What are some easy ways to decrease household plastic waste?
I have become increasingly aware of the harmful effects of plastic waste on our world. What are some simple but effective steps I can take to reduce the plastic waste my family creates? Are there easy plastic alternatives we could incorporate into our day-to-day lives to lower our waste?
Answers ( 1 )
I wish I could offer a simple solution. My wife & I have been trying to reduce our "plastic footprint" for sometime, but short of returning to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle it is depressingly difficult to make a dent.
For one thing, every single food item we buy at a grocery store is apparently required by law to be encased in several layers of plastic film, with a styrofoam platter underneath to prevent any drips. We've been looking for "farmers' markets" in the area, but they are sparse and not always open. They also rarely sell meat products.
Then when you get home and cook the food, unless you eat every bite you have to choose a container for refrigerating leftovers. Glass dishes or reusable plastic containers are best, but for small amounts those Zip-lok plastic bags are so convenient.... I try to wrap stuff up in aluminum foil instead, when we have some left over from cooking, but I don't think there is any recycling program for aluminum foil; at least it will corrode away in a few years. I think.
The easy choice is to never ever buy any drinks (including water) in plastic bottles. Buy liquids in reusable glass bottles or aluminum cans (which I think are actually recycled, albeit at significant energy cost), and where possible get a great big bottle of the stuff and reload your own personal bottle. If enough people "vote with their shopping lists" the purveyors of Infinite Plastic may get the message and change their modus operandi. They will, of course, charge extra for "green containers".
So you can either "buy your way out of guilt" or make drastic and inconvenient changes in your lifestyle. We have drifted happily down the Canyon of Convenience for too long, and are now approaching a huge waterfall....