Posted byHey Homies! What do you think about turning some of our advice posts into VIDEO advice posts? We’ll still run text-only posts — so don’t worry if you’re camera-shy or don’t have the tech — but I think it’ll be fun for us to see members of the community once in a while. Here, let’s try it!
My question is about plastics in the home: I’ve been trying to be more conscientious about the plastics we use in Rockethaus by buying more food in bulk and filling reusable containers, but I’m sure there are ways I can reduce the plastic I throw away in ways that I just haven’t thought of.I’d love to hear your ideas, and I hope you leave them in the comments. Thanks for the help!
You heard me! I want to see your thoughts in the comments below — and if you have a question for the Homies you’d like help with, get to submitting. Let me know if you’re interested in doing it as a video, and we’ll work it out!
If you live in a city/built-up area (especially in the UK) I’d recommend looking for your local speciality supermarkets. We can get 15kg of good quality rice from the local PAK Supermarket for about 1/4 of the price in the big chain stores. Those stores are particularly useful if you use a lot of spices or condiments (soy sauce for example), chains tend to sell those items in tiny amounts in a lot of packaging at insane prices.
Don’t be afraid to ask what things are, there might be cheaper options in labels that you don’t recognise, just remember to label them in your own language when you get home (I once put garam masala in my coffee, it’s a lesson that sticks with you).
We do this with flour, sugar, rice, popcorn, and beans that we buy in BIG bags from warehouse stores and ethnic supermarkets in DFW. We use 5 gal buckets to store the stuff so bugs don’t invade. It has saved us a bundle, especially when unemployment ran out. I didn’t have to worry about being able to feed the kids until we found work, the food was in the pantry!
we entertain a lot at our house, and inevitably one or two people bring over a two-liter of soda in a big plastic bottle. I’ve taken to washing them out, cutting the tops off, and using them as planters to force my tulip bulbs in the winter so we have fresh flowers blooming through the dark cold months. Obviously you wouldn’t want to grow food in a plastic container like that, but for ornamentals it’s a nice way to repurpose them before they move on to the recycling bin.
Remember; “reuse” is before “recycle” in the “reduce. reuse. recycle” hierarchy.
I realize this tip is of limited utility, as most people don’t buy their milk in plastic bags, but when I empty a bag of milk, I cut the top open, and then use it as a storage bag that I close with a bag clip.
I particularly like to use these if I am freezing meat in smaller portions. I don’t like to reuse ziplock baggies that have had raw meat in them, so this uses something that would have otherwise gone in the garbage.
You can also buy these things that look like shower caps to use in place of plastic wrap to cover things.
Just want to mention that in addition to the web site, which @Alison mentioned at the top of this thread, I have a book coming out in April with tons and tons of plastic-free tips. It’s called Plastic-free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too. http://myplasticfreelife.com/plastic-free-how-i-kicked-the-plastic-habit-and-how-you-can-too/ lots of pictures and stories of other plastic-free activists too.
In response to reusable menstrual supplies, I want to show this etsy find: http://www.etsy.com/listing/30640436/sexy-vampire-reusable-menstrual-goddess
*We use tupperware instead of sandwich bags. I’d love to have glass food storage, but it just isn’t in our budget.
*Reusable drinking cups when we go out in public.
*We have about a million washcloths to clean up messes. We still have to do laundry, but it’s cheaper than buying paper towels all the time and washcloths don’t take up that much room in the washer.
*We cloth diaper and use cloth wipes for the baby. I’ll admit that we use disposable wipes for poopies, but it’s nice that we don’t have poopie diapers anymore because we were able to start potty training at just 8 months! That also reduced laundry.
*We reuse what grocery bags we do get from the store and try to use fabric reusable grocery bags (but half the time I forget them at home).
We’re far from perfect, but I try to find time to put forth a serious effort!