Recyclable

Silken Tofu Container

Rice Milk Container

Carrot Juice Bottle

I went for a long time without buying carrot juice because of its packaging.*  It goes bad within a day or two after you open it, so unless you’re feeding a family of four horses, you pretty much have to get it in single serving containers. But somehow, when I went vegan I was reminded of its existence (and that it tastes like amazing,)** and the proximity of the Odwalla cooler to the pasta section made carrot juice my only (albeit reoccurring) impulse purchase. But no longer. Maybe I’ll get a juicer.

2 Windowed Envelopes

That’s what you get for donating to a good cause, apparently.

Non-Recyclable

2 Nectarine Stickers

Plastic Bag

I used it over and over, but at last it got a hole in it.

Produce Tape

Newspaper Bag

Corn Chip Bag

I bought these weeks ago. Out of desperation one night, I finally finished the by-then stale chips sans salsa.

Tempeh Bag

2 Tofu Bags

Vegan birthday brunch ₌ copious amounts of tofu consumption.

Mayonnaise Jar Lid

I believe this dates from a year ago (I cleaned out the fridge.)

Frozen Spinach Bag

I would have bought fresh spinach, but it didn’t look so good, and to get this kind of quantity I would have needed about 7 bunches anyway (those suckers cook down!) So I went with the cardboard box of frozen organic spinach, but lo and behold, it had plastic inside.

3 Fresh Herb Labels

I hate nothing more than those horrendously overpriced fresh herbs that most supermarkets carry that come two leaves to a blister pack. Some herbs at the Berkeley Bowl come with just a twist tie, which is awesome, but others have these plastic labels.

Lid from Breadcrumb Container

I bought these a long time ago and finally used them up. Of course, the recipe I was using them in called for more than I had left, so I went out and bought another box. It didn’t even occur to me that breadcrumbs wouldn’t be vegan, so I didn’t check. Turns out they have eggs, milk and buttermilk in them. Anyone want some breadcrumbs? From now on I’m making my own.

Scotch Tape Ball

Yes, I saved all the tape (and wrapping paper) from my birthday presents. I have become one of those people who takes ten minutes to unwrap a gift.

Blister Pack

From this device my dad got me for my birthday, oh-so-cleverly-named The Kill-a-Watt (I think that might be why he bought it) which measures the amount of power drawn by whatever you plug into it. Marketed towards penny-pinchers with too much time on their hands, but perfect for calculating your appliances’ individual carbon footprints!

7 Tea Bag Wrappers

We made iced tea for the picnic from some old tea I found at the back of the cabinet.

Packaging From Cast-Iron Pot

A gift from my super thoughtful friends (it can go in the oven!) Packaging comprised of some little rubbery things to keep the lid from clanking around in the box and a little plastic bag on the knob.

Packaging From Paring Knife

Also a present. Two little zip ties to keep it in place and a plastic sheath to protect the blade.

Total Number of Items: 30

Total Weight: 7 ¾ Ounces

This week was an abnormal week, what with all the celebrating going on, so most of the changes I made were obscured, and I ended up with about the same amount of plastic as week number one (as well as some fabulous birthday presents…)

*And I actually bought this one last week, but didn’t finish it til Sunday.

**I honestly cannot understand how it was that carbonated soda took over the world, when carrot juice is clearly so much better. And not only did carrot juice fail to conquer the global market’s taste buds, but it’s at the bottom of the list even among other juices.