10 Aug
60. Plastic Spoon
My plastic spoon, rescued from an aeroplane dinner service a few months ago, made up part of my “takeway cutlery kit”. Today, it broke. Vale poor spoon, I guess it’s time to find a metal one instead.
In some good news, my workplace, them that use incredible amounts of plastic plates and cutlery, decided to give away double wall steel reusable water bottles today. Woot.
6 Aug
NO PLASTIC
A half day meeting at a not-normal office location. Catering is provided. I eat sandwiches using my reusable container as a “plate”. Everyone else uses the disposable plastic plates. Rummaging in the woeful kitchen cupboards reveals another reusable plastic container in which leftovers from the fruit platter can be placed and given to another meeting attendee.
5 Aug
45. sponge cake plastic wrapper
46. plastic bag for a takeaway bun
I am in a different location to normal for a two day conference. I have had to get up stupid early to get public transport to this alternate location. I refuse to get a bacon and egg roll from the fast food joint at the train station, but two blocks away I am now hungry. I buy the egg white sponge for my mum because she likes it, and it comes in a plastic wrapper. I have bought a sweet bun to eat for my second breakfast, also served in a plastic bag. This latter bag is reused to take home some extra cake from the conference. I don’t buy lunch the first day because everything in the food courts is served up on a plastic plate.
On the second day, I get that bacon and egg roll. At least it’s wrapped in something resembling paper.
4 Aug
NO PLASTIC
All day work meeting at a hotel. I refuse to take the “complimentary” bottle of water provided as part of the meeting catering. I put some buffet lunch leftovers in my reusable container. A really nice fennel & red cabbage salad. This contributes to dinner.
3 Aug
As you might have guessed by the date stamps on these posts, I am taking photos of my plastic use as it happens, and then writing about it when I have time. I have lost days 20-23. I’m not saying that they were plastic free (and I am sure I did use plastic in each of these days), but I have no evidence otherwise. Daily posting is a little onerous when you are working full time.
30 Jul
43. Roast Beef wrapper
It’s winter, so it was time for a roast. I pulled this roast beef out of the freezer (purchased 2017), and yes, it was wrapped in plastic. Even when I go to the butcher directly, roasts are pre-wrapped in plastic, so I can’t hand over a container for my purchased roast to go into. What’s a consumer to do?
29 Jul
40: Plastic tray from holding sweet corn
41: Soft plastic wrapping from the sweet corn
42: Takeaway Coffee Cup Lid
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
Corn comes in a readily transportable container called a husk. My other half likes corn, so he picked up this tray of de-husked corn wrapped in plastic and cut to fit, and a takeaway coffee. I had no reusable coffee cup with me and so could not make him use it. The paper cup itself went into my compost bin. I use my own coffee cup when I get a coffee, but I know that he gets a new takeaway cup *each time*. I am sad.
