Name: Kirsten Roche

Week: 2

Personal Info:
Kamloops, BC, Canada
Female
In a relationship, living together
Work close to home, a 20-minute bike ride
No children!

Total items: 15 (2 not shown)

Total weight:

Items: Recyclable
*strawberry box
*raspberry box
*mini eggs wrapper that is partly biodegradable so I’ll place it under this category

Items: Nonrecyclable
*bag from frozen mango chunks
*little plastic seal and lid from carton of soymilk
*plastic sponge
*bag from loaf of bread
*empty stick of lip balm
*the plastic viewing window from my new stick of lip balm
*wrapping from a cucumber I bought
*medication wrapping
*plastic spoon from the Indian food I bought at a festival the day before

What items can I replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?
*plastic sponge- have already replaced sponges made of cellulose and plastic with dish cloths that can be washed and reused again and again. I bought this plastic one ages ago and used it way longer than I should have but it’s life is lived and it’ll be the last one I buy!

*bag from loaf of bread- I am unable to go to our town’s farmer’s market because it’s only open Saturdays from 10am til 2pm and I always work until 3 on Saturdays, but if my mom goes I can ask her to pick me up a loaf

*wrapping from a cucumber I bought- definitely won’t do that again, I was in a pinch when I went grocery shopping and bought it out of necessity but from now on I’ll either buy cucumbers at a different store or ask my mom to get one at the farmer’s market for me

*bag from frozen mango chunks- may be able to switch what kind of fruit I use to something I can buy fresh, however it’s tricky because the only cheap fruit I can really get here that’s appropriate for smoothies is bananas and I’m currently boycotting Dole and Chiquita. If I can find some bananas from another brand I will gladly switch to fresh fruit!

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?
*Mini Eggs wrapper- I read on the Cadbudy website (which I visited after noticing recently that the packaging for the Mini Eggs has changed and no longer feels plastic-y) that their packaging is now between 60% and 100% biodegradable, depending on the product! I had the feeling that the packaging was biodegradable which was why I bought it when I had a chocolate craving, but I’m excited to see that it’s true!

*no more using plastic spoons! Try to eat before I go out so I don’t have to buy takeout food at the festival
What Items are essential and do not have a plastic alternative?
*little plastic seal and lid from carton of soymilk- no alternative

*empty stick of lip balm- only alternative is that brand online that offers chapstick in biodegradable packaging, but the amount of gas (not to mention $10 shipping fee) used to ship it does just as much bad as buying plastic. Will continue to hunt from alternatives closer to home though!

*the plastic viewing window from my new stick of lip balm- no alternative that I have found yet

*medication wrapping- no alternative

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
*switch what kinds of smoothies I drink

*see if anyone I know is going to the farmer’s market and get them to pick some things up for me

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
*bread wrapping. Try to find bread that is not wrapped in plastic!!