I Gave Up (Most) Plastics For Lent: Here’s What I Learned

During the season of Lent, and just a few days before our family moved into our new (to us) home in the suburbs, I gave up plastic for lent.  Actually, to be clear, I have called it a “Less Plastic Lent”, because I knew that there would be some things I’d have trouble getting without plastic. The goal was to be mindful about our plastic use and its impact on the world.

My daughter, Reba, and I were well aware of our plastic use.  We’d been living in a temporary place for the last six months and were eating out–a lot.  We joked that we needed to make reparations to the earth for our terrible consumption habits during that season, but after a while it wasn’t funny any more.  While we were bringing home disposable plastic containers, and recycling them faithfully, we were learning that our recyclable waste was no longer being taken by China and recycled–much of it was going straight into landfills.  So, as we were moving into a new home at the beginning of lent, it seemed like a really good time to change our habits.

I want to share with you some of the changes we made.  I don’t share them as an act of piety, or to make anyone feel badly about the way the organize their household (whoever is without sin should cast the first stone, says Jesus, and I couldn’t agree more).  I want to share this with you because the theme of lent in my congregation this year–God makes beautiful things out of dust–has been the constant reverberation under my lenten practice this season. I’ve asked myself with each change in habit, “What is God doing here?”

So, here’s what I changed:

Toilet Paper.

I now buy toilet paper from whogivesacrap.com (that’s REALLY the name of the company!), a small start up. They make their products using bamboo, a more sustainable source of wood.  And they wrap their individual rolls in paper, rather than in plastic like most other toilet paper you find in the store. The toilet paper is 3 ply, and thicker than I expected, which was a nice change from the regular Scott tissue I had used.  And it’s comparable in price to other product. This is a subscription service, which is not everyone’s thing, but I like it. A big box of TP comes right to my door every other month.

Shampoo, Conditioner, Face Cleaner, Body Wash, Lotion.  

This was a scary one for me.  I’m kind of fussy about what I use on my hair and skin.  But, I found another subscription service that I really like–Plaineproducts.com  I’ll admit that it’s pretty pricey compared to regular shampoo and toiletries. But, the products come in aluminum bottles with reusable plastic pumps.  When you are done with your bottle, return it, and Plaine Products sends another bottle.

Lush is another toiletry company that is trying to address plastic waste.  They make shampoo and conditioner bars. Also, many local farmers markets have local folks that make these products too.  

Dish and Laundry Detergent

I’m a fan of those pods that you throw in your washing machine and dishwasher.  And I found I another subscription service that will send the product to you every few months (Dropps.com).  I like them and they come in some natural, gentle, non-chemical scents. They arrive on my doorstep in cardboard containers.  No plastic used at all. I have friends that make their own laundry detergent. I applaud them, but I’m not there yet. Maybe one day.  For now, I’m using Dropps.

Cleaning Products

There’s not a lot of plastic free options out there.  Meyers has concentrate products, but they all come in plastic.  But cleancult.com is coming out in April with a subscription service of products that come in cardboard milk cartons.  And in some organic food markets, there are places where you can refill containers of your favorite cleaning supplies.

Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

There are bamboo toothbrushes out there.  We haven’t needed to get any yet because our plastic ones are still quite usable.  Also bitetoothpastebits.com has toothpaste “pills” you bite on to create toothpaste. They come in glass bottles. I like them!

Now for the really hard stuff. Let’s talk about our food containers.  

Plastic Wrap

I’ve switched to fabric covered in beeswax.  You can make them yourself or by them from a company called “beeswraps”. They cover leftover dishes, the half tomato that goes in the fridge, and other things like that.  And you can wash them off, hang them up to dry, and reuse them. My partner, Charlie, likes them because the beeswraps don’t get all stuck to themselves like plastic wrap does.

Milk

I switched to glass jars of milk and creamer, which I get at Kimberton Whole Foods.  You can also get them at Whole Foods and Moms Organic Market.

Condiments

Most come in glass and plastic, so I am choosing glass every time.  

Snack Foods

Instead of buying granola bars and cookies for the kids to snack on, I’ve been making muffins and cookies and keeping them in the freezer.  My household seems to really like this for the most part. But they have missed the convenient Clif bars that we usually keep around.

Bread

Often bread comes in two layers of plastic nowadays.  What a bummer. So, we started making our own bread! I’m kind of obsessed with it right now.  We bought a bread maker, which I guess is cheating, but it is so nice to come home to the smell of baking bread.  And I’m freezing leftover bread to make bread pudding, bread crumbs, or croutons.

Cheese and Meat

This has been the hardest one for me.  I’m working on finding a local butcher, and will either bring my own container or have them wrap the meat and cheese  in paper. This is a hard one at a regular store, but it can be done! Still a work in progress…

I also buy a part of a cow from my Aunt (anyone want to go in on one with us?) who raises it in North Central Pennsylvania.  The butcher gives us an option to wrap it in paper, so the only thing that comes in plastic is the ground beef.

Hummus

I’ve started making my own hummus, using a recipe from my favorite place to get the chickpea delight–Palestine!  And I’ve fallen in love with hummus making. I’m always working to get the creamiest hummus I can make, and every batch gets a little better.  

Drinks

I’ve been keeping iced tea or orange juice in the fridge (the kind from concentrate, which is contained in aluminum and paper) so that we’re not tempted to go buy liters of drinks.  That means keeping lots of fresh lemons around. And the compost pile loves those citrus peels!

Bulk Food shopping

For things like sugar, flour, oats, nuts, beans, and rice, I’m going to Moms Organic or Kimberton whole foods.  You can bring your own container, or bring your own bags (I bring fabric bags) to fill and weigh. Moms even has vegetable based plastic bags that biodegrade, in case you forget to bring your own bags or containers.

Fruits and Vegetables

Instead of buying a bag of oranges or lemons or such, I’m buying individual ones.  Lettuce has been difficult here, truthfully. They all seem to be wrapped in plastic. And buying like this is certainly more expensive than going to Aldis or the Produce Junction to buy veggies.

Where it has been harder

Tortilla chips.  It’s hard to find them in paper bags.  And we aren’t ready to start making them.

Surprisingly, spaghetti containers all come with those little plastic viewing windows, or in all plastic. We do have the ability to make pasta, so maybe we’ll start doing that regularly.  But I’m not quite ready for that yet either.

Yogurt and sour cream have also been hard but I will re-use those containers for applesauce making this fall so they have have a lot more use and won’t go into recycling immediately.

We still need to buy trash can liners.  And I haven’t found bird seed that doesn’t come in plastic, and we bought new pillows–and you guessed it–they came wrapped plastic!  There’s still so much for which we have to be mindful.

I also recognize that the subscription services offer plastic free options, but will have more gas used with delivery.  Also many of these products I’m trying aren’t locally sourced, so that’s also problematic.

The impact of this on my life

All of the changes we are making feel like things we can continue to do after lent is over.  And that was the goal. It was a real eye opener to go into a grocery store the first time and realize just how much plastic was in there.  It was discouraging, to be honest. But I had a lot of encouragement from friends, and I turned it into a game. Find a way to get toilet paper without it being wrapped in plastic–challenge accepted!

The food cost has been about the same, even with more expensive veggies and fruits, probably because we’re making more food from scratch.  Cleaning supplies are probably about the same too. I’m still waiting to see what toiletries end up looking like, but that looks like it is costing quite a bit more.  

We have been filling up about one bag of trash a week.  Far less than before. We still have a lot of recycling, but more and more of it is paper, which we will eventually be able to use in the woodstove or in the worm bin.  And we’ll have a better sense of the trash and recycling situation once we are really done unpacking all of our boxes from the move.

For me, this has been a way to take on an environmental practice AND a way to be more connected to God’s creation.  I’m appreciating the spiritual practices of cooking and baking again, and recognizing that they don’t really take up that much time.  Plus, a little time making something delicious is good for my spirit, and for my body.

I also have a heightened sense of packaging now.  I notice everything. I can’t NOT see the packaging anymore.  The other day, I had to buy sugar while at Kimberton whole foods.  I couldn’t find a single sugar option that didn’t come in plastic. And I was really angry about it.  It has been important for me to have eyes to see the ways my consumption has impacted my spirit and God’s creation.  

I’ve had to learn to give myself grace during this season.  This is a practice, not a perfection, and there will be times when I have to buy sugar, and it only comes wrapped in plastic.  I am learning to give myself grace to find a better option next time, and to make the steps I can, where I can.

Most importantly, this has been a valuable practice of attentiveness to my impact on this earth.  And it’s a practice I expect to continue from here on out.