Week 1 of plastic free July proved to be an incredibly busy one. Not only did I travel to three different states in 4 days, but I also went camping and celebrated a national holiday. Because I was traveling on my own and moving around quite a lot, I made sure to pack light. This made it very tricky to think about all the ways I could reduce my waste while also carrying my clothes and toiletries I needed for multiple days with me. One thing I learned this week is that going plastic free is an adjustment to our “hands-free” lifestyle. I decided to focus on one of the main necessities I would need for the trip and everyday use – a water bottle.
Reuse: The use of a reusable water bottle is very valuable for every day and while traveling. I have a 20-ounce HydroFlask which is insulated and has a wide mouth, keeping drinks cool or hot and making filling and cleaning incredibly easy while on the go. Many airports are now providing travelers with water refill stations allowing you to fill your water bottle after security and before your flight with fresh drinking water. I did fly into an airport that has yet to install this and politely asked a Starbucks employee to fill my water bottle for me (she even gave me ice). I was able to stay hydrated while on my flights without needing to use the single-use plastic cups for in-flight beverages.
Once I arrived at my destinations, I was able to continue to refill my water bottle in hotel lobbies and other places I was staying. I strategically did this in the morning to ensure I had enough water throughout the day. I saved countless single-use water bottles and plastic cups over this 4 day travel period thanks to my reusable water bottle.
But I did find it difficult to avoid other single-use items beyond water. Because I had packed for a 4 day trip in a backpack, space was valuable and thus, I left my reusable coffee mug at home. One morning, I used a single-use coffee cup with a plastic lid as I left the hotel. The night before, I had looked in the room to see if they had ceramic mugs only to find paper cups instead. The hotel also provided a continental breakfast which I used, finding myself eating off of paper plates and using plastic forks and knives that go straight in the trash. Already, there are three swaps I have at home but opted to leave for this trip for the sake of space. I was frustrated by this choice that I had to make.
Refuse: With this failure, I did make other choices to help reduce single-use plastics. When we ate out, I made sure to ask for no straw when the waiter took our drink orders. This request was met happily and without too much confusion. I have made a personal choice not to manage other people’s practices, thus not telling the people I was having dinner with to do the same. Rather, I decided to lead by example and leave it at that. If they asked about it, I explained what I was trying to do and hope that the next time they eat out, they think twice about a straw.
This week, I was pleasantly surprised that asking others for help – like the Starbucks lady – can be a bit intimidating, but I found that people are usually incredibly happy to help and end up thanking you for bringing your own container. I will keep this in mind throughout the weeks as I find things that are not suited for plastic free but may find unorthodox alternatives.
Week 1’s Goal Follow-up: Complete my first plastic audit and find 1 alternative to combat a single-use plastic in the audit — See below for this week’s plastic audit. An alternative to combat single-use plastic cutlery is reusable travel cutlery. I used to use a collapsible fork, knife, spoon, and chopsticks set that fit into their own carrying container when I would pack my lunch while working in an office and luckily I have kept these tucked in our kitchen drawer. Now, I will pack these with me when traveling or find myself at another continental breakfast or other events that only provide single-use cutlery. Mine are made of plastic, but they have already been previously purchased (Recycle), have lasted several years, are easy to clean, easy to pack away with me, and reusable. The ones I found are the Klipo Cutlery Set from the Container Store.
Trash audit:
- Coffee mug/lid
- Fork/knife/spoon
- Takeout container lid
Week 2’s Goal: Find an alternative for dog poop bags.
Fun Fact: The average American buys about 13 bottles per month: earthday.org
Resources this week:
https://www.earthday.org/2018/03/29/fact-sheet-single-use-plastics/
Disclosure: I hope that over the next 5 weeks, I bring attention to the number of single-use plastics our world is bombarded with on a daily basis and how we might combat it with alternatives. There will be failures and moments of weakness, but I hope to acknowledge these in a supportive environment. Please use the comment section to share any tips, tricks, challenges, and questions that you have found throughout your own journey and keep all comments clean, supportive, and positive. For low waste to work, we must all support one another and understand that there are incredible barriers, such as food deserts, lack of bulk shops/farmer’s markets in areas, income, time, and so much more that we can not surpass just yet. This post is not sponsored.
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