March 8, 2020

Coronavirus & Plastic-Free Living

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (and probably wouldn’t have the internet to read this if you were) you’ve probably heard of the Coronavirus.

What is the Coronavirus?

The Coronavirus is a virus that can cause respiratory tract infections or infections of the nose, throat, and lungs. The disease is spread through respiratory droplets or the tiny drops of moisture that come from your nose and mouth when you sneeze or cough.

How Does it Spread?

If someone infected with Coronavirus sneezes or coughs and does not cover their mouth, they release droplets into the air. The droplets are heavy and do not linger in the air but rather fall to surfaces. So, if you touch a surface where those droplets have landed and then touch your eyes or nose, you can contract the virus.

What Are the Symptoms?

After someone has become infected with the virus, symptoms begin to show 2 – 14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms include:

fever
cough
shortness of breath

How to Protect Yourself

The best way to protect yourself is to prevent exposure to the virus. You can do this by:

Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
Limiting the amount you touch your eyes, nose, and mouth
Wash your hands before eating
Wash your hands after touching common surfaces like door handles

If you are healthy you DO NOT need to wear a face mask. You might think a face mask is a good “filter” for droplets, but if it’s a poor fit droplets can easily pass through. Also, wearing a mask can increase the risk of infection because you’re touching your face more often than without a mask. Finally, most surgical masks are designed to keep droplets in, not prevent droplets from coming in. Healthcare workers handling serious infectious diseases where a respirator which keeps particles out.

How Does This Affect Plastic-Free Living?

So, what does the Coronavirus have to do with plastic-free living? Great question. With the spread of a new virus comes a lot of fear of the unknown. Since this is a new virus experts are not exactly sure of a lot of details like, exactly how long it can survive on different surfaces. Many unknowns can lead to a panic and drastic measures such as closing borders or mandatory quarantines.

In a similar nature, companies will fall back on the idea that plastic is clean. When we receive something wrapped in plastic we assume it is clean. So, I would expect there to be a minor surge in plastic usage in the name of keeping things virus free.

Coffee

For example, last week, Starbucks announced they will not accept personal cups during the Coronavirus outbreak.

My husband stops by Starbucks at least once a week and always brings his personal cup. Instead he was handed a plastic cup to pour his coffee into his personal cup. He handed the plastic cup back to the barista and went on his way.

If you find yourself at Starbucks the best thing you can do in this case is get your drink without the lid. It saves one piece of plastic and if you’re worried about spilling the coffee in your car then dump it in your reusable cup and save the paper cup for another purpose.

Another option is to try local coffee shops that are more likely to still take personal cups for espresso drinks. If drip coffee works fine for you, try going to Panera or a local donut shop.

As an added bonus these places will have better pastry options than Starbucks AND you’ll be saving a plastic bag since nearly every food item at Starbucks is delivered to the local Starbucks individually wrapped in plastic.

Finally, you can always make coffee at home. I buy beans in bulk from my local grocery store or from Peet’s coffee and use a Chemex coffee funnel. It’s much cheaper than getting coffee elsewhere and I can enjoy it at home.

Dining Out

A friend of mine mentioned that Noodles & Company would stop using reusable utensils and cups during the Coronavirus outbreak. To me, this seems extreme since the heat and steam from a dishwasher should kill viruses. If this weren’t the case then we wouldn’t be able to eat at any sit-down restaurant during the outbreak.

In any case, to avoid some of these temporary changes make sure to pack reusable utensils and a reusable water bottles with you when you go out to eat. If you’re like me and never finish your food, might as well bring a reusable to-go container for leftovers too!

Bulk Bins

A Canadian chain called Bulk Barn announced that they will temporarily stop letting customers bring their own containers to get bulk foods. In most bulk stores they have glass container options which will add some costs to your bill but that is one option.

The other option for all bulk bins, in general, is to use the plastic bag given. Bring a permanent marker and write the contents and the bulk code on the bag. Then you can reuse the bag for the same item next time. If you tend to buy more random and non-repeatable items in bulk, just save the bags and reuse them for bulk purchases later.

General Tips

In general, with these new temporary restrictions there are a few options. If companies now provide a disposable plastic item when they used to provide a reusable option, can you bring a reusable item in its place? If you don’t want to tote around a mini kitchen in your bag, leave some utensils, a water bottle and maybe a to-go container in your car. If you need it run back to your car.

If the company has restricted your use of reusables think through these questions:

Do I need it?
Can I get it somewhere else that will allow my reusables?
Can I make it at home?

Finally, if all else fails, accept the disposable plastic but accept them sparingly and see if it can be reused afterwards.

Reuse plastic bags at the bulk bins. Put the plastic fork in your car for when you forget your reusables. Paper coffee cups are great for starting seeds before planting them in your garden in the Spring.

The Coronavirus reminds us of things we already knew. The best way to avoid plastics are to make things at home, be prepared, and if all else fails just go with the flow–you can’t win them all.

What do you think? What are some of your tips for reducing waste during the Coronavirus? Tell me in the comments!

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