When I had the big realization that I was buying and tossing a lot of single use plastic items, I set out to evaluate my purchases and make some changes.
What I figured would be a short mental exercise (because I thought I was pretty eco-friendly in general) blew up into a full-scale written home audit, a major lifestyle shift, and a website about all of the above.
During my home audit—when I went room to room, looking for the single use plastic items lurking in my home—I came across a few surprises.
Like, “How on Earth did I not realize that this was made of cheap, throw-away plastic?” type of surprises.
All three items happened to be in my bathroom (and sort of in the kitchen), but they weren’t the things I thought I’d be finding.
These discoveries caused me to make changes in my buying habits almost immediately. They also got me to review our household recycling habits.
Come to find out, we were attempting to recycle things that our local program didn’t accept, and trashing things that could be recycled at a local drop-off point.
Sigh. Such is the life of the pro-planet newbie.
So, in case you, too, are just walking by every day items, not even realizing that they’re made of—or packaged in—single use plastic, here’s the list of my most surprising discoveries.
ARE THESE SINGLE USE PLASTIC ITEMS LURKING IN YOUR HOME?
FLOSS & FLOSSERS
If there’s one thing I’ve learned while practicing and researching this new less-plastic lifestyle, it’s that people really get excited about switching from plastic brushes to bamboo toothbrushes (or other sustainable options).
But for me, it was floss that really blew my mind.
The majority of big floss manufacturers all package their product in plastic dispensers.
Sure, a plastic floss container lasts most people several months, but due to the design, you can’t refill it when you’re done. And guess what? It probably can’t be recycled, either (regardless of the little triangle recycling symbol on the package).
My local recycling program does not accept anything smaller than the size of a fist, as it will fall through the holes on the sorting machines. For me, there’s no other option than to throw it in the trash, sending it to a landfill.
Even worse than my plastic floss container: my husband hates traditional floss and likes the individual flossers. As in, he was using and throwing away one single-use plastic flosser every night.
What a waste. When I realized how much plastic we have thrown away over the years—just with FLOSS—I actually wanted to cry.
We hopped online to find alternatives to plastic floss. I already knew that our local natural food store did not carry any floss alternatives, so we opted for Amazon.
I switched to this great little stainless steel refillable floss dispenser. It’s super lightweight and compact, which I love for traveling.
The floss that it came with took some getting used to; it’s more fibrous than the floss I had been using. But I did get used to it quickly, and the good news is that there are tons of floss refill options I can buy when it’s used up. I can just pop a new spool of floss into the metal container. No plastic necessary.
My husband switched to individual flossers made from cornstarch.
They’re just as sturdy as plastic and he absolutely loves them. The paper packaging they come in is also eco-friendly, and we purchased the 4-pack of pouches, which cuts down on the overall transport/energy footprint for delivery.
MEDICINE BOTTLES
I challenge you to go to your average grocery store or pharmacy (the big chains, not a specialized natural food store) and find a non-plastic bottle of ibuprofen.
It’s practically impossible. And that’s just one over-the-counter medication. Think about the aisles full of meds at the store. Add to that all the plastic prescription bottles being doled out every day.
Now, my husband and I are pretty healthy people. We don’t take any prescription medications, but we do take vitamins and supplements, as well as the occasional cough & cold medication.
90% of that stuff comes in plastic bottles. Even the glass bottles that I get my vitamins in have a plastic safety cap.
In the United States, it is near impossible to get a medication in a non-plastic bottle or pill pack.
The only real solutions I’ve found are:
- Try to stay healthy with natural remedies
- Purchasing meds and supplements in glass bottles whenever possible
- Buying the largest size plastic bottle available when plastic is the only option
There ARE people who are trying to bring eco-friendly medicine packaging to us. To show your interest and support for this initiative, visit https://plasticfreepills.com/ (it’s kind of like signing a petition).
PLASTIC WRAP & FILM
I actually missed this single-use plastic item on my initial home audit.
But then, one day about six months ago, I reached under the counter and grabbed the last roll of paper towels. As I was unwrapping the plastic around the roll, I realized what I was doing.
My mind flashed back to when I purchased the 6-pack of paper towels, and I realized that each individually-wrapped roll of paper towels had been packaged in one big plastic-wrapped pack.
OMG. So much plastic waste. (And yes, I realize, so much paper waste, too!)
Later that morning, my husband walked into the kitchen and I said “Honey, that’s the last roll of paper towels we’re buying. Enjoy it while you got it.”
Since then, we’ve used kitchen towels to clean up spills. We were already using these towels to wipe dishes, clean countertops, and dry our hands. By using them to wipe up spills, I do have a few more towels to wash and fold each week, but I honestly don’t find this to be an issue at all.
We’ve also stopped buying paper napkins, which also came wrapped in plastic. I haven’t purchased any cloth napkins (again, small kitchen towels do the trick), but I might in the future.
Finally, we’re in the process of testing out a new toilet paper made from recycled paper, that comes wrapped in paper, and ships in a plain ol’ cardboard box.
We like the toilet paper (which is saying something, because we’re a little picky in that department!), but it IS a little more expensive than what we were spending on TP before. That said, the company that sells it (called Who Gives a Crap!) puts their profits to great use.
I recently learned that plastic wrap and film like this can be recycled at a local drop off container (right in front of my super market!). Here are other types of plastic wrap/film that are accepted:
You can download your own version of this at https://www.plasticfilmrecycling.org/recycling-bags-and-wraps/plastic-film-education-individuals/
I think it’s great that there’s a demand for recycled plastic wrap to be sold to make new plastic, but I still think that switching from plastic is the BEST option. Besides reducing plastic production/waste, by no longer buying paper towels and paper napkins, I’m also reducing paper production/waste, and I’m saving money!
HOW TO FIND SINGLE USE PLASTIC IN YOUR HOME
Get tips and ideas for how to reduce plastic at home in the Beginner’s Guide to Reducing Plastic Waste.
