Plastic: in the end, how we did.

June is over and we're now allowed to buy toilet paper and dish soap again. It's a bit irksome that it's impossible to acquire basic necessities without also acquiring a container that will be with us way past the lifespan of the product. In addition to our previously posted "sin list," I will confess to acquiring the following:

- An unseen plastic seal on an otherwise metal-lidded glass jar
- 3 plastic bags
- 2 medication packages (diarrhea gets old but quick.)
- 5 lids on otherwise non-plastic containers
- 18 buttons (technically durable goods, but still...)
- Saran Wrap (!)

While some of these were humblingly avoidable, we couldn't find a way around others.

The point of this month, however, was not to feel bad about mistakes but rather to heighten our awareness of our consumer plastic consumption. It forces me to ask: is what I'm about to purchase actually a necessity? Is there a creative way to solve this problem, a way that doesn't need that plastic push? It also helped me see the patterns in my purchasing and work toward alleviating those demands. It's true that I won't be able to cut out my plastic usage entirely, but simple changes can have a long-lasting impact (e.g., think of how many yogurt containers I didn't buy since I started making my own).

As Alexis pointed out, the ability to generate trash is sometimes a sign of upward mobility: it's no accident that it's much easier to be plastic-free here in Dezam, the least-affluent place we've ever lived. For those of us who aspire to live simply so that all may simply live, maybe the ubiquity of plastic can remind us that we are among the haves of the world. And maybe taking steps to reduce our consumption can be an act of creative solidarity with those who don't have the option of paper or plastic.

Confessions of a Hitherto Unknown Plasti-holic.

Well, there's nothing like hard data to destroy your self-image. Here I was, thinking that Bryan and I were doing a pretty good job of leading a plastic-free life - this might just be one of the few places in our hemisphere where it's almost harder to find packaged things than not - until I took stock of our week.

To wit, so far in June we have acquired:
- 4 toilet paper wrappers
- 3 plastic lids on cardboard packages
- 2 plastic bags (egregious. simply uncalled for.)
- 1 plastic bottle of Pepto Bismol (Haitian stomach-itis strikes again.)
- 1 soda bottle (ah, that Bryan.)
- 1 small bottle of travel shampoo (well, we stayed in a fancy hotel for our anniversary and it was just sitting there and it smelled so good.)
- 2 water bottles (also from the hotel.)
- 4 noodle wrappers
- The disposable plastic lid to our reusable plastic Culligan bottle
- 1 plastic gallon jug (although this one is technically a durable good, for buying milk.)

So, wow. It's been 9 days and I was sure we'd be 100% new-plastic-free. Piece of cake, right? Guess I learned a little something here.

Nevertheless, we renew our efforts and continue mostly undaunted...

Take the plastic challenge.

Litter is a problem in many countries, and Haiti is no exception. There’s little waste management infrastructure in our area, and often the best you can do is sweep your trash (plastic, metal, paper, whatever) into a small pile and burn it. As you can imagine, this presents its own challenges. A better strategy here is to either recycle your own consumer byproducts (using cans and bottles as planting containers, refilling the same bag of flour in the market) or avoiding waste altogether (choosing a refillable glass soda bottle over a plastic one). I know trash management is a large and complex issue, but becoming aware of how much we participate in the problem is an important step in finding a creative solution.

We were talking about this with a few of our fellow MCCers, and decided to step it up a notch. The challenge is simple:

No new plastic for one month.

No wrappers, no bottles, no lids. No see-through windows in cardboard boxes. No plastic buttons on clothing. No new flip-flops. I don’t even know if this will be possible, but trying will at least help us become aware of how much plastic we have in our day-to-day lives.

Why plastic? Even those advertised as “biodegradable” often don’t break down for decades, making our temporary containers a rather permanent part of our environment. Anybody for a vacation to the Pacific Trash Vortex?

Since I assume you’re all already doing things like foregoing Styrofoam, recycling, and using cloth shopping bags, I invite you to participate in No-Plastic June. You can keep the plastic you already have around the house, but don't purchase any new plastic for one month.

Then tell us about it! We’ll be posting here about our attempts to be plastic-free, so please feel free to leave comments about your own challenges and successes.