Get rid of PVC piping

https://www.yahoo.com/news/environmental-advocates-warn-against-using-201441091.html

Stop buying disposable plastics to feed baby. Have you seen those silly plastic pouches with fruit in them? I made it to adulthood without that nonsense.

You can wash plastic "zip lock" type bags and reuse over and over. I haven't bought bags for months and months.

Anonymous wrote:I send thrift store silverware in school lunches so I can avoid plastic, and if it doesn’t come back, not the end of the world.

Cloth napkins — cuts down on not only the paper napkins, but the plastic used to package them.

Blueland, Dropps.

Have you tried Dropps’ Jasmine Honeysuckle smell? Are their scents overpowering? I’d be getting unscented laundry detergent but I don’t mind a brief smell when I’m washing my hands. I just don’t want it to linger.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um, stop buying them.

thanks for this - super helpful!!

The snarky post a year ago was right though. For the most part, just stop bringing plastics into your home. If you’re a bulk buyer, stop that. Find the alternative to your favorite plastic sold products and let the original company you’re “leaving” to know why (the only thing is that many companies are switching to plastic because it’s lighter and cheaper to ship, plus they lose less to breakage). Beeswax wrap instead of Saran Wrap (or there’s that new wrap made from potato skin).

I switched laundry and dishwasher detergent to Dropps. I love the orange blossom smell and the little pods come in a tight little cardboard box rather than giant drums. Baby steps.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Toothpaste Tablets
Stainless Steel to go containers/lids (not sure why but these are so hard to find on the east coast. Try Asian/Indian markets)
Stainless Steel Straws
Windowsill Herb Box


Habitually bringing food on the go to cut down on last-minute fast food cravings.

Shopping at Farmer's Market or CSA

Increasing consumption of Hard Cheese

Monthly visit to zero waste store

Ask your kid's school to host a zero waste talk with suggestions for actual products.

Compost

Spend time with others in Nature. This isn't a product, but it will help motivate you and them to make choices that are more sustainable.

I don't understand the hard cheese?

I think they mean to avoid all of those string cheese wrappers? Maybe? There are some hard cheeses that come in waxed paper or similar.

I send thrift store silverware in school lunches so I can avoid plastic, and if it doesn’t come back, not the end of the world.

Cloth napkins — cuts down on not only the paper napkins, but the plastic used to package them.

Blueland, Dropps.

OP, are you trying to avoid plastic (for health reasons) or avoid disposable packaging (for environmental reasons)? I ask because we use and reuse plastic in my house. Glass is a little better than plastic but still really hard to recycle so I avoid disposable glass products like beer bottles.

We use hard plastic containers in lunch boxes and for food storage. I will buy the biggest bag/box of a food and parcel it out into containers.
We buy the big 5 dozen egg pack from Costco and repackage them into reused egg cartons.
I buy powdered cleaners whenever I can.
When buying liquid soap or hand sanitizer I get large containers or sometimes in bulk (like from Trace) and put it into my reused plastic bottles.
DH uses a soda stream (reusable plastic bottle) instead of buying soda.
We have a stash of thrift store silverware and plates for camping / kid gatherings.
I use fabric shelf liner in the cupboards and fridge.

Anonymous wrote:Looking for ideas, especially when it comes to eliminating plastic in the kitchen.

If you can afford it, shop the more boutique-y (maybe that's not the right word) places that don't use a lot of plastics. HIVE, online has some good options.

Opt for glass. Super old school, I know, but you can recycle that easily and has a better chance than plastics.

Reusable straws (or ditch altogether); reusable water bottles, etc.

Switch to things like "Earth's Breeze" instead of buying the big jugs of detergent.

Basically, it comes down to putting in the small effort to find and choose those products. And it all helps. But, until manufacturers stop using plastics in their products -and they should be responsible for addressing that, imo- the problem isn't going away on a real scale.

I'm not hardcore about this, but I did switch from All laundry detergent in the big hard plastic container to a (plastic) bag of Charlies detergent. The Charlies really does need only one tiny scoop. I think the bag will last me at least a year so saving a lot of money and save a couple lbs of plastic.

Bring containers with you for leftovers at restaurants or when you're getting together for a family holiday dinner.

Bring reusable bags or a backpack to the grocery store and for other shopping, too.

Keep a water bottle and cutlery in your car so you're prepared when you need them.

Buy less.

Waste less.

I mix my own laundry detergent out of washing soda, baking soda and borax. For toilet paper I had been buying it only if it came in a box with the individual rolls wrapped in tissue but it's getting increasingly harder to find if you can't order online. I save up plastic film and recycle at store drop off bins.

A lot of it comes down to what store you shop at. Some stores are better at having produce that isn't in plastic and others put everything in plastic.

All of these are great suggestions.

I use blueland products for laundry. I’m trying to move our way over to their cleaning and soap products. I know I have a lot of plastic waste in that department.

I try really hard to save containers. Even plastic ones that I might be a me to get one more use if Instead of throwing them away right away. I save sour cream containers and send my kids snacks in those. Or yogurt containers I’ll reuse for bath or even soup container and then freeze them.