Suggestions on vegetarian products, snacks (bought and easy to make at home), cat products… for now. I’ll see as the weeks go.

Location:Hull, Quebec, Canada

Name: Alice Martel

Week: 1

Personal Info:

Woman, 33, vegetarian, dark green when it comes to the environment, I work as a dishwasher in a hotel that is becoming greener every day – very happy about that! 🙂 … been with my boyfriend for 8 years, living together, 7.

Alice Martel’s personal blog: http://greenvisiongreenfuture-visionvertefuturvert.weebly.com/

Total items: 44

Total weight:

Items: Recyclable
– V8 Bottle: I have 3 left, I think (#1)
– Source Yogurt Container and lid (both #5)
– Fruitsation Applesauce container: I have 12 left – had bought them for when I went camping in August (#7). I usually buy the big glass containers
– Meow Mix wet cat food cup: When done with them, switching to tin cans (#5)
– Bento Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl: My boyfriend bought me this and forgot about my plastic challenge (#7) – next time I will let him eat it.
– Small Natura soymilk container (does that contain plastic?) – had bought this for camping, have some left – will keep them for on-the-go.
– Maybe a cottage cheese container? We have a cafeteria at work and salad bar and
the cottage cheese came from there (1/4 cup twice)

Items: Nonrecyclable
THESE, UNFORTUNETELY, GO STRAIGHT TO A LANDFILL 🙁

– V8 bottle cap and ring
– Arm & Hammer Toothpaste tube
– Cracker bags (President’s Choice)
– 3 Quaker Yogurt Bars wrappers. My boyfriend bought them. I see them, I eat them.. ugh.
– Nutri-Grain Bar wrapper. Diddo.
– Tissue box plastic film – Don’t think I can do hankies.
– 2 Crunchie Bar wrappers (they were my boyfriend’s and I was baaaad)
– Mr. Noodles packaging (only had the noodles, not the seasoning)
– Tubes (yogurt) wrappers
– Piece of glad wrap (or whatever it’s called) – from work in the cafeteria, covering at piece of cheesecake. Mmmm. Ok, think of other thoughts!
– 2 small Kraft peanut butter containers – I decided to bring my own peanut butter in a reusable container now.
– 8 small Becel margarine containers (I have brought my own containers with my own Becel butter from home when I saw how much waste I created).
– Plastic wrap/tape on the Bento Teriyaki Salmon Rice Bowl & the lid (#6)
– McDonald lid (#6). It was my boyfriend’s – I had a sip
– Soymilk container’s straw and wrapper.

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?
– V8: Cans instead of bottles
– Cat food in tin cans
– Toothpaste in metal tubes (which is what I had before, I ran out of my Tom’s of Main toothpaste, and my boyfriend gave my his almost done tube because he wanted to try a new one).
– Applesauce in glass jars

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?
– Yogurt: Try to make my own
– Butter: Try to make my own… I think I’m going to love this one
– Peanut: Diddo, maybe. I have a glass jar at home (not done yet) but the lid is non-recyclable plastic
– Try to make my own nut milks (I made some before – it was good, had bought some kind of bag where you can strain the nut who’ve been soaking, and one time it was hanging over the sink off of a cupboard handle and while I was at work, the sewage got backed up and it spewed all over my bag and the counter – not pretty – haven’t found another bag like that – haven’t looked all that hard – was a little discouraged by what had happened. Gonna look for another soon!!
– Make more of my meals at home, instead of prepared foods
– Stop eating my boyfriend’s snacks!

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
Not sure yet

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
Try a lot of the tips on the Plastic-Free Guide

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
When I run out of the stuff I have, V8 bottles, for starters… plus a lot of other stuff.

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
Oh my God, us humans waste so much!