By Catherine Haug, March 2019 (photo, right, from Wikimeda Commons)
The following suggestions are from Dr. Mercola (1) on “Living without Plastic,” with notes by Catherine in blue text:
- Use reusable cloth shopping bags for groceries;
- Avoid processed foods (which are stored in plastic bags with chemicals). Instead, buy:
- fresh produce, and [use cloth or other recyclable bags] instead of plastic bags;
- meats [wrapped in butcher paper instead of styrofoam and plastic].
- Buy foods in bulk when you can;
- Store foods in glass containers or mason jars rather than plastic containers and plastic freezer bags;
- Take your own leftovers container to restaurants;
- For coffee to go: bring your own mug;
- For water to go: bring [filtered] drinking water from home in glass water bottles instead of buying bottled water;
- [If you love soda pop, buy brands bottled in Mexico in glass bottles];
- Request no plastic wrap on your newspaper and dry cleaning;
- Avoid disposable utensils and straws;
- Consider switching to bamboo toothbrushes and brushing your teeth with coconut oil and baking soda to avoid plastic toothpaste tubes;
- [Buy cleaning products (dish or laundry soaps, etc.) that come in glass containers or paper boxes];
- Opt for non-disposable:
- Razors;
- Washable feminine hygiene products for women;
- [Washable, cotton “adult diapers” for men/women]
- Cloth diapers;
- Handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues;
- [Cloth, preferably cotton] rags in lieu of paper towels; and
- Infant toys made of wood [or cloth] rather than plastic.
Read on for other things you can do to avoid plastics.
Other things I encourage you to do:
- If you use supplements that are packaged in plastic bottles or boxes: Switch to a brand that packages in glass bottles or waxed paper boxes.
- If you use dairy and/or veggie milk/cream (such as coconut, almond, cashew, and soy milk/cream products). switch to a brand that packages in glass bottles or waxed paper boxes.
- If you buy from a local dairy that uses plastic bottles/containers for their products (such as Kalispell Kreamery or Lifeline Dairy), encourage them to switch to glass or waxed paper milk/cream containers.
- If your butcher wraps fresh-cut meats in butcher paper, give him/her a big “thankyou.”
- If your butcher places fresh-cut meats on a styrofoam tray and then wraps them in plastic-wrap, encourage him/her to switch to butcher paper.
- If you buy frozen veggies that come in plastic bags/boxes, encourage your grocer to provide brands that come in waxed paper boxes.
- If you buy breads, etc from a local bakery, if they put the bread in plastic bags or wrap, encourage them to use paper bag/wrap instead.
- If you buy frozen TV-dinners, and the food item comes in a plastic tray that can be used in a standard oven or microwave to warm the food, your best options are:
- Make a large batch of the food from scratch and then freeze portions in jars (if liquid), or wrapped in butcher paper if more solid.
- Find a product that doesn’t have plastic in contact with the food.
Otherwise, to use a commercial TV-dinner:
-
- Look for a brand that does not provide the food item in a heatable plastic tray; or
- Remove the food item from the heatable plastic tray and place in a glass or ceramic baking dish or on a stainless steel cookie sheet or pie pan.
And of course, it is always best to use fresh, local produce rather than canned or frozen produce
References:
- Mercola on Living without Plastic (https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2019/03/06/living-without-plastic.aspx)