Plastic is a mess of a phenomenon. In a consumerist society that loves plastic, we are faced with the problem of living in a plastic-run world. Plastic takes place in every inch of our lives: in our homes, our clothes, our cosmetics, our mechanics, and in our food production. Unfortunately, plastic has not only invaded our oceans, but our bodies. Recent studies have found microplastics in unlikely places such as in the bodies of crustaceans at the bottom of our ocean, and even in human stools. Plastic absorbs toxins, introducing xenobiotics, or chemicals that our bodies don’t recognize, to our organs and bloodstream, which affects our health, and the health of future generations.
This unfortunate addiction to plastic can easily be stopped by our own choices. Why add more plastic to our environment when we can choose to…not use plastic?
I’m not going to lie – this is a huge challenge. All you have to do is walk through a conventional grocery store to see how much plastic is ingrained in everyday life. How can you shop for necessities without using plastic? How can you live without using plastic?
It takes mindful baby steps. And I’m here to tell you how to do it.
Step 1: Notice
It all begins with awareness. Go to a grocery store, and look for how many options there are which are not wrapped in plastic. There aren’t very many. But there ARE options. Pay attention to the material of the clothes you buy. Are they made of polyester? Open your bathroom cabinet. How much plastic do you see among your toiletries? Look in your kitchen cabinets. What kind of plastics do you use with your food? Unfortunately, even if it’s reused, plastics are harmful pollutants. Especially with oils, water, acidic drinks, and fatty foods. These products all the more easily extract the chemicals in its plastic container.
Look at your refrigerator. How often are you buying plastic in your weekly grocery visit? There might be the argument that some of these plastic containers can be recycled, but – in reality – much of our recyclables don’t end up getting recycled, according to 5Gyres.org.
Lastly, take a look at your trash cans. How often are they filling up? How often are you using plastic trash bags? Are there items that you can separate from your trash which can be composted? Do you have to use a plastic liner?
Once you’ve noticed where plastic is in your day to day life, take note on where it isn’t. Are there any stores that sell items in bulk out of dispensers? Are there zero waste markets in your area? There are several markets popping up all over the U.S., Europe, and Australia that offer amenities such as food and toiletries that don’t involve plastic. Are there local farmer’s markets in your area? There is often less packaging involved with farmer’s markets and supporting local means less energy used to deliver those goods.
Step 2: Refuse
After you’ve realized how saturated our everyday lives are with plastic, start saying “no” to plastic. When buying fruit and vegetables, buy the actual produce that is out in the open, rather than precut/pre-bagged fruit and vegetables. And, rather than using the plastic bags available for the produce, use your own reusable bags. Or none at all! You’ll end up washing it all at home anyway. Even if the store offers “compostable” bags, don’t do it. Every biodegradable/compostable plastic still has a percentage of plastic or synthetic material. And it still ends up in a garbage bag, or in a dump. The whole point is not to add waste! Be aware of the sneaky plastics. Many milk cartons look like they’re made of paper, but if they are made from TetraPak – which most are – then it is lined with plastic.
When going to restaurants, or getting smoothies, say “no” to straws. You will have to request to not have a straw, because it’s so normalized to assume a straw is desired. When ordering food “to go,” ask if the containers are made of plastic. Whenever buying an item, whether it’s a snack, a flashlight, a journal, anything, notice what options you have. If there’s an option with no plastic, that’s what you should go for. You’ll notice, it’s HARD. That’s when you’ll realize how bad our plastic problem is.
Step 3: Replace
At this point, you might be giving up. What the hell can we buy that doesn’t have plastic?! Luckily, there are options. Many people in this world are working hard to make those options more and more available. It’s actually easier than you think. It begins with replacing products with better alternatives.
Start bringing your own bags to the grocery store. Take it even further and bring your own bulk bags. These are bags to replace all those little plastic baggies offered for vegetables or for nut and grain dispensers. There are several reusable grocery bag sets out there, but I have the Simple Ecology bag set and love it. It’s best to use bags that are made of organic material, so when it does become unusable, you’re not adding waste or synthetic material to our landfills. If you use your bulk bags to buy grains and nuts, it helps to mark their weight so the cashier can subtract your bag weight from your purchasing weight. I took my bags to my regular grocery store and they marked it for me. They appreciated it! And I’ll get you in on a little secret: since you choose to fill your bulk bags with what you actually need, you tend to save more money. On top of that, the prices are often better when sold from bulk dispensers!
This is a huge waste improvement. I never use plastic wrap for my food to begin with (I love using glass jars), but for those who are used to plastic saran wrap, there are several beeswax alternatives that can be reusable and are definitely more durable than sticky, flimsy plastic wrap. Here’s a list of options.
Such a simple change. Luckily, there are tons of bamboo toothbrush options out there. I suggest buying a pack of them to keep you going for some time.
I found this cute little glass floss container. All you have to do is buy the floss refill! I use Tree Bird, but there are several other great options out there such as Wowe and Tevra.
This may be trickier if you have a favorite shampoo and conditioner product. I started making my own shampoo and conditioner some time ago, which made it easier to me transition into refilling my bottle with Dr. Bronner’s soap in bulk at the grocery store. Luckily, there was a refilling pump station so I could avoid buying new containers. There might not be this option for you. In this case, there are several zero waste stores which offer shampoo bars to save waste. Since I’m now constantly on the road for my business, I use shampoo bars and conditioner bars all the time. They’re lightweight for travel, take barely any space, and they last for quite some time! I’ve tried out several kinds, but my favorite come from Humbly. There are also tin containers available for storing them in while traveling. As for handsoap, I switched to bars of soap that are wrapped in paper. I use Dr. Bronner’s – can you tell I’m a fan? I also use Dr. Bronner’s liquid soap for my laundry detergent and dishwashing soap. That way I can simply refill it at the store and avoid buying new products. You may also make your own laundry detergent.
In the good ol’ days when razors were primarily used by men, it was only the razor blades that had to be replaced. It’s time to go back to this pattern. Buying packs of plastic razors that have only a few uses in each of them is incredibly wasteful. There are products out there where you can replace the blades rather than the entire razor, which means less waste (and is more cost efficient over time). I use this one from Wowe.
Ok, this is for the ladies. Luckily menstrual cups have already become popular, so there are tons of options out there. I use Mahina Cup since it is a Hawaiian company and I live in Hawaii. It’s always better to support local products! There is also OrganiCup, Diva Cup, and Lena Cup. As for those who use pads, there are several pad undies out there, such as Luna Pads and Thinx.
Step 4: BYOC (Bring Your Own Container!)
We can’t kid ourselves. We live in a society that’s constantly on the go, which means we often eat on the go. This promotes more plastic use and waste. The biggest way to combat this is bringing your own container. When going to a coffee shop, bring your own coffee mug. If you think you’ll have leftovers when you go out to eat, bring your own container – I bet you have plenty of those at home, so why not use what you already have?
Bring your own silverware, or purchase a reusable bamboo cutlery set. The one I have includes a fork, spoon, straw, and straw cleaner. Bringing your own straw makes a HUGE difference.
There are some grocery stores that now have nut butter machines. They often offer plastic containers next to the machine, but I feel that defeats the purpose of having a nut butter machine. I see the nut butter machine as a chance to have real nut butter (without the added sugar/oils/preservatives) while also refilling my very own nut butter jar. I picked out my favorite jar and had it weighed and marked by the cashier so I can use it every time. It has actually been cheaper refilling from the nut butter machine than purchasing new containers of nut butter!
Step 5: DIY
Avoiding plastics will remove a lot of options from your life. I didn’t say this would be easy. BUT you have several opportunities to make things on your own. This allows you to be more aware of what you are consuming, and allows you to make better choices for both your health and the environment. Making your own soaps, home cleaners, laundry detergent, toothpaste, deodorant, and shampoo/conditioner is easier than you think, once you turn it into a habit.
I used to have fun playing with my own products, loving that I knew exactly what was in them. I used to use coconut oil, baking soda, cinnamon, and thieves essential oil for my toothpaste. I played around with the ingredients in a small bowl until I like the consistency and then transfer it into my little glass toothpaste jar. For deodorant, I keep it real simple with baking soda, coconut oil, and lavender essential oil. As I mentioned earlier, I used to refill my container with Dr. Bronner’s for everything: shampoo, laundry soap, and dish soap. For conditioner, I used to use an apple cider vinegar rinse with equal parts water, equal parts vinegar. For a house cleaner, I mix water, vinegar, and tea tree oil in a spray bottle. All of this has made my life so much simpler, and I save a lot of time and money at the market.
If your life is too busy for making your own products (understandable – mine got busy being on the road all the time!), there are plenty of zero waste stores (online and storefronts) that sell products that are zero waste. Being a regular traveler for my business, I regularly use shampoo and conditioner bars. They’re lightweight for travel, take barely any space, and they last for quite some time! I’ve tried out several kinds, but my favorite come from Humbly. If you’re more of a fan of creamy liquid conditioner, there are many zero waste shops popping up that sell nice organic conditioners in bulk. There may be a zero waste store in your area – look it up! There are also several different kinds of zero waste toothpaste options popping up, one of the fun ones being “toothpaste bites.”
If you really reduce your waste, you will most likely find yourself cooking more. Which is a good thing! Make your own granola bars instead of buying individually wrapped bars. Freeze some bananas and make banana ice cream (with chocolate chips, honey, and nut butter for extra flavor). Get a nut bag and make your own nut milk. Or, start making your own oat milk, which is extremely easy. [Soak 1 cup of oats for about 20 minutes. Fill your blender with 3 cups of water, plus your soaked oats, and blend. Strain the oats out, put the remaining liquid back into the blender, add cinnamon, and blend. Store your milk in a pitcher or jumbo jar in the fridge!] Cut up fruit and throw them in a jar for a midday snack. Carry around your own trail mix in one of your reusable bags. Make new, better habits to remove plastic from your life.
Step 6: Clothing Swaps, Thrift Stores & Recycled Brands
Fashion is a sneaky giant polluter of plastics. According to Vox, 60 percent of our clothes are made from plastic. Unfortunately, fast fashion is, well, fashionable. Which means lots of waste every year for the sake of looks. There are other ways to enjoy freshening up your wardrobe, or getting ready for the next season. Clothing swaps with friends are a fun excuse to spend time with friends while also switching up your wardrobe. Thrift stores are always full of treasures – and it’s more rewarding! (Not to mention less of a dent to your wallet.) Vintage shops are another opportunity for unique treasures, and are often much better quality that the cheaply-made-so-you-buy-more clothes that are produced nowadays. There are also many well-known companies that are encouraging people to turn in their lightly worn clothes or gear to be recycled, such as Levi’s, Madewell, Patagonia, Columbia and Girlfriend Collective. Patagonia has a Worn Wear program, where they resell lightly worn Patagonia clothing (which means quality outdoor gear at a discount!). Some well-known companies are starting to use recycled polyester/recycled materials in their products – Patagonia and Target (All in Motion brand). There are several other companies springing up that are creating more consciously made products. Start paying attention to product labels when you buy clothes, and notice which companies are trying to make a difference.
Some companies I’ve noticed over the years are:
- Cotopaxi (outdoor gear & backpacks made fair trade & from recycled materials)
- Parade (underwear & loungewear)
- Santos Swim (bathing suits!)
- For Days – turn in clothes & get credit for newly upcycled ones!
I’m always looking for more companies that offer recycled material/consciously-made clothing! Please share if you know of others 🙂
Step 7: Use Your Voice
You are a consumer, with money. If you tell businesses, grocery stores, etc. that you are choosing not to purchase their items because there aren’t options that exclude plastic, they will consider offering alternatives. Ask your grocer offer more waste-free options, and praise them when they do. There is a growing market for a waste-free lifestyle, and the more people want these options, the more options we are going to get.
Ridding your life of plastics will create a big shift in your life. But once you begin that change, you can’t go back. Our society teaches us how to be excessive and promotes a consumer-driven society. Once you remove yourself from this consumerist, “throw-away” lifestyle, you’ll feel a sense of freedom. We all have the power to make a choice, and every individual is significant enough to make an IMPACT. People will notice your actions, and people will become inspired and be influenced. The revolution against the “throw-away” culture begins with one person at a time. Your actions matter – it’s a domino effect!
