Living Plastic-free: PROGRESS REPORT JANUARY

I’ve finished my first month living plastic free in 2007. Wow, what a difference a New Year's resolution can make. Check out this picture of my plastic shrine.

• On the left, is ‘2007’ (new plastic I’ve let into my life in 2007 that’s now ready for recycling/trash). Doesn't include the plastic recyclng bin
• On the right is ‘2006’ (plastic I had in my life as of Dec 31 2006, have finished using, and that’s now ready for recycling/trash. (One of my rules is I can continue to use or re-use any plastic in my possession as of Dec 31 2006 as it would be hugely wasteful to throw all that stuff out.)

Dramatic difference isn’t there?

I started (fanatically) keeping 2006 plastic around January 11th so I could do benchmark comparison to 2007 consumption. I know it's NOT A TRUE REPRESENTATION of 2006 plastic use, because 95% of the plastic bought that year has already been recycled/trashed. But at least it offers some level of comparison.

So here's what I’ve learned so far. Plastic is pretty insidious. Pretty ‘unconscious’ for most of us. It’s everywhere. In clothes. In cleaning supplies. In packaging. In almost all things associated with ‘convenience’. It’s practically impossible to avoid.

I haven't been able to live 100% plastic-free, but all in all – I’m proud of how much of it I’ve avoided, and thereby reduced my non-biodegradable-garbage-footprint on Mother Earth.

There have been also huge differences in how I shop and what I eat.

Less:

• Junk food (well, actually….no junk food. I’m eating nuts now instead of crackers and chips. Be proud Jenny, be very, very proud)
• Pre-packaged convenience foods
• Garbage
• Plastic bags (not one has entered the abode since January. The ‘tribble effect’ has been stopped)
• Clean dishes (I still haven’t found a good substitute for dishwashing liquid)
• Protein (this vegetarian sees ‘protein deficiency’ in her future since discovering all store-bought meat substitutes are packaged in plastic — so are off limits for 2007)
• Frozen food (except for spinach, most use plastic in the packaging)

More:

• Fresh produce (way more)
• Home cooking (be proud Martha, be very, very proud)
• Body odour/sweating (still haven’t found an adequate non-plastic deodorant/anti-perspirant. Who knew this was going to be the biggest plastic-bug-a-boo to date)
• Shopping (I spend Saturday’s SAINT hunting. I sure hope this won’t last long. I hate shopping)
• Supporting smaller, local businesses

No impact:

• Chocolate consumption (Phew), especially since I discovered the Cadbury Fruit ‘n Nut motherlode at a nearby Shoppers Drug Mart. Big 200g bars wrapped in paper rather than plastic (a dying breed of packaging in cocoa-bean-heaven). I've got 2 kilograms stashed in the fridge.

And here, my sweets, just to keep me honest, is an account of my SINs for the month of January.

MINOR SINS for January 2007

A MINOR SIN is when EnviroWoman buys a SAINT product that (gasp) have wee bits of plastic parasitically implanted in them (like those Octopus-like-larvae in Aliens, that jump on your face, implant a tentacle into your guts and suck the life-blood right outta ya). We’re talking labels, zippers, those little T-shaped bits of plastic that attach the price tag to clothes, etc., MINOR SINs will added to the plastic shrine when they have been used up and are ready for recycling

• 3 labels: 2 on Greens & Black’s chocolate, 3 on LUSH deodorant (its iffy as to if these are paper, or plastic, but just to be safe, I’m calling ‘em plastic
• Attached to clothing (told ya it was insidious)
• 5 small plastic zip bags for extra buttons attached to jackets
• 4 zippers
• 16 buttons
• 14 T-shaped bits of plastic that attach the price tag (what are these little things called anyhoo)
• 1 cello wrap around brown sugar cubes
• 2 tampon wrappers (close your eyes boys. Ladies,  I'm talking the ones with  minimal plastic wrapping)

MAJOR SINs for January 2007

This is when EnviroWoman falls right offa the bandwagon and buys or uses new plastic, flagrantly throwing her morals (and resolution) to the wind and thereby putting the future of Mother Earth in jeopardy. This may occur when (A) a cruelty-free (first priority) non-plastic (second priority) replacement cannot be found in EnviroWoman’s realm. Or it may occur because (B) the allure of the pretty plastic thingy reduces EnviroWoman’s will power to that of a lima bean. MAJOR SINs will added to the plastic shrine after they have been used up and are ready for recycling.

• Fresh Spring deodorant (A)

Challenges Ahead:

As current supplies are dwindling I’m starting to hunt for the following non-plastic/packaged items:

• Toilet paper (looking for janitorial supply wholesaler willing to sell retail)
• Face/eye cream
• Nylons
• Tylenol
• Toothbrush

If you have any suggestions where I can find these items, please post a comment.