The result was that plastic packaging and products were value-engineered to the point that they could no longer be recycled or reused. Think of the plastic shopping bags that shops used to give away for free, that lasted just long enough to get your groceries home, and often littered roadsides.

Another aspect of plastic products that we have slowly begun to understand is that they can hold serious health impacts for us by leaching chemicals into our water and even ending up in our seafood. Today, we have many millions of tons of plastic sitting in landfill and washed into rivers and oceans. And, thanks to its durability, it will only break down very, very slowly.

In 2003, the South African government enacted a new law that put a price on shopping bags to effect a change in consumer behaviour. We can be proud that South Africa was one of the first countries to do this, and the effect was marked – people kept and reused their bags and now there is a market for reusable, non-disposable bags.

Even Something like a simple screen protector comes in more plastic than you might imagine.

As any economist will tell you, a manufacturer or supplier will not produce something for which there is no market. The truth is that shops and manufacturers will continue to sell us plastic products and packaging unless we, as consumers, demand something different.

After reading “Zero Waste Home” by Bea Johnson, I started doing a bit more research. I found many online resources on how to avoid disposable plastics, where to buy non-plastic reusable containers, and where to shop to find plastic-free products. Unfortunately, many of these resources were not available in South Africa and importing these things from overseas does not make sense when you are trying to reduce your carbon footprint. I also found out just how many items have plastic in them – clothing and fabrics, detergents, toothpaste, cosmetics, machine parts that used to be made of metal, the myriad containers we use, and even tea bags!
However, with the afore-mentioned media attention, there are now a few places that have started suppling alternative products locally – from local restaurants that use plastic free straws and cardboard take-away containers, to online retailers like Faithful to Nature, which allows you to use a search filter to only find plastic-free items.

My colleague, Zendre, found some Plastic Free Shops in the UK.

I decided to try the challenge of going plastic-free for a month. This turned out to be trickier than I had imagined, as I had already cut my consumption of plastic things down quite significantly.

I’m vegan, and I stocked up on a lot of my staples from Faithful to Nature, packaged in cardboard containers instead of plastic bags. Some use plastic-like bags made from plant fibres that are completely biodegradable; other items came from Food Lovers Market – one of the few places that still sells fruit and vegetables loose. I had my fabric organic cotton shopping bags and glass containers for buying dry bulk items, such as lentils and nuts. I had to pack my lunches at home in glass containers because most takeaways don’t have plastic free packaging. Even cardboard takeaway boxes often use plastic-coated cardboard.

I had to find alternatives for the things I always used to buy in plastic. This was mostly successful, and the things I couldn’t find I just had to go without. I now buy loose leaf tea and use a tea strainer. All my produce is now bought loose or comes in carboard containers, and I use glass containers for everything else. I tried looking for stainless steel containers, but I didn’t find any locally that I felt would last.

Street-side coffee cup recycling bin.

In the bathroom I have a bamboo toothbrush; toothpaste in a glass container; soap that comes wrapped in paper; bamboo fabric towels; and I use an old school safety razor and soap instead of the more expensive disposable blade razors with shaving foam in a can. My deodorant is a crystal stone that did come in plastic, but at least it can be recycled; and the toilet paper is made from sugarcane waste in paper packaging. My insect repellent comes in a glass bottle that can be refilled but, unfortunately, the spray mechanism is still plastic.

I did not buy any electronics or consumer items, and I only bought music and books or rented movies digitally. That was not really a change, but it shows how some technology has made going waste-free easier. If I do ever want to buy something electronic, I don’t see how to get away from plastic at this point as it is in everything. I guess the best bet is to aim for recyclable plastic and plastic-free packaging.

At the end of the month I have a new appreciation for how much plastic is around us and the fact that there are alternatives too – but you need to search for them. I have found many products that are not only less harmful than the old ones but actually work better and will last much longer (my new safety razor, for instance).

As a disclaimer, I must say that I didn’t just throw all my old stuff out and buy new plastic-free stuff. For example, the pen I use is plastic and I will use this until it is finished, recycle it and then buy something better like a fountain pen that can be filled from an ink bottle.

Will I stay plastic free? I would like to try as much as possible, but I will have to pick my battles as some things just don’t come plastic free… yet. I think we all need to be aware that, with every purchase, we are voting for something. If we, as consumers, start asking for and buying durable plastic-free products and products in plastic-free packaging, then manufacturers will follow our lead in order to meet demand. We cannot pretend to be ignorant anymore about what effect the choices we make have on the environment… and that means that we need to make informed choices.

Resources

• Zero Waste Home – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BWF59P8/?coliid=I1M7BSB4FXCURS&colid=284DR7NJE646X&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
• Plastic free Living – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071LM6XMB/?coliid=I18736HI10Z1X8&colid=284DR7NJE646X&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
• www.faithful-to-nature.co.za
• Bulk store finder – https://app.zerowastehome.com
• Zero Waste Grocery kit – https://youtu.be/sK8iCNsivyk
• Plastic Free July – https://youtu.be/MawGyeY7Yoo

The post Challenge: Plastic-free Month appeared first on Solid Green Consulting.

Aluminium, paper and glass can be recycled, for the most part, into similar new products but plastics are mostly downcycled and will eventually end up as waste. In ‘Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things’, architect William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart say, “Recycling is an aspirin, alleviating a rather large collective hangover…overconsumption.” To begin a journey towards Zero Waste, a waste audit – which looks at what makes up our weekly waste – will give great insight into where best to start reducing our waste. This will also offer insight into the best ways of moving towards Zero Waste.

A great guideline for waste reduction overall remains the 5 R’s from Bea Johnson’s ‘Zero Waste Home’:

Refuse…What We Do Not Need

A movement has developed around refusing straws, and some restaurants now do not offer straws at all. This is a useful awareness campaign that targets single-use items. As consumers, we can take this further by refusing other single-use items such as plastic shopping bags; take-away cups, utensils and containers; and bottled water – and replacing these items with reusable ones that you can easily carry with you. And simply refuse random potential waste items that you are offered for free such as samples or flyers.

Reduce…What We Need

Consider what you are using on a day to day basis, and what you really need. In the home, a good place to start is with consumables in the kitchen and bathroom. Evaluate what you really need, consider which items you barely use and where you can reduce in general. Consider the quality of new products and how long something will last. Evaluating your consumer behaviour will give you insight into how you sometimes buy things that gather dust, or things that go off before they are used.

Owning less means being more organized, being able to find things when you need them, and being compelled to look after what we own. Reducing our stuff reduces our impact on the environment and allows for a more meaningful existence, because we can replace stuff with experiences. To see why less really is more, watch ‘Minimalism: A documentary about the important things’.

Reuse…What We Already Have

When you are ready to throw something away, consider where is ‘away’. Can the item be reused, if not by you then by someone else? If it can’t be reused, consider its replacement and if you can make a different purchasing decision next time to replace it with an item that will have a longer life or can be reused. For example, reuse glass jars for storing leftovers or dry goods; repair clothes; donate or cut up old clothes to replace paper towels in the kitchen; sell goods that you no longer need or offer them to friends and family; and buy second hand.

Recycle…What We Cannot Reuse

In examining the waste problem, we have come to understand that recycling is not the pinnacle of our waste solution. South Africa is still behind in providing proper recycling infrastructure, services and education, and for recycling to make a meaningful difference to our waste problem, much needs to change.

As individuals we can support recycling service providers and put pressure on product suppliers to investigate alternatives when it comes to packaging, starting with reducing packaging and then ensuring that it is recyclable. Consider the recyclability of materials when you purchase them. Understand from your recycling service provider which items they recycle and which they end up sending on to landfill. Understand contamination and how it affects recyclable value. For example, white paper with food stains won’t fetch the same resale value as clean paper. And be sure to clean recyclables by rinsing them in your used dishwashing water.

As a starting point, ‘refuse, reduce and reuse’ to ensure that you need to recycle as little as possible. Then consider the value of post-consumer items. Glass can be endlessly recycled, but most other products can only be downcycled. This means that, after being recycled once or twice, even though the lifespan of an object has been extended, it will not be able to be recycled again and will end up as trash.

Rot…The Rest

Composting has many benefits. Making your own compost is very rewarding but even if you don’t have space to compost vegetable food scraps in your garden, it can be very beneficial to still separate your food waste from the rest. This will contribute hugely to the success of the processes mentioned above. Making use of a Bokashi bin means you can compost even food scraps that you would not want to put on a garden compost heap. Bokashi is also a good undercounter solution for small living spaces and the resulting ‘rot’ can be donated to a garden project or a friend’s garden when it is ready.

Keeping wet waste out of your bins reduces potentially nasty odours, reduces the amount of waste we send to landfill by contributing to improved recycling rates, and keeps food away from landfill where it contributes to anaerobic digestion which is a great cause of methane gas production in landfill sites.

For a detailed explanation of the plastic problem, view this video ‘Plastic Pollution: How humans are Turning the World into Plastic’ and read ‘We made plastic. We depend on it. Now we’re drowning in it.’

References: Johnson, B. 2013. Zero Waste Home. Scribner. New York.

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