"Water, Water, Every Where..." and Most of it's Full of Plastic
We embarked on our plastic-free week with little more than a desire to offer ourselves a small, albeit proactive, solution to the litter problem we witness in our local waterways. Along the way, we refined our goals (as outlined here) and discovered the areas where we feel we can make the biggest individual impact on our global plastic addiction.
We're thankful for our blog subscribers and Instagram followers for hanging in there while we leaned into this challenge for seven consecutive days. We're certain no one is following us for our poorly lit food photos and laments about mass produced plastic packaging in our supermarkets.
Despite some unintentional setbacks and hiccups, we really stuck to our prescribed program. And, while it wasn't always easy, it was worth it. Here's why.
Plastic is a substance the earth cannot digest, and neither can people or animals. But plastic is everywhere and the waste it produces is staggering.
100 million: The number of plastic utensils used by Americans every single day.
500 million: The number of plastic straws thrown away every single day in the U.S. alone.
400 years: How long it can take for plastic to degrade.
269,000 tons: The estimated amount of plastic pollution currently in our waterways and oceans. Plastic litter from takeout orders (cups, plates, cutlery, straws) is a prime source of that pollution.
If you don't think we have a global addiction to plastic, consider this: Since the middle of the last century, of the 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic produced, 6.3 billion of it has become plastic waste, and we’ve managed to recycle only about 9 percent of it. That's right, 91 percent of plastic isn't recycled.
Yes, this is depressing. Are we trying to make you feel bad? No, not intentionally. But we do hope that if you didn't find inspiration watching us go single-use plastic-free last week, then this information might make you think twice about that Keurig cup you grab each morning or the plastic straw you mindlessly drink from at your favorite restaurant. Because the only way we're going to make a dent in the plastic waste we produce is to curb our own use of and our own addiction to plastic.
GETTING STARTED
Etee: These plastic-free reusable food wraps are made with beeswax, coniferous tree resins, and essential oils that are infused in an organic cotton clot. When they start looking worse for their wear, they're completely biodegradable and compostable.
Khala Cloths: Washable, reusable, and biodegradable, these cloths are also plastic-free food wrap alternatives made from organic cotton-hemp blend fabric infused with beeswax-coconut oil and natural tree resin.
Stainless Steel Straws: Straws, like these from Green Heart, are BPA-free, reusable, and come with a cleaning brush.
Right away, we plan to cut K-cup pods, plastic utensils, and plastic wraps (baggies, wrap, etc.) from our lives, to cut back on the food we purchase that's manufactured and wrapped in plastic, and to start bringing our reusable mugs to coffee shops. It's easy to ask your butcher to wrap your meat in paper (pro-tip: Whole Foods only uses plastic if you ask them to!) and it's easy to prioritize glass bottles and jars over plastic ones. We can always pick up a piece of trash while we're out on the water, but why not start at the source?
RECYCLING IN DC
In 2015, the District had a residential recycling rate of about 28 percent. While this was an increase of about 7 percentage points since 2010, D.C. still lags behind neighboring jurisdictions. Both Montgomery and Prince George's Counties in Maryland have a recycling rate of over 60 percent and there's an overall 47.4 percent recycling rate in Northern Virginia.
But, there's some good news about recycling in the District! An updated and expanded list of recyclables went into effect on January 1 for single-family homes as well as commercial properties, office buildings, and restaurants. This is pretty important for a couple of reasons.
It now standardizes the list of recyclables across the city. Before, recyclables were specific to businesses, schools, homes, and apartments buildings.
The list of recyclable items has now expanded to also include: pizza boxes; paper and plastic plates, cups, lids, and to-go containers; plastic produce, deli/bakery containers, and trays.
District residents can now also get all of their recycling information in one place: Zero Waste D.C. Give it a visit!
Thanks again for sticking with us on this journey. We'd like to hear from you: Is it worth it to you to trade some convenience for a clean and healthy environment? How can you phase out some of the plastic materials you're using? What kind of reusable resources do you use or have you heard about? Please comment below!
