Tomorrow is the last day of our Plastic-Free July journey for 2020. Thank you so much for sticking with me! We explored plastic-free swaps, how to turn kitchen scraps into a mini garden, the impact of the current pandemic, and more. Now it is time to take stock of what we have accumulated and come to terms with the outcome. Given the current state of things, living plastic-free has not be easy by any means. More and more items, aside from the usual packaged products, are coming wrapped in plastic. Reusable bags and containers brought from home are not allowed in stores, which makes sense given these uncertain times, but can be frustrating.

As upsetting as the accumulation of plastic is, especially plastic that cannot be repurposed, things could always be worse. I ended up with more plastic waste that my fiancé ended up tossing so I didn’t get a chance to photograph it. These items were not recyclable. I could have used Terracycle, but it was too expensive. Since I don’t have the image, I will list what was in the container:

• Clamshell container (it had a sandwich and then served as my plastic waste vessel for the month)
• Mixed-materials packaging bag tops (x4) that contained some plastic.
• 7 tea bag wrappers
• Broken plastic fork (used until it broke)
• 2 cup noodle wrappers

The plastic products that we were able to recycle were:

• 7+ Produce bags
• 4 empty wonton bags
• 2 empty stuffed gnocchi bags (I make an exception for Trader Joe’s because they’re amazing, and one of the few products with tomato sauce I can eat.)

Items bought in plastic that haven’t been consumed yet:

• Garbanzo beans
• Red lentils
• Senbei
• Basmati rice
• Tortilla chips
• Thyme, dill, and rosemary

All-in-all, not too bad. Unpackaged items, especially food, are very difficult to find where we live. Even the produce sections aren’t selling many fruit and veg unpackaged. In my opinion, that is okay. Right now, precautions are being taken to keep us safe, and plastic is relatively easy to disinfect. If you are overly upset at your accumulation of plastic waste, don’t be. We have to look at ever facet: Living situation, location, whether we are in a food desert or not, income, current events that could shape things, etc. Do better when we’re not in the midst of a pandemic. Stay safe and healthy.

Peace & Love, always!