Purging Plastic

My oldest son had a "Lunchable" the other day for lunch.  At the end of the meal, we were left with a plastic garbage mountain from all of the packaging that was used in that one little item - around the sandwich parts, drink, snack, etc.  It seemed a bit extreme to have that much trash generated from one place.  It got me to thinking about how much trash, especially plastic, my family throws away or recycles.  What I discovered was pretty shocking.  Take a second and look around your house.  Then come back here and keep reading....  Don't worry.  I'll wait.

Do you know how much plastic your family throws away in a day?  In a week?  If you think you know how much plastic your family throws away (or recycles) take a look at The Plastic Trash Challenge at http://myplasticfreelife.com/showyourplastic/.  This website challenges families to track their plastic usage in an effort to be more conscious of what they are using and begin to reduce what and where they can.

You can watch as different households track their plastic usage for weeks at a time, taking pictures of their trash along the way.  To watch the piles of plastic go down each week as households make conscious efforts to reduce their plastic is very eye-opening.

If I had more time, I think this would be a really interesting experiment for my household.  I think the kids (and my husband and I) could learn a lot.  But, since I am Mom of All Trades and am already stretched a little too thin, I'm doing my own abbreviated version.  Here's what I discovered initially and the steps that I am taking to make a change.  Maybe these ideas will work for you too.  It's not a giant change but I truly believe that if we all make some small changes, we can make a big difference!

Sandwich Bags - My husband takes his lunch to work with him everyday.  He is a creature of habit, so there is always a sandwich and snack packed in two plastic sandwich bags.  My oldest son is in kindergarten and he needs a snack everyday as well.  Together that was going to be a minimum of three plastic bags per day, five days a week generated from our house.  That seems like a lot of sandwich bags!

For my husband, we have made the switch to reusable plastic sandwich and snack bags like these (shown above) from Celadon Road.  They work great and hold a ton of food for a hungry husband!  With a velcro closure and heavy-duty plastic that wipes clean, they are easy to use.  He's pretty trust-worthy too so I know they will come home each night to be reused the next day.

For my son, we are using a small Tupperware container for him to carry his snack to and from school.  Am I afraid that he will lose it?  Maybe.  However, with this plastic reduction exercise, I am trying to teach him responsibility.  He is in charge of that container.  We fill it each morning with the snack of his choice, he puts it in his backpack and takes it to school.  When he gets home, he gets the container out and brings it to the kitchen to be wiped out and then the process starts again.  So far, this has worked for the first few days of school.  It takes 20 days to make a habit, but I think this one will stick.

Have more than a snack to send to school?  Check out this amazing kids lunch pack (also sold by Celadon Road).  Each unique kit comes with a recycled cotton sack, cloth napkin, food-grade stainless steel beverage bottle, a food kozy and two food-grade stainless steel food containers.  Worried about this coming home at the end of the day?  Label it with stickers that say, "HEY MAX - This comes home!!"  (Of course, you will want to take out MAX and insert your own child's name.)  Don't forget to label the container and the lids as well.

Grocery Store Bags -As a consultant for Thirty-One, I am surrounded by bags everyday.  So why is it that I have so many plastic grocery bags around the house?  I even have re-useable grocery bags just waiting to be re-used.  If you look around your house, I bet you have reusable bags as well, but do you always remember to take them to the store?  I certainly don't.  So since I have the solution already in my home, I am switching how I handle the bags.  Took a removable command hook and put it on the back of my front door.  There, I am hanging my re-useable bags so they are right by the door when I leave for the store.  I am keeping them all in a Thirty-One Thermal Market Bag, which is large enough to carry the grocery bags plus will help to keep my cold food at the correct temperature as I am running errands.  Hopefully, this will be the reminder that I need to reduce my plastic grocery bag usage.

Ice Cream Cones - This one is the tastiest idea for today.  When you go out for ice cream, get a cone.  No bowl or spoon to throw away!

Would love to hear some more ideas on how to reduce your plastic usage!!  Happy recycling!!


Check out http://plasticfreeguide.com/ for more ideas on how you can reduce your plastic consumption or to join the challenge.