Going without plastic for 7 days - what I learned

A roadside in southern China. 

How the challenge started…

I realized that every single piece of plastic I have ever touched, since the day I was born, still exists on this planet. It has either been recycled and turned into something else. Or it has been dumped into the ocean. Or it is somewhere else that it shouldn’t be. That’s my legacy. That’s what will be on my tombstone. Here lies Julian- he used a bunch of plastic, and then he died. Nothing else worth mentioning.

And I thought, hmmm, there must be something I can do to help with this problem. I wonder if I can give up plastic. Can I last a week?

So in typical Julian fashion, I jumped into the challenge without any thought or preparation.

The challenge was hard.

I had no idea how difficult it would be to give up plastic. It required a complete change of my habits and lifestyle. I had to change my diet. I had to plan my meals in advance, because it wasn’t like I could just go to the 711 and buy food from there (99% of the things in 711 are wrapped in plastic). I had to actually go to restaurants, instead of ordering out. I had to bring plastic bags with me to the supermarket. I had to actually wash my silverware, instead of getting plastic forks from the restaurants when I got take out. And I had to go without things like yogurt, kimchi, peanuts, and so much more.

A field in Calcutta.

Going without plastic is healthy.

What I didn’t realize is just how healthy giving up plastic is. Instead of snacking on chips, and chocolate, and other junk food- all of which are wrapped in plastic- I ended up snacking on apples, bananas, and oranges. Instead of getting sugary drinks, I ended up drinking water. I used a glass bottle, and refilled it from the water-jug at work.

You need preparation to go without plastic.

To go without plastic for any duration of time, you need some preparation. You need to have bags with you, so that when you buy things from the supermarket, you don’t need to use their bags. You need a reusable bottle so you’re not always buying plastic water bottles. You need a glass Tupperware container if you’re going to get food to go from a restaurant.

A train in India.
People throw trash out the windows

So where do I go from here?

I’m not ready to give up plastic entirely. I still want to have my junk food occasionally. I still need to buy toiletries. I still need to buy yogurt, and rice, and cooking oil from the supermarket. So I’ve decided that I’m going to allot myself ONE plastic purchase per day. One bag of chips, or one bottle of toothpaste, or one cup of tea from the café. If I need to go shopping for a bunch of things that involve plastic, then I’ll make a plastic budget and go without plastic for however many days I need to, to keep my one plastic item per day ratio.

Tips for lessening the plastic in your life

If you have to buy toiletries, buy in bulk. Rather than buying a small container of mouth wash every month, buy a massive one three times a year.

Get a glass bottle, and a glass container to get take out.

Stock up on a few plastic bags, and keep them in your backpack / work bag / suitcase. So whenever you’re out and about, you can stop by the supermarket and have bags ready to go. I was so frustrated to be on my way home, walking past the supermarket, when I realized I had no bags- I had to walk all the way home, then head back to the market.

Change your state of mind. Recycling is not the answer to the plastic problem. I will recycle a bottle after I use it, but when that plastic is recycled and turned into another bottle, the next person may not decide to recycle it. On a long enough timeline, all plastic will eventually end up somewhere it doesn’t belong- either the ocean, or a landfill, or on the side of the road. The answer is just to not use so much plastic.

Put out the modicum of effort to make our world better. It’s worth it. Reliance on plastic makes us lazy, and gets us too comfortable with eating shit food. It’s worth it to put in a little bit of energy to use less plastic.

Do you have any ideas about how to use less plastic in your daily life?