Name: Sabrina Lutes and family, 2 adults and 1 2-year old

Week: 5

Personal Info:

See full description in all of Sabrina’s posts.

Total items: 30

Total weight:

Items: Recyclable
3- milk jugs (2)
1- kefir drink (2)
1- maple syrup (2)
2- styrofoam cup (6)

Items: Nonrecyclable
3 – meat wrappers
3- cutlery
2- lids
1- cookie wrapper
1- condiment cup
2- straws
6- diapers
4- miscellaneous
1- cat food bag, will make this into a beach bag

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?
Already replaced maple syrup, will reuse that container for hair care
Working on ordering kefir grains, but may purchase more if my kid freaks out about not having yogurt!
Didn’t even use the cutlery, just need to catch it before it gets to us
Styrofoam cups were a total breakdown purchase, one was ramen noodles (actually already in our home from my dad). The other I just wanted ice-cream!
Condiment containers, just have to say no, they are never good anyhow.

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?
If they weren’t impulses then everything else was not replacable

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
Dairy and meat, discussed already, so will continue to just talk with the farmers

What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
Need to have chocolate and junk food available before the cravings hit! I found bulk candy, woohoo

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
Going to go as long as I can until my son begs for drinking yogurt, gotta go to fresh market to find it in glass, which still has a lid and label which are plastic, didn’t realize the label was until last week!

What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
All my whining and complaining seems silly now! We really have cut way down. Started at around 90 5 weeks ago, and now we have less then 30 pieces. For a family of 3 not too bad, and that number will still be dropping as time goes on. Still feeling a little daunted about shopping, because I need to make more cloth bags, am still being told they can’t tare them, and figuring out a sanitary way of cleansing them, since I wash cloth diapers and don’t want poo germs on my food bags.

My Question:
Cat food, are all cat food bags plastic even if they are paper looking?