My Plastic-free-ish Journey
Heya!
“We don’t need three people living a perfect plastic-free life; we need ten people trying.” ~ I don’t remember who said it, but I love it!
As we approach fall, the element of earth brings a time for grounding. I’m a Libra with a Gemini ascendant, so I have a lot of air in my chart. Fall is the season I look forward to most because it gives me a sense of support and grounding. I do this in various ways throughout the season, but one of my favorites is giving back to Earth, embracing what I felt I was in a previous life, a “Guardian of the Earth.”
After moving to Miami from the Northeast, I became worried about the recycling problem in Miami when my building told me they didn’t recycle plastic anymore. I discovered that after the pandemic, the recycling company decided to stop recycling plastics. I went down a rabbit hole, calling the city and the mayor to understand why recycling wasn’t enforced like in the Northeast. I came across the Plastic Free Foundation and spoke with its director, Billie. She explained that since China stopped buying our plastics, recycling became very expensive, and the only solution was to stop single-use plastic altogether. Feeling sad and hopeless, I redirected my emotions to find a solution and came across the book “My Plastic-Free Life and How You Can Do It Too.” It was both helpful and overwhelming. Below are some changes I’ve made to reduce my plastic footprint. It took a lot of discussions with my husband, but we finally made some changes.
Here are 10 things you can start doing:
Take your reusable bags to the supermarket and refuse new plastic bags as much as possible.
Take your water bottle with you to refill.
Keep your current plastic dishwasher soap and buy refillable options.
Keep your dishwasher dispenser and buy foam replacements.
Change your dishwasher and laundry pods to more eco-friendly brands.
Don’t buy more shampoo and conditioner bottles; use DIY alternatives.
Use bamboo cotton swabs.
Buy a water filter to reduce the need for plastic bottles.
Buy compostable trash bags.
Compost compostable ziplock bags at home in a worm bin.
Some things didn’t work out, like plastic-free paper towels and toilet paper, but we continue to make steps forward.
Here are 5 things I plan to incorporate this fall:
Carry disposable bamboo cutlery.
Carry my coffee mug (or tea mug, since I don’t drink coffee) - did you know that cardboard cups are lined with plastic and contain BPA?
Carry my own straw for restaurant use.
Keep a list of to-go places that use cardboard containers instead of plastic or styrofoam and plan to order more from them.
Commit once a month to go to a refill store for grains, nuts, etc., and keep the refillable containers for future use.
I’m not sure what will get done, but I’ll keep you updated next fall, so stay tuned!
Do you have any ideas to reduce plastic in your life? Please share in the comments—I’m super open.
With love, magic, and health,
Stef
Photo: Priscilla du Preez - Unsplash