How do you reduce your use of plastic?

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Dgflorida
Posts: 4381
Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

How do you reduce your use of plastic?

Post by Dgflorida »

Plastic is filling the oceans and landfills. Much of it will not decompose for decades. It kills sea life and is increasingly in everything we eat or drink. Unfortunately, it is used on so many things, I can't seem to avoid it. How do you avoid all the plastic or reuse plastic or dispose of it safely?
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Jackielou
Posts: 13395
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: How do you reduce your use of plastic?

Post by Jackielou »

Good question.

Certain types of plastic can be recycled and I make sure and put those types into our recycling bins.

I recycle the plastic bags you get from grocery stores by using them to clean the kitty litter, pick up garbage in the yard or to line small garbage bins and baskets in various rooms in the house.

I try to buy as little plastic packaging as is possible.

Little steps at a time by everyone can add up to big reductions.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
SandiSAHM
Posts: 2260
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:46 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: How do you reduce your use of plastic?

Post by SandiSAHM »

Mostly with glass - well, pyrex. If you force yourself to believe those plastic bags in the drawer don't exist...

We wash and reuse those, but still, alternate thinking.

We recycle waaaay more than I thought we ever would out here in the not-so-environmentally-conscientious mid-FRACKING-west (we get fracking related earthquakes, how environmentally backward can a place be?), I thought that 90 gallon tote would be mostly empty but no, nearly full every week so far as this company takes glass jars, all food container plastics, and cans :D

Amazon, while filling a great swath of our 'need to find' void (I hate shopping IRL), is a HUGE problem, IMO. As much as I know corrugated and chipboard boxes can be recycled as well as kraft paper as void fill in those boxes, those stupid air-bubble things some of their places use to fill the void is a disaster.
littlemiss63
Posts: 2516
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:11 pm
Location: Middle Tennessee

Re: How do you reduce your use of plastic?

Post by littlemiss63 »

I recycle the little plastic that I buy. I make almost all of my food from scratch, which greatly reduces plastic containers. I use bottled water on a trip only. I've seen family members that have a full container of plastic water bottles a week. I have cold filtered water on my refrigerator door and keep a glass sitting nearby to drink from.

I like glass storage containers which can be used over long periods of time and I buy very few throwaway plastic storage containers, maybe 6 a year to send food home with someone.

I've stated before that I have friends, who live alone that never use anything except plastic/paper plates, bowls and cutlery. They don't want to wash dishes, but I hate to dine with them because I don't enjoy my food as much on a plastic/paper plate as I do on glass/stoneware or china. They complain about having so much trash and I tell them, "stop with the paper products".

I keep a roll of paper towels in my kitchen, but use it sparingly for cleanups or draining cooked bacon on. I want go through a roll a month. I have an abundant supply of cut rags stored under my kitchen sink in a covered container for clean-ups.

I recycle all my plastic bags that I get from the grocery stores. I've cut down on those dramatically by using my cloth bags which I keep stored in my car. That is the only drawback to online grocery shopping is I can't use my cloth bags.

Like Jackie says if we will all do our part, no matter how small
it can make a difference. I am pleased that instead of going to the trash dumpster every week I now go maybe every two weeks. I shred all my paper for reuse in packing materials for anything I sell on E-bay. Putting the shredder in the garage makes it so easy to do it when I pick up my mail and any food scraps are put into my compost bin so there is never anything wet in my trash that makes it smelly. I could probably get away with not going to the trash dump, but once a month if I was willing to buy another trash can. I don't have the room to put it and don't like a bag sitting on the floor.
clemencia2us
Posts: 11403
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:21 am

Re: How do you reduce your use of plastic?

Post by clemencia2us »

I did my part by not having kids - so I can use stuff without feeling guilty? :mrgreen:


We also go out to eat a lot, so not using dishes here at home

Do use a lot of paper towels due to the amount of pets, but hey - all are fixed and off the street - so they aren't multiplying either. Using up resources.

I shop local and only once a week. Use very little gas.
Carleen
Posts: 395
Joined: Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:19 pm

Re: How do you reduce your use of plastic?

Post by Carleen »

We eat no "convenience foods" because we're low-cabers and most of our food is homemade. That really cut down on plastic and other waste containers. Our small containers for left-overs are pyrex (fridge to microwave to table). The difference from before low-carbing to now is HUGE.

I used to get two daily newspapers but one was so biased in opinions that it just served to raise my blood pressure. So I stopped that and not only did I start to save money but the amount of recycling went way down, too. Now I receive just a local daily paper. It contains weekly coupons and garage sale info. Yay!
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Carleen...
Listening for the Shout
1 Thes. 4:16-17
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