I’ve been saving my trash in a “plastic audit” since October of last year. I live a generally plastic-free lifestyle but I’m not 100% plastic-free…yet. So, to see where the last 1% of my trash was coming from, I started keeping track of all of it. And at the end of each month, I take a look to see where I could improve.

A few reminders of the rules. This is just my trash not my whole family’s (although they don’t generate too much more than this). Normally, I do not include my family’s trash because I am not with them 24 hours a day. Also, my husband is not as stringent on plastic as I am, so he buys a weekly tub of yogurt for himself and I don’t include it in my trash. But again, his trash is not too much more than what’s shown here.

I do however save any trash generated from feeding my family meals at home. So, while I don’t drink milk (being basically lactose intolerant) my kids drink milk. So, the milk caps are technically trash that my kids generate but I add them to my trash since I decide what they eat at home.

So, now that we’ve covered the ground rules, let’s dive in! Here’s all my trash for the month of June!

Overall, I’m pretty pleased. I did have a *face palm* moment with the take-out container. But I think June was a good month to get me prepared for Plastic-Free July! Let’s break it down by each week to see what I learned, shall we?

Week 1

During Week 1, I used up the last of my liquid soap from Target. In Online Refill & Bulk Stores, I talk about ordering zero waste liquid soap refills online. But before I tested this option, I had purchased one last bag from Target. So, now this last bag is finished, I’m sticking with ordering zero waste refills online.

Since the malls are still closed, I had to order some new PJs for my littlest kiddo online. It’s super annoying how every clothing item is usually individually wrapped. This drives me insane, but until things open up again, I have limited options.

Week 2

Week 2 was not my best week.

First, you see the big honking plastic take-out container. Oops. So, normally I’m responsible for dinner Sunday through Thursday and my husband is responsible for dinners on Friday and Saturday. We usually go out to eat for these meals but with COVID, we order take-out. And normally, I’m pretty good about ordering things that are packaged in compostable packaging like pizza or sandwiches. Or when we get Vietnamese food, I get soups because I reuse those plastic containers to freeze raw chicken.

But this time, we ordered burgers. We haven’t had burgers for nearly three months, so we had a craving for them. I figured my burger on sourdough bread would come wrapped in paper like most burgers. Ehh…wrong answer. It came in this plastic container. I was pretty irritated at my miscalculation. To top it off, since we’ve been mainly eating home-cooked meals that are healthier, this burger made me feel like complete crap when I was finished eating. So, needless to say, it will probably be at least another three months before I eat another burger.

The other crappy thing this week is that I cracked my phone screen!!! This super bummed me out. I’ve had my phone for almost four years. Luckily, it still works but one of the cracks felt sharp, so I ordered a glass screen cover to hold me over until my phone dies.

My point here is that, replacing my phone because of something superficial would be a huge waste. So, just like everything else, if I can use it until the end of its useful life, I’m going to try.

Week 3

I realized this week that our milk consumption has been decreasing! My husband has shifted his breakfast to something a little more healthy, so my family ends up using only a half gallon of milk each week instead of the gallon like we used to!

We also finished our huge wedge of Pecorino Romano from Costco. It takes us about 3 months to eat through one of these bad boys.

Also, this week I decided to stop making the boxed mac and cheese for my kids. During the shelter-in-place, I indulged the kids a little but this week I moved the rest of the boxes to our emergency food stash and will make the homemade version of mac and cheese going forward…which they still love.

Finally, I’m working through our stash of salad dressing bottles but after the last few are finished, I’m done buying Cesar and Ranch dressing. Now, I love these dressings but I recently watched an interview with Dr. Cate that has changed the way my husband and I eat. She talks about what she calls the Hateful Eight, which are oils that we think are good for us but are actually terrible.

The number one thing is that sunflower oil, one of the hateful eight, is in nearly every salad dressing I could find at Whole Foods. So, I’m switching the family to a homemade vinaigrette. Luckily, my older child loves a good tomato basil salad with balsamic vinegar. Plus, as yummy as Ranch is, I know we don’t need it.

Week 4

Nothing new this week. I think the only change I might make in the future is to stop buying frozen peas. I might also try to see if I can get honey in bulk. I buy a huge container but I’ve also seen it in bulk before, but with COVID-19 who knows if it’s still available.

So, overall, for next month I’m going to do a few things:

• stop buying frozen peas
• stop buying salad dressing (after I finish what’s in the fridge)
• stop buying boxed mac and cheese
• be more strategic about takeout orders

What do you think? Are you interested in doing a plastic audit? If not for a month, how about just a week? Let me know if you do!

For related and random posts, check out:

• Plastic-Free Meal Plan
• 5 Tips for Shopping at Farmers Markets During COVID-19