Can You Reduce Your Use of Plastic?

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Healthy Child

Thursday, February 03, 2011

Plastics are everywhere and in most cases are very affordable and convenient. But, increasingly scientists are finding that a hidden cost may be our health. Some common plastics release harmful chemicals into our air, foods, and drinks. Maybe you can’t see or taste it, but if you’re serving your dinner on plastic, you’re likely eating a little plastic for dinner.

Protect your family’s health by reducing your use. Join others in the effort by taking the Plastic-free February Challenge!

Rodale.com, a health and environmental news site will be hosting a plastic-free challenge for the month of February. Each Rodale.com team member will take a week blogging about the trials and tribulations of minimizing use and consumption by not acquiring new plastic or cooking/storing food in it.

They’d like you to participate in the challenge with them. Consider taking the challenge for a day, a week or the full month.

Here’s how to get started:

Visit Healthy Child’s 5 Easy Steps to learn practical ways to reduce your use of plastic.
Decide what actions you’d like to try, write them down, and post them somewhere your family can see them (like the refrigerator). You may want to take a week, living as you typically do, and gathering all the plastic you use (packaging, bags, take-out containers, etc). Then you can get a better idea of where it might be easiest to cut back.
If you have a blog and want to share your experience, please contact Dana .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and she’ll share your link in their blog-roll of plastic-free challenge participants.
For more information, and to follow their blog as it unrolls, bookmark this link: http://www.rodale.com/plastic-free

Do you have recommendations for easy ways to reduce your use of plastic? If you’ve already been cutting back, which items are the hardest to eliminate?

Posted by Melanie on 04/30/2011 at 04:03 AM

A few years ago, I switched all of our family’s melamine, sippy cups and food storage to stainless steel. It is safe, unbreakable, lightweight for little hands and easily washed. I went to www.lifewithoutplastics.org for most of it. I use kleen kanteen for water bottles and sippy cups - they are not lined with anything questionable and they make all sizes of bottles.
I also use www.laptoplunches.com (bento boxes) for my kids lunches at school. They are a completely waste free system. I have two sets for each child for backup in case I’m too busy to wash them out every night or someone forgets to put their lunch box by the sink. It also allows me to see what was eaten and what wasn’t as they bring leftovers home.
Here’s to a waste free world!
Melanie Mom of 3

Posted by Betsy (Eco-novice) on 02/07/2011 at 10:14 PM

I recently ran out of ziploc bags and just stopped buying them. There are toys of great options for reusable food bags! They are lined with nylon, which is synthetic, but they are a big step above disposable ziploc baggies.

My best and easiest recent change: I bought some small stainless steel mixing bowls (about the size of a cereal bowl) at a restaurant supply store for about $1-$2 a piece. Now I don’t have to give my baby and preschooler plastic bowls anymore!

Posted by skymom on 02/06/2011 at 08:18 AM

Some items are so hard to find. #1 would be the garbage bags from small for the kitchen, bathroom to the larger trash bags. Any tips for this!!
#2 is the shampoo bottle!

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