Focus on Single-Use Plastics Part 3: Alternatives for Individuals
Simultaneously to showing your interest in getting laws to help curb the use of plastics, consider utilizing the following suggestions for alternatives to plastic. Many of these ideas involve ordering products online, and may cost more than the comparable plastic products, so they are not viable for everyone. These ideas may only make a small dent in the problem, but it is better to do something to help, instead of nothing. Take a look and choose one of two to start reducing your use of single-use plastic.
Stop buying water in plastic bottles. Carry a reusable water bottle instead.
For leftovers, embrace glass. You can use canning jars or just wash out pickle or spaghetti sauce, or jam jars, etc. and give them a second life.
Also, for leftovers, instead of plastic wrap, consider using food-safe beeswax-coated fabric wrap which can be washed by hand and air dried. Check out https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/your-plastic-free-kitchen for where to buy or directions on how to make your own.
Going to a potluck meal? Do you cover your dish with plastic wrap? Perhaps, instead, you can use a shallow casserole or baking dish with a lid. To secure the lid for travel, consider using an appropriately sized bungee cord.
For school lunches and snacks, use stainless-steel lunch and snack boxes. Some options are available at Ecolunchbox (ecolunchboxes.com) or Planet Box (planetbox.com).
If you can’t give up zippered plastic baggies, consider Stasher bags which are reusable zippered silicone baggies (stasherbag.com).
Skip plastic produce bags at the supermarket. Use mesh bags that can be laundered and re-used.
Use eco-friendly dishwasher products that do not use plastic packaging. Look for Blueland Dishwasher Detergent Tablets. (Available at blueland.com or amazon.com)
Try laundry detergent sheets that are not packaged in single-use plastic bottles but are packaged in slim-width, easily-stored cardboard packets that can be recycled. More and more, you will be able to find these in grocery stores, but if your favorite place to shop does not have them, consider asking for them. Various brands exist such as Earth Breeze, Clean People, Tru Earth, etc. Of course, they are also available online. Blueland also sells laundry detergent tablets.
Mesh produce bags, laundry detergent tablets and sheets.
Stop using teabags made of plastic / nylon. Choose loose tea and use a tea ball. Even our Dutchess County based tea company, Harney and Sons Fine Teas, is progressing on eliminating their nylon tea sachets, and replacing them with biodegradable fabric made from sugar cane.
Throw your trash out in bio-compostable bags instead of plastic trash bags. Various sizes are available on amazon.com.
Stop buying sponges made of plastic. Check out alternatives made of walnut shells (publicgoods.com), coconut fibers (shop.freetheocean.com), or sheep wool (rusticstrength.com). Or you can use washable dishcloths for more of your cleanup tasks.
When doing your shopping, avoid packaging which cannot be recycled. Be aware that Styrofoam, polystyrene, and PVC are unlikely to get recycled. They will most likely end up in a landfill. Try to find packaging with the international recycling symbol: they should be recyclable.
International Recycling Symbol
Summary of “Focus on Plastics, Part 1-3”
The plastic pollution problem is important to solve for human health and for the health of the planet. Let’s do what we can to free ourselves from plastic pollution.
Support the health of the planet: encourage your legislators to develop appropriate laws that comprehensively address the reduction, recycling and reuse of single-use plastics while putting the financial responsibility on the plastic producers and not the taxpayers.
There are alternatives to single-use plastic! Your ancestors, who lived before the age of plastics, knew the simplest ones, but new products of the present day are being made available, too. Consider where you might be able to use them to reduce your use of plastic.
May the Good Lord, Creator of All, grant us the courage to be proactive in ways that ultimately will restore the earth and free us from problems of plastics. Amen.
Ruth Sheets, Earth Stewards Committee Member
Photo Credits:Some Alternatives to Single-Use: R. Sheets
Recycling Symbol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recycling_symbol
References for Part 3
Allen, Brigette, and Christine Wong, Living without Plastic, New York, NY. Artisan. 2020.
Harney.com, Virtual Tea Consultant, answering the question, “Are your tea sachets still made out of nylon?”, 18 June 2024.
McCallum, Will. How to Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time. New York, NY. Penguin Books. 2020.
nrdc.org, https://www.nrdc.org/stories/10-ways-reduce-plastic-pollution, accessed 13 July 2024.
Zimberoff, Larissa. “Your Plastic Free Kitchen”. www.sierraclub.org, accessed 29 June 2024, https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/your-plastic-free-kitchen.
Please leave a comment if you found this blog helpful or have questions. You can also email fpupcearthstewards@gmail.com. Thanks!
This information is very helpful, thank you.
May I also suggest cutting back on the use of plastic cutlery, cups, and plates.
When it is not practical to use washables, use paper cups and plates, and use biodegradable wooden cutlery, which can be ordered from Amazon.
-Tommy O'Grady