One Year of Plastic

A Life Less Plastic reader recently emailed to tell me about a project he undertook—to save an entire year of his family's plastic usage.

This is what it looked like:

































Scott, the plastic-saver, explains his endeavor.

"I heard all the talk about plastics being bad for your health and the environment but wanted to know what my family (single parent, twin daughters) was using. So the best way to do that was gather the facts, save the plastic, and see."

His result was a decent-sized, although probably much smaller than average, hill of plastic. He laments, "I'm fairly conservative with waste and I still got this big pile."

"I have [enough] plastic forks, spoons, knives, and straws to last a long time."

Quite enlightening. Thanks, Scott, for sharing photos and info on your project.

Comments

Anonymous said…
So many people use so much more plastic than that -- it's a whole year's worth! Besides, I can hardly see plastic with those cute kids in the frame!
Anonymous said…
FYI..."Six Days Without Plastic. Good Luck." -- Minneapolis Star Tribune:

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/59033887.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUycaEacyUs
Lisa said…
I think I would have less big things but I have a fair amount of small things.
mrs green said…
Fab post!

I've sent you an award for all that you do to help the world and inspire others - thank you!

I hope you pass the award along to other people who deserve it:

http://littlegreenblog.com/blog/family-news-blog/little-green-blog-wins-superior-scribbler-award/
hihihi! said…
that does look like very less! Good job. what steps hve you taken?
Wow, 4.5 pounds of garbage per person? I'm noticing how muchplastic comes from individually wrapped things. ;S I could definitely reduce those but things like milk I need, and they're in recyclable jugs. ;)
Anonymous said…
Buy your milk from a health food store. They come in glass containers ;)

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