Part of this experiment is the idea of learning to live more ‘sustainably,’ in this case, meaning reusing, reducing & recycling. Therefore I’m trying a couple of quirky practices that are new to me but were the way of life for my grandparents, the first being that I haven’t bought any Ziplock bags, plastic wrap, or even aluminum foil, nor have I purchased any plastic containers for storing food. Being a fairly modern girl in a modern world, I hang my head in shame when I consider all the ziplock bags I packed sandwiches that were promptly discarded after the sandwich was gone. I roll my eyes, thinking of all the plastic wrap that covered food for a short time and was tossed in the trash.
Yet I also recall when we lived in our log home up Hobble Creek Canyon, Utah, where we had to haul our own trash to the dump. To be eco-friendly, I saved up all the plastic containers we were done using and stored them in the basement until I had a trunk full. Dutifully driving them an hour north to Salt Lake City where we could turn them into a recycling center (and maybe earn some cash?) was an eye-opening experience. Sorted piles of recyclables, newspapers, plastics, cardboard, etc. as high as a two-story house were everywhere. I wasn’t sure if, when, or how often those piles ever diminished. Our meager (by comparison) contribution was weighed, and we were told I could get maybe $.75 for the whole carload of plastic. 75 cents?!? How much money did the gas I just used cost? And how much pollution did I dump into the atmosphere? Somehow the equation didn’t add up, wasn’t balanced, and I didn’t bother saving my plastic containers for recycling anymore.
So my experiment this time is to see if I can do a better job of using less wrapping items that immediately need to be thrown away. Step 1 – Don’t buy plastic bags or containers. Did you know that anytime I get some lunchmeat or cheese from the deli, it comes in a plastic ziplock bag? So I’ve saved those and washed them out for re-use. I have also saved the plastic bags (which can be recycled) that you use for vegetables from the grocery store’s produce section, they work for covering bowls of leftovers in the fridge or wrapping a sandwich in for lunch. I also purchased a small salad at the deli that came in a clear plastic bowl with a lid that I have reused several times. Forks, spoons, and knives that come with takeout food have been washed and put in the silverware drawer for later use, but even though it’s just me, I’m already getting a collection. I don’t even have to buy anything, and plastic comes to me, is given to me, and is just so stinking convenient that it will quickly add up so that I will eventually have to recycle or throw away some of them.
I must admit that I’m horrible at remembering to bring my own bags to the grocery store; I’ve even had them in the car with me and have forgotten to take them in until I suddenly remember when I’m checking out. Because it doesn’t seem polite to tell the people waiting behind me that I need to run to the car to get my bags, I tell them that I want paper. When I don’t have too many items, I will opt to carry them out in my arms, but I have some mental block when remembering to bring my own bags into the store. So I have a secret stash of plastic grocery bags in my back room; I use them for garbage can liners and other uses like packing delicate items and mailing things, but still, they haunt me. Plastic is still everywhere, and this is me trying to use less! I’m not even sure how this can be changed in our society. Do you?
