Steps to Reducing Your Carbon Footprint, Part 1 Single Use Plastic

A few years ago, I decided to no longer buy water in plastic, single use bottles.  However, I grew up in a generation that wasn’t afraid to drink out of the garden hose! I did find an alternative, but it isn’t always easy to make the right choice.  In the past 6 months I have researched and made even more changes, to reduce my use of single use plastics, and not just drinking bottles. After all, we must start somewhere to start cleaning up the mess we have made of our planet, and the ocean that is near and dear to my heart

Why is plastic so bad? The answer to that question is scientific, and as much as I love biology, science has never been my strongest subject.  What I do know is plastic is made from oil, fossil fuels.  Although oil is a necessary evil in our lives, without a doubt, the dead dinosaurs are not going to last forever.

So, what is a carbon footprint?  I found this definition in Wikipedia.  “A carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent  (CO₂e).^[1] Greenhouse gases, including the carbon-containing gases carbon dioxide and methane, can be emitted through the burning of fossil fuels, land clearance and the production and consumption of food, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, transportation and other services.^[2]“

Plastic is not short-term biodegradable, a plastic bottle in the landfill takes anywhere from 450 to 1000 years to break down. And even though “everyone” recycles, well, that’s just not true.  I like to walk around the neighborhood for my exercise and often come across plastic waste just lying on the ground, and too often the condition of it makes it unrecyclable. In my research I have learned there are rules about recycling, and rules that vary depending on where you live!

Single use plastic, also, can only be recycled once, according to some, and maybe a few times depending on the type of plastic it is. The more it is recycled, the less durable it is. This is actually called downcycling for that reason. And no matter how many times it is recycled it is still plastic and will eventually end up in a landfill, and if burned it release toxins into the air, contributing to our climate change problem.  I did see an article that says plastic bottles can be recycled into clothes.  At least then they aren’t single use, unless you are a Kardashian! 

I believe the biggest roadblocks to reducing single use plastics are:

1. Ignorance: We are so used to it being a part of our everyday lives we don’t realized what it is doing to the environment.  I share an example of what I was doing later in the blog.
2. Apathy: Too many people just don’t care enough, and frankly don’t want to. I have a family member that I must bite my tongue when I see what they are doing.
3. Convenience:  It is easier, yes.  Some of my efforts do require a little more work and effort on my part, but it is worth it to me.

4. Economics:  When considering environmental issues, economic and social issues do play an important role. Humans do share this planet, and our needs do account for something.  This involves creating balance that produces a solution for all of us that share this planet, humans, animals, all living things, and still leaves a livable planet for the generations to come.

These are the ways I have found to reduce my own personal carbon footprint.  Maybe it seems extreme to some, but I have watched You Tube videos, and read articles where some go even farther, WAY farther. And it is not always easy.

Single Use Plastic Drinking Bottles

I stopped drinking soda/coke products 5 years ago, for health reasons, but I figured since I wasn’t using the plastic bottles, I was good.  Well, I like Iced tea, and was drinking at least 2 bottles, yes plastic, per day.  I weighed up some plastic bottles one day, and calculated that I was contributing at least 100 lbs. of plastic bottles to the environment per year.  Just me, all by myself!!  As of this year, I stopped buying them.  I am now making my tea myself, and pouring it into a reusable, yes plastic, jug daily.  I do drink a whole jug every day.  I do use a reusable, insulated tumbler, with a metal straw.  I love it because my tea stays cold a lot longer.  I throw about 8 tea bags in the teapot and bring to boil. Then let it sit to cool enough to pour into my jug, then refrigerate.  Works great for me.  It does take a little bit of time and effort, but not much really.

Plastic Sandwich/Storage Bags

This is where my ignorance comes in. I recently posted a question on FB asking what you do with your plastic sandwich bags after using them.  Most said just throw it in the garbage, there was one that recycled and one that washed and reused. I asked because I was doing it wrong, I recycled them!  I found out that type of plastic in not recyclable at our recycling plant.  Yes, different plastics are treated differently.  In our area, the right answer actually is to take them to the grocery store where you recycle the grocery bags, (they don’t go in recycle either!) Also included is plastic film and produce bags. 

Another question, if you throw away the plastic sandwhich bags, (and they are in the landfill for 400+years) do you wash them out before putting in the garbage?  Did you know food waste in the landfill produces methane gas, a contributing factor to climate change? A single head of lettuce, for example, can take up to 25 years to decompose in a landfill, giving off harmful methane gas the whole time. Fortunately, our recycling program offers a composting program for food waste, where they take it to create organic compost and sell it to the farmers.  The methane gas produced with this process is very minimal, way less than what is burned at landfills.  Just an FYI.

I have purchased reusable, dishwasher safe bags from several sources.  The ones I got at Target were good at first but became difficult to close.  I ordered some from 4 Ocean, expensive and a trick to open.  But it does support a good company.  The ones from Amazon have been the best for me.  I also have learned that there are ones made from silicone instead of plastic.  When silicone is burned, there are no toxins released into the air. 

Coffee Pods

I do love my morning coffee! I also enjoy the convenience of the Keurig coffee pot and pods. One day I did notice that the pods are plastic, so being eco conscious I started taking off the top, pouring the coffee grounds in the compost, rinsing out the pod and putting it in recycling. Ok, that was a pain in the ass!  And then I found out nothing smaller than my fist is supposed to go into the recycling. Another case of ignorance.  I did, however, find a solution. Reusable k cup coffee filters and a lb. of coffee, the old-fashioned kind in a bag!  Works great and it is less expensive than buying those Keurig cups, I did the math. 

Other Plastic to Think About

• Single use bottles of shampoo and body wash.  Shampoo is one I haven’t figured out yet, but I am now going back to using bar soap.  The packaging is cardboard/paper.  I also learned some exfoliating body wash/scrub contains micro plastics.  Microplastics rinse off your body, go down the drain and make their way to the ocean, fish eat them, and we eat the fish! I read even toothpaste has them.  I do know they are working on laws/regulations to prevent further use. 

Cat litter:  I know this is strange to put in here, but I do need to go to the store right now and get some.  We were getting the big plastic jug, but I found that it does come in a box, or paper bag.  Just something to consider.

Laundry soap:  OK, here is my extreme.  To keep from using the plastic jugs I have been ordering from a company called Earth Breeze, laundry detergent sheets.  I have been using for about a year now, and they do the job just fine.  No smell to them, but my clothes are just as clean as the stuff in a jug.  I am alone so I don’t use a lot and had to slow down auto delivery. 

Other cleaning products:  Reusing spray bottles that other cleaning products come in is an option.  Purchase the cleaner in a small, condensed solution, sold in a glass bottle and mix with water.  There is company that sells all kinds of eco friendly cleaning products, www.grove.com.  I found their products on at Target and really like them.

Once I started this journey to eliminate plastic, I soon realized to eliminate all plastic is impossible!  And what little I can do is going to take some effort on my part to change the way I do things, not easy at my age.  I challenge you next time you walk through the grocery store look for all things packaged with plastic.  I think you may be surprised how much there is, and then think, can we change?  It is a long road, but if you can reduce your own personal carbon footprint, it is a start.

Please share any ideas you have in the comments section.  I would love to keep learning more ways reduce single use plastics.

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