Healthy Green Mama vs Plastic

I began my research on what it would take to become a plastic-free household and realized that it is virtually impossible to do.  In fact, it was quite overwhelming to see how much plastic is found in our every day life.  Plastic is found in computers, phones, small appliances, car interiors, toys, furniture, food packaging and the list goes on.  I cringe when thinking about how much plastic we have in our own household and realize that just scrunching my eyes so that I can’t see it is not going to make it go away.  My garbage can contains many non-recyclable plastics and the largest bag that goes out on the curb for recycling is the plastics bag.  How do we get away from plastic???  This is my quest into an issue that is so big and seemingly impossible. 

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I hate plastic, but I use it every day.  How can this be?  As a society, we have learned to depend more and more on a material that leaves such a huge carbon footprint.  I want to make a change and reduce the plastic that we purchase, use and throw away.  It is a huge task and has the potential to be costly.  It may seem next to impossible.  Who knows, maybe I will find out that there is a stainless steel computer or a kitchen appliance that contains no plastic in my travels.

I will do this with small steps that make a difference and are achievable in our busy lives.  I am still on maternity leave, so money does play a factor in our decisions.  I will not be purging my house of all plastics and buying new items.  This will be a slow process and I will think very hard to make decisions that will best fit our family, our budget and that are not wasteful.  This means that tossing all of our plastics would defeat the point because they are still going into the landfill.  Follow my quest in reducing our household plastic to reduce our carbon footprint.

These are some ideas that I have that will take me closer to where I want to be.

No new non-recyclable plastic in the house. 

We live in a municipality that takes only #1, 2, 4 and 5.  It is great that they recycle plastic, but #6 is a very common plastic used for food products.  It is cheap and therefore many companies use it, instead of a more expensive plastic.  So, I pledge to do some research and try to only buy products that come in plastics that I can recycle.  Everything these days is packaged in copious amounts of plastic, including earth friendly organic produce 

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Buy Second-hand products

I will try to buy the majority of toys, clothes and needed supplies on Craigslist or at a second hand store.  We buy many items second-hand already.  I am frustrated that the cost of thrift store items is quickly creeping up and in some cases is more expensive than a new item.  I guess I can be happy that they have less packaging :)

Ask for reduced or environmentally friendly packaging

If I can't do without, I will write to the manufacturer and request that they use a more environmentally friendly package or use plastic alternatives.  I would like to write a generic letter to let companies know that I am not pleased with the plastic or packaging that makes up their product.
  
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Purchase plastic-free products

I will gradually purchase items that are plastic-free.  Stainless steel and glass are 2 good choices for a plastic alternative.  We are also looking into the option of using paper bags or biodegradable garbage bags for our waste.  Wooden toys are becoming a more popular choice for many families.

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