The complexity continues as I realise that my usual quick, grab and go nut bar is wrapped in plastic. The cardboard box it comes in made me initially look over this item, so I will have to find something else to snack on.
I went out for lunch today with my friend and decided to check out Carls Jr to see what the hype was about (It was relatively new to Bush Inn). I was very disappointed; the food was average and there was so much plastic and waste. I asked for a glass of water and only managed to give back the straw but not the plastic lid they had already put on the disposable cup. Also, plastic cutlery. I won’t be going here again any time soon.
Talking with a friend about this behavioural change, at first, they said they didn’t really use plastics anyway, but after inquiring further found that they used a lot more than they had realised. I think a big part of this is awareness and making a conscious decision for products that are now habitual and unconscious.
To get back into a good vibe for plastic free, I went to visit Ethique where I had a very good experience. To find a shop that is at the forefront of the movement in sustainability was an excellent positive enabling factor. It sells shampoo and conditioner in a solid bar, so there is no plastic packaging #giveupthebottle. (Check them out here: ethiqueworld.com).
To find a shop that is at the forefront of the movement in sustainability was an excellent positive enabling factor.
It was also good to go with my flatmate as it gave me positive social reward, increasing my confidence in my decision and made me want to go back there again. Ethique is also an enabling factor that enables me to buy bathroom products without plastic.
I went out to Coffee Culture for a meeting and the first drink I bought was a glass bottle of juice. I didn’t ask for a straw and I was feeling pretty good about myself and my consumption decision. The meeting went on for a while, so I was offered another drink, I asked for an iced chocolate. It was late in warm day, so I didn’t want a coffee. It wasn’t until I had already started drinking when I realised I was drinking out of a plastic straw :( I don’t often get smoothies or iced drinks so it is going to be difficult to remember to ask to not have a straw.
Remember to ask to not have a straw.
Supermarket food shop: I have found it frustrating trying to find food that wasn’t wrapped in plastic! I asked at the deli counted if I could use a snap lock bag (at least it’s reusable) to put some salami in or if I could bring my own container, but there were problems with food safety i.e. if I got food poisoning then it could have been the container or the food and as a big company they have a lot of extra precautions in place to protect themselves. Instead, I went for a vegetarian option for dinner, using vegetables that I could find that were not wrapped in plastic. Even the ‘eco friendly’ washing powder has plastic on the inside. Talk about greenwashing much! So I will need to find an alternative way of doing it. That will be next week’s goal: Find plastic free washing powder.
On my way home, I stopped at the butcher and asked if I could bring my own container to put meat in and they were much more obliging and suggested an ice cream container (Plastic I know, but reusable) or I could bring my glass containers. Yay, I have achieved my goal for this week and found a way to get meat without the plastic packaging.
Wax covered cheese! That may be a way to have cheese without the plastic.
What about milk?
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Maybe I could get goat.
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This change is complex as it infiltrates every ares of life and often offers weak personal benefits for adopting the behaviour. It also consist of many individual actions that range from where you go to shop, to remembering to bring and use a re-usable bag with you at the supermarket, to refusing a plastic straw with your drink. The required thought behind everyday actions also puts this behaviour in a negative frame, making it more difficult to adopt. Therefore, when finding alternatives the place to find these must be easily accessible. Personally, if the butcher wasn’t in the Bush Inn center where I was shopping, I would not have gone there to inquire about a plastic free alternative to package the meat.
Furthermore, if online stores don’t offer NZ delivery, like many of the items on Amazon, or the delivery fee doubles the cost, it creates a massive barrier. I found this when trying to find a metal drink bottle, and didn’t buy one in the end due to the shipping costs. A lot of the alternatives are homemade so creating communities for online affiliation of like minded people to share ideas and get linked in for the betterment of the planet and individual gain would be a great way to reach anyone where-ever they are.