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Plastic free challenge - update

How is everyone going with Plastic Free July?

Personally, I'm finding it completely impossible, so I thought it was a good chance to all share some plastic/packaging MINIMISING tips!

The reason this is so difficult is there are many food items where you have NO choice on packaging.  For example, cheese only comes in plastic.  OK, I should be making my own cheese, but I can't make decent cheddar yet, so we're still buying it because we love cheese.  I could just not buy it in July, but that's not changing a habit, which is surely the point of the exercise.

There are some changes that we can make permanently, and there are the ones that I want to try to make into new habits in July.  So here's the start of a list for minimising plastic consumption, please add to it if you can think of anything else:
  • Take "green bags" (or fabric bags, as green bags are made of plastic!) with you everywhere, leave some in your car, feel EXTREMELY guilty if you go to the supermarket without them.  (I saw I clever idea for making your own small bags for bulk buying)
  • Don't put your veges into plastic bags, the shop assistants will cope.  Especially if you putting them in your own bags, there's no need to plastic wrap them.
  • Buy in bulk and take your own reusable containers (or bags, see above).
  • Take your lunch to work in reusable containers, no plastic wrap!
  • Use a real cup at work, not the plastic ones (this one really really annoys me).
  • Where you have a choice between products, pick the one with the least packaging.
  • When you don't have a choice, email the manufacturer and explain your preference for reducing plastic.  One email at a time, they might start to make some changes.  This includes large goods, such as electronics, which are needlessly packed in multiple plastic bags and polystyrene shapes, how come some of them use cardboard and some don't bother?!?
  • Make your own everything as much as possible, this always reduces packaging.  I've been so slack with breadmaking, but this would make a real difference to our plastic bag use, so I'm making an effort in July to make my own bread.
OK this list is pathetically short, so please please add to it with some innovative ideas so we can all make a difference...

Comments

  1. I'm not doing so well with the challenge most things are in plastic packaging, but I was disgusted when we went shopping in town yesterday they had prepacked fruit apples, pears, mandarins and oranges even Bananas needless to say I didn't buy..... couldn't afford the bananas anyway $17 Kg

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  2. Now that we are travelling I realise how much plastic is out these that people use everyday. I am finding that because we don't really have a base yet, so much of this is out of my control. Being on planes is the worst. Plastic around blankets, headsets, cutlery, water containers, juice containers.... I will be glad to set down roots in a few weeks and be able to take back some control.

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