Comments on: Plastic Challenge: Pat Clancy, Week 1

By: Natalie

Natalie — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 16:57:56 +0000

Hi Pat. I love your “conclusion” and just wanted to say so. =) And ugh, I hate it when grocery stores have produce wrapped in plastic. What is the point?

By: Pat Clancy

Pat Clancy — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 22:55:49 +0000

I’ll check out the mouthwash recipes. I do like to swish my mouth out and feel that freshness. Even after brushing and flossing I like the sensation.

By: Melissa

Melissa — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:16:39 +0000

If there is a natural foods store near you they may have vitamins in glass jars. You could look at vitamins.com (?) and ask if they ship plastic free. Do you need mouth wash? I’ve heard it can kill good bacteria in your mouth. If you really want it you could gargle with baking soda in water or make your own. There are a lot of recipes out there with vodka and herbs or water & herbs. They’re pretty easy to make.
Sometimes I make a big batch of soup and freeze portions in ball straight sided freezer safe jars.

By: Pat Clancy

Pat Clancy — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:38:23 +0000

Thanks for your comments. I do shop at the farmer’s market in my town during the season, but winter is challenge. I bring my own bags to the store and lately have started bringing plastic produce bags for re-use instead of taking new ones. Whole Foods is the only place I know of where the organic produce is not prepackaged. I’ll try shopping there more often but they are expensive. I make some of my own soup, but I buy chicken broth and some cream soups in the TetraPak cartons, which have a plastic spout and thought maybe switching to canned would be an improvement. I’ll look for the concentrate in jars. The little tiny packages that Dr. Weil uses for daily doses of vitamins are so convenient, easier than opening 6 or 8 different bottles (plastic, also) but they are not recyclable that I know of. I think I heard Beth on the radio once talking about contacting a manufacturer to ask what the teabag wrapper was made of and getting good results. How does one go about doing that?

By: Mary Katherine

Mary Katherine — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:43:46 +0000

Making stuff from scratch cuts down on plastic waste a lot. I make yogurt, crackers, granola, vegetable broth, burger buns, bread, etc. Do you have a farmer’s market near you? There’s hardly any packaging at farmer’s markets, and a lot of it is organic too. Maybe check here and see if there’s one close to you: http://www.localharvest.org/

For the soup, you could try making some. Besides avoiding plastic waste, it’s healthier because you can control the sodium, fat, etc. If you don’t have time during the week you could make a big batch on the weekend. I do that with a lot of stuff since I’m busy with school during the week.

Another thing that helps cut down is using reusable cloth shopping bags and produce bags. Good luck!

By: Holly

Holly — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 21:37:59 +0000

If you have a local organic grocery store or vitamin store, you can often find some vitamins/supplements in glass bottles. Might be worth a look. Plus, you can reduce your use of plastic by buying the largest plastic container you can find. Not a great solution but perhaps better than buying them in individual doses or in small bottles.
Beth might have a recipe for mouthwash on her site, or perhaps a reader can provide one. Then you could store it in a glass container you already own.
You should be commended for your efforts. I wish you continued success!
Holly

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:36:39 +0000

Hi Pat. Welcome to the challenge!

To address your main question about knowing what kinds of plastic things are and whether they can be recycled — many plastics actually can’t be recycled. It’s important to contact your local recycler and find out exactly what items they accept. Sometimes the shape of the item is more important than the type of plastic. For example, some recyclers will only accept narrow-necked bottles and wide-mouth tubs, but not any other kinds of items. So, that’s the first step.

Is there a particular kind of packaging that you want to know about?

One other comment — I avoid food in cans because virtually all food and beverage cans are lined with a plastic that contains BPA. For broth, if I don’t make my own, I buy Better Than Bouillon, which is a concentrate that comes in a glass jar. What kinds of soups are you looking to buy plastic-free?