i swear by carrying my own bag where i go & if i can avoid it i never get plastic when i shop for clothes or other merchandise. i really try to shop in stores where they have paper bags or allow you to buy in bulk without using a bag. plastic containers for shampoo, toothbrush, my glasses. they have bamboo toothbrushes but the head is still plastic. so, not quite environmental enough to switch to bamboo.

here’s a short list of all things that i have that are plastic; toothbrush, shampoo, toothpaste, facial toner, glasses, my bag is recycled plastic. our cleaners for around the house. something that i find annoying. all the cords for cellphones, laptops, & computers are wrapped in plastic. my sneakers are plastic & i have recycled plastic clothing that i love because it’s quality stuff.

so, how does one use less plastic?? that’s the big question as it’s filling up our oceans, showing up on a streets the plastic cup i saw this morning rolling down the street. our garbage bags are plastic, so what’s the alternative to that? where we lived before they took our yardwaste & the city recycled it, where we live now they don’t.

i think to start using less plastic start with the basics, like when you go food shopping & shop local owned grocery stores where they focus on not using it. buy tons of shampooo, sounds ironic doesn’t it. but buying more in plastic means you have more shampoo & hardly have to buy a new bottle every month. i buy shampoo maybe less than 3 times a year & i have a shampoo bar of soap for travel or a trip to the mountains. good luck.