Consider for a moment the state of the world.
Increasing natural disasters including tornadoes, heat waves, and wildfires; climate change and rising sea levels; global wealth inequality and poverty threatening the lives of millions; ongoing racism, sexism, political division, and crime waves; plastics polluting our oceans.
Here a few of my least-favorite things: For most people, hand warmers are an eco-costly luxury; foil wrapped paper and candy packaging cannot be recycled; pet treats should be bought in bulk, or in large quantities to reduce packaging waste
Given the circumstances, is it possible we could live without a few extra consumables — if it would make a difference in the world?
I’m talking about living without “extras” that are non-essential, and for which many alternatives exist.
I’m talking about living without “extras” that are difficult to recycle, ecologically damaging to manufacture, and that add to our ever-increasing plastic waste and urban runoff.
Every item we buy has a small yet significant carbon footprint caused by its manufacturing, sale, transport, marketing, and eventual disposal. And some items are worse than others, especially those that are made of mixed materials and are difficult or impossible to recycle. It becomes additionally offensive when the item is inherently unnecessary and disposable.
I’m pledging to try to reduce my waste footprint this year, and here are some of the items I think I can live without:
Canned whip cream – The can is metal, but also has a plastic tip. It falls under the category of “mixed materials” which is so difficult to recycle. Isn’t fresh whip cream better tasting anyway? Not to mention the food additives found in many canned whip creams, even vegan ones.
Foil-wrapped candies and holiday wrapping paper including foil or metallic content. I’m trying to avoid metallic papers in food packaging and elsewhere. This material is impossible to recycle. According to Recyclenow.com, “Wrapping paper is often dyed, laminated and/or contains non-paper additives such as gold and silver colored shapes, glitter, plastics etc which cannot be recycled”
New pens and pencils – In our house we have approximately 10,000 pens, pencils, crayons, and markers in various states of wear, scattered in drawers, boxes, closets, and bins. It’s a goal of mine to collect and organize them, so that I’ll have a practically endless supply at hand.
Small plastic containers of anything. When possible, I hope to avoid buying plastic bottles and containers, especially small ones that hold a few ounces of dish soap, makeup, glue, paint, cleaning fluid, dental floss, toothpaste, and more. When forced to buy these items, I’ll go for the largest quantity available.
Cheap and quick solutions – This is anything that can be purchased as a quick fix for a trivial problem. I’d like to avoid buying scented air fresheners, plastic snack bag clips, beer can cozies, cheap multi-tools, plastic sandwich bags, paint stir sticks, lint rollers, book lights, door stops, gift wrap, paper towels, paper napkins, fabric softeners, holiday gift tags, coat hangers. Many of these items can be found for free, or else bypassed by improvising a solution.
Fancy cleaning supplies – The market for cleaning supplies was created from the top down by chemical corporations looking to diversify their product lines. As a small act of rebellion, I’ve settled on a mixture of 1 part white vinegar to 3 parts water as my “clean everything” solution. I also buy liquid dish soap in bulk, as well as large bottles of Doc Bronners liquid soap to use for handwashing. I plan to continue living without bleach, ammonia, SOS pads, 409, Comet, Borax, and other such cleaners that are unnecessary and also quite toxic.
New power tools – I do own several indoor and outdoor power tools, but when faced with the choice to purchase a new tool, I’ll always try to find a solution that involves the least amount of power consumption and noise. A rake is still far more effective and environmentally friendly than a leaf blower. And I would rather have a ragged looking lawn than purchase a new power power, even an electric one.
Single-serving snacks. Small bags of chips, snacks, and candies amplify waste. The smaller the bag, the more wasteful. Why buy 10 small bags of potato chips or 12 containers of single-serving yogurt? I will try to purchase larger quantities of food and snacks, or even better – use my own containers and purchase in bulk.
Thanks for contemplating my 2022 no-buy list. I plan to add to it as I discoaver new items I can live without. And while these changes may be small steps toward solving a huge problem, I hope that they will provide a shift in my thinking that could lead to larger, more impactful changes down the road.
