Sometimes I struggle with what to write in blog posts. I have to think about running our company, tweeting, facebooking and corresponding with our customers, bloggers, and merchants. Mind you I am not complaining. But sometimes I run out of words, which my family would tell you they never thought possible.

I have wanted to write a post about getting rid of plastic in our lives for about a week but keep stalling out or getting sidetracked. I so admire these people who cut their plastic down to one bag or less a year but I am nowhere near that but I would like to try to get closer.

So today I am going to make my list, and make some more changes  in my life with a little help from other bloggers and great products.

1. Buy in bulk and take your own small cloth bags.

2. Use cloth bags for your produce and fresh bread.

3. Stop using plastic lighters. This comes from fakeplasticfish. (It is a tough image to look at but powerful!)

4. Visit your local butcher, best case bring your own container, worst case, at least they wrap your meat in paper not plastic containers.

5. Don’t use plastic silverware when you eat out or get take out. Try these reusable bamboo ones, the case is even made from recycled plastic bottles.

6. Buy large containers instead of small ones. For instance, can you buy one large container of yogurt instead of daily ones. What about the family sizes or better yet shop at Costco, BJ’s or Sam’s Club and buy big. Then recycle. At our local green grocery store you can also fill up your shampoos, conditioners, soaps, olive oils etc from large containers into your reusable ones. Ask your grocery store to offer similar options if they don’t already. (My local green grocery store, Ellwood Thompson’s.)

7. Use recyclable or reusable toothbrushes. Try these:

Preserve recycled/recyclable toothbrushes

Radius recycled material toothbrushes whose handles last a lifetime.

8.  Stop buying cleaning products and make your own in reusable bottles. Vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent and can be substituted for window cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, stainless steel cleaner etc. Mix with water in a reusable spray bottle and voila. You have saved tons of money and tons of plastic. Not to mention the chemicals not entering your home or your water system!

9. Stop buying processed foods. Think of how much plastic is in the wrapping & the packaging. If you don’t have time to cook what about taking your own container to the grocery store and filling them up at the food bar instead.  Check out this organization for ideas and fun on not using plastic containers.

Take Out Without

Okay, so here are my list of 9. What do you do to save plastic? What changes have you made in your life? I have to admit I don’t own the bamboo flatware, but I think it is a definite purchase this week. We don’t eat take out much but when we do, this is a great solution to the plastic!

-Sheri

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Tags: plastic