Do you think it’s possible to live life without plastic? Or to at least live with less plastic? Check out this list of plastic-free alternatives and see for yourself.
My name is Beth Terry, and I don’t buy new plastic. What does that mean? It means refusing foods in single-use packaging; finding personal care products that are not packaged in plastic; looking for secondhand electronics and other durable products rather than buying new, or repairing the things I already have. And it means not eating food from plastic containers because of the toxic chemicals that can leach from them.
Over the last three years, I’ve discovered many plastic-free methods and alternatives. This list is not meant to be overwhelming but simply to give an idea of what is possible. Choose a few that seem doable and that will make the most impact. No one can do it all at once. But we can all get started!
If you still have questions after looking over this list, search the blog for more plastic-free ideas, or contact me directly. You can also subscribe My Plastic-free Life for regular blog updates. And if you like what you see here, please use the email link above to forward this list on to the people you love. We can all make a difference.
- Carry reusable shopping bags.
- Carry whatever works for you. Some people like reusable canvas totes. Others prefer to put their purchases into a backpack or messenger bag. Do you often forget your reusable bags? ChicoBags are a great emergency alternative. While they are made from synthetic materials, they compress into their own attached stuff sack, which makes them very convenient and likely to be used. I carry several of them in my purse so I am never without a bag. If you have a car, keep your grocery bags in it and remember to bring them into the store with you! And one more thing: reusable bags are not just for groceries! Carry them for all your purchases, from electronics to clothing.
- Give up bottled water.
- Not only does it come in a plastic bottle, but tremendous resources are used to extract, bottle, and ship it. And many brands of bottled water are simply filtered tap water. Get a reusable stainless steel bottle (like Klean Kanteen) or stainless steel travel mug, fill it up with tap water before leaving the house, and refill it wherever you happen to be. I don’t recommend reusable plastic or aluminum bottles. Plastic may leach chemicals into the water and aluminum bottles are lined with an epoxy resin, some of which has also found to leach into water depending on the brand. Why take a chance? Read my posts about bottled water for more information.
- Shop your local farmers market
- Farmers markets are a great way to buy fresh, local produce without plastic, as long as you remember to bring your own bags. Normally, the fruits and vegetables at farmers markets don’t even have those little plastic stickers on them. Read more about farmers markets going plastic-free.
- Say no to plastic produce bags.
- They are generally unnecessary. What are we worried about? That our apples won’t get along with our broccoli during the trip home? Or is it that the produce will get dirty? Hey, it grew in the dirt, and we’re going to wash it anyway, right? I put produce directly into my reusable bag, whether I’m at the farmers market or in the grocery store.
- If you do feel you want a separate bag for produce, cloth options are available. Some alternatives are EcoBags, Acme produce bags, or handmade bags from Etsy sellers. Check out this video of a woman who can make five reusable bags from one T-shirt!
- Wondering how to store your produce without plastic once you get it home? Check out this extensive list of ways to store produce without plastic. (And read why I never use Evert Fresh green bags.)
- Buy from bulk bins as often as possible.
- We have some great bulk food stores here in the Bay Area (Rainbow, Berkeley Bowl,Whole Foods, for example) and I can get almost all dry foods as well as some personal care products from the bulk bins. These foods include rice and other grains, pasta, beans, seeds, nuts, all kinds of flour, baking soda and other dry baking ingredients, cereal and granola, pretzels and chips, some candy, tofu, oils, nut butters, olives, herbs, tea & coffee, and more things than I can think of right now.
- The key is bringing my own reusable bags and containers with me to the store. You can carry the same kind of cotton bags for bulk purchases as for produce (see above.) Glass jars and other containers work great as well. Why shop from bulk bins and take new plastic bags?
- A question I am frequently asked is how to avoid payin
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