Any suggestions would be helpful, anything that would increase my awareness of plastic alternatives.

Location:Santa Cruz, California, United States

Name: Cameron Cooper

Week: 1

Personal Info:

List of plastic items REFUSED this week. (Yay!)

I did not use plastic bags at the supermarket. I also brought my own cup to coffee shops and used that instead of the plastic cups.

Total items collected: 12

Total weight:

Items: Recyclable
Plastic juice bottle, plastic wrapping, plastic bottle caps, plastic mochi wrapper, a plastic shopping bag, plastic Odwalla bottle, and Nutri Grain wrapper.

Items: Nonrecyclable
plastic packaging, plastic bottle caps, and plastic wrappers I am unsure if they are recyclable.

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?
Plastic cups, plastic bags, plastic silverware, plastic water bottles are some examples of the items that can be easily replaced by plastic alternatives.

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?
I am very conscious with the plastic that I consume and I try my best to buy products that use minimal plastic. I also bring my reusable water bottle everywhere and use reusable items when possible.

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
A lot of food items have a great deal of plastic packaging and so there are some food items that do not have any plastic alternatives.

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
I can reusable bags at the super market, I can bring my own cup to restaurants, and I can reduce the amount of food that I buy with plastic packaging.

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
I am willing to give up the use of the plastic juice containers. I just will not buy juice unless it comes in a glass bottle.

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
Plastic is a very important material and is used in most products that we consume. There are ways to implement change but it is going to take a great work and education to reduce plastic consumption in our society.