Photo credit: xandert from morguefile.com
Did you ever think that when you make a purchase that you are not just paying for the item itself ,but also for the packaging? Yes, you are also paying for the trash that you will make after you unpack it. Seriously, think about it. On top of that, if you have plastic packaging it’s made from oil. Yes, oil deep down buried in the Earth oil. Once we turn oil into plastic there is no going back. It will never become part of the Earth it came from again. It will hang out here for at least hundreds of years. You can do something, you can make better choices when you are buying food, toys or virtually any item. I make my own laundry detergent so I’m not constantly buying those plastic jugs of detergent. I make a large 5 gallon batch that lasts me for months (yes, months and we are a family of 4) . The items I use come in boxes which, can be recycled. It only takes about 20 minutes to make your own and it saves so much from the Earth, but financially as well.
Here are some Facts:
- Americans throw out about 60 pounds of plastic EACH every year. My 7 year old weighs 60 pounds! I also think this is a modest figure. I’m sure some throw out way more than this 60 pounds.
- 2.5 million plastic bottles are used every hour here in America. EVERY HOUR! The saddest part is that most of them get thrown away. I HATE plastic water bottles. If you haven’t seen Anne Leonard’s The Story of Water Click HERE and then tell me how you feel about plastic bottled water.
- Less packaging means less garbage. 1/3 of every garbage dump is filled with packaging.
What Can You Do?
Precycle: That means look for ways of buying things that come in recycled or can be recycled packaging. ( this is not garbage)
Buy eggs in cardboard containers not Styrofoam. Many farms collect these to reuse. I have a local farm that gives me a dozen organic eggs for every 12 cartons I give them. I’ve also given these to both of my sons schools for projects, paints, etc.
Boxes made from recycled cardboard are gray on the inside. Just a tip to check out when you are buying cereals, crackers and cookies. Speaking of cookies, the snack size packaging-really? We don’t have enough time to toss some in a mini container? Every wonder why they cost more- the packaging!
Beware of expensive toy packaging. I have been prey to this, especially as gifts. You open up this thing and it just falls apart.
Want to test it out?
Get a big bag or container and collect all of your packaging and see what happens at the end of a week.
I also can’t stress enough buying items like grains, beans, rice etc from the bulk bins at Health Food Stores or even your local grocery store. Think of all the packaging you’ll save! I have to say here at my house MOST of my garbage is not garbage it is recyclable materials. My bins are filled to the top and my garbage is not. You can do it ,too.