Tuesday, September 10, 2013

September 2-8 Plastic Waste Tally



This is all my plastic waste I saved from last week. A total of 11 items, all of them food related except for 1- I received a Vegetarian Times magazine wrapped in plastic in the mail (I have cancelled the subscription). But, seriously folks, do we have to shrink wrap a magazine in plastic? I mean, really?

Not pictured are 2 meat wrappers (bacteria!) and 2 cups (one from Panera bread, and one from King Smoothie). The cups could have easily been avoided. I could have said no or brought my own.

I need help refusing things.

The food waste is a bread bag, a corn chip bag, flaxseed bag, rice bag, lentil bag, 2 produce bags, and a deli cheese bag. Oh, and a cup of Ritz Bits. Someone gave them to my son, and I am sorry to say, I ate them. (Yeah, yeah, they're not good for you).

I know all of this stuff could be avoided. The nearest Bulk Food Store to me is 12 miles, and I have plenty of Grocery Stores/Farm Markets in walking / biking distance. It is a constant toss up- waste gas or waste plastic? Right now I choose to waste plastic, because I just don't feel like driving.

Did you participate in Zero Waste Week?

Katie

7 comments:

  1. Great article Katie!! Darn! If I had read this I would have known about Zero Waste Week!!! You are very thoughtful and committed to not wasting. Unfortunately, it is very hard to make up for all the millions who waste constantly. Glad there are people trying as hard as you are!! Have a green weinie of a day!

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    1. Thanks- it is hard to not feel depressed when you see how much waste is going on. I try to "walk the talk"-change my behaviors. I am always looking for ways to make bigger changes though- it's hard - a lot of people don't care :(
      Anyway, chin up. Have an awesome day as well:)

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  2. Hi Katie, I read your comment on Sarah's Livetolist blog, and came to visit. I think we are all a community of like-minded souls. I have the same dilemmas as you do - better to drive to the whole foods shop or walk to the local supermarket?
    I do think though, that even if we are a small drop in the ocean, as your first commenter notes, what we are doing is living a life that we have to live, in order to live with ourselves. Does that make sense? And 'being the change' - who knows where that will lead?
    All the best, I'll be back!

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    1. I try to think about the people whose individual interactions have inspired me to change- and hope that if we each do something we can inspire someone else.
      Jo-
      What comes first to my mind is Beth Terry's "My Plastic Free Life Blog". That blew my mind and caused me to change a lot of habits- what if she had never been brave enough or thought it wasn't meaningful to make a big change?

      I am glad to meet like minded-souls on the internet, unfortunately I don't meet many in real life (it could be because I am shy in person though:)

      Katie

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  3. I get all worked up too - if I drive, I think 'I should have caught the bus' to the coop (where I buy my bulk). Some of the plastic you pictured, I know I can return to my grocery store. I think in the US they can do the same thing? I do tend to rinse cups, as many are often recyclable. Of course, only if it's easy to bring them home, otherwise, sometimes I just trash them.

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    1. Sarah-
      I try to re-use my trash when I can (I wash plastic zip loc type bags and freeze fruit and vegetables in them comes to mind.) I don't know of any store around me that takes any trash back- although a lot of my local farm markets/farms do take back plastic bags and egg cartons. My area isn't particularly "green", but we do have a lot of good farms/farmers markets :) A lot of good stuff grows here. I just realized other than my out of season apples, I have no idea what foods come out of Australia :) I bet a lot- as it is a big place :) :)
      Katie

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    2. We export a lot of meat to Asia - beef and lamb mainly. As far as known for foods, there's a sandwich spread 'vegemite' - super salty malty thing that confuses people as it looks like Nutella but darker. We also make this biscuits (cookies) with are sandwiches chocolate biscuits, with icing in between then coated in chocolate. And they are rectangular. But yes, as such a multicultural country, we have a lot of everything, and very much which is uniquely 'us'.

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