Limiting and reducing your use of plastic

By Coralie, on February 17th, 2009 at 10.20 AM

From all reports lately, it would seem that plastic is just about one of the most evil things ever invented, but perhaps it’s not the invention of plastic which is bad, but the way that we, as consumers, encourage the excessive production of it. Plastics certainly have a place in our lives and they perform their tasks admirably, but everyone knows that there’s far too much of the stuff and that most of it will never, ever, bidegrade completely (unless it’s one of the new breed of plastics made from plant materials such as corn starch). If it breaks down at all, it just breaks into smaller and smaller pieces, ending up in our water supplies and, sometimes in a round about way, our food. Recent studies brought to the fore in the media are showing that the presence of Bisphenol A (or BPA) in food storage containers (particularly baby bottles) is a Very Bad Thing.

Take action

We could cry foul and petition government and big business to stop the production of all these plastics, which is a course of action that holds a lot of merit, or else we can simply vote with our wallets and stop buying the stuff. There are probably ways to live without any plastic at all, but if I adhered to that rule then I wouldn’t be typing on this laptop.

When I started to become more environmentally aware, I gradually developed a distrust of plastic. Sure, there’s still a shelf full of plastic in my home, but nowhere near as much as there used to be. I rarely use what is there and I avoid buying more of it when at all possible. Many people wonder what they would do without certain plastics in their home, such as bin liners or cling wrap. I very occasionally use cling wrap (I have yet to find a good solution for storing a block of cheese so that it doesn’t dry out), but in the last two years I’ve bought only one small roll of cling wrap and one roll of bin liners, and the bin liners were only because I needed some when I went camping.

But not all plastic is evil

Some plastic can be very useful. One example is the ‘crockery’ and eating utensils in a picnic set. Choose your plastic wisely, though. Buy products that will last the distance and can be washed and reused many times, not something that is designed to be disposable or is going to break after one or two uses. Tupperware is a great way to go. It comes with a lifetime guarantee so you can be pretty certain it’s going to last for a long time. However, only purchase Tupperware that you know you’ll use. Has one single person ever actually used the Tupperware container that was designed to hold a solitary slice of cake??

If you’re needing air-tight containers you can avoid Tupperware completely if you can’t stand the thought of going to another party or just can’t reconcile the use of that much plastic. I have quite a few of the new range of Pyrex containers that come with an air-tight plastic lid. One thing I don’t like about them is that the dark blue lid doesn’t allow me to see inside and so I forget that the food is in there until it has long since tried to return to the Earth. My solution is to simply store it upside down so that I can see straight through the glass bottom. This works well with the round containers or with foods that aren’t too full of liquid, but the rectangle containers don’t seal quite as well, so it’s best to store them right side up, or put them upside down only when holding dry or very thick foods. Of course, if you’re worried about your food coming into contact with the plastic, then you’ll have to use them right side up and just be more diligent than I am about cleaning out the fridge. Another option is to use a casserole dish with a glass lid. They’re not as air tight, but they’re fine for some foods.

Invest in some reusable shopping bags

Plastic shopping bags are rarely necessary these days. There are so many options out there that I’ll simply point you to a Google search on reusable shopping bags. Forgetting them because they won’t fit into your handbag (or else because you don’t carry a handbag) is not a good excuse since many pack down into such a tiny bundle that they’ll fit quite comfortably into your pocket. Some even come with clips to allow you to attach them to your belt loop.

So where do you start?

Here are some simple ways to begin reducing the use of plastic in your home and while you’re out and about:

Don’t buy bottled water. Instead, carry your own in a safe plastic or metal bottle. SIGG have some great metal water bottles, as do Thermos. If you’re squeamish about refilling your water bottle at a public water source, many food places will gladly refill your bottle if you ask nicely.
Don’t buy drinks when you’re out of the house. If you really, really want a treat, choose something in a cardboard container if they have it. Better still, wait until you get home to make your own chocolate or strawberry milk. If you’re that thirsty, drink the water from your water bottle. Not only will you save money, but it’s much healthier for you and at least you know exactly what’s in it.
Choose recycled. If you’re having a huge party and you simply can’t deal with the dishes afterwards, choose recycled paper plates and cups instead of plastic.
Avoid bin liners by lining the bottom of your bin with a few pieces of newspaper. If you don’t have a compost bin to put your wet food scraps into and you’re concerned about the sides of the bin becoming grotty, then wrap your food scraps and other wet rubbish in individual pieces of newspaper before placing it in the bin.
Use lidded glass containers in the fridge instead of plastic. As for left overs on a plate, make the decision right away about whether you’ll actually eat it within a few days or if it’s just going to sit in the fridge until you feel better about throwing it out. If you will eat it, then put it into a container instead of covering it with cling wrap. If you can’t be bothered transferring it into a different container, then you probably aren’t all that keen on eating it later, anyway.
Buy food products in glass containers instead of plastic. If the product you want only comes in a plastic container, then buy a larger version of it, or in bulk if you can. If you have an issue with handling a heavy container (for instance, if you have arthritis in your hands, or if small children are going to be using it) or if you prefer the squeeze bottle, then buy the larger version and simply wash and refill the smaller plastic container that was recently emptied.
Buy just a few quality toys that will last the distance rather than many cheap and nasty plastic toys that will break after the first play time.
Carry resuable shopping bags with you at all times and refuse plastic bags at the checkout. If you need encouragement to remember to use your bags, choose a reusable bag in a design you really like. My favourite ones are Envirosax. For fruit and vegetables, you can find bags made from very light-weight fabric which is see-through and adds almost no weight to the scales.
If you have hands, use them. If you’ve bought only one or two items and your hands are otherwise empty, refuse the plastic bag offered to you at the checkout. Just carry it in your hands!