5 Things to Know Before Going Plastic-Free
As I talked about in one of my first posts, “Starting My Plastic-Free Journey“, I started really getting serious about plastic-free living a few years ago after a Plastic-Free July challenge. The challenge was to refuse all single-use plastics for the month of July.
That month was incredibly eye-opening. It really hit me how nearly every item we touch in our daily lives contains plastic. Plastic is everywhere. And from then on, I worked to systematically remove and/or replace as much plastic as I could in my life.
Now that I’ve done this for a while, there are a few things that I think people should know before going plastic-free.
- Minimize first
- It’s addicting game
- Friends will apologize…a lot
- People will think of you
- You’ll share the wins
1. Minimize First
I mentioned before in “Plastic-Free, Zero Waste, and Minimalism” that moving across the country twice made me a minimalist. There’s nothing like being in your fourth hour of packing that makes you think “I have way too much stuff!”.
If you try to find a replacement for every single plastic item you currently have, that’s a lot of time and money. And the thought of that is probably overwhelming. Save yourself the effort by simplifying first.
After using up the consumable items, donating the hardly-used but still good items, fixing broken items and tossing the items you can’t fix or donate, you can start fresh.
If your current beauty routine is a 10-step process, that’s 10 potentially plastic items that you will continually need to replace. But if you simplified your routine to a 5-step process, you’ve already cut your beauty plastic usage in half and you didn’t need to find any replacements!
If you have a closet full of cleaning products, consider just simplifying to the essentials like an all-purpose cleaner and a glass cleaner. 50 years ago, we didn’t have specialized cleaners for every different type of flooring or surface. Houses were cleaned with vinegar and soap.
In “Plastic-Free Cleaning“, I talk about how I clean my entire house with vinegar, baking soda, and Castile soap.
By eliminating items and simplifying your home you’ll have less items that you’ll need to find a plastic-free solution for.
2. It’s Addicting Game
I started my plastic-free journey with simple items like replacing plastic beverage bottles, bringing my reusable coffee cup to Starbucks, and using reusable grocery bags. But once you break past that point, it becomes a slippery slope–in a good way!
You start to realize that EVERYTHING is a disposable plastic. And depending on your personality, this either becomes an unbearable weight or a fun game. For me it was the latter.
With each item I identified as needing a replacement I was like a child finding a new puzzle. Following point #1, the first question I would ask myself is “Do I need this?”. If the answer was no, then I would use it up or give away.
If the answer was yes, then I would use it until it no longer functioned and looked for a replacement that was durable and plastic-free.
In terms of grocery shopping, this proved to be loads of fun. I learned to rework my menu to accommodate what I could get without plastic and developed my own solutions to problematic items.
Tortillas are a great example.
I used to make my own tortillas once a week (recipe here). And while they are so tasty, it took about 40 minutes to make and during the weekdays it’s hard to spend so much time on something like this.
So, now for Taco nights, I pick up some tortillas from my local taco shop. I bring my own container and they put as many tortillas as I want in the container.
Finding solutions like my tortillas at my local taco shop are like solving tiny puzzles and it makes you motivated to solve the next one!
3. Friends Will Apologize…a lot
When you go plastic-free you think it’s all about you and your choices–not always the case. Oftentimes people will feel that your choice to go plastic-free is a judgement on them. That if you are using a reusable cup while your friend uses a disposable one–you are judging your friend.
I know, you’re not judging them but most likely your friend feels that way if you’ve been vocal (in person or on social media) about your plastic-free journey.
Oftentimes, your friend’s guilt will result in an apology.
I started our grassroots Green Team at my office with the goal of getting rid of waste at our site. Since everyone knows me as the leader of the Green Team, I hear a lot of apologies.
Last week I walked into the breakroom and my coworker in Marketing said “Dang it! The one day I forgot my reusable mug, I run into you in the coffee room!” I laugh and told her it’s ok.
Or when I go out to eat with friends and someone grabs a disposable fork, they look at me with guilty eyes and apologize.
The best thing you can do in these situations is to put the person at ease and give them a tip to remember next time. Remind them that it’s the effort that matters and no one is perfect.
4. People will think of you
It’s flattering when people think of you. It means you’ve made a tiny impact on them. Because I’ve been very vocal about plastic-free living, I hear all about the strange things that make people think of me.
My coworker thinks of me when he sees trash littered on the street. Maybe not the most flattering but I’m glad I’ve made him think about and notice litter. Whereas before he might have completely overlooked it.
A friend from high school told me the other day on Facebook that she thinks of me when she peels the tiny produce stickers off her bananas. Another friend from college told me she thinks about me when she’s washing her hair in the shower.
Don’t be surprised when people start telling you they thought of you while coming in contact with plastic.
5. You’ll hear about the wins
One of the best parts about going plastic-free is that you get to share in the wins of others. As I was going through my plastic-free journey I tried not to overload my friends by telling them all the things I was switching out–unless they asked.
So, I never really shared my tiny wins along the way. And as we’re constantly reminded, life is short and so we should celebrate life and our wins every chance we get!
Which makes me even happier every time someone tells me “I remembered to bring my coffee cup this morning because of you!”. Coworkers will stop me in the hall and tell me “I started bringing my reusable utensils with my lunch!”. I love that they are excited about these wins enough to share them with me. And sharing those wins with them is rewarding and gives me the fuel to keep inspiring.
What do you think? Did you already know these tips? If you’re knee-deep in plastic-free living, what do you think people should know before they start?
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