Towards the end of June I started seeing "Plastic Free July" posts. With the talk recently about the straws creating environmental problems, in addition to the other plastic waste problems, I guess that this is the new approach to the old problem. I love animals - so, their environment is important to me.
Here is where you can read more about this challenge: http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/.
We recycle most of what we can in our home. But, the TWO reusable bag collections that I have (conveniently stuffed into other reusable bags for storage - because that is how I was taught to store bags by the generations before me) in separate ends of my house bug me. They collect dust and fur, and I don't want to use them because of this. For real, one of those bag collections has been sitting in my laundry room for 5 years - unmoved and unused. I'm pretty sure that I've collected a whole dogs worth of fur on and in this stack.
I'm a woman of lists. And tackling these piles of bags just got crossed off that 'To-Do' list. The collection has been divided: grocery bags, cloth bags, higher-end bags (for everyday use/bringing things when I leave the house), and a pile to be donated. I'm a little crazy, so I did use the sticky lint roller and washed a few of the bags before placing them in my car. If I'm putting clean things into these bags, then the bags themselves should be clean. Logic (lol).
There is a lot more that I can do, that I will try to do this month, but this is the start. And I got to check off a task (Bonus!). What do you think about this 'plastic free July' challenge? Are plastic bags banned in your community? There is talk of this here on the island. Do you think that making your own changes will be effective or a waste of time?
Well, that's all. I'm going to take off and pack my favorite travel mug (on right) for my work coffee.
Later days,
Jen
Here is where you can read more about this challenge: http://www.plasticfreejuly.org/.
We recycle most of what we can in our home. But, the TWO reusable bag collections that I have (conveniently stuffed into other reusable bags for storage - because that is how I was taught to store bags by the generations before me) in separate ends of my house bug me. They collect dust and fur, and I don't want to use them because of this. For real, one of those bag collections has been sitting in my laundry room for 5 years - unmoved and unused. I'm pretty sure that I've collected a whole dogs worth of fur on and in this stack.
I'm a woman of lists. And tackling these piles of bags just got crossed off that 'To-Do' list. The collection has been divided: grocery bags, cloth bags, higher-end bags (for everyday use/bringing things when I leave the house), and a pile to be donated. I'm a little crazy, so I did use the sticky lint roller and washed a few of the bags before placing them in my car. If I'm putting clean things into these bags, then the bags themselves should be clean. Logic (lol).
There is a lot more that I can do, that I will try to do this month, but this is the start. And I got to check off a task (Bonus!). What do you think about this 'plastic free July' challenge? Are plastic bags banned in your community? There is talk of this here on the island. Do you think that making your own changes will be effective or a waste of time?
Well, that's all. I'm going to take off and pack my favorite travel mug (on right) for my work coffee.
Later days,
Jen
Cutting of plastic is so much harder than I thought its is basically life.
ReplyDeleteAgreed (as I set and eat grapes from a plastic snack bag). I clean and bag grapes for work snacks each time I buy grapes. That's 10-15 snack bags of grapes - packed for easy lunch planning. How does someone store 10+ snack sized reusable containers for taking snacks to work? A box of 100 snack bags fit into one small container. A stack of reusable containers need much more space. It's the curse of the convenience of plastic bags.
DeleteI was listening to the CIG podcast the other day and he was trying to cut out straws as well. He drinks a lot of protein smoothies and found the metal straws would get really cold and sometimes clog due to being frozen. He found out you can also get glass straws which don't suffer the same. So there are some great alturnatives no matter how you shape it.
ReplyDeleteThat's a pretty neat idea. I've never heard of glass straws!
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