Taking Inventory: Plastic Use

I’m sure you’ve seen at least one article out there about microplastics being everywhere… in water, in your brain, in our food, etc. etc. I’m not a scientist and I’m not going to pretend to understand what the implications of that are. But I’m going to say that it’s probably better to have less microplastics in your body than more. While I do a pretty decent job of choosing metal and glass when possible, there’s definitely been some “plastic creep” in my life, especially post-COVID. So last month I went around the house and made a list of my consistently used items at home (that happen to be plastic) to see what could be replaced with something made of glass, metal, or paper. My plastic findings:

• Sponges: We inadvertently got sponges that were a mix of cellulose and recycled plastic opposed to 100% cellulose. So will make to double check the labels next time!
• Wrinkle release and stain removal sprays: Swapped to metal refillable versions of those from Grove (after I had run out).
• Reusable plastic straws: I somehow amassed a couple of these that came with reusable metal bottles. Got rid of them and committed to only using my metal straws.
• Cutting boards: We’re a dishwash-our-cutting-boards type of household so have never invested in wooden boards (as nice as they are). I went halfway and replaced our beat up plastic boards with composite ones. We’ve had them for about 6 weeks now and love them.
• Multi-purpose cleaner refill: I had a big plastic refill bottle for my multi-purpose cleaner (because it was cheaper than getting the little glass refill bottles) but I bit the bullet and got glass-bottled cleaner concentrates. (They also came with a free glass spray bottle to replace my very old plastic spray bottle that I’ve reused for many years.)
• Bread box: Got a metal and wood bread box from eBay.
• Face wash: FINALLY found a face wash bar that I like and works for my very dry skin.

Not too bad! Just a few small swaps to make life slightly less plastic-y. Obviously I still have other plastic items (especially when it comes to skin and healthcare that are just unavoidable — hello, dry/sensitive skin!). But I feel comfortable that I’m doing the best that I can without sacrificing much. And over time, I’ve seen an uptick in plastic-free household supplies so I’m excited to see what else I’ll be able to sub out in the future. Are there any small plastic swaps you’ve made this year? Or something you’re looking to swap out? Let me know!

Coming up this month — we can get into the plastic-free products that I already use and love.