The hidden plastic...Week 2

8th February
Craving a veggie burger and chips for this evening. The chips are no problem as we have potatoes grown in our garden stored from the autumn that we prep and pop in the oven. While Vicky works on the potatoes I walk to the local supermarket, as it has a pick and mix bread roll counter where I can snap up a couple of rolls with no packaging (Note: You are supposed to put the rolls in a little plastic bag to take them to the checkout, but I secretly do enjoy the confused look on the cashiers face whenever I get to the till with loose produce that they would rather I contain somehow!).

Tonight however I will have to get my kicks in some other way...

The last of several "packs" of "loose" bread rolls

As you can see from the picture, the supermarket has very conveniently packed the remaining loose rolls into bags and reduced their price to make sure none are left over at the end of the day. While the side of me that wants to reduce food waste takes my hat off, the side of me that is not allowed to buy anything wrapped in plastic is saying words that I simply cannot write on here! Would a plain paper bag and a label saying "mixed rolls" not have sufficed?!

Cutting a frustrated figure, I head to the freezer isle to find a veggie filled pie that takes the place of the burgers in my dreams.

9th February

It's late in the evening, and having enjoyed a plastic free day we sit down to watch one of shows on demand with a beverage. In the way that beer often does, I soon find myself craving a savory treat. With the option of buying crisps or nuts from the local shop off the cards due to the rules, we opt to raid the cupboards to see what we can make from scratch.

Homemade popcorn to the rescue! My salted version in the foreground, and Vicky's toffee version in the background

10th February

I make a quick dash into town before heading to work to buy bread from the local bakers. I do need to ask in advance for no plastic bag however, as every loaf they sell goes straight into one for freshness. 

A mighty fine plastic free loaf. Neighbors probably thought I'd lost the plot photographing my loaf in the garden! 

After work it's off to a friends house for dinner, so no danger of a slip up there.

11th Febuary

No time to go to the shops on a Sunday as they are all closed by the time we finish work.

12th February

It's curry night tonight, and as I stop off to fill my car up at the local supermarket petrol station I pop into the main store to see if I can grab a bit of extra veg that we have run out of.

My main gripe with the shop this evening is that it costs more to buy the veg that isn't in packaging. Take peppers for example; the shops sells individual peppers for £0.69 each, while a pack of 3 peppers the same size only costs £1.19. 

Now I know that the shop want you to spend more money, and so they make you an attractive offer to do so. They also hate (as I have already taken delight in) people turning up at the till with un-contained produce. However, not only are you getting a lot mote peppers for your pound, you are also getting all of the packaging to help keep your produce fresh included in the blockbuster price! You can hardly blame anybody for picking the plastic option can you? Rules are rules though, so I collect 2 loose peppers and cough up £1.38 for the inconvenience.

Seeing as naan bread is so heavily packaged, and we could only find rice wrapped in plastic, Vicky has cooked up some alternative breads to go with the curry. Winning!

Yay for curry!

13th February

There are 2 things we have been putting off buying since the start of the experiment. Cooking oil and squash.

In the majority of places you can only buy olive oil in a non-plastic bottle, and seeing as you are not supposed to cook with olive oil that was not really a valid option. 

Today though a breakthrough on both counts. A shop that sells all types of oil, and several varieties of squash in glass bottles. They are both more expensive compared to other products we would have bought in the past, but not outrageously so.

Tasty squash, glass bottle, metal lid...

However my excitement is quickly turned to despair. Having gone to the trouble of avoiding a plastic bottle, I unscrew the metal lid and find this...

What is that?! My angry finger pointing out a perfectly hidden and perfectly unnecessary piece of plastic. 

I can't believe it. I though this week would be a clean sweep, only to find this. Gutted!

14th February

Still smarting from yesterday's disappointment, I'm glad I don't have to visit any shops today!

Week 2 conclusion

Things were definitely getting a little tougher this week, as we started to replace foods that we already has in the cupboards. Some of these we have yet to find a plastic free solution for, and so have just avoided buying them outright for the mean time.

The cost has definitely been higher again by avoiding plastic. At an estimate I would say we have added between £5-£7 onto our weekly bill with some of the changes we have made. All in all though, this is a cost we are prepared to incur if it means that we are doing our bit for the planet.

Time has definitely been considerably higher. We have been forced to make more things from scratch that we might have been temped to purchase, which will have in total maybe taken us an extra 1-2 hours. It must be said though that it is much more rewarding to do these things yourself, and it also gives you greater control over what actually ends up in your food.

Let's see what next week brings...