OK, we’re one week into Plastic Free July and I wanted to share our progress with you all.
Our Plastic Free July Pledge
We’re already pretty good with the big 4 (plastic bags, straws, coffee cups and water bottles) but for July, we pledged to use absolutely NONE of these. So far so good. We’ve also taken a look at where some of the plastic we do end up with comes from and we’re pledging to see what we can do to avoid this too.
Last week (still in the first half of the year……!) we sat down as a family, and discussed what we could do to limit or cut out the plastic we use. Interestingly, the children’s first comment was that I should bake more bread (because it’s so yummy) which would avoid the plastic bread bags. An excellent suggestion and something I have already been doing this week.
Another thing we talked about was cereal. I can’t think of any cereal you can buy from the supermarket that doesn’t come with some plastic as part of its packaging. We are quite selective with our choice of cereal and usually only have oats for porridge or weetbix, cornflakes and riccies. I use the bags from cereals as dog poop bags which is not a perfect solution but reuse is always better than single use….:) So our plan for cereal is to use Bin Inn. I think we will be due a trip there next week so stay tuned and I’ll let you know how we get on.
First Shop of the Week
Our trip out was relatively successful. Our first stop of the day was at the ‘gourmet’ store for picnic lunch ingredients. Of course…I’m looking around for other things too and was attracted by a punnet of mushrooms that was on special. However, they were in a big plastic tray and wrapped in cling film…so I resisted.
I had taken a reusable container and managed to get ham from the deli counter put into that which was no problem and I got some ‘real’ bread in a paper bag. Picnic sorted. Simple but hey…that’s how the French do it..non…???
The Supermarket. Just Remember to Take your Own Bags.
Next stop was the supermarket. I find it interesting that when you actually look…I mean ACTUALLY look…it’s quite amazing how much stuff is in packaging that’s just really unnecessary. And the alternative, unpackaged, CHEAPER option, is often right there next to the packaged version….???!! Check out the pictures scattered throughout this blog if you don’t believe me!!!
To me..this is a no brainer and a really easy way to save yourself packaging AND money. So, be a hero. Arm yourselves with a decent set of produce bags and choose unpackaged produce!!!
I was able to get my mushrooms in a paper bag and all my other fruit and veg with zero packaging. I would have liked some green beans, but they weren’t on special and they were all in plastic bags so I left those on the shelf. I also got grapes, not seasonal I know but they looked particularly good and they make a nice change for lunch boxes. They were packaged in plastic so I lifted them out of their plastic and into my reusable produce bag.
Also on my list was feta cheese….. I thought I might be able to get this from the deli using my now empty ham container but this particular supermarket didn’t have it at the deli. So I’ll wait until I’m at another branch before I buy feta cheese.
My two fails that were packaged in plastic were fish and dog treats. Both of these things were on special (quite good ones too) and I’d gone out hoping to get something for our dinner….which was the fish. Note to self..be more organised and take something out of the freezer for dinner or plan a trip to the butcher or the fish shop instead, armed with my own containers.
After all this, I was pretty pleased but it was a good reminder that planning and preparation are key to a successful plastic free shop.
A Success…or Not…..
And just when I thought I was doing really well….we got to the checkout….. The kind lady at the till was quite taken by my four year old daughter who was being super well behaved and smiley (she can turn it on…), so she produced a box of ‘treats’ and gave her four boxes/packages of stickers and plastic toys… I just did not have the heart to say ‘no thank you’.
I found this such a tricky situation as I didn’t want to seem ungrateful or hurt the lady’s feelings as she was being so kind. But on the other hand…we had tried so hard to come out of the shop with no plastic and seriously….the plasticy toys we were given are probably just as bad as any other kind of single use plastic….!! Maybe I should have spoken up and politely declined…?? I’d be really interested to hear what you would have done.
Mid Week Trip to the Organic Shop
I love our local organic store. It’s a bit out of my way so I don’t get to it often, but it’s like a treasure trove of good goodies…. So this week I made a trip and was enticed by some of the specials. The only thing was that so many of their products (including the specials) are pre-weighed and dispensed into plastic bags for sale…. 🙁 So I hesitated, but then spotted a stack of paper bags that are for fruit and veg.
I spoke to the lady at the counter and said I was taking part in PFJ and would like to buy some stuff but didn’t want the plastic packaging. She said it was fine for me to use the paper bags instead!! So she poured my lentils, rock salt and quinoa into separate paper bags. I was happy, but I imagine those plastic bags will still be thrown away, as will all the other plastic bags in the store once the ingredients have been used…..
And here is my question to you…is this a win or have I just unnecessarily used up 3 paper bags….??
It Really is a Challenge
So, not surprisingly, taking up the Plastic Free July Challenge is…a challenge. And that’s OK because that’s what it is supposed to be. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy to come by. My biggest challenge is the controversy…that which takes place in my head about what’s REALLY the right thing to do.
Is ditching the plastic in the shop and replacing it with paper bags or your own bags really the right thing to do..?? Perhaps the plus in this situation is that simply by asking the question…I have raised the issue. A small shop might well sit up and take notice. I doubt a supermarket will pay much attention to an abandoned plastic grape bag, but they might if everyone abandoned the plastic in the aisles!!!
Takeaways from Week 1 of Plastic Free July
1. To really succeed at plastic free, we must be organised.
2. Home baking can save on packaging.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask for things that you feel might be out of the norm. Tomorrow (or the next day) these things will be the norm.
4. And I think most importantly…as the images clearly show…choosing loose fruit and veg is a no brainer.
Find more Plastic Free July ideas and check on our progress in the next installment of our Diary.
