Trash Audit: COVID-19 Edition Part 2
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. With COVID-19, I’m obviously around them all the time, but instead of change my audit for a month or two and have to revert back, I kept it as just my trash. Also, my husband is not as stringent on plastic as I am, so he buys whatever he wants and I don’t include it in my trash.
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 a lot of 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 May!
Overall, I thought there would be more trash. So, I’m glad that it’s still minimal but I definitely see the effects of COVID-19 and I miss the conveniences of bulk and all the other plastic-free options that were available pre-COVID-19. Let’s break it down each week to see what I learned.
Week 1
As I mentioned in my last trash audit, I’ve been getting a little smarter while grocery shopping with the new restrictions due to COVID-19. I’ve been ordering my usual cheese and deli meats order but instead of having them individually bagged or wrapped, I asked the deli clerk to wrap the whole order it one sheet of butcher paper.
Normally, outside of the deli, each one of these comes in a plastic bag and prosciutto usually has a sheet of plastic in between each slice. On top of that, the amount of meat or cheese in each package is usually pretty small. So, I love that I can get a larger amount at the deli.
This week, I finished the last of one of my original deli purchases, before I got the idea of wrapping multiple orders in one package. And I’m rounding out the last of my wardrobe updates for the spring/summer. Hence the plastic bag from clothes ordered online.
I also ran out of coffee from the bulk section, so I ordered a huge 5 lb bag from my favorite coffee roaster in San Diego, Cafe Moto. The bulk coffee I get from Sprouts and Peet’s usually come in a huge 5 lb bag anyways, so in the grand scheme of plastic I’m not generating extra plastic.
Week 2
This week I got a package from Amazon with some air pillows in them. I hate these things, especially when there’s nothing that’s fragile in the box.
I’ve seen a lot of posts on Instagram (of course I can find them when I need them) about how to get plastic-free packages. So, when I got these air bubbles I finally tried it. I followed the instructions of this blog post, which basically tells you to contact customer service and request packages to be sent with no plastic.
So, I do as the instructions ask and clicked the chat box on Amazon, waited while the robot asked a few questions and finally got to a live employee.
But of course, it didn’t work. They told me they can’t do this. Maybe the policy has changed, but this was a bummer.
I know I’ve said this before, but after this experience, I’m going to make a bigger effort to not order from Amazon or at least, bookmark all the items that I might want and do single shipments every other month. Clearly, COVID-19 put a wrench in my avoidance of Amazon but after this I’m going to make a larger effort.
Week 3
The kids and I haven’t been eating a whole lot of bread since the pandemic started. My husband buys himself a loaf every once and a while. But two weeks ago, I bought a loaf of bread in plastic because I ran out of my stash in the freezer. And I’ve been indulging in some late-night grilled cheese sandwiches. 😛
This week, I got my first shipment from an online zero waste bulk shop, the Wally Shop. I ordered random bulk items and olive oil. So, I peeled the plastic seal off the top of the olive oil bottle I had in my pantry and scraped off the label to reuse.
I poured my olive oil refill in the bottle and sent the container back to the Wally Shop. I loved the idea and the products. I talk more about the whole process in My Experience with Online Zero Waste Bulk Shopping.
The air bubbles from Amazon have been irritating. The air bubbles from this week are from a bunch of books I ordered.
WHY do books need air bubbles?
They were hardcover books and the bubbles added no extra protection. Super frustrating.
Week 4
Week 4 solidifies my current dependence on ordering items online. Although before COVID-19, I was making a greater attempt at finding the things I need at physical stores, that largely stopped with the shutdown. It makes the variability in Amazon packaging, in particular, even more annoying. I know, I know. First world problems, right?
So, if you haven’t guessed it already, my biggest takeaway this month is after COVID-19 I need to limit my Amazon purchases.
What do you think? Are you interested in trying a plastic audit? If you do, tell me how it goes!
For related and random posts, check out:
