I first encountered the idea of giving up plastic after discovering the book “How To Give Up Plastic” by Will McCallum. Could I do it? Could I give up plastic or at least a substantial portion of it in my everyday life?
This year I decided to try. I started with clothing. Polyester shirts and spandex pants were discarded in favor of 100% cotton alternatives. Many returns were made. I performed most of my shopping online, largely due to the pandemic, and I discovered that it was much easier to buy men’s clothing with 100% cotton at an affordable cost than women’s. I ended up procuring shirts this way in packs that were not only extremely low cost but easy to hem to better fit me.
Next, I focused on food and groceries. I began to purchase most of my consumables in cardboard or biodegradable packaging. Living in San Francisco helped with this goal because there are a variety of grocery stores that focus on the environment as well as nutrition. I also became vegan which improved my overall health.
There were areas I struggled with and decided to commit to recycling as much as possible. Computer equipment is at the top of this list because it is difficult to effectively use any part of a computer without plastic. Indeed, even with glass cases and metallic keyboards I found that plastic was better suited towards my usability goals. I made a commitment to buy used and to recycle as much as possible to reduce my plastic footprint in this area.
Finally, I replaced all of my plastic cups, bowls, and any sort of cookwear that would touch food with glass or silicone based equivalents. I was initially concerned that I would drop or break the glass, but that hasn’t happened. I’m very pleased with my glass cups and bowls and I am better able both cook and consume with them.
This has been an interesting journey and potentially a life altering one. I’m both helping the environment and removing hormone altering substances from my life. Given my career so far, and the pandemic, I don’t think I’ll get to plastic zero. I’m happy with striving to get as close as I possibly can.