Location:Stavanger, Norway

Name: Fonda LaShay

Week: 4

Personal Info:

I am an American living in Stavanger Norway with my Norwegian boyfriend. We are trying to live plastic free.

Fonda LaShay’s personal blog: http://www.mintandchili.com

Total items: 6

Total weight: 103 grams / 3.6 ounces

Items: Recyclable
OLD PLASTICS
none, all is new

NEW PLASTICS
Ice Cream box
magazine sleve
packaging from butchers meat
chocolate bar wrapper
hair brush cover
chips bag

Items: Nonrecyclable
[We have a plastic recycling station in our area, they say they take all plastics. I have not been able to find out what they do with the plastics that are not numbered.]

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?
There is a store that sells chocolate bars in paper, I buy them sometimes — but they dont have many flavors.

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?
Magazine Cover, I don’t ever remember ordering it nor have I ever gotten it. But it made it to me from the States so I guess I did order it.

Brush cover. I had been looking for a boar bristle wooden brush. I bought one, then a friend who knew I had been looking for one brought one back for me from her vacation. Was nice of her, but now I have 2 brushes 🙂

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
We could nix the snacks (chocolate, chips and ice cream), since I do know how to make them all.. but at the moment we are to busy. I am going to try to make our own ice cream soon though.

Meat, sometimes the butcher has packed it down to smaller bags 🙁

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
I have a new house now (yay, but dont move till September) so that means I can get a deep freeze. We are going to look into finding a local farmer that would sell us 1/2 a cow and 1/2 a pig. Then we can get it all in paper and freeze it!

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
Not sure that there are any this week that we would give up.

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
We have decided to drive up to the other butchers just outside of town next week to check out there meat selection. I am hoping that they will have less plastic. (I also hope that since they are smaller they will have more time to talk to us. I really want to know exactly where my meat is from, not just a ‘yeah its local’ response.)