Living Plastic-Free

Yeah, plastics are sneaky.  You could get one of those toilets that have a built-in cleaning system for your... bum.  It'll spray water at you and then air-dry you off.  I wonder where we could get such a toilet in the Lower Mainland...

This is a great resolution. It would be very interesting if you could compare the volume of your trash before your resolution and after.
Don't be put off by the nags who talk about plastic recycling. Almost no plastic is recyclable, only downcyclable.
The toilet paper at my work is bought in cases from a janitorial supply; each roll comes wrapped in paper. The TP istelf also has some recycled content.
As for the first comment about the toilet seats that spray you clean, they are usually called Bidet Seats. Toto is the most famous Japanese manufacturer, and Toto products are available from many kitchen and bath stores.  I have also seen aftermarket bidet sprayers that screw onto your toilet.  These can be found on eBay very inexpensively. If you try one I would love to hear how it works for you.
This is a very powerful concept, though truly almost impossible due to the penetration of plastic into our lives. For example, a lot of common office paper is coated with plastic to give it the smooth printable surface. A great deal of our consumer products are plastic painted to look like metal, which can be quite difficult to tell form the real thing. A magnet will help you determine what is steel, but won't stick to aluminum, cast iron or most stainless steel. The lack of certainty will probably really reduce your consumption. It will be fascinating to hear about what your life looks like. Paper cups are lined with plastic, so no soda at the movie theatre or take-out coffee. Vitamin bottles...the stuff is everywhere.
Thank you for doing this, I am looking forward to hearing about your travels.
Ruben.

Keep the Suggestions Coming and thanks for the feedback Ruben. It's already in the plan to collect all the plastic I do let into my life this year (like you said, its pretty incidious) and take a picture at the end of MY PLASTIC SHRINE to see what the volume is (hopefully minuscule). I wish I had thought about this resolution at the beginning of last year so I could have recorded the volume of all my plastic in 2006, and then had a really good comparison of how much plastic I've been able to reduce in 2007. Oh well.

Great minds think alike, as I was already looking for a source of janitorial toilet paper. Enjoy the blog. Thanks for reading.

Plastic free. Cruelty Free. Vegetarian. Chocoholic

You used to be able to buy individual rolls of toilet paper, not wrapped in plastic, at the East End Food Co-op on Commercial Drive. I moved away from that part of town so I don't know if the store still sells them.
Although more expensive per roll, I worked out that it was in fact much less expensive per sheet than any of the other brands.

Are you OK using cellophane? People commonly think that clear wrapping is a petroleum-derived 'plastic wrap' (like the film you wrap sandwhiches in), when it is very often cellophane and derived from plants.
On the one hand, cellophane is biodegradable and didn't come from an oil well.
On the other hand, it is often processed with acids and bleaches, but then so is most paper.
I guess it all depends on your reasons for not using 'plastics'.
Disclaimer: I'm not an organic chemist, so maybe someone else can provide more information.

Hey there! I just wanted to let you know that if you order 7th Generation recycled toilet paper by the case from Gaiam (according to their Web site, you have to call in order for them to ship to Canada--I don't know if it's super-expensive or what), it's not packaged in plastic. Instead, the rolls are individually wrapped in paper and shipped in a cardboard box. Personally, I find it's easier to buy by the case than to run out and buy TP every other week, but that may just be me.

Impossible is nothing

Hi,
I'm going to go with plastic free food for a year. I'm just researching where to buy stuff now and I'll start June 1.

I'm getting a few families and friends together to do a plastic free grocery shopping day, starting at Preston market (I live in Melbourne Australia).

Wow, there are some cool things going on in Vancouver.

 My question is just this: I mean, I understand why we might want to avoid plastic, but being pure about it seems to be its own form of fetishism. For instance, of course its way way way better to use the compact fluorescent bulbs, even if they have a tiny bit of plastic on them, Why would it be better to have a ceramic collar on the bulb? Won't ceramic take way longer to biodegrade than plastic?

 I think you are courageous and beautiful to work towards a plastic free world. Now if only we can get rid of some of the plastic people!!

You inspire awe and a following act, Envirowoman!

In Japan, I've eliminated certain things from my consumption - four times a week for the last year, I've carried a homemade bento box lunch to work with wooden chopsticks. The box is plastic, but it gets cleaned and packed home for the next day. No more disposable plastic containers. I eat out on Friday to celebrate!

I've been plastic-bag free in 2007 and endeavour in 2008.

After that, it gets hard because Japanese folks are plastic-mad, wrapping single rice crackers in plastic bags. Insanity. A little bit gets eliminated each time I find a new source that's plastic free. Keep going!

www.erizabesu.typepad.com

...wondered if you found your plastic free toilet paper yet?  I know that Amway/Quixtar used to sell individual ones when I worked with them a long time ago.  They would come in a box of 72 thought.  :)

 Good luck!