Plastic Free July Kickoff!

It's here - Plastic Free July! July 1st is also my dog's birthday, she's turning two today and celebrating with apples and peanut butter (and for dessert - more peanut butter. She got to clean out the jar since it was almost empty).



Since it's only been one day, I've managed to keep my plastic free pledge! I did share some faulty info last week that I've corrected on that post and am also correcting here: you cannot use your own containers in the bulk food section of Whole Foods. You used to be able to, but apparently they've changed that. I think at my local store they provide paper bags instead of plastic, so it's still a good option for going plastic free. I will follow up next week. (I didn't actually look at what the store provided because I used a mason jar - didn't find out I wasn't allowed to until my cashier berated me a bit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

I realize I'm lucky out here in the Pacific Northwest because I have a lot of resources close by to help go plastic free. But that's not the case in all places - and not even here 100% of the time. Like cheese - cheese is currently the bane of my existence because it's always wrapped in plastic and is complicated to make yourself. If you know how to get cheese not wrapped in plastic please let me know!! So for items like cheese, where you find you have to purchase in plastic, here are some ways you can reduce the environmental impact:

1. Check that the plastic can be composted/ recycled

The reason for plastic free July is that recycling alone is not enough to help reverse the damage plastic is causing on the environment - especially the ocean.

• Not all plastics are recyclable
• Not all plastics are recycled correctly (you can usually check your local government's website to find proper recycling protocols for your area)
• Not everyone has access to a recycling service

That's not to say recycling is totally useless. The analogy I like to use is recycling is to saving the environment what exercising is to losing weight. Exercise has tons of mind and body benefits and is important to maintaining a healthy body weight. But for someone wanting to lose weight, exercise alone isn't enough. You have to change your diet. And in the case of the environment, we have to use less plastic to turn the tide.
Many products will have a label to say if it's compostable, widely recyclable, sometimes recyclable,or not recyclable. For items that are widely and sometimes recyclable, there may be a note on how to properly recycle. For example, the plastic wrapping used for packages of paper towels is actually recyclable! Just not through residential services. You can drop it off at a recycling area in the store you purchased it from (or other grocery stores. The previous link will help you find drop off centers close to you).

2. See which option has the least amount of plastic packaging

I was buying peanut butter the other day (not the stuff I just gave my dog - that was already running low) and there was a variety of packaging options available. Plastic jar and lid, glass jar and plastic lid, and glass jar and metal lid. Obviously the last option was plastic free, right? Guess again! Even my seemingly plastic free option had a thin strip of plastic around the mouth of the jar - and pretty unnecessarily too if I might add. But that's ultimately the choice I went with since it had the smallest amount of plastic in the options available. (Now the absolute best choice would have been for me to say eff this and make my own peanut butter, which is what I plan to try to do in the future).

3. Buy the largest amount you can

This tip is the same vein as the last - if you have to buy something with plastic packaging, try to make it the least amount as possible. But with this method, you're reducing the number of times you need to buy the packaged item. Now the largest amount you can doesn't always mean the largest amount available - especially for highly perishable items. Look at how long the item will be good for, if you will use all of it in that time, and if you have space for it.

And there's the DIY route, like with peanut butter. This week I'm planning on trying my hand at DIY deodorant (just saw this morning that my current stick is running low) and Greek yogurt. Do you have any DIYs that are tried and true? Also be sure to let me know how your #plasticfreejuly kickoff went!