Kim Stama
7/31/2019 1:51 PM
All month long I have kept a log of the plastic waste I was creating. And what it came down to, for the most part, was convenience and volume. If I forgot to make lunch and wanted something, healthy or not, it was in plastic - sandwiches, salads, and anything microwavable. If I wanted something other that water, it was more readily available in plastic than a can, or not offered in a can at all (think Gatorade when sick, etc.). If I didn't want to be wasteful and buy a large volume of something, the smaller option was in plastic (think lettuce heads). Avoiding straws and plastic cutlery for me is extremely easy because I've never been comfortable using those items and carry my own reusable straw. But I had to budget time to meal prep and get my coffee using my reusable cup on the weekends to avoid the plastic. If I wanted fruit from the grocery store, my availability is plastic-wrapped or plastic cartons due to market availability near where I live. I can rarely get a head of lettuce outside of plastic bags and don't tend to use enough fast enough for it to not be wasteful. I could buy milk in glass cartons but glass is mostly not recyclable around here too and the price is much higher and only in large bottles. So all in all, my plastic waste was reduced this month but a great deal, but I still had it - my milk half gallons/quarts, energy bar wrappers, sandwich containers, lettuce bags, large bottles of seltzer water - these were my culprits. Now that I am more aware, I will be more conscious.