Are you willing to STOP USING PlASTIC BAGS? It’s Simple but has an Extraordinary Effect!
I feel like I need a support group for a psychological condition: PBGS, also known as Plastic Bag Guilt Syndrome. Like everybody else in the world, I bought some mesh bags for groceries. But sometimes, I forget them at home. Other times, I buy too many groceries and have to take a few plastic bags from the store. I keep those in order to recycle or reuse them. But if I, say, scoop up dog poop with the bag, is that really reusing? I’m only reusing it once.
And what about the little baggies for sandwiches? After I use those, I wash them out with soap and water, but it’s hard to dry them. I worry about bacteria and mould, not to mention the smell of onions. This is horrible... but a few times, in secret, I have thrown out a plastic bag—just not to have to look at it anymore.
My PBGS is related to a larger problem: GPGS or General Plastic Guilt Syndrome, which strikes every night as I walk through my living room, picking up plastic trucks and Legos, not to mention scattered abandoned plastic cups and plates. Am I destroying the planet? Am I poisoning my family?
Today, I recycled all the nasty plastic bags that were haunting me my under my kitchen sink. I vowed to the plastic demons that haunt me a night, that I will no longer use a plastic bag in my life. I went to Canadian Tire and purchased environmentally compostable bags and a small tin garbage bin for all my compostable foods, I put a reusable cloth bag in every possible spot with notes on my car window so I will not forget a bag when shopping..actually I forgot one last night and ended up using my sweater to carry my food out of the store! I am educating myself on anything and everything I can recycle. The key is to purchase with less packaging and in general consume less!
And what about the little baggies for sandwiches? After I use those, I wash them out with soap and water, but it’s hard to dry them. I worry about bacteria and mould, not to mention the smell of onions. This is horrible... but a few times, in secret, I have thrown out a plastic bag—just not to have to look at it anymore.
My PBGS is related to a larger problem: GPGS or General Plastic Guilt Syndrome, which strikes every night as I walk through my living room, picking up plastic trucks and Legos, not to mention scattered abandoned plastic cups and plates. Am I destroying the planet? Am I poisoning my family?
Today, I recycled all the nasty plastic bags that were haunting me my under my kitchen sink. I vowed to the plastic demons that haunt me a night, that I will no longer use a plastic bag in my life. I went to Canadian Tire and purchased environmentally compostable bags and a small tin garbage bin for all my compostable foods, I put a reusable cloth bag in every possible spot with notes on my car window so I will not forget a bag when shopping..actually I forgot one last night and ended up using my sweater to carry my food out of the store! I am educating myself on anything and everything I can recycle. The key is to purchase with less packaging and in general consume less!
Freinkel’s 5 Strategies for Feeling Less Guilty—or even a little ecologically smug from her book, Plastic: A Toxic Love Story
1. Avoid More Than BPA. Just about everybody knows that this chemical can leach from the hard plastic polycarbonate (one of many plastics marked recycling #7) and from the epoxy linings of tin cans. But there are a variety of chemicals that can leach or off-gas from plastics: for example, the soft, flexible form of vinyl—as in shower curtains or tubing and marked as recycling number 3—can leach a chemical called DEHP. Foam upholstery can leach fire retardants; a new plastic used in baby bottles, PES, can leach a chemical relative of BPA. If an object isn't marked -- and those numbers are used mainly in packaging -- investigate it.
2. Carry Your Own Cutlery. Many of us try to limit our use of plastic bags and cups and plates. But what about utensils and straws? Make yourself a to-go kit with cutlery and a stainless steel straw.
3. Supersize It. The more food, the less packaging. Buy jumbo-sized packs or a large juice instead of small individual bottles. Try the serve-yourself bulk grains, pasta and cereal. Yes, to create single-serving sizes, you'll have to pour the contents into small, reusable plastic containers (but the key is "reusable").
4. Call Your Local Dump. A lot of single-use cups and plates seem eco-friendly because they are compostable, but your city or county may not be nearly as green as you are. If your municipality doesn't do industrial composting, those products most likely go straight to the landfill. With that information, you might chose not to use the disposable stuff.
5. Strike Anywhere. Single-use lighters are a crazy waste of plastic. The leading manufacturer makes 5 million a year. Use a match instead. Or an old-fashioned Zippo.
6. Hold the Dry Cleaning Bag. This is a two-fold winner—nobody puts a bag over their head, and you refuse your plastic consumption. You may have to talk to your dry cleaner about this, when you're dropping off your clothes, to guarantee that they'll be bag-free when you pick them up. Otherwise, the cleaner may just rip off the bag that's already there....which is so depressing.
7. DIY Your Lifestyle. You might try concocting your own mustard, mayonnaise, or ketchup. Again, the idea is to put the fruits of your efforts into a reusable container. Some people, Freinkel says, even make their own shampoo and deodorant. “Though, let’s face it, that’s a little hard core!"
It is time to step up for the planet and get into the habit of letting your cashier hear 'no bag please.'
2. Carry Your Own Cutlery. Many of us try to limit our use of plastic bags and cups and plates. But what about utensils and straws? Make yourself a to-go kit with cutlery and a stainless steel straw.
3. Supersize It. The more food, the less packaging. Buy jumbo-sized packs or a large juice instead of small individual bottles. Try the serve-yourself bulk grains, pasta and cereal. Yes, to create single-serving sizes, you'll have to pour the contents into small, reusable plastic containers (but the key is "reusable").
4. Call Your Local Dump. A lot of single-use cups and plates seem eco-friendly because they are compostable, but your city or county may not be nearly as green as you are. If your municipality doesn't do industrial composting, those products most likely go straight to the landfill. With that information, you might chose not to use the disposable stuff.
5. Strike Anywhere. Single-use lighters are a crazy waste of plastic. The leading manufacturer makes 5 million a year. Use a match instead. Or an old-fashioned Zippo.
6. Hold the Dry Cleaning Bag. This is a two-fold winner—nobody puts a bag over their head, and you refuse your plastic consumption. You may have to talk to your dry cleaner about this, when you're dropping off your clothes, to guarantee that they'll be bag-free when you pick them up. Otherwise, the cleaner may just rip off the bag that's already there....which is so depressing.
7. DIY Your Lifestyle. You might try concocting your own mustard, mayonnaise, or ketchup. Again, the idea is to put the fruits of your efforts into a reusable container. Some people, Freinkel says, even make their own shampoo and deodorant. “Though, let’s face it, that’s a little hard core!"
It is time to step up for the planet and get into the habit of letting your cashier hear 'no bag please.'
Karmeyn Loiselle
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