s good enough.
However, there has been a lot of exposure of the real impact of our plastic waste on the planet of late. And the fact that recycling is often not recycled. If you’re in any doubt, watch the latest BBC Blue Planet (last episode) and read this article. I’ve become increasingly troubled about my personal approach to plastic consumption and the impact that is almost certainly having on the planet. The nine-year old me (who used to make things to raise money for Save the Rainforest campaigns) wouldn’t approve. And I worry about the legacy this is leaving for my daughters and future generations. I have been accepting what retailers sell me and the way it is packaged and not thinking hard enough about alternatives.
After a little bit of thinking and research, then I’ve realised that there is actually quite a lot I personally can do. And if a lot of people, like me (and you), do similar simple things, then it might make a difference. At the very least we will have made an effort and our personal plastics footprint will be lower. I expect that if consumers with a lot of impact /purchasing power start acting differently, then supermarkets and industry in general will also need to change.
So, we’re running an experiment in our house just now to see if we can reduce our plastic waste by 50%. This means, we are making a number of small but hopefully on aggregate, significant, changes. And at the same time I want to try to share what we’re learning and try to influence others.
So here are some examples of what we’re doing:
- Switched to a weekly delivery of unpackaged fruit and veg from the local market stall (no plastic used, and crate is returned each week), instead of the supermarket. I chatted to the guy who runs the stall, and I simply text him a list and BACs pay him afterwards. It’s cheaper than the supermarket.
- Buying milk from a local delivery service, in washable, returnable glass bottles. More expensive than the supermarket, but I love the service — back to my childhood.
- Switching to solid soaps and shampoos instead of bottles.
- Bulk-buying cleaning detergents in re-fillable or recyclable containers
- Switching to washable or compostable cleaning items (e.g. knitted dishcloth, compostable scourer) — no more throw-away J-cloths
- Taking our own containers (as well as bags) when we shop for fresh fish, bread and cheese. Yes it requires more organisation, but even in my hectic life, it’s do-able
- Always carrying reusable coffee cups. Have a few, so a clean one always in the day-bag
- Switching to biodegradable nappies and wipes for our one-year old daughter who still in nappies (and about to trial washable nappies — eek!)
- Looking for alternative products to those wrapped in plastic — basically challenging everything we buy to see if there is a plastic free alternative, and there are a lot.
And many more experiments. We’re also deciding not to buy things with plastic that might end up in the bin. That means plastic things we don’t need, or items with excess packaging. We’re not striving to be perfect (because I believe that more most people, who work, this is unattainable), or preachy, just better.
I’m writing this post for two reasons — firstly, to ask for support us in this. Secondly — to see if you’ll take part too.
In order to share the experiment, I am getting together a box of a few things to try that might inspire you and make it easier to get started as well. I’ll give these boxes as gifts to a few friends and family, and I’ll post on what’s inside and where to source your own of these items shortly. I’d love to swap notes on how we get on, and if this is effective, I’d like to try this on a bigger scale.
