Think we can't live without plastic? Think again. In 2007 I committed to stop buying any new plastic & I've almost succeeded! Won't you join me? Let's see what plastic-free looks like in 2011... for the health of our bodies, our
oceans, our planet. ~Beth Terry
by Beth Terry
For which plastic item are you having the hardest time finding an alternative?
My biggest challenge at the moment is to find a replacement for our Brita faucet filter. We are on our last plastic cartridge. Recall my unsatisfying e-mail exchange with Brita. Their cartridges are recyclable in Europe but not in the U.S., where presumably there is no legal pressure to recycle them.
What is your biggest challenge?
It would probably be easier to list the plastic alternatives I COULD find. I think what we all need is a time machine back a hundred years or so, before the Plastic Revolution began. “Marty!”
My biggest challenge is to avoid plastic and over packaged toys for my son.
Between what he expects and demands from being targeted by advertisers, to gifts from well meaning friends and family, to the party bag filler, we are drowning in plastic. Even when I draw the line and try to teach him to appreciate what he has instead of always wanting the new thing, he might come home from school or from Grandma’s the next day with a bag full of plastic.
I freecycle as much as I can when he has outgrown or forgotten about it, but am saddened by how much I have to throw away because it breaks so quickly or is inappropriate for any child (cheap plastic whistles?).
What can I do but keep trying? Any other parents out there with the same problem?
One of the things I struggle with is keeping my cats indoors and dealing with their waste. I hate that it goes to a landfill and we don’t want to just put it in the kitchen bag because in the summer it makes our kitchen smell so we end up putting it in smaller plastic bags and then in the garbage bin. I could let me cats go outdoors but the last cat we did that with got ran over and there are a number of other issues like shorter life span and likely increased vet visits (ie more plastic?). Anyways, not sure what else can be done.
My biggest challenge has been to try and find glass bottles of organic milk here in Georgia. My research shows there are no organic dairies near here and so I can’t buy direct from the producer so all my milk comes in cartons or plastic…Sigh…
Re kitty litter disposal, I recently started wrapping used litter in newspaper. I spread out two full pages, put a half page down the middle, and deposit the used litter on the half page. Then I fold it up, making a lovely package. It doesn’t seem as smelly as used litter in plastic, and the packages are easier on the eye than a plastic bag filled with, oh, you know how it looks.
Not that I’ve done so great with eliminating plastic, but baby steps, ya know. Anyway, as I was taking my absolutely-necessary Claritin this morning, I was looking at the blister pack and realized there is probably no alternative for that one. Gotta have it.
Beth – about your Brita; it is still a better alternative than bottled water if that helps any.
Heather-check with your pharmacy they should have Claritin (or a generic) in a larger quantity that would come in a bottle and at least save the extra waste of the blister pack.
We just replaced our plastic cutting boards with wood. However we looked at the old disgusting ones and wondered, “Now what do we do with these?” Not sure if they can be recycled or not. I can’t bring myself to throw these huge slabs of plastic in the landfill. What to do?
We use a Multi-Pure stainless steel water filter with a cartridge that we change once a year. It hooks right to the sink. The cartridge has two end caps made from plastic but the rest is just carbon. The up front cost on these is high but over the long run it is much cheaper than Britta or some of the other smaller filters.
My biggest challenge is that plastic is so ubiquitous, it is almost impossible to avoid. It used to be invisible to me. Now, thanks to your blog it has become not only visible, but reprehensible. I’m not at zero plastic yet but I am trying.
Wonderful discussion and thanks for the idea re cat litter. I don’t get a newspaper but my co-worker brings hers to work. I like that idea better than the plastic bags!
I have a question about freezing food. I would love to freeze blueberries for example, now when they are so plentiful and inexpensive but how do you do it without a plastic bag?? Also, for another example, I made a big pot of rice and beans and how do I freeze that without plastic?
I love Fake Plastic Fish..it’s helped me alot. Thank you.
Tell me what you're thinking...
By the way, the comment spammers are out in full force, so I've added some pretty tough Spam Blockers. If for some reason, your comment is rejected (and you'll know because a screen will pop up telling you your comment has been rejected) and if you are a real person and not a spammer, then please email me at beth [at] myplasticfreelife [dot] com and let me know. I'll add you to my white list.
E-BOOKS FOR PLASTIC-FREE COOKS
Read about Healthy Snacks to Go here.
Read about The Everything Beans e-book here.
Read my post about GreenBoatStuff.com here! Their stuff is not just for boats!
Sucuri is the company that makes sure this site is safe from hackers.
posted in forum Plastic-free Alternatives by Beth Terry on February 8, 2012 at 8:33 pm
posted in forum Personal Success Stories by Amy on February 8, 2012 at 11:28 am
posted in forum Plastic-free Alternatives by Beth Terry on February 7, 2012 at 8:28 pm
posted in forum Plastic-free Alternatives by Beth Terry on February 7, 2012 at 8:27 pm
posted in forum Plastic-free Alternatives by Electrofriend on February 1, 2012 at 9:41 am
