I'll be honest: it's been a pretty bad week. Between an allergic reaction to a wasp sting on my ankle that made it impossible for me to walk or stand, to spending a lot of time at my mom's house helping out after she broke her collarbone, it's one of those weeks that is just never-ending exhaustion and annoyance and the occasional emotional breakdown.
But in spite of this, Plastic Free July continues, and I've done my very best to keep cataloguing and counting. This list, however, doesn't reflect the increased amount of plastic this week from Zach buying himself snacks at Walmart because I was immobilized and barely able to pack him more than a bowl of chili four days in a row (fortunately I'd just made a huge batch).
Because of limping around the past several days, I've been thinking a lot more about accessibility. Buying package-free produce and then processing it takes a lot of time standing up, requires good kitchen tools, and depends on easy mobility. I was feeling well enough to bike to the farmers market today (pedaling with just one foot), but I thought about how different it would be if the nearest place to buy fresh food was five miles away instead of one.
So my challenge to you this week: How can you make "plastic free" more accessible for someone in your life? Or if you're the one who needs it to be more accessible, could you share what that would look like for you?
On to rooting through my trash.
Butter wrapper. (Trash.) Big surprise. No comment.
Parchment paper. (Trash.) I'm planning to buy the biodegradable stuff whenever I have the emotional energy to research such things.
Toilet paper outer wrapping. (Recycle at store.) I learned that this kind of wrapping can be added to plastic bags and recycled at stores. (See more below.) However, it's better to avoid it entirely: This week I ordered a 48-pack of toilet paper from Who Gives a Crap, which is supposedly good for the environment and doesn't deforest Canada's fragile boreal woodlands or whatever. Bought in bulk, it was $1 a roll, which I felt was fair.
Bag that a book came in. (Recycle at store.) I needed a book for a study group I'm in, and I was weak and bought it on Amazon because our library didn't have it. It came in this silly bag. Sigh.
Receipts. (Trash.) I forgot to include these last time! I wonder if Walmart has an option to not give you a receipt…
Peanut butter seal. (Recycle at store.) It looks like these seals can be recycled with plastic bags at stores.
Floss. (Trash.) Forgot to include this last time! I'm hoping to get some silk floss, but again, the existential dread has made it difficult for me to care enough to research where to buy it without paying exorbitant shipping costs.
Masking tape label. (Trash.) I use masking tape to label jars for the freezer, although I've started experimenting more with markers, both permanent and wet-erase. (Our roommate soon learned that you really can't trust the labels on any of the mason jars around here. A jar labeled "vinaigrette" is as likely to contain salad dressing as it is a slice of pie.)
Tahini seal. (Trash.) Less plastic overall than buying tubs of hummus. (That reminds me, I need to make hummus today…)
Potato bag. (Recycle at store.) Mm, taters. I've been buying them unpackaged more from the farmers market lately, and have some red, white, and blue potatoes to roast up today!
Beef packaging. (Trash.) We made delicious tacos.
Wax paper. (Trash.) Used this to make homemade corn tortillas. Does anyone know how to make corn tortillas without waxed paper or plastic wrap?
Dishwasher detergent jug. (Recycling.) We already replaced this one with one of the same, but I should research what my other options for dishwashing detergent might be.
(Not pictured) Wrapping for frozen pizza. (Was trashed.) I am actually exceptionally proud that we got through the crises of the past couple days only buying one frozen pizza. Win.
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New knowledge of the week: I learned that you can, in fact, recycle most kinds of plastic films, seals, and bags along with plastic grocery bags at the recycling bins at stores! See this link for more details.
Updated Goals for This Month:
1. Continue gathering and cataloging my plastic trash.
2. Learn to make tortillas.
3. Make cloth produce bags.
4. See if there's any way that we can buy coffee beans from the local shop using our own container (or a compostable container).
5. Find a way to buy bulk oats and oil.
6. Research how to wash dishes plastic-free.
How is your Plastic Free July going? Any wins this week?
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