Purging the plastic

Confession: in high school, I worked for part of a summer in a plastic bag factory. In my defense, I was desperate for a job, the hours were okay, and the pay was great. I don't know that I could do this again, though, knowing what I now know about plastics, as well as being even more aware of issues with plastics in the world. I still feel a bit like I sold my soul.

In general, I (and every environmentally concerned person I know) avoid plastics, and especially the one-use kind that get thrown away so quickly. But, so many things in our lives are made of the stuff (largely because it's cheap, reasonably durable, and fairly easy to work with), that it's difficult to avoid. I haven't yet completely gotten around to getting plastics out of my home - my stored water is all in reused plastic bottles, because they were free, and because I'll likely have to move I haven't spent a lot of money on a system that I can't take with me. But I'm even looking for alternatives to this method that eliminate plastic from the equation and, overall, I'm taking some time to try to cut down on plastic in my home as much as possible, both by bringing in less and finding better ways to replace it as needed.

If you're interested in purging the plastic from your life, you certainly don't need to buy anything fancy, and probably don't need to buy anything new. This can get expensive, especially if you have a lot of plastic to replace, and you'd probably be better off saving that money for other things that are less easy to find. Also, buying something new is still a use of resources, even if it is less harmful, or longer lasting. So, its likely worth looking around to see what's already around that can fill the void or, if there is nothing, what kind of alternatives are available.

- use whatever you have that's plastic (other than food containers) as much as possible until it can't be used anymore - plastic bags (both shopping bags and produce)are especially important here

- consider reusing jars that your food comes in - although you can't preserve food again in almost all of them, lidded jars make excellent alternatives to buying more plastic containers for pantry items, things that go in the freezer, or even temporary leftovers in the fridge

- buy or make reusable bags - this includes shopping bags, but should also be expanded to include produce bags - these can be easily sewn or knit

- when plastic things eventually break, look for simple non-plastic alternatives - replace a plastic shower curtain with a fabric one, or a plastic jug with a glass one

If you are looking to pick some things, consider checking out second-hand sources first. There are a lot of great reusable products that are easily found there - they're incredibly useful, and you're using something that might otherwise be thrown away. Many of the mason jars in my pantry came from the thrift store, as did my tiffins - stacking containers with a handle for multi-part lunches. I have a large collection of lidded pyrex from yard sales which work great for leftovers, and my two sigg bottles came from an end-of-year lost and found sale at the university. The university tends to wind up with a lot of bottles that students have left behind after classes, and they sell for cheap.

Happily, many of these things are better made and longer lasting than their plastic counterparts. Pyrex won't warp if left on the heat, mesh bags rip less easily than plastic, and cast iron won't warp is used for many years. Admittedly, plastic doesn't break in the same way that glass and pyrex do, but this is likely a small price to pay.

Now, plastics are an environmental issue, but they're also a health issue as well. There are a number of studies that suggest a range of health concerns around plastics, especially with regards to reproduction, but I'm also of the opinion that they just haven't been around for us to truly know what's going on there.

There are also apparent issues with other things like non-stick coating, especially when it scratches, and related coated kitchen products. If you can, it's worth avoiding these as well. A few big copper, stainless steel, or iron pots and pans and pyrex cookware are also pretty easy to find second hand, and frequently very cheap. In contrast with man-made components that leach possible toxins into food, iron pots actually leach...well...iron, which is good for you. By eliminating plastics and other questionable compounds from your home, you're doing the environment a favour, but you're likely doing yourself one as well.