In Plastic Free July Challenge – Week 1 Update, I shared how I wasn’t off to a great start. Eliminating single-use plastic was turning out to be a lot more difficult than I expected. I’m heading into week two hopeful, but not convinced, that I can do better!
If you missed my earlier posts, Plastic Free July is a global initiative that helps people be part of the movement to reduce single-use plastic. Having already made a lot of changes, I decided to participate in this year’s challenge. Going in, I knew I wouldn’t be perfect. My goal was to learn where I still need to step up my waste reduction game. Based on week one, I have a long way to go!
July 4
One of my biggest challenges with plastic-free is cheese. I love cheese but it’s hard to find it packaged in anything but plastic. You can buy cheese at the Farmers Market but our markets are just reopening following the pandemic restrictions. They are overcrowded at the best of times, so I am not comfortable going there just yet.
This morning I decided to forego cheese in my omelet. Instead, I added some of my favourite “ultimate seasoning” from Bulk Barn. You know what? I didn’t even miss the cheese.
This was a different kind of day. My father-in-law passed away earlier in the week and his funeral service was this afternoon. On this day of reflection and gathering with family, being plastic-free wasn’t at the top of my priority list. At the funeral service this afternoon, we toasted my father-in-law with some of his favourite things – Coke, ice cream and KitKat bars. Then we got take-out food with the family. A valid use of plastic in my mind.
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July 5
Grocery day! There’s nothing like a trip round the grocery store to make you realize how eliminating plastic is close to impossible in our world. I tried really hard but there were a few things I had to give in and buy even though they are packaged in plastic.
- Bagels – My daughter loves bagels but they do come in plastic bags. I will need to look for a bakery where I can bring my own container.
- Rainbow sorbet. It is ice cream season and my daughter loves sorbet. So I gave in and bought a carton. I remember the days when ice cream was sold in blocks packaged in cardboard. You can still buy it that way but the box is wrapped in…plastic!
- Cheese slices – My older daughter loves grilled cheese sandwiches so I bought a package of sliced havarti. I draw the line at buying the individually wrapped and then packaged in plastic slices of what I call “fake cheese”.
When I got home, I got another reminder that plastic shows up in the sneakiest of ways when I took a closer look at the green onions I bought. The label that keeps the bundle together is plastic!
Today’s small win
For the first time since the pandemic restrictions started, I used my mesh produce bags instead of plastic bags. No more plastic produce bags!
July 6
Well, today I came so close. I almost made it a whole day with no plastic. I made it all the way to dinner time. But the chicken breast we barbecued for dinner was, of course, packaged in plastic.
July 7
Today, I decided to make some homemade granola bars. What a great way to avoid plastic waste, right? Well, it’s definitely less waste than buying individually wrapped bars but still not entirely plastic-free. The recipe calls for honey or agave, both of which are in plastic bottles. I’ve tried buying honey at the bulk store but it dried out really quickly, so I ended up throwing it away.
July 8
Today, I made a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch. Bread is something else that’s mostly sold in plastic bags. I bought a bread maker last year and I usually make my own bread. Since I didn’t have any homemade bread ready, I had to get some store-bought bread out of the freezer.
Tonight I got my first weekly update email from Plastic Free July. I was feeling bad for my lack of progress. The email reminded me of something important.
Please remember that even if you didn’t manage to avoid all plastic (and honestly, we really didn’t expect you to – it’s called a ‘challenge’ for a reason!), you didn’t ‘fail’.
Plastic Free Foundation
So, I will celebrate my wins and carry on!
July 9
It’s our wedding anniversary. Since going out for dinner isn’t realy desirable right now, we decided to get Swiss Chalet takeout for dinner. I LOVE Swiss Chalet but I don’t love their plastic packaging. I was encouraged to see a label on the outside of the paper bag saying they are taking the first steps to reduce plastic packaging.
Unfortunately, the packaging inisde the paper bag was still plastic but it’s a start. Every journey starts with a single step. I do keep and reuse the plastic containers. They are great for packaging leftovers for my daughter to take to college when she goes back.
July 10
Another pretty good day today. I avoided plastic until dinner time again. The sour cream and salsa I had with my quesadillas were both in plastic tubs. I used to buy salsa in glass jars but, as I explained in Plastic containers are preferable to glass, our municipality doesn’t have a market to recycle glass, so I started buying it in large plastic containers. Proof that it’s sometimes hard to know what is best.
Plastic Free Challenge – Week 2 Wrap Up
We’re almost one-third of the way through July and, although I have come pretty close a couple of times, I still haven’t had a full day with no single-use plastic. Maybe next week?
If you’re doing the Plastic Free July Challenge, how is it going for you? Tell us below.
We can recycle glass here but avoid it as much as possible since our 3 YO cut his his hand last summer on glass. Stainless steel is great, but not typically dishwasher safe. And we can’t recycle waxed paper cartons, so plastic almond milk jugs are our best option. It’s unavoidable! Don’t beat yourself up! Sometimes it’s the best option when it’s your only recyclable option.
I agree. Sometimes, after asking all the right questions, plastic is the best alternative.
I never realized how hard it could be to avoid plastic! I think you did a great job. So many items come in plastic these days. I wonder if it’s possible to find biodegradable plastic?
It’s definitely a lot harder than I thought. I’m sure there must be some biodegradable plastic. I have seen compostable plastic bags but not other packaging. Something for me to look into!
It’s amazing how hard it is to get through one day without plastic! I love how you’ve laid out your days so I can see on a really practical level how plastic sneaks into daily life. Thanks for sharing your experience as well as the tough and joyous times of your week as well.
Thank you so much. I knew this would be difficult but I didn’t realize just how tough it would be. On a positive note, I have a huge list of items to investigate and write about.