The Plastic Challenge

One of the blogs that I follow, The Green Parent, is doing a different monthly eco-challenge for 2011. This sounded like something fun to me, but I've kinda kept it on the back-burner.

Then, this morning, I saw her post for the Plastic-Free February. I also saw the same thing going on at Rodale.com where the magazine I love, Prevention, is created. Then I saw that other bloggers were doing it too, and thought maybe I'd put a little effort in to this challenge this month. I mean, I think I'm pretty conscious as far as plastic is concerned.

That is...until I opened the refrigerator and really looked at what was in there. That's when I realized that I could never do this challenge. I'm a plastic junkie, a plastic lover out of convenience, and I'm not proud.

First Shelf:

• Yogurt in plastic containers. I love (love) the small 4oz Yoplait YoPlus portions and eat one of these every day. Makena & Jamie eat Yoplait in the normal 6oz.. There is often a larger plastic container of plain Greek yogurt for shakes also on this shelf. Sadly, I don't like making my own yogurt and don't want to buy the larger containers. They are just packaged in plastic anyways.
• Cottage cheese, Feta cheese, sour cream, creamer and butter spray. All in plastic containers.
• GOOD - all of these containers can be recycled. Everything but the lids that is.

Second Shelf:

• Even though I buy our milk in box containers, I've learned that there is plastic lining on the inside. Same goes for the orange juice and egg beaters (from the top shelf).
• Apple juice and sweet tea in large plastic containers. I usually buy apple juice in glass bottles, but picked these jugs up at Costco one time. I also don't usually buy tea, but did so for a gathering.
• Makena often drinks vanilla milk (which also comes in a plastic container) and I pour it in to a larger, plastic, container to add plain milk to.
• GOOD - all of these containers can be recycled and the container for Makena's milk is reused.

Third Shelf:

• Hummus. I eat this almost every day as well and it always comes in a plastic container. I really should think about making my own!
• Melons, in a plastic container. Again, I bought this for a gathering and usually just buy this fresh and cut it myself.
• GOOD - ditto on the recycling on this shelf. Our recycling collector doesn't actually accept the type of container that the melon comes in, but I save up all of this type of plastic to take to a local recycler that does.

Fourth Shelf & Veggie Drawers:

• Mashed potatoes. Out of convenience, I bought Makena a container of pre-made mashed potatoes. They are, of course, packed in a plastic container. (With getting her braces on, I thought this would be easier for her.)
• Pudding and Jello I also bought for Makena as they are soft. Again, out of convenience, I bought the small portioned packages instead of making my own.
• Individual cheese sticks in plastic packaging. Deli meat, wrapped in plastic at the store. Bricks of cheese, in plastic. Jamie's (nasty) processed cheese individually wrapped in plastic.
• Salad either in plastic bags or large plastic containers.
• Plastic containers to hold our cut up veggies. These do get reused, and only for items we don't heat up. Otherwise, all of the other containers in there are glass. Except (gads!) a styrofoam container with Makena's left overs from Applebees. I've been trying to remember to bring our own, reusable containers for left overs at restaurants.
• GOOD - I try to recycle or reuse what I can!

Door: by the time I got to the door, I was about in tears over the amount of plastic in here!

• Condiments...wow! Unfortunately, almost everything comes in a plastic container.
• Water bottles. Jamie likes plastic water bottles, and his are always reused. Makena and I use the stainless steel ones. *I do drink several Sobe Zero Waters a week though and those are in plastic bottles.
• Even my flax seed and wheat germ come in plastic bags.
• GOOD - I buy glass packaged items when I can and recycle the plastic.

I do recycle almost everything we use, so that does make me feel a lot better. We use reusable, cloth shopping bags; groceries, clothing, home improvement, etc. I have my own vegetable bags so we don't use those plastic ones at the grocery store. We try to always get coffee in our reusable mugs.

But...it's sad to think of all of that plastic just in my fridge! And, I know there is a ton more of it around my house.

Needless to say, I won't be doing the Plastic-Free Challenge. I give HUGE kudos to Beth Terry for her commitment to stop buying new plastics every day of her life. Crazy as it sounds, she's been very successful at living a Plastic-free Life for more than 3 years! And, I'm sure that Jenn Savedge, The Green Parent, will do well in her Plastic-free February. Maybe someday I'll be there...