I do not consider myself to be an environmentalist by any stretch of the imagination. We are living in a convenient world and I am thankful for it. However, I hate being wasteful. It is something that has always been ingrained in me from a young age. I don’t want the products I purchase to contribute to a declining ecosystem that is not sustainable for our children and our children’s children.
Did you know that on average each household throws away 66 pieces of plastic in a week. One Week! I have noticed more and more the amount of packaging that each item I use contains. Some is just downright ridiculous. I can’t help but wonder what is this doing to our landfills?
So I have started to ditch plastics a little at a time.
First, we started with the kids' lunches. I noticed that the bento boxes I gave them as kids were not cool anymore among the middle and high schoolers so I purchased reusable zipper pouch bags that are perfect for a sandwich and a side. We purchased a brand called "re-zip" from Target and it is held up pretty well so far. They are easy to wash and even dishwasher safe and they fit easily in the kids' jam packed back packs.
One of my most hated pieces of plastic is the dreaded laundry detergent. When my friend Felicia said she tried Earthbreeze Eco Sheets and that they actually worked I had to try it. My laundry smells even better than it did before. So far I’m pleased with the individual sheets. It was a little bit of a learning curve for the family, but worth it. Now time to rethink dishwasher pods…still researching this.
Next up, coffee pods. I was interested in finding a coffee product that did not have harmful chemicals in it and stumbled upon Fabula coffee. The packaging is all non-plastic biodegradable and each coffee pod is in a pouch that keeps it fresh. So far no complaints here. The taste is great!
Recently I went to Ulta looking for a few skin care products when I stumbled upon a product line called Juice Beauty. Not only is the product itself all natural and sustainable, but the packaging is too. According to their website, 40% of their products are in glass containers, they use 100% FSC paper, 90% Bioresin sample & travel tubes, and their corporate HQ and farm are solar-powered and then some.
I'm always looking for new ideas to reduce our household waste. What are some of the ways you have ditched plastics in your home?