7 Ways To Kick The Plastic Habit: Tips And Tricks For Living Plastic Free (PHOTOS)

We need to break our dependence on oil, no doubt about that. One real culprit of our oil addiction is plastic. It's everywhere -- from single use packaging, to toys, to household objects. Estimates put the percent of world consumption of oil that goes toward plastic at about eight percent. That doesn't seem like much until you consider the fact that the world demand for oil is about 86 million barrels of oil a day.

Plastic also never goes away, it is merely down-cycled or degrades, and a lot of it ends up in the ocean. So if you want to start making a dent in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, read on for tips and tricks on living an (almost) plastic-free lifestyle.

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What does cooking have to do with plastic? Everything. If you can cook a quick meal, that means no more plastic bags of plastic containers with takeout food, plastic-wrapped forks and knives, and mini plastic packets of soy sauce. It means no more plastic trays of microwave meals too. If you are looking for guidance, the Not Eating Out in New York blog or the book “The Art of Eating In” by Cathy Erway can give you some great guidance.

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What does cooking have to do with plastic? Everything.

If you can cook a quick meal, that means no more plastic bags of plastic containers with takeout food, plastic-wrapped forks and knives, and mini plastic packets of soy sauce. It means no more plastic trays of microwave meals too.

If you are looking for guidance, the Not Eating Out in New York blog or the book “The Art of Eating In” by Cathy Erway can give you some great guidance.

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Comments

[Oliver H]

07:32 AM on 10/10/2010

Some great ideas in this article. Being a surfer I've taken an interest in trying to reduce plastic waste as I see how much of it ends up in our oceans and washed up on beaches. Not only is it an eyesore, it can have a pretty devastating effect on marine wildlife and poses a health hazard for us humans as toxins enter the food chain. I've pretty much eliminated plastic bag use and never buy bottled water, and here in Australia the state governments and local communities are getting on board with plastic bag/plastic water bottle bans.

I really like the "Tap It" clean water initiative mentioned here that you guys have going in New York, hopefully it is successful in partnering with cafes/shops across the US and makes its way down here to Australia. That it is available as an app for mobile devices is a brilliant idea that counters the convenience argument of buying disposable plastic water bottles. Would love to know what anyone's experience has been using the "Tap It" app?

[Dave Flanders]

07:04 PM on 10/06/2010

At home we are implementing these great ideas. How can we determine, on average, how much plastic we can keep from going into our oceans and landfills. It would be great if we all knew the impact each family could have on an annual basis if they followed your guidelines. Any suggestions?

[delta7777]

12:38 PM on 10/01/2010

.
easily the biggest saving from elimination of plastics
can be cutting up, recycling, and never again using credit cards.
.

[Juli Borst]

02:09 PM on 09/20/2010

Here is my top list of 15 ways to reduce plastic waste. http://plasticlessnyc.blogspot.com/2009/05/how-to-reduce-plastic-usage-my-top-10.html

[notyourlawyer]

02:42 AM on 09/18/2010

This is my consistent whine for this issue. I write it every time. And am waiting for you all to jump on my bandwagon - or tell me that it's the worst idea ever. (But you have to tell me why. Be specific!)

Why can't we go back to wax cardboard containers? Yogurt, cottage cheese, sour cream, etc. My family demands these items. My husband washes the containers and throws them AND the covers in the recycle. I'm pretty sure they're a no-no but maybe i'm just paranoid.

All this could be eliminated w/some nice cardboard dipped in wax.

And the most disheartening thing about all this plastic is it doesn't get turned back into another food container. These things get squished into giant cubes and shipped around the world to be made into plastic crap that nobody needs.

Whew - I feel better. But so sad.

[Karen Hanegan]

11:06 AM on 09/17/2010

I know and follow the recycling rules for my area; this is another thing I've been doing for years.

[Karen Hanegan]

11:05 AM on 09/17/2010

I have been carrying around and using a tote bag for years.

[Karen Hanegan]

11:02 AM on 09/17/2010

About the only "freebies" I might get would be books or pamphlets - which I use!

[Karen Hanegan]

11:00 AM on 09/17/2010

Many, many years ago I began collecting old Mason jars (blue); it went from there to other blue glass items which I do use to store my pasta, beans, barley, etc. etc.

[Karen Hanegan]

10:56 AM on 09/17/2010

I never have bought bottled water; it never made sense at all to me.

[EcoCatLady]

03:36 AM on 09/17/2010

If you haven't already been there, you should check out Beth Terry's blog http://fakeplasticfish.com/

She is a plastic-free goddess!

[Uproar]

06:53 PM on 09/16/2010

I believe in Manhattan, you can take your #5 recyclables to Whole Foods. There is a bin there for it.

[vetxcl]

02:51 PM on 09/16/2010

safe plastic recyclables to use: 1, 2, 4, 5.

[Joshua Weiner]

02:00 PM on 09/15/2010

#4 DO NOT BUY VINTAGE PAINTED WOOD/METAL CHILDREN'S TOYS!!! THEY CONTAIN LEAD IN HIGH CONCENTRATION, WHICH CAUSES DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS.

[Ro B]

12:31 PM on 09/15/2010

I haven't eliminated zip-lock bags altogether, but minimize their use, and rinse out & reuse them when possible for as long as possible. Been doing it for years. Never have been a plastic water bottle person. Makes no sense to pay for what comes out of the faucet at no extra charge. I keep some small sandwich bags in my purse, and a few small reusable platice containers in the car to avoid getting foam boxes to take home restaurant leftovers. Restaurants need to be held accountable: customers should request cardboard containers or foil instead of the dastardly foam. It's frustrating when grocery bagger takes my (clean) resuable bags and puts my purchases into a plastic bag before putting THAT in my bag! THEY JUST DON"T GET THE CONCEPT! Now if I could come up with a good way to reduce plastic trash bag usage....

[EcoCatLady]

03:42 AM on 09/17/2010

I've actually seen reusable and washable cloth sandwich bags. The ones I found by Googling it were a tad bit pricy, so perhaps I'd try making my own before buying them. The look much easier to wash and reuse than plastic because you can just toss them in the laundry. Not sure how they'd work for messy restaurant leftovers though!

BTW - I haven't bought trash bags in years. Reducing the amount of garbage we create went a long way, but I also drive down the alleys in the fall picking up bags of leaves to use for compost. I compost the leaves and save the bags to re-use as general trash bags. Perhaps it's a bit crazy but it solves numerous problems at once!