Tiny Planet

The plastic-free challenge is officially at an end.  It lasted exactly 30 days.  It was not as difficult as we anticipated as we already put forth a considerable effort to reduce our plastic consumption.  The biggest challenge we faced was changing our shopping habits.  We no longer shopped at just one store and had to source fruits, veg, cheese, bread, etc. from a variety of different places.  This took a lot of time, a little bit extra money, and a few extra fossil fuels to get around. Beyond the reduction in plastic, there were many benefits to this as well!  We ate all organic, the bread was always fresh, the cheeses were delicious, and the food I cooked was healthy.

I just want to remind you of the plastic that we accumulated over one week:

One week’s plastic – before the challenge

Eggs comprised a large degree of our plastic waste.  We switched to organic eggs that came packaged in cardboard.  We eliminated all packaged foods (milk, pasta, chips, cheese as seen in the photo).  We also shopped at the organic vegetable market with cloth bags instead of buying the convenient, plastic-wrapped fruit and veg from the grocery store.

So, did we succeed in going 100% plastic-free?  No.  We still had a lot of plastic kicking around the house when we started our plastic free month and inevitably it was consumed.  Primarily this included lentils and dried fruit.  Also, we (mostly me) messed up a few times!

You’ll see from the photo below that the plastic we generated in one month is far less than that which we generated in one week before the challenge:

 

So, what did we learn?

• The deli is awesome!  Take your reusable container and fill that bad boy full of cheese!
• Everyone should own light-weight muslin/mesh baggies for their produce.  They’re just as convenient as their plastic counterparts and wash so easily in the sink.
• We’ve made a habit of saying “no straw please.”  We encourage you do develop that habit.  Restauranteurs all get it and are happy to oblige!
• Reduce first, then reuse, then recycle.  Yes, some plastic is unavoidable but it’s really easy to reduce your consumption.  Use what you can again.  Recycle as a last resort.  By the way, we look forward to the implementation of plastic recycling here in Phnom Penh (apparently coming soon!)

I’ve known my whole life that plastic pollution is bad for the planet. I try my best to reduce my consumption by limiting my use of plastic bags, bottles and take away containers. When I lived in Canada, I took solace in the fact that certain plastic items could be recycled (not an ideal solution) but now that I live in Phnom Penh, recycling is not an option and [almost] everything ends up in the trash.

Additionally, plastic consumption occurs here on a much larger scale than what I’m used to. Literally everything comes packaged in plastic bags. I mean, even my take away coffee comes in a plastic bag! And, of course, the extremely cheap, lightweight polystyrene container is very popular.

I mentioned in my first post that I’m seeing the devastating effects plastic has had on this country I call home. The average Cambodian uses 6 times more plastic bags than the average American, approximately 52 bags a week or 2700 bags a year (Plastic Free Cambodia).  Approximately 20% of trash collected in Phnom Penh consists of plastic bags and polystyrene food containers (Arduino).  The impact extends globally as the Mekong river drains into the South China sea where it is distributed throughout the Pacific ocean.  I’m sure you’ve seen the images of seabirds with bellies filled of plastic and turtles with straws stuck inside their naval cavities. And in case you haven’t…. 

Last year, my super-awesome friend decided that her birthday celebration would be a garbage cleanup around the streets of Phnom Penh.  That day, I collected countless straws and plastic bags.  They were literally everywhere.  Soon after, I came across the Plastic Free Cambodia  organisation and their simple, straightforward and impactful campaign to limit people’s plastic consumption. They initiated this campaign in attempts to change behaviours nationwide. Check out their video:

 

 

And so, my husband and I decided to take on  their one month plastic free challenge!  However, rather than eliminate our consumption of  only the top 5 plastic enemies, we decided to take it one step further and eliminate as much plastic as possible.

So, we sat down Christmas day and devised a plan of how and where to buy our staples without the packaging. With the help of friends we’ve created a list which we hope will evolve as we learn more and more. We hope it will help other Phnom Penhers too if they choose to take on the plastic-free challenge.  Stay tuned for my next blog post where I will publish this list!

 

 

Sources:

1. Robinson, Nathan J. “The Turtle That Became the Anti-Plastic Straw Poster Child.” Plastic Pollution Coalition. 11 Nov. 2015. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
2. Jordan, Chris. “Shocking Image of Dead Albatross’s Stomach Stuffed with Plastic Reveals Just How Much Garbage Is in Our Oceans.” Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 11 Dec. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.
3. “Plastic Free Cambodia Provides Education, Workshops and Alternatives.” Plastic Free Cambodia. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
4. Arduino, Serena. “Assessment on the Cost of Plastic Bags in Cambodia.” (n.d.): n. pag.Excess Baggage. Fondazione ACRA, Jan. 2016. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

It is the eve of our plastic-free month and I’m having heart palpitations.  I’m not sure I can do this.  This week, my husband and I decided to collect all the plastic we generated in order to assess the impact our efforts will have over the course of the coming month.  Almost every single thing we consumed contains plastic packaging. Food is the biggest culprit.  Milk, yoghurt, eggs, cheese, dried fruit, nuts, cereal…  All our staple foods come packaged in plastic.  

Plastic is a remarkable product.  It keeps things sealed & fresh, it is lightweight, durable, and inexpensive.   We’d be hard-pressed to function without it.  Plastic is the poster child of modern convenience.

But it is also a plague.  The properties we love about plastic have seen it destroy the environments we cherish.  Having lived the last 4.5 years in Phnom Penh, a city that is seeing remarkable growth, I see the ugly side of plastic daily.  Everywhere you go, the streets are lined with bags, straws, and water bottles.  My daily commute to work gets dirtier and dirtier every week.  It has gotten to the point where I look around and all I can see is plastic.  It is abhorrent.  And this is just a small snapshot of the world.  Environments everywhere are threatened by plastic pollution.

And I’m part of this problem.

So, it’s time to take action.  This is my commitment to the environment for the next month.  It is also my attempt to teach myself about how I can alter my behaviours long term.  In the process, through this blog, I hope to teach you about steps that can be taken to lead a life of less plastic.  

The ultimate goal is to go 100% plastic-free but I know that probably won’t happen.  Whatever plastic we do consume will be saved for the entire month.  Throughout this process, I’ll blog about steps taken and challenges faced.  Then, we’ll see how we fared in comparison to this last week.  Wish us luck!