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How much plastic do you use in one day? It is a tricky
question and the harder you think about it, the harder it is to answer. The fact
is that plastic permeates our physical lives on every level. It's in your
toothbrush, television, trash bag, tupperware, and maybe even the t-shirt on
your back. At first, going a day without using plastic sounds challenging, but
not too difficult. And then you think again.
But, after all, we are only talking about ONE day without
plastic. Can it be done? Sure. You can go a day without brushing your teeth or
combing your hair, flipping on the TV, or even listening to CDs. It's not so
hard to store leftovers in a ceramic dish. But that's not really a fair
analysis, is it? Being able to ignore all the ways we use plastic for one day
only exemplifies how difficult it would be to do it for even a few days. What
about a week? A month?
Going without plastic is extremely difficult in today's
marketplace. It plays a part in nearly everything we buy. Even organic foods
are typically stored in plastic. Even your cereal is stored in a plastic bag
that is in a paperboard box. Still, while eliminating plastic from your life
may be impossible for now (plant-based, compostable packaging is on the rise),
it is not difficult to significantly reduce our use of plastic products.
Packaging is the most common use for plastic, from grocery
bags to milk jugs, and not all are recyclable. First off, try to purchase
products that are packaged
in containers that can be recycled in your area. Second, cut down on your
use.
- Take reusable grocery bags to the store.
- Buy fresh fruits and vegetables loose (not
shoved in plastic bags).
- Look up a local farm or co-op that may sell
local produce by the crate.
- Phase out plastic plates, silverware, and cups.
- Reuse and/or recycle the plastic containers you
already have.
- Practice canning rather than freezing as much as
possible.
As for television, stereos, and other products, there's not
much getting around the plastic in these, but they are not disposable items and
we typically use them for as long as possible. Just dispose of them properly when the time comes.
Even for one day it is a challenge to go without using
plastic. On a daily basis, it is nearly impossible for average person.
But just as human perfection is impossible but still a goal worth striving for,
so we can strive to be free of plastic. You most certainly can make a
difference.
In fact, here is something worth imagining: We, as a global
community, reduce our use of plastic and recycle what plastic we do use to the
point that no NEW plastic need be made. That's right, nothing but an endless
recycle cycle. It all starts with just one day.
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Recycle 
17
million tonnes of food is buried in landfill in Britain every single year, with
at least 4 million tonnes still being perfectly edible; bread baked fresh that
can not be sold as 'baked same day' when tomorrow comes, sandwiches and snacks
that are just past their sell by date, food in packets that have ripped and
fruit and veg that is bruised so won?t sell. The reason that much of this still
edible food ends up in landfill is quite simply because putting it in the bin
is the easiest and cheapest option for many supermarkets and food retailers. 
