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What do you and your family do to cut back on plastics?

Jsisto

Jsisto

Member
I replaced all my garbage Tupperware with Pyrex glassware. I don’t buy bottled water unless I’m out and Really thirsty in the moment. And generally just gotten better about washing out and recycling all my recyclables, hoping that it actually does get recycled. It helps that my apartment complex has recycling bins on site.
 
poppabk

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
I buy a reusable plastic bag every time I go to the grocery store. I also buy plastic trash bags to use in place of the disposable bags they used to give you that I would reuse for trash.
So far I estimate I have saved minus 1436 and counting worth of plastic bags.
 
bitbydeath

bitbydeath

Gold Member
I barely use any plastic bags, food just goes straight in the trolley. The bagging/unbagging was always a middling step.
 
badblue

badblue

Gold Member
I find it amusing that I can go into a store and buy any number of plastic wrapped shit but not be able to get a plastic bag to carry it. There is a hot dog brand that individually wraps the hot dogs in plastic and that gets a pass when it comes to plastic waste but me using a plastic shopping bag later as a garbage bag is the problem? I'm still going to need to buy garbage bags.
 
Rentahamster

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Reusable water bottles, reusable containers, wood or paper versions for disposable items.

Even with all of that, however, my plastic footprint is still probably huge.
 
HoodWinked

HoodWinked

Member
Consumer wise there isn't much you can do other than reusable grocery bags and using a refillable bottle for water and making sure to recycle your plastics.

And even then its impact is probably miniscule. Ocean plastics come from third world countries.

 
p_xavier

p_xavier

Authorized Fister
I don't use plastic. Always had metal/glass items as long term it was cheaper and grew up poor. And the Canadian PM has so much fake substances that I don't know if he will ever be recyclable.
 
Lunarorbit

Lunarorbit

Member
I think at this point in our humanity's lifespan humans have to invent something to break down plastics or use more plant derived compounds in the manufacturing of plastics.

It's a finite resource and it breaks down and is so harmful. I bet so many cancers can be contributed to it.

Luckily they have found bugs that eat plastic so, good. Personally I use a refillable bottle and all the stores are forced to use paper for bags. Using more glass for Tupperware. Don't buy gimmick huge sodas at the movies anymore so that eliminates cups I use at home
 
JayK47

JayK47

Member
Avoid plastic? In the US? Pretty much impossible. The plastics floating in the ocean are mostly coming from 3rd world countries where it flows from rivers into the ocean. Knowing where trash goes here, it will not get into the ocean assuming it makes it from the trash bin to the incinerator. Microplastics are a concern for sure. They are everywhere. I do wish plastic bags were discouraged here. Places like Target are woke as hell and hand them out like Halloween candy. Restaurants still hand out Styrofoam boxes for food. And mask waste? Wow. The new cigarette butts around here.
 
Nydius

Nydius

Member
I wish I could say I'm doing more, but I can't. My municipal water system is awful, hasn't been updated in 50 years, and has consistently bad water quality reports. My options are either to drink bottled or spend a fuckton on an installed reverse osmosis filtration system, which I can't afford. Thankfully I live one block away from our town's recycling drop off center so every single #1 and #2 bottle that gets used in this house gets recycled.

I started using those biodegradeable pet waste bags for my cat's litter mess, but I'm not sure how much that matters in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately my wife couldn't give a damn and loves to use plastic utensils for everything. For a while she did take reusable bags to the grocery store but stopped after the baggers kept bagging things in plastic bags and putting those bags inside the larger reusable bags. I did manage to help her break her Tupperware and Rubbermaid addiction when we moved back in 2020.

Where I do get pissed about the state of plastics recycling is when it comes to prescription bottles. My wife, being disabled with a myriad of chronic conditions, goes through 10+ plastic prescription bottles a month. Her doctors either cannot or will not give her 90 day supplies of her pills (a couple are controlled substances, so in that case I understand). There's nowhere to recycle these damn things. Back when I lived in SE Virginia there were two pharmacies in town that took old pill bottles, sent them out for cleaning and sterilization, and had them returned to them for reuse. None of the pharmacies here do that. My municipal recycling plant only takes #1 and #2 plastics -- prescription bottles are #5 (I think? maybe #6?). There's only so many uses for empty prescription bottles around the house before they begin piling up.

Recently my municipal recycling center just announced they're not taking ANY glass anymore. No reason given. They just converted the old glass area into a third cardboard section. Things like that make it really disheartening to care about recycling. I want to but I frequently feel like everything is stacked against doing so.
 
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Jsisto

Jsisto

Member
nush said:
You actually contributed to plastic waste here.
Click to expand...
Initially, yes, but I replaced it with glassware which has the potential to last a lifetime compared to the plastic crap which gets easily stained and disfigured over time. Assuming my dumbass doesn’t ever drop them.
nush said:
They claim that's for environmental reasons, but really supermarkets found a way to make some extra money or sell you a "Bag for life" that actually doesnt last all that long and you need to buy another one "For life".
Click to expand...
Theres certainly a business incentive for stores to sell them, but that doesn’t make them inherently bad. Most of them can last a hell of a long time, much longer than a paper or plastic bag. It’s really up to the consumer whether they use them responsibly or not. As bag bans are becoming more common(my state just passed one), the positives far outweight the negatives.
 
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V1LÆM

V1LÆM

Gold Member
nush said:
They claim that's for environmental reasons, but really supermarkets found a way to make some extra money or sell you a "Bag for life" that actually doesnt last all that long and you need to buy another one "For life".
Click to expand...
here if your bag for life is damaged you can go back to the store and they'll replace it for free. i have a fuck load of supermarket bags for life. last time i had about 5 that were done, went back and they gave me 5 new ones, and stuck the old ones in their plastic recycling cage.

yeah it's a way for them to make money but they'll replace them for free. at least here they do.
 
Kagey K

Kagey K

Banned
badblue said:
I find it amusing that I can go into a store and buy any number of plastic wrapped shit but not be able to get a plastic bag to carry it. There is a hot dog brand that individually wraps the hot dogs in plastic and that gets a pass when it comes to plastic waste but me using a plastic shopping bag later as a garbage bag is the problem? I'm still going to need to buy garbage bags.
Click to expand...
This is where I'm at, it's all theater at this point point.

Order a drink, they give you a plastic cup with a plastic lid and a paper straw. Is the straw really the trouble maker there?

Brick of cheese, plastic wrapped, gallon of milk, plastic jug, cottage cheese, plastic tub.

How about all those individually wrapped cheese slices?

That's just a small part of the dairy section, I don't think we want to see how much plastic is in the rest of the store.

But straws and bags are the big polluters?
 
Nydius

Nydius

Member
Kagey K said:
That's just a small part of the dairy section, I don't think we want to see how much plastic is in the rest of the store.

But straws and bags are the big polluters?
Click to expand...

While people vilify others who want straws, grocery stores do dumb shit like this and charge a premium for it.

Granted, this particular case ended up getting a bunch of backlash but they haven't really stopped doing this stupid stuff while also talking about how great their policies are about environmentalism...

0FVssPG.png
 
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Kagey K

Kagey K

Banned
Captiosus said:
While people vilify others who want straws, grocery stores do dumb shit like this and charge a premium for it.

Granted, this particular case ended up getting a bunch of backlash but they haven't really stopped doing this stupid stuff while also talking about how great their policies are about environmentalism...

0FVssPG.png
Click to expand...
This is exactly my point.

There's so much plastic waste throughout the stores, but it's not put on the producers of these products.

Instead it's up to the consumers to pay for bags and have shitty tasting soda through paper straws, instead of calling out the people that can really make change happen at a production level.
 
Kagey K

Kagey K

Banned
GnomeChimpsky said:
It's a sham, of course. To be fair I don't know how it is in other countries, but where I live most of it gets burned.
Click to expand...
In Canada most of it doesn't get sorted and goes into regular landfills.

The part they feel can get sorted gets shipped off in container boats halfway around the world to get burnt or discarded.

Because that makes total sense in a gas free, non plastic world.
 
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T

TylerD

Member
Kagey K said:
If only that was true. Most "recycling" is shipped off to 3rd world countries where they just dump it.

Your 250 aluminum cans isn't making a wheelchair, like we were led to believe.
Click to expand...

Or burn it! I'd rather my municipality just put it in a landfill than be shipped around the world to possibly be burned.

I try to use as little plastic as I can within reason and reuse as much as I can but plastic is pervasive at the grocery store and in lots of packaging. It's not up to the individual consumer to really fix this.
 
Kamina

Kamina

Golden Boy
Buy meat from the counter, not packed in plastic.
Favor products that are packed in boxes or glass.
Sort out any plastic from regular garbage and get rid of it via special plastic disposal that gets burned eventually.

That is all you can do really.
 
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Roger Rabbit

Roger Rabbit

Member
The nearby buffet restaurant to my house in Japan makes you use a new pair of plastic gloves every time you go and get more food.

Plastic bags are provided for putting the used ones into.

If it's raining they also provide massive plastic umbrella condoms too, which are also disposable.

All in all, talking my own bag to the supermarket rather feels like farting against thunder in comparison to the waste elsewhere here. As I age, I no longer allow myself to be bothered by such things.
 
FunkMiller

FunkMiller

Member
What is this horseshit some of you are coming out with about America not being the problem? Been listening to the wrong people again, haven’t you?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/us-plastic-pollution

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...c-waste-us-is-worlds-biggest-plastic-polluter

https://www.plasticpollutioncoaliti...lastic-waste-is-burned-in-us-than-is-recycled

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/12/01/plastic-waste-ocean-us/

You are the WORST offenders on the planet, and from some of the attitudes here, I don’t see that changing.
 
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nush

nush

Member
FunkMiller said:
What is this horseshit some of you are coming out with about America not being the problem? Been listening to the wrong people again, haven’t you?

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/article/us-plastic-pollution

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...c-waste-us-is-worlds-biggest-plastic-polluter

https://www.plasticpollutioncoaliti...lastic-waste-is-burned-in-us-than-is-recycled

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/12/01/plastic-waste-ocean-us/

You are the WORST offenders on the planet, and from some of the attitudes here, I don’t see that changing.
Click to expand...

You need to account for geographical size and population, raw tonnage data by itself can be misleading.
 
dr_octagon

dr_octagon

Banned
I put a plastic bottle in the recycling bank every day for an entire decade. That should offset Shell setting the ocean on fire ♻️
 
P

Platinumstorm

Member
I think about waste my broadly, not just plastic, but I'll start with plastic:

I have used reusable grocery bags for at least 7 years; no requirement, it's just easier and you don't have to touch carts. Around that time, I stopped buying "replaceable goods" and started buying quality products; vaccuum cleaners are probably my favorite example - junk pile after a year or two previously, most recent vacuum has lasted me for many years. 4 years ago or so I stopped using bags at the grocery store for vegetables and fruit. I stopped using plastic bottles well over a decade ago after I realized how much plastic I was using back in the mid 2000s. I carry stainless steel everywhere - airplanes, concerts, work, you name it.

I utilize local facebook giveaway groups. I've gotten perfectly good watering cans, tables for my plants, Zojirushi rice cooker, etc. from facebook; and for free. I have purchased some furniture at a consignment store as well.

I drive a 20 year old vehicle. It is cosmetically awful but has been reliable other than some wear and tear issues; has never had a true motor issue. I would like to buy a Rivian, but I'm kind of out of that group now that they raised the price 20k, at least for now.

Areas I do not compromise on plastic: clothing: I fucking love lyrca clothing, quick dry clothing, synthetic clothing. My socks are either synthetic or wool; I've put thousands of hiking miles on my synthetics, and they're still in nearly perfect condition [a little more stretchy than they should be]. Helmets: these are meant to be disposable.

I tend to eat at restaurants that use biodegradable straws [really only for ice cream as I don't order drinks otherwise] and cartons. This isn't really because I'm making a conscious effort myself; but because my community demands the eco-friendly containers, and I just happen to eat those restaurants.
 
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p_xavier

p_xavier

Authorized Fister
The whole economy is based on creating trash. I mean all take out food... it would be better for society if people took time to eat at a sit down restaurant with ceramic plates and make your own food at home.
 
Ozzy Onya A2Z

Ozzy Onya A2Z

Member
Reusable wherever possible -
  • Shopping bags (no paper or plastic, we use fabric bags that last years and years)
  • Kids school lunches in long term reusable durable plastic instead of disposable e.g. don't buy single wrapped things/ziploc, buy in bulk and segment into reusable each day instead
  • Vegetable/fruit bags that are made to shop and store with over and over (sort of a hessian cloth material)
  • Don't buy bottled water etc, we have a fridge filter and fill up reusable bottles to take with us
  • Recycle bin for plastics picked up from our house (most Aussies have this) e.g. store bottles recycle
  • Soft plastic recycling taken to supermarket for recycling (they have bins to put your soft plastic waste in) e.g. single wrapper plastics that are unavoidable
  • Be selective when shopping and look for what is not plastic or recyclable
  • Buy refills for laundry consumables, aim for boxed instead of plastic containers
  • Bar soaps instead of plastic/liquid dispensers etc
  • Compost what we can in the backyard to reduce garbage bags and general waste
  • Don't use plastic chopping boards etc (father in law handcrafts wood ones from his property/trees)
  • Try to use mason jars where possible instead of reusable plastic
  • No straws
  • No plastic utensils e.g. picnics or BBQ events e.g. wash metal ones instead of dispose of plastic
  • If we eat out try to save on plastic e.g. ice cream cone and not a cup with a plastic spoon
  • Wifey is careful about what beauty products she buys and generally wears less or no makeup.
  • We do not use disposable razors
  • Pantry/fridge food storage is in glass containers where possible
Once you train yourself/kids it's just second nature to do this as you go and honestly no real hassle at all. If only the commercialised industry took as much care we might have some sort of actual impact.
 
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Goalus

Goalus

Member
I mostly shop at Aldi, and there are always empty cardboard boxes lying around on the shelves, so I usually take one of these at random and then put all my goods in there at the checkout => no plastic bags needed.
I drink tap water almost exclusively => no plastic bottles needed (even though those from Aldi can be brought back there for recycling in order to get some money back).
Other than that, not much I guess.

Edit:
I don't wear masks unless I have to and I don't do Covid self-tests except once in a year right before I visit my parents.
 
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