#noplasticchallenge

Day 3: REUSE

Couldn’t wait for this stage of the challenge because I consider myself a proper professional in household item reuse 😜 While totally eliminating plastic is a nightmare, reusing is a breeze. My hoarding skills at home are put to good use in the name of reusing and here is how I do it.…

#chennaicoastalcleanup

(C) Geetha Gopal | Contents copyrighted, not to be reproduced without written permission from author

#noplasticchallenge

Day 2: REDUCE

Sunday being a (super)market day is the most challenging day in a #noplasticchallenge. Had to forage for no plastic items, gave up and looked for very low plastic packaged items, guiltiest buy of the day being milk and oil in cartons. Before I could load all of my things to the counter, the billing lady had piled up atleast 5 plastic bags full of my stuff, 1 bunch of banana in 1 cover, 1 cover each  for 3 milk cartons, “double” cover for the 30 pack eggs, 1 cover for almonds that’s already in a plastic package. Had to show her my trolley and return all the covers to her, she smiled sheepishly and so did I… I avoided plastic wrapped greens from there and bought them at the fresh market even if it’s slightly expensive.

Successfully restored my kitchen shelf, cleared all the grains in their plastic covers and transferred them to old milk powder tins, I used to have them like this earlier. Have two bags full of plastic from the process and also from today’s shopping that I will take to the recycling bin. Now I know the way to reduce the number of plastic covers at the supermarket and also in my kitchen even if I cannot totally avoid them. Soiled diapers of my boy went down the chute in a paper(old) wrap…

Lesson learnt: In my lifestyle here, I cannot shun plastic. The eggs come in plastic wrap, the milk, the oil, the rice bags all come wrapped in plastic. But there is a possibility to reduce by buying in large quantities and reuse the containers/covers as much as possible, if not, recycle them properly. Going to keep one jute bag in my handbag from today just to be prepared to reduce my plastic cover footprint!

#chennaicoastalcleanup

(C) Geetha Gopal | Contents copyrighted, not to be reproduced without written permission from author

#‎noplasticchallenge‬

Day 1: REALIZE
Understand better why behavioral change is the key to make any difference on our resources. I thought I was a ‪#‎lessplasticuser‬ until today’s realization efforts. There are so many little things I cling to, just because they’re convenient. My 5 plastic combs (1 for the sink, 1 for office, 1 for handbag, 1 for each bathroom at home), 3 lip glosses, 5 face-washes, 3 shampoo bottles, atleast 10 ball pens, my plastic anjarai petti, IKEA designer stuff that I’d kill to keep, hordes of supermarket plastic covers neatly folded and stacked, old use and throw containers for reuse someday… Not to mention my son’s stock of 5 BPA milk bottles, 3 water bottles, 5 milk powder containers, many many diaper waste disposal covers… So yes, I am far from there and I’m nothing but a hoarder…