Musings on Trash and Consumerism

We live in a fast food society. How have we gotten this way? We live out of our cars. We rush from one place to another. We eat on the go. Would we be able to live this way if plastic had not been invented? Would plastic have been invented if we did not live this way?

Do we really need to be eating on the go? Look at America's obesity rates. I think it would not hurt any of us to wait until we get home to eat. A few hunger pains are not going to hurt us and look at all of the plastic we would not be using!

I have recently gone vegan. I basically eat fruits and vegetables now and the occasional whole wheat bun and vegan protein source (tofu, gardenburgers, etc). I am amazed at how much my plastic usage has decreased. If it weren't for my Panikin/Peet's adiction I would probably not need plastic at all. My previously paltry amount of trash is now next to nothing. If I composted, it would be even less. I live in a condo, but I am starting to think that I could and should compost. Even my recycle bin is not as full as it used to be. Fruits and vegetables just don't come with a lot of wrappings and I don't feel the need to put them all in plastic bags at the grocery store.

I think if we didn't have the convenience of putting our trash out on the street and having it picked up and taken away by a big truck, we might think twice about what we consume and what we throw away. Next week when you take your trash out, imagine where you would put it all if you were responsible for disposing of it yourself. Now imagine your trash times 105,000,000. That's how many households there are just in the United States. Start living as if you DID have to dispose of all of your trash yourself and see how it affects your choices.

Plastic Squeezable Bottles

I am noticing plastic everywhere now. It's hard to get away from it. All of our lotions, sunscreens, shampoos, shower gels, honey, water, etc. come in plastic bottles. Have you tried to squeeze honey or shampoo out of a glass bottle? What did we ever do before plastic? I think we used bar soap for everything, including washing our face and hair. Frankly, I'm not ready to give up my volumizing shampoo and special conditioners and squeezable honey bottles, so here are my solutions:

1. Try to minimize these items as much as possible. Only buy what you know you need and will use.

2. Make sure the bottle is #1 or #2 plastic. These items are less toxic and more recyclable than other plastics.

3. Use every last drop! Believe it or not, at the point that you think your shampoo bottle is empty and would normally throw it away, there is at least one more week's worth of shampoo in the bottle. I have tested this. Just think, if you used your shampoo or shower gel or conditioner for one more week each time you buy it, you would end up with far less plastic being thrown into your recycle bin each year, not to mention the fact that you would save yourself quite a bit of money, and in this current economy who wouldn't want to save a little money? Here's what I do:
a) Prop the bottle upside down (I prop it up with another bottle). At this point you can use the soap, shampoo, conditioner or whatever for at least 5-7 more days.
b) When you can't squeeze another drop out, add a little water and swish it around. At this point you will have about 1-2 days worth left in the bottle.
c) Recycle bottle