Not bought my lunch at work a single day so far in July. With the limited options near work, it would be difficult to buy lunch without packaging.
Not bought a single soft drink. This means approximately 15 cans so far that have not needed to be manufactured, let alone the actual drinks inside.
Not used a single pod for lazy coffee. I’ve had a couple of instant coffees at home, and otherwise bought real coffee at my local cafe a few times a week (lifestyle inflation…).
Not bought a single chocolate treat at work, which was a major addiction prior to this month. Learning that they all contain palm oil has put me off them even better than worrying about the plastic did! Don’t worry friends, I have palm oil free 70% cocoa chocolate in my locker in foil and cardboard packaging for chocolate emergencies.
Just ordered shampoo, conditioner and cleanser in solid block form. I hope I like them! I was previously refilling my liquid shampoo and conditioner bottles at the bulk shop, but I’ve read up on why solid bars are even better and am ready to give it a good go.
Unfortunately my plastic free makeup has been a mixed bag… I love the concealer / foundation sample I bought, but the mascara smudges all around my eyes within half an hour. Sigh.
If it is Ethique I am so impressed by the shampoo and conditioner I bought. It is actually the best shampoo I have ever used. My hair looks amazing (relative to how it previously looked).
Speaking of hair, I’m going to dye mine tomorrow. My henna has plastic free packaging and I use reusable gloves… but I have always wrapped my head in plastic while it does it’s magic, I’ve been led to believe that the seal the plastic gives results in a brighter colour. It takes 4-6 hours so I think I need to wrap it in something even just to avoid a huge mess all over the house. I have plastic in the house (old shopping bags and a roll of plastic wrap) so I could use that under the guise of using it up, or maybe I should use the opportunity to experiment with plastic free alternatives. Off to google if an old towel will suffice.
I’d have to buy one but it sounds like it would work. I found a reference to someone just using an old towel online so I’ll give that a shot and try our a cap if it doesn’t give decent results.
Brought lunch to work on Friday (no waste from getting a TJs/takeaway lunch, plus it means that none of the jambalaya went to waste!)
Was super thirsty on Friday commute and stopped for a drink; got a glass bottle little apple juice instead of other options
Got plastic-free peaches instead of binned berries
Made corn tortillas instead of buying them in a bag (also guys, they’re easy and way more delicious than bagged tortillas, I am planning on sticking with this one long term)
Succumbed:
Pretty sure the bag of masa harina is plasticized – so reduced use of plastic, instead of zero use
Got bananas that have the stupid little plastic stickers on them
This challenge is so very helpful in making me aware of exactly how much plastic I use. It also is making me really want to plant some strawberry plants so I can get my ridiculous fix!
It’s literally the recipe on the bag! Two cups masa, ~tsp salt, one and a half cups water. Add a little more water if the dough needs it to come together. Make into 20 golf ball-sized balls; cover with a damp towel so that they don’t dry out as you cook. Press between two sheets of plastic to about 4" diameter (I used an elderly ziploc that was having issues already – cut down the sides so I could fold it, used a mixing bowl to press down; I’m keeping this bag for future tortilla endeavors). Toast in a fry pan a few minutes on each side so that you get some nice toasty marks. DEVOUR.
You should do this because they’re better. I have never liked strawberries. Big and kind of mushy and meh. But non-commercial strawberries straight from the vine? DEE. LICIOUS.
laundry detergent (existing) - Doggo potty pad wash
tofu (existing) - though I did figure out how to make my own, I had one package of firm (non silkan) tofu that “expired” this week so needed to use it. I used half for dinner, the other half is still in the fridge for another meal.
plastic poop bag (existing) - Doggo poop patrol
Shampoo/conditioner (existing) - today was wash my hair day.
Old Bay (existing) - was going to use a homemade sweet spicy spice blend for my tofu but it was used up. Instead of mixing up a new batch, I just used Old Bay, which comes in a tin with a plastic cap. I have had this container for a few years now, and really should use it up.
distilled white vinegar (existing) - sink cleaner. I don’t know if this is actually working.
(Although, this photo includes the zip ties, rice bag, and Thermapen packaging from last week which were missing then.)
New: gallon milk jug, cap from instant espresso powder, cap from vitamin B Complex, cherry bag, tofu container top, a couple of other small container seal plastics.
It looks like more this week but I think it might be less if you take away the rice bag, Thermapen package, zip ties.
Nothing new purchased. Still mostly eating down things I own already (or have grown) and I feel like I could do this for a long time, which misses the point. I already only rarely used single use plastics like utensils and cups. Not sure how I feel.
Garbage this week is a few dog poop bags plus ~3/4 full grocery store plastic bag (kitchen garbage). My green bin is again ~3/4 full (at least) of bindweed and dug up grass, so it will go out. Recycling will not go out. (Garbage will only go out because its soooooooo stinky in the summer.)
It is! You can buy sample sizes (5g) of their skin stuff, which might be a good size for someone who rarely wears it? And the way their mascara works (no reintroduction of the dirty wand, wand is washed between uses) I think it would be safe for use for much longer than standard mascara. But as noted, I don’t love the mascara. And the concealer only came in three shades, the palest of which is the right shade for my very fair skin, so it’s possible they’re not aware that brown people exist
I didn’t attempt my hair today but will report back when I conduct that experiment.
Today is bin day. We are down to one medium sized bag in our landfill. Most of that is nappies the toddler wears at night. Still a lot of things for us to work on. I’d love to do a bin audit to see but err… nappies and wipes…
