Comments | siglinde99: Life Without Plastic - Day 28 (ending with a whimper)

siglinde99

Life Without Plastic - Day 28 (ending with a whimper)

Mar 01, 2015 13:09

I really started to understand just how difficult eliminating plastic is this weekend. I went to the hairdresser and got doused in a variety of products to bring my hair back into condition. Usually, this is not an issue, so I think I have to lay the blame on the homemade alternatives to shampoo and conditioner. The real problem, though, was how ( Read more... )

resolutions, plastic

Comments 8

litlebanana March 1 2015, 20:21:13 UTC

I feel like a number of plastic bags that are used on every supermarket purchase is out of control. They use a plastic bag practically for every item, it seems.

siglinde99 March 1 2015, 20:37:57 UTC

Yes, it's insane. Up here, most grocery stores started charging about $.5 per bag at the same time as they offered reusable bags for $1 at the cash; consumption has gone way down in just a few years. Even so, I always seem to have more bags than I know what to do with (mostly milk bags that I use for trash).

one_raido March 2 2015, 17:51:19 UTC

I'm with you on the last graph. I really try to but products with less packaging. I always have a reusable water bottle/cup and recycle recycle recycle.

siglinde99 March 8 2015, 23:20:47 UTC

Every little bit helps, I hope.

pink_lady2 March 4 2015, 18:24:48 UTC

We should be charged for the plastic bags we put our fruit and veggies in. I bought the mesh bags a while ago and am much happier with them but many veggies are pre-packaged (spinach etc.). I am looking forward to the summer. I hope to stock up on fresh veggies and stuff and freeze them. I do have plastic for that as I use tupperware but for me that is an investment that helps me not use ziplock bags or purchase the seal your own bags though I do have one of those sealers. I use glass jars as well when I need too. I think this has been a great series of posts and I have enjoyed traveling with you.

siglinde99 March 8 2015, 23:25:29 UTC

Charging for those bags would be a great idea, even if it would be hard to police, at least until people got used to the idea. We should do some freezing together - I hate it compared to canning but wouldn't mind with company. Glad you had fun - I sure did.

bend_gules March 4 2015, 22:48:21 UTC

Ireland (as in Eire) started charging 5 eurocents per bag across the country. Cosumption dropped by 95%. Really.

In Germany there are no bags at the cash. Everyone brings their own, and the staff stare at you blankly if you stand around waiting for bags to materialise.

It's totally do-able. Just have to make it a priority.

I live in hope that in the future we'll be able to mine our mass garbage dumps, like open cast mining now, for metal, glass, plastic and compost, and possibly isolate a generation's worth of toxic metals and chemicals carelessly dumped since the 1950s.

People already make livings by garbage picking in the developing world.

There's no reason we couldn't recycle our own from the dumps we've created, instead of shipping it overseas.

siglinde99 March 8 2015, 15:40:01 UTC

Growing up in France and Germany, we always went shopping with our string bags or baskets until the late '70s, when plastic bags started to show up at the supermarkets. I kept it up even when I moved to Canada, but always felt like a bit of a freak. I'm glad it's normal here now.

I share your hope for mining the garbage dumps. The way it's done in the developing world is dangerous and hazardous to the health of the pickers (and others). All the heavy metals, medical waste, and even radioactive materials (I remember a particular case involving X-ray equipment) need to be processed safely.