Considering my last name, I thought it was time I did something good for the environment, why not also torture myself with a strict 4 week plastic free challenge. Basically – no purchasing of plastic of any kid for one month.
The Rules
- No single use plastics. Cling wrap, shopping bags, food packaging
- If using or buying plastic – has to be able to be re-used more than once i.e. if by chance I do get a plastic shopping bag, I can’t just use it for rubbish and say I re-used it, It will need to be used twice.
- No plastic packing on food supermarket purchases.
- Whilst I won’t be throwing away any items like plastic toothbrushes or shampoo or conditioner etc if by chance in the month I need to replace them, I need to find either a plastic free alternative or be able to reuse the plastic packaging the item came in at least once or re-purposed.
- No take away containers, coffee cups, plastic cutlery, straws etc.
What’s In?
Zero Plastic!
Bread (unwrapped or in a paper bag), pasta and couscous without the inner plastic bag, dishwasher tablets in which the plastic around each tablet is dissolves (recycled paper box), for fresh fruit and vegetables – no plastic bag from the produce department, glass and canned packaging instead of plastic for out of season produce or pantry items.
What’s Out?
All this is not being purchased or used for the next 4 weeks!
Clockwise from top: Vegemite (has a plastic lid – luckily the jar is half full so probably won’t need to buy this month anyway), Cruskits (and other biscuits – have a plastic wrap around the biscuits inside the packet), sandwich bags and bin bags (going to try not to use but don’t know what I’m going to do about rubbish disposal yet), butter/margarine and yoghurt (plastic dairy containers are no no’s), and plastic produce bags most fruit and veg either comes in it’s own ‘packaging’ skin (like bananas and mandarins) or you generally wash it and often cook them anyway. Frozen veg has been replaced with canned (not sure how that will pan out).
Products I’m Trialling
Some of my alternative products
Reusable shopping bags – found easy but I always forget them or don’t always plan on going to the supermarket when I leave the house, so I’ve accumulated about 20 of them.
Keep Cup – again sounds easy and heaps of people use them but I also always forget them. Going without coffee is not an option worth considering.
Metal Straws – I love straws, every time I buy or consume a can of drink, in or out of home, I always have a straw. Washing a straw out and re-using it will be a challenge. I’m betting I will just end up going without.
Honey Wax Food Wraps – along with lunch boxes and containers for left overs and lunches, I am planning on trialling the re-usable, washable eco food wraps. They get washed with cold soapy water and dried out between uses.
Cutlery – I had a mini nervous breakdown thinking about how I would have to buy camping cutlery to take to work, or find another alternative to disposable cutlery. Then I realised – just take something from the cutlery drawer. Duh!
So, That’s it?
Yep – I am not doing this as a sponsorship challenge or to raise money for anything, although I probably should because after doing my first round of shopping….well stay tuned but spoiler alert $$$$$. Will write about what I find, any type or tricks, you know for the betterment of planet earth and humanity etc etc etc.
Although if anyone would like to place a bet, I am totally open to that. I will put the money to a charity associated with the environment.
How many days, hours, weeks do you think I will last? Want to join in? Got any hints or tips to share?
