Location:Mountain View, California, United States

Name: Kelly

Week: 1

Personal Info:

Middle aged couple living in a small single family house in downtown. We get two CSA boxes a week and cook most of our food from scratch, we live mostly vegetarian and gluten free. We both work away from home and usually pack our lunches.

Total items: 72

Total weight:

Items: Recyclable
2 water bottles
4 yogurt containers
1 plastic cup
1 coffee mate creamer bottle
1 kale chip tub
3 strawberry containers (these come in my CSA box and cannot be returned to the farmer)
1 OJ carton
1 mini lotion from a hotel

Items: Nonrecyclable
4 produce twist ties (all my produce is from the CSA box and farmer’s market)
2 styrefoam cups (ouch)
1 fork
1 blistex tube
5 candy wrappers (my husband)
6 cheese bags
8 snack bags (my husband again)
1 chip bag
2 granola bags
2 tea bags
1 cologne lid
1 frozen chicken bag
2 medicine containers
1 coffee cup lid
9 misc lids
1 instand oatmeal pack
4 single use creamer packs
3 wrappers for auto dish soap
1 hanger for a belt I bought
misc packaging from shipping (which includes 2 plastic bags used to send me my free gift for joining the Audubon Society!!!!!)
3 shopping bags (I think my husband got those)
misc receipts from purchases

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?
Obviously everything, but with my giant quantity I started with, and we actually cheated and TRIED to use less plastic, I should be able to easily see some progress soon.

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?
Everything I think, but I’ll need to keep working on this to get a read answer.

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
Hmmm, I hope nothing.

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
Stop and think before buying anything, do lots of planning ahead to bring containers, do lots more preparing foods from basic ingredients, and the most difficult part is making it all easy so my husband can follow the plan.

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
single serving creamers

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
This was an eye opener.