A plastic free week 1... nearly!

1st and 2nd February
A nice easy start to the experiment. 2 days at work, no need to go shopping and therefore no danger of buying anything plastic. The main pitfall successfully avoided was a craving for a bag of crisps around 8pm this evening, with me having to pretend the shop at the end of the road didn't exist!

3rd February
Alas the hope of a clean sweep is already over 😔
With the need to purchase some waterproof spray for our shoes we are greeted with a choice of plastic, plastic or plastic. The alternative to the spray is an entire new pair of shoes, and at this point that is not a realistic option.

A plastic purchase on day 3... but maybe it is not as bad as it seems

Despite feeling sullen that it has taken less than 72 hours for the plastic free record to fall, there is a positive that can be taken from the situation. The next best option for the plastic that you can't reduce your use of is to then reuse it. Once this spray bottle is empty (it has already been applied to 4 different pairs of shoes) it will have a new life as a homemade de-icer spray for the car that doesn't involve any nasty chemicals. With a plan in hand I immediately feel a little less guilty!

4th February

Back to a straightforward day. It's Sunday and I was at work the whole time the shops were open, so no temptation there!

5th February

My first full day off since the experiment started, and our first need to head out and do a top up shop. Our home town of Bridport is a homely but quite forward thinking place, and so thankfully there are several options available for plastic free shopping.

Fruit and veg is the first order of the day, and with at least 2 dedicated greengrocers in the town that use paper bags there is no problem here.

Topping up the fruit and veg supplies... all wrapped in paper :)

Avoiding processed food is one of the easiest ways to steer clear of plastic, and so many similar runs to the greengrocer will be in order during the month. All carried home in a canvas bag of course!

Milk next...

Again here we are lucky enough to have a shop within the town where you can still buy milk in a glass bottle. It does mean a trip to another shop (so if you are a "all under one roof" kind of person there is a super high chance that milk in a plastic bottle will be your only option), but for us it is another familiar face to speak to on our little jaunt around town and that suits us just fine.

Organic milk in a glass bottle

The other downside here is in cost terms. When in the past we have been unable to get to the shop that sells milk in the glass bottles, we buy organic milk in plastic bottles from the supermarket. Buying the equivalent organic milk in a glass bottle costs us 26p more per pint.

Altogether a nice morning out in town and no plastic in sight!

6th February

It's DIY day today. I do encounter a problem however in needing to buy some panel pins to finish putting together a piece of furniture. Even the local hardware store will only sell them to me in a plastic bag, and so the project is put on hold until I am satisfied that there is no other way I can get hold of them.

Moving onto another job I do choose to buy some plastic, but in this case it is for a long term use to secure guttering to my garden shed which will feed a water butt. Since this is not the type of plastic use we are trying to avoid this is a completely guilt free purchase (especially now that we can save more water!).

7th February

The final day of week 1 of the experiment, and my resolve is called into question. After being held up in traffic I know that I am going to miss lunchtime at work, and not having brought anything with me from home I need a quick fix for lunch.

While filling up my car with fuel, the easy way out is to buy a sandwich from the petrol station. As the petrol station is at a well known brand of supermarket, a tasty meal deal offer looks me in the eye while I queue to pay. However with all 3 elements of said meal deal being neatly wrapped in plastic that option is off the cards, and a sandwich from the town centre in a paper bag will suffice instead.

Week 1 conclusion:

With the exception of the waterproofing spray bottle (which will at least be reused) it has been a plastic free week. That said, this is not the toughest week we will have to face. We worked standard 9am-5pm hours, and the house still had a reasonable store of food that we had already purchased prior to the experiment.

In comparison to doing a whole shop at a supermarket it undoubtedly cost a little more and took a little longer, though I feel the whole experience was more enjoyable which softens what is already quite a minor blow.

Next week I feel will be harder, but maybe that will just make me even more determined!