Imagine this, you have beautiful acreage for creating a family farm. This is your space… and not only does your family depend on the produce of the land to survive, but the future generations of your family will also depend on this land. You have to think not only long term for the current generation, but also the generations to come. Here’s the catch. Any trash you dispose of has to be disposed on your land. Plastics can take hundreds of years to break down, so that means that any plastics you throw away are now on your property trash heap and there they will stay for a long time.
I gave myself this analogy when I was having a hard time feeling motivated to make the necessary steps to reduce our plastic consumption. Plastic, quite frankly, is easy to use and I like using it on many occasions! In our world, it’s also hard to avoid. But I realized that I wasn’t taking personal responsibility over the plastic that we were throwing away. It was only because I didn’t have to deal with the consequences (at least, very directly) that I wasn’t motivated. This wasn’t to make me feel guilty (or to make you feel guilty by sharing with you), but rather to give that needed kick in the pants to make good changes. When it came down to it, I realized that if I had to see plastic piling up on my own property, that my attitude would be a lot different. And that’s sad because I think that we should care about being good stewards of this beautiful earth regardless of whether or not it effects our backyard.
Unfortunately, we are so used to plastic being part of our world that we don’t even realize how much its overused! Everything from plastic bags, to plastic pens, to food packaging, to plastic baggies for lunch pails, plastics are found everywhere everyday in our daily lives. I’ve found that it definitely takes some effort to reduce plastic, so allow me to give you three reasons we should work on reducing plastics.
Problem Number One: Plastics Take a Long time to Degrade
We don’t really know how long it takes plastics to degrade, but we know that it takes a long, long time. Plastics just haven’t been around long enough for us to be able to say for sure what their usual lifespan is. However, plastic seems to be quite durable and definitely don’t degrade easily. That means the plastic that we throw away today is probably going to be around for a long-long time-perhaps even up to 500 to a 1, 000 years! Way to fill up our landfills, huh?
If you really want to be disturbed, do two things. Visit your city dump, which I did at one point. The amount of trash (including of course, a lot of plastic) was completely overwhelming….and eye-opening. We are usually so removed from our trash! It’s picked up weekly by a nice man in a truck and we don’t worry about it after that. Secondly, read about the incredible trash heap vortex that is twice the size of Texas caught in the middle of the ocean. Another eye opening view of the consequences of throwing away a lot of trash.
Problem Number Two: Plastics Degrade in Sea Water- Poisoning the Water and the Food we Eat
While it’s generally agreed upon that plastic degrades extremely slowly on land, recently they found that it degrades much more quickly in the Ocean. But that’s not good news, because plastic is full of chemicals and toxins which is now found in the ocean (including BPA, which has been shown to interfere with the reproductive systems of sea life). This endangers not only animals, but also those of us who would still like to consume the healthy, nutrient dense sea foods we love.
Problem Number Three: Once they do degrade, What Happens To the Toxins?
And that brings up another important question in my mind, when plastic does finally degrade, what’s going to happen to all of the chemicals in that plastic? BPA is just one of many chemicals and toxins found in plastic, so whether it sits around in landfills, or degrades and poisons our environment plastic doesn’t seem to be doing much good for us or our earth.
All in all, plastic isn’t a health promoting substance and it pollutes our earth. Realistically speaking, I know that I am not going to be able to completely avoid plastic. But what I do know is that I can reduce our consumption of it-one step at at time. I am really looking forward to sharing ideas in our ongoing series on reducing plastic consumption. If nothing else, this series will help me in my own endeavors, but I hope it helps encourage you too. And I am sure that many of my readers will have their own wonderful ideas and tips too! So please share!
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We have land and this is how I feel about garbage now too! It does personalize the issue … protecting our soil, our water source, our scenery.
What a good analogy to keep in mind as a motivator!
Hi Kimi,
I totally agree with you and I’m trying to reduce our plastic consumption too. I save jars and use them to store left overs in the fridge instead of using plastic storage containers. However I’d love to hear if you have any ideas on how to freeze meals without using plastic containers. Glass is not good to use for freezing as I’ve had stuff break before.
I’ve been freezing most everything in canning jars for 2 years now. I really don’t have an issue with things breaking and I think it is due to 2 tricks my sister told me. First, I don’t allow the jars to touch while they are freezing. (Once the contents have frozen solid I rearrange them so they are touching.) Second, I’m very careful to let them defrost slowly. When I’m in a hurry I set them in cold water and slowly increase the temp. over 15-30 min. Also, according to Ball, the wide mouth pint jars are approved for freezer use. They are great because the opening is wider then the bottom so the contents slip right out once the edges have defrosted a little. They aren’t practical for freezing a meal for a family (I use quart-1/2 gal. jars for that), but they are great for other things. I’m still looking for ideas for freezing things like lasagna. Anyone know how safe those disposable metal pans are? Any other ideas?
The documentary “Tapped” shed some light on the dangers of making plastic and consuming products contained in plastic to our health. The documentary is specifically about bottle water, but is also discusses plastic production and the plastic in the oceans as mentioned your blog. I highly recommend it. (It is on Netflix).
Debbie, we have had great luck freezing meals in 2-cup, 4-cup, and 7-cup Pyrex containers (the ones that come with lids). We’ve been using them for years and never had one break. We do let the food cool so the containers are not piping hot when we put the lids on and put them in the freezer. And the containers are oven safe (not the lids of course) so you can even reheat in the same container in the toaster oven! I love doing that as it really saves on dirty dishes. (You could of course also put them into the microwave, but that’s not so good for you). I use the toaster oven and the Pyrex containers to reheat everything from leftover meat to soups to pasta dishes. The best way is to use a low temperature if you have plenty of time, but sometimes I use 350 degrees if I need it quicker (which still takes ~30 minutes if frozen or less if the food was left to thaw a bit on the counter).
I also use mason jars and the pyrex storage dishes (love ’em!) I haven’t been able to totally get away from ziploc bags, but (like my parents) I do wash and reuse them until they wear out.
Here’s a great pattern for a bowl cover you could use instead of plastic wrap in some cases: http://allysonhill.typepad.com/photos/eco_lid/index.html I haven’t actually made one yet, but it’s high on my list. Even the tutorial is beautiful!
Thank you for sharing this idea. I’m getting ready to move and I refuse to take my nested Tupperware serving bowls with me. This is exactly what I need for my ceramic bowls!
I finally gave up plastic water bottles this year. I guess it’s time to move on to plastic bags. That is going to take some thought because I use them daily to pack lunches, store food in the freezer as well holdtrash.
Thanks for the reminder.
i’ve actually heard that freezing in plastic isn’t so bad for you–something about the cold that keeps the toxins in the plastic, not infecting your food, so i mostly am really careful except in the freezer…
This was a motivating post – thank you! We are about to move onto 24 acres of land so your imagery was effective. I have definitely cut back on plastic consumption, but I struggle with how to freeze foods without using plastic. When you spend hours making stock, then freeze it in glass jars only to have the jar shatter in the freezer, it is upsetting to say the least. So I would love to hear some ideas for freezing foods without using plastic.
We’re working on this now. Almost a year ago we switched to glass containers for food storage. Plastic bags are my biggest downfall right now. 🙁 That is, like sandwich bags. I usually use paper or cloth at the store. I’m ultimately trying to replace ALL the paper and ALL the plastic in my house. I hope!!
I reduce 1qt worth of stock into an 8 oz canning jar and freeze it that way. I have done this numerous times with various stocks and never had one crack. I do not put it in the freezer hot. When I need stock, I pull from the freezer and then add water to make 1 qt. I’ve used the smaller size b/c of freezer space, but the smaller jars are also “technically” freezer safe too (as opposed to the qt size mason). Although — I have used qt size jars in the freezer for things like nuts and flours etc with no problems – and now that I think of it, even cooked beans. I have never put a qt size jar in the freezer hot though.
I also agree that the pyrex containers work well. There are many sizes. Walmart has been my best bet for buying them. I’ll also be interested, Kimi, to see if you have some new great resources as part of this series!
I still need to “wean” from some things but with time I’ve gotten to have mason jars in various sizes all over the place – fridge, freezer, pantry, you name it. Elenaspantry blog got me going on that! And pyrex works well too for freezing and for leftovers/lunches/etc.
Freezing stock/soup is great, one way I have done it is to freeze it in paper cups. Then, once frozen, you can fold over the top and when you want to use it just peel the paper off and start melting it in the pan you’re cooking in. It’s great to use small cups for stock, then you can throw healthy and tasty stock into anything. Rice dishes, beans, soups, anything you would normally add water to basically. But it’s more convenient. Plus, no toxins. Don’t use WAXED cups if you pour hot stock in, make sure it’s cold first. I usually cool it first anyway to skim the fat.
I use pyrex containers for lunches. My child probably has the heaviest lunch in the whole school, lol. We also use stainless steel water bottles. I love Heather’s idea of reducing stock for storage in a glass jar. I have a few things in canning jars, mostly cream, but the rest is in plastic freezer storage bags, my last plastic hold out. I’m either going to have to freeze less to use jars or figure another storage method completely for freezer meals.
Kathy, You need to research a little deeper about freezing in plastic, don’t just take some ones word for it. There is a lot of info out there about that subject. The best is to use glass and it sounds like Heather has it down to a fine art.
My parents live on a farm and they burn their own garbage- even the plastic. I don’t know what’s worse- burning and releasing toxins into the air or leaving it to pile up in a landfill. Probably the latter.
I try to recycle as much as possible and am looking to reduce as well, but it is difficult!
Thanks for the ideas.
Burning is MUCH worse. Dioxins are created when plastic burns at low temps. Heres’s a website about that:
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/index.php/living-green/living-green-citizen/reduce-reuse-recycle/don-t-burn-garbage/don-t-burn-your-garbage-toolkit.html
Very interested to hear about everyone’s favorite source for replacing plastic storage containers that I traditionally use “tupperware” for. Also, can’t wait to hear about the replacements and ideas for the freezer.
Love this post! I’ve been trying to reduce the plastic in my life for the past year or so and am still working on it every day. Keep up the great work!
Love all these comments. I can say that for a mom with 2 school aged children, not using disposable plastic (sandwich/snack bags) was a huge priority AND one of the easiest hurdles. Natural Value makes a wax paper bag that is biodegradable. And I sewed these little mini versions of cloth produce bags – maybe 6 inches by 6 inches. I made them from cute fabric (or sometimes old pillowcases, but do NOT tell my children that), included a nice ribbon string to tie it up and viola! – a snack bag (or 50). My kids shake out the crumbs in the compost and throw them in the laundry if they are soiled. If not, they are used again!
What a great idea!
I was surprised to not see the top reason to be that plastic comes from petroleum, a non-renewable resource. We know we need to decrease our oil consumption, and the more we connect people with the understanding that plastic = oil (and therefore you are wrapping your food in oil), the stronger I think the impact will be.
Have you seen the website called LIFE WITHOUT PLASTIC? I think it can be a wonderful resource for all of us: http://lifewithoutplastic.com
They offer everything from non-plastic drinking straws and ice cube trays to toilet brushes and toothbrushes.
I see on the home page that Canada just this week officially outlawed BPA by putting it on their list of banned toxins!
This page has some helpful info about plastic:
http://lifewithoutplastic.com/en/about-plastic.html
I love my stack of Pyrex bowls and lids. Ziplock bags are my nemesis and biggest challenge, and I’m experimenting with storing cheese in Pyrex and veggies and sandwiches in the unbleached Natural Waxed Paper Bags made by Natural Value (they’re baggies made from wax paper).
P.S. Keep in mind that all of the Ball/Kerr metal canning jar lids are lined with BPA. We need to put collective pressure to get rid of this junk — and vinyl, PVC and phalates, too!
Thanks for the link. I was thrilled to see the water dispensers; I’ve been looking for something we could travel with, large enough to refill our stainless steel water bottles with.
Crate and Barrel actually has some good glass storage for a decent price. They have little containers up to huge ones. You can get a pack of 10 for $20 that includes some big ones. I’ve bought several and between that and buying stuff at the store in glass jars to reuse I have a cabinet full of storage!
thank goodness for compost. We have reduced our waste by using our compost for kitchen scraps, coffee filters, grass clippings and more. Just learned you can also compost lint from your dryer!
For those of you who have land, you are very blessed. I hope to one day have 10-20 acres. I couldn’t imagine filling even a small part of this with garbage. Even though we are a long way from owning my dream land, I look at whats for sale in the areas we are interested in and most are so beautiful, to mess with that nature with a bunch of garbage is a shame.
I read a tip regarding freezing in quart mason jars without it cracking. Leave the lid off until it is frozen. I have tried it twice so far, and no broken jars. According to the person who gave the idea, the cracking happens as the liquid freezes and expands, pushing air upward. If there is no lid the air escapes, once the stock is frozen I put the lids on.
I’ll chime in on the freezing in jars: I freeze everything in jars–cooked beans, stock, etc. When food/water freezes, it expands, so the first tip is to not fill the jar all the way–the one-inch rule does NOT apply here. You have to leave “head room” plus 1/2 inch below the shoulder, or curved edge of the jar. For a narrow-mouth, this may mean as much as 2 inches of headspace. Also, I leave the lids loose until the stuff is frozen solid, and I also have everything at least refrigerator-cold (40 or below) before it goes into the freezer. I recommend an ice-water bath (a technique I learned in the restaurant industry) to achieve this, particularly since putting a bunch of hot jars into your fridge will warm everything ELSE up! I also add salt to the ice-water bath, which helps cool things down even further. It takes a lot of ice, but it’s worth it in time–and glass jars and frustration!–saved.
Also, an alternative for saving leftovers are those “old-fashioned” refrigerator containers like Grandmother used–the are all glass with glass lids, and they usually are usually rectangular-shaped, so even the varying sizes stack quite well and don’t take up much more room than a comparable number of stacking Tupperware bowls. You can find them new on Amazon.com, but also used (watch for chips in the glass, especially on the lid edges!) on Ebay and at flea markets, etc. Some refrigerator glass isn’t always safe for use in the oven, so do be careful if using it to reheat things.
Hi Kimi: Just want to thank you for your write up about palm sugar sometime last year. I never found palm sugar paste, but I always come across 1-lb. dried palm sugar in a round disk packaged in plastic in an asian store. It wasn’t that expenisive so I decided to purchase it and try it. Ingredients was 100% pure palm sugar. I grated the sugar using a box grater which was not hard at all. I put the grated sugar in a airtight plastic container. I love it! It tastes good all by itself. It has a buttery-caramel-like flavor and I love it. I still would like to locate a paste-type, but can never find it. Thanks for introducing me to palm sugar and coconut oil. I purchase coconut oil by the half gallon size from your resources and been using it since. I’m ready to reorder.
Hi Kimi,
Just wanted to say congratulations on your new arrival! She looks beautiful, and I hope you are getting plenty of rest and pampering while you recover.
God Bless your family!
We started on a journey to cut down our plastic use and waste about 2 years ago. It isn’t easy and requires a lot of creative thinking. When you are not throwing out plastic (and if you compost on top of that), it is amazing how much less trash you generate. We went from filling up our kitchen trash can once a day to once about every other week. We were able to cut down on trash pickup and save some $$. I wish you the best in your journey.
Anyone who has ever driven to Miami and seen (and smelled) all the “Mount Trashmores” along the highway might find that useful to remember, too. I think those landfills might be the highest points in the whole state. That memory always helps me keep in gear with recycling and composting and trying to come up with creative ways to reduce our trash production.
Thanks for the analogy. It makes a lot more sense now. I have not read all of the comments so forgive me if you already answered this question. Do you have an article on how to reduce our use of plastics?
Our district just introduce curbside composting. They have provided a bin that they will pick up weekly for food waste. I have been composting for years and find I have very little to contribute to it but I think it will be interesting to see what happens.
I try to bring home my groceries in as little packaging as possible. Which means I don’t bag my veg (I try to get that from the farm) I don’t buy packaging, hate it. My big complaint is against the dairy though. It is illegal for us to get whole raw milk so we have to buy pasteurized from the grocery store. A number of years ago Icould buy milk in the bags and that was GREAT. They stopped doing it and now it comes in this huge plastic jug that not only takes up more room in the frig but has far more plastic in it than those skinny bags had.
You might be interested in checking out http://createplenty.org/
This is a wonderful analogy – and a great way to explain the problem. Nice job Kimi.
A quick thought for freezing leftovers. I started picking up glass (Pyrex) pie plates at yard sales and thrift stores several years ago. I use them for making individual “TV dinner” style plates for leftovers. Then I cover them with a circle of unbleached waxed paper (often saved from between rice tortillas) and foil (which is reused since it didn’t touch food) and stack them in the frig or freezer. They reheat directly in the oven quickly if the food isn’t too thick. Putting them in a cold oven and setting the temp on 350-400 means that they are just about hot when the oven beeper goes off to say the correct temp has been reached. Sometimes we’ll accumulate quite a few in the freezer and have a leftover night, or take a single plate to work, dorm, or elderly person. The pie plates are usually $1 or less, so they are very affordable. My eyes go right to the glass table when I hit a sale these days! 🙂
Great Kimi! I agree but how do you reduce the amount of plastic we throw away? 🙂