Emily, I am a fan, and now I'm really a fan. This part is fun, because rather than yelling at some corporation to quit being irresponsible, I make the changes. And, as you pointed out, it costs money. Money is the language of corporations, so individual choice does have an effect. I use HiBar shampoo for its plastic-free packaging. I use TruEarth laundry strips for the same reason. Ditto for toilet paper from Who Gives A Crap. Let's keep it up!
My wife and I have been trying to do this as well for the past couple of years and it's hard! As you noted, it takes so much time research to find products without plastic parts. A great example is a coffee maker - we got rid of ours that was mostly plastic and didn't want to spend hundreds of $ on an all-metal/glass drip machine. Instead, we went to a water kettle + french press, but there's a time cost to making coffee now, and with a young child at home, time is hard to come by...
We've kind of settled for a "doing our best" approach to try and replace high-usage items, focusing our time and money where it will have the most impact. Still, it's sad that this issue is put on the backs of consumers.
This might be sacrilege, but to avoid the time cost of plastic-free coffee I like to make a large batch of pourover early in the week/at night and store it in a mason jar in the fridge. Or I just try to think of the coffee making process as meditative when I'm feeling impatient. But I also don't have kids!
Your experiment is a real public service, Emily. My partner and I watched the documentary and quickly found ourselves going off the deep end when we did the plastic inventory in our house. But we are trying to remember Dr. Swan’s advice to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I also believe we may be at the beginning of a turning point in consumer consciousness, like with gluten free and vegan diets as you mentioned. I think that will also put more pressure on what must be the greediest and most corrupt industry in modern history. I am hoping for that. Thanks for being in the vanguard!
Oh, yikes: I didn't even consider the polyester aspect of clothing. The social costs of avoiding plastic are also something I'm glad you highlighted. When we're so conditioned to using disposable plastic, a small ask can seem like a chore when it really shouldn't be too difficult to accommodate. Continued good luck on your detox. 🙏
Wow good job. These always inspire me to dig into some of the published research & measurements. One or two showed that polyester fabrics from recycled material had twice the bisphenol content as "virgin" polyester. The used bottles that form the source for most recycled polyester usually contain bisphenols; virgin, not necessarily. During some activities, I'm covered from neck to ankle in that stuff. Also, some of those frisky scientists douse fabrics with lab-made "sweat" and lo-and-behold, more leaching from the fabric.
I might make an exception for the Birkenstock straps. It's a small area, though lots of movement, and apparently Birkenstock adheres to some Euro standard, "OKEA-TEX" for much of their components. So that bit of PVC or lining should (maybe, hopefully...) be free of 1000 hazardous additives. I was amused/annoyed by the moment in the movie where the lists of banned chemies in the US and and EU are shown side by side. Very short vs. very long.
I too have taken the plastic-free pledge and I started during Covid pandemic. I started in my bathroom first. I hated all the “safe” unbreakable plastic bottles. This is a long process but worth it to me.
I take a step back to our dependence on oil and gas. The petroleum industry loves to make more plastic for us while polluting our environment with no responsibility to clean up their costly messes.
So I am changing back to glass, silverware and cotton napkins and loving life so much more.
Thanks for taking on alternatives for plastics…or petroleum free!
We talked about these possible hurdles when you announced this idea and it's proving out to a degree. But it will be worth it in the end. You'll be a lot healthier and we'll all have a good idea on how we can implement as much of this in our own lives. Each of us will have to evaluate how much we want to follow you down this path together but it's all good. I look forward to reading more about your adventure.
I started sewing last year — partially to stop partaking in fast fashion and to reduce the plastics in my life. Thus, I'm very committed to using as few plastic products as possible ... the problem is that (as I'm sure you've noticed) a lot of times, a non-plastic alternative doesn't even exist. Want a non-plastic zipper? Buy a metal zipper instead — oh wait, the tape is polyester. Non-plastic thread? Well, there's Tencel(expensive and bad for the environment) Cotton (rips in high-use seams) and linen (expensive and rips in high-use seams). I've found workarounds for some things (using sew-in canvas instead of interfacing, looking for cotton batting instead of poly) but there's so many areas where it still finds its way in, even with an abundance of hobby shops and etsy vendors catering to "crunchy-ish" people. Really reaffirmed to me that capitalist solutions can only go so far to fix the problem. As long as these products are allowed, companies won't start the innovation necessary to replace them with healthier alternatives.
Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about situational agency and becoming plastic-aware is a horrifying endeavor at best. I, too, have been trying and trying and yet it is so incredibly difficult. But like the plastic-addicted/addled world we are, hopefully awareness is the first step to recovery. Ideally starting at the highest levels (plastics treaties! circular economies!) so we consumers can find our situational agency just a wee bit easier!
Yeah, I think the key is just trying to control what's in your own home, and making replacements slowly so it doesn't overwhelm you mentally or financially.
Thank you Emily, for doing the expensive testing for the cause. Since I am also struggling through the plastic detox, and having begun about the same time as you, I will imagine your results to be about the same as mine would be! I’m taking a similar approach: I will do the best I can, realizing sometimes that plastic products cannot be eliminated entirely.
Tip—I found organic cotton underwear at Quince; bundle of 6 for cheap. Check out kitchen sponges made of coconut husks (love them).
I found the comparison to being a vegetarian in the 90s super accurate. I was a vegetarian in high school in the midwest in the early 2000's. It was awful. People were mean and sometimes "mice" which is being mean nice by pretending your discomfort is about my health, but having no health knowledge and not providing any healthy vegetarian foods. Classmates sometimes hid meat in my food too.
I try to limit microplastics, but it is really difficult and more expensive. And I really don't want to hoard tons of stuff because it overwhelms me so finding the sweet spot between keeping all glass jars and having the glass jars I would actually use is a struggle.
Love that your friends were supportive and appreciate the honest takes!
To echo some recs in the comments, I'm a big fan of who gives a crap for toilet paper and paper towels (which I use sparingly, but prefer for pet icks). I also started using good store and like their kitchen products so far.
I don't know if you follow the woman who goes by Zero Waste Chef, but she has a lot of good swaps too and is super thrifty and practical.
What have you found to be the most impactful switches that are relatively easy to make (the low hanging fruit)? I probably can't realistically go plastic free entirely, but would love to prioritize making the changes that will have the biggest impact (both in terms of personal health, and the environment). Thanks!
The first changes I made were in the things I boil water and heat food in. So a plastic-free water kettle was high on the list. It was also pretty easy to replace plastic spatulas/cooking spoons with wood and stainless steel. And I'm unexpectedly enjoying the plastic replacements in my bathroom (toothpaste tablets, shampoo + conditioner bars)
While there's a lot admirable about this effort, it's a little disappointing how focused it is on individual choices. I've made a lot of swaps in my life to cut out excess plastic where I can, but I rely on a handful of different medications and supplements to be healthy (enough) to function. Those come in plastic, full stop. There aren't other options.
And there are a lot of people who rely on all kinds medications and aids that are exclusively made of or sold in plastic. When we're talking about our responsibility to the planet, it's easy (and correct!) to say that medical requirements are exempt from the need to cut down on plastics based on petroleum. But if we're talking about health risks associated with exposure to plastic, then it's wildly unfair to simply write off people who don't have another choice than plastic.
The solution can't just be that people who can choose to opt out do, we have to advocate for other choices to even be available. I appreciate that you've grappled some with the financial and social cost of opting out of plastic, but this approach is still just that: an option you get to make that a lot of people simply don't. Individual solutions leave people behind.
Emily, I am a fan, and now I'm really a fan. This part is fun, because rather than yelling at some corporation to quit being irresponsible, I make the changes. And, as you pointed out, it costs money. Money is the language of corporations, so individual choice does have an effect. I use HiBar shampoo for its plastic-free packaging. I use TruEarth laundry strips for the same reason. Ditto for toilet paper from Who Gives A Crap. Let's keep it up!
Thank you for the recs!
I love Hibar! And was wondering about all kinds of toilette type products as I read this piece.
My wife and I have been trying to do this as well for the past couple of years and it's hard! As you noted, it takes so much time research to find products without plastic parts. A great example is a coffee maker - we got rid of ours that was mostly plastic and didn't want to spend hundreds of $ on an all-metal/glass drip machine. Instead, we went to a water kettle + french press, but there's a time cost to making coffee now, and with a young child at home, time is hard to come by...
We've kind of settled for a "doing our best" approach to try and replace high-usage items, focusing our time and money where it will have the most impact. Still, it's sad that this issue is put on the backs of consumers.
This might be sacrilege, but to avoid the time cost of plastic-free coffee I like to make a large batch of pourover early in the week/at night and store it in a mason jar in the fridge. Or I just try to think of the coffee making process as meditative when I'm feeling impatient. But I also don't have kids!
Your experiment is a real public service, Emily. My partner and I watched the documentary and quickly found ourselves going off the deep end when we did the plastic inventory in our house. But we are trying to remember Dr. Swan’s advice to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I also believe we may be at the beginning of a turning point in consumer consciousness, like with gluten free and vegan diets as you mentioned. I think that will also put more pressure on what must be the greediest and most corrupt industry in modern history. I am hoping for that. Thanks for being in the vanguard!
Oh, yikes: I didn't even consider the polyester aspect of clothing. The social costs of avoiding plastic are also something I'm glad you highlighted. When we're so conditioned to using disposable plastic, a small ask can seem like a chore when it really shouldn't be too difficult to accommodate. Continued good luck on your detox. 🙏
Wow good job. These always inspire me to dig into some of the published research & measurements. One or two showed that polyester fabrics from recycled material had twice the bisphenol content as "virgin" polyester. The used bottles that form the source for most recycled polyester usually contain bisphenols; virgin, not necessarily. During some activities, I'm covered from neck to ankle in that stuff. Also, some of those frisky scientists douse fabrics with lab-made "sweat" and lo-and-behold, more leaching from the fabric.
I might make an exception for the Birkenstock straps. It's a small area, though lots of movement, and apparently Birkenstock adheres to some Euro standard, "OKEA-TEX" for much of their components. So that bit of PVC or lining should (maybe, hopefully...) be free of 1000 hazardous additives. I was amused/annoyed by the moment in the movie where the lists of banned chemies in the US and and EU are shown side by side. Very short vs. very long.
I love this so much! Feeling inspired to do a detox of my own.
Let's go!! It's annoying for sure but also kind of rewarding and fun
I too have taken the plastic-free pledge and I started during Covid pandemic. I started in my bathroom first. I hated all the “safe” unbreakable plastic bottles. This is a long process but worth it to me.
I take a step back to our dependence on oil and gas. The petroleum industry loves to make more plastic for us while polluting our environment with no responsibility to clean up their costly messes.
So I am changing back to glass, silverware and cotton napkins and loving life so much more.
Thanks for taking on alternatives for plastics…or petroleum free!
We talked about these possible hurdles when you announced this idea and it's proving out to a degree. But it will be worth it in the end. You'll be a lot healthier and we'll all have a good idea on how we can implement as much of this in our own lives. Each of us will have to evaluate how much we want to follow you down this path together but it's all good. I look forward to reading more about your adventure.
I started sewing last year — partially to stop partaking in fast fashion and to reduce the plastics in my life. Thus, I'm very committed to using as few plastic products as possible ... the problem is that (as I'm sure you've noticed) a lot of times, a non-plastic alternative doesn't even exist. Want a non-plastic zipper? Buy a metal zipper instead — oh wait, the tape is polyester. Non-plastic thread? Well, there's Tencel(expensive and bad for the environment) Cotton (rips in high-use seams) and linen (expensive and rips in high-use seams). I've found workarounds for some things (using sew-in canvas instead of interfacing, looking for cotton batting instead of poly) but there's so many areas where it still finds its way in, even with an abundance of hobby shops and etsy vendors catering to "crunchy-ish" people. Really reaffirmed to me that capitalist solutions can only go so far to fix the problem. As long as these products are allowed, companies won't start the innovation necessary to replace them with healthier alternatives.
The system is clearly what's broken here. But super highly applaud your effort!
Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about situational agency and becoming plastic-aware is a horrifying endeavor at best. I, too, have been trying and trying and yet it is so incredibly difficult. But like the plastic-addicted/addled world we are, hopefully awareness is the first step to recovery. Ideally starting at the highest levels (plastics treaties! circular economies!) so we consumers can find our situational agency just a wee bit easier!
Take your own cup, glass, plate, knife, fork, and spoon with you!
I feel like I almost need to quit my job just so I can do this. It's soo unnecessarily time consuming to avoid plastic along with the high cost !
Yeah, I think the key is just trying to control what's in your own home, and making replacements slowly so it doesn't overwhelm you mentally or financially.
Thank you Emily, for doing the expensive testing for the cause. Since I am also struggling through the plastic detox, and having begun about the same time as you, I will imagine your results to be about the same as mine would be! I’m taking a similar approach: I will do the best I can, realizing sometimes that plastic products cannot be eliminated entirely.
Tip—I found organic cotton underwear at Quince; bundle of 6 for cheap. Check out kitchen sponges made of coconut husks (love them).
I found the comparison to being a vegetarian in the 90s super accurate. I was a vegetarian in high school in the midwest in the early 2000's. It was awful. People were mean and sometimes "mice" which is being mean nice by pretending your discomfort is about my health, but having no health knowledge and not providing any healthy vegetarian foods. Classmates sometimes hid meat in my food too.
I try to limit microplastics, but it is really difficult and more expensive. And I really don't want to hoard tons of stuff because it overwhelms me so finding the sweet spot between keeping all glass jars and having the glass jars I would actually use is a struggle.
Love that your friends were supportive and appreciate the honest takes!
To echo some recs in the comments, I'm a big fan of who gives a crap for toilet paper and paper towels (which I use sparingly, but prefer for pet icks). I also started using good store and like their kitchen products so far.
I don't know if you follow the woman who goes by Zero Waste Chef, but she has a lot of good swaps too and is super thrifty and practical.
What have you found to be the most impactful switches that are relatively easy to make (the low hanging fruit)? I probably can't realistically go plastic free entirely, but would love to prioritize making the changes that will have the biggest impact (both in terms of personal health, and the environment). Thanks!
The first changes I made were in the things I boil water and heat food in. So a plastic-free water kettle was high on the list. It was also pretty easy to replace plastic spatulas/cooking spoons with wood and stainless steel. And I'm unexpectedly enjoying the plastic replacements in my bathroom (toothpaste tablets, shampoo + conditioner bars)
While there's a lot admirable about this effort, it's a little disappointing how focused it is on individual choices. I've made a lot of swaps in my life to cut out excess plastic where I can, but I rely on a handful of different medications and supplements to be healthy (enough) to function. Those come in plastic, full stop. There aren't other options.
And there are a lot of people who rely on all kinds medications and aids that are exclusively made of or sold in plastic. When we're talking about our responsibility to the planet, it's easy (and correct!) to say that medical requirements are exempt from the need to cut down on plastics based on petroleum. But if we're talking about health risks associated with exposure to plastic, then it's wildly unfair to simply write off people who don't have another choice than plastic.
The solution can't just be that people who can choose to opt out do, we have to advocate for other choices to even be available. I appreciate that you've grappled some with the financial and social cost of opting out of plastic, but this approach is still just that: an option you get to make that a lot of people simply don't. Individual solutions leave people behind.
I think maybe you missed my first article on this! I totally acknowledge all of this. https://heated.world/p/detoxing-my-life-resentfully