I went 10 days avoiding single-use plastic. It was impossible.
Tags: Sustainability, Wasted, Plastic Pollution, Food, Environment

The 10 days between the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the Days of Awe. This year, 5780 on the Jewish calendar, I joined a group of about 70 others and challenged myself to only eat food that didn’t come in single-use plastic packaging in the time between the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement.

It wasn’t easy.

Through an email chain, participants in the challenge kept each other accountable, lamented the difficulties, and discussed alternatives. For any plastic missteps, we were encouraged to donate to the climate activist group Sunrise Movement. Spoiler: Our group ended up donating more than $2,000 by the end of the 10-day period.

Immediately, everyone realized that without advanced preparation we were starting off with fridges and cabinets filled with food items stashed in plastic. Vegetables were in plastic bags; cookies were stored in plastic containers. I went into the challenge knowing that plastic water bottles are bad and proudly held up my S’well reusable water bottle, but plastics still seeped in.

The brand of kombucha I buy may come in glass jars, but the cap is wrapped in plastic. I wanted to grab Halloween candy from the communal office bowl, but each fun-sized piece was wrapped in plastic. (That’s no fun.) Even some tea bags come in small plastic bags. A trip to the office vending machine threw me off track straightaway. Everything. Has. Plastic. Wrapping.

For me, the challenge emphasized single-use. If plastic items trickled into my life, I wanted to make sure I reused them. So, a zip-close bag that had held something innocuous before Rosh Hashanah was kept in rotation to bring some orange slices into work. Even if the bag’s usefulness was only extended for a day, it felt like something before it was trashed. A UN Environment report on single-use plastic from last year states, “If current consumption patterns and waste management practices continue, then by 2050 there will be around 12 billion tonnes of plastic litter in landfills and the environment.”

A list of our collective plastic malfeasance on a group tracker for the 10-day challenge showed how single-use plastic is everywhere: Oranges are sold in a plastic mesh bag, hummus comes in a plastic container, an egg salad sandwich is wrapped in plastic. There are plastic-wrapped gummy candies, grocery store samples in a plastic holder, and those sneaky tea bags, too.

Avoiding single-use plastic beyond food-based products was also hard. My friend Shaina realized she relied on plastic bags to contain her sweaty gym clothes. I went to a media event where journalist notebooks were passed out — each one individually wrapped in plastic. One woman in a medical office noted the preponderance of single-use plastic for medical supplies.

For me, snack time was the hardest. I realized each bag of crackers or chips was packaged in some sort of plasticky material. Even if I bought a large bag of chips (still in verboten packing material, even if in multiple-use format) I was doling out a snack-sized portion to take into the office — into another plastic bag. I tried to reuse those plastic baggies, but my snack routine started to feel more plastic than real food.

You can try to avoid plastic, but it’ll find you. (IMAGE: BOB AL-GREENE / MASHABLE)

For many traveling during the holidays, avoiding plastic was … unavoidable. While on the road, one woman wrote, “This challenge has opened my eyes. And I have become much more aware of my choices. I have been traveling this week and found it almost impossible to avoid plastics.” Sandwiches are wrapped in plastic, plastic forks and knives are everywhere, and even hotel coffee can come in plastic pods.

Participants emailed about handing back sauces at Popeyes because they were only available in small plastic containers. Another woman needed advice on buying meat from the butcher without using plastic sheets for wrapping her cuts. Someone else wanted to buy a prepared salad for lunch, but felt bad about the container.

Healthy food choices were at odds with healthy packaging.

Eating to-go foods quickly becomes a plastic mess, from ketchup packets to containers for every side dish, sauce, and soup. For some, healthy food choices were also at odds with “healthy” packaging. One woman wrote to the group, “[I buy] a variety of pre-washed and prepped fruits and veggies since I don’t have access to kitchens on the road to prep. These items also always come in plastic containers. It is upsetting to think that making healthy decisions in terms of food on the road means hurting the environment.”

It’s not all hopeless. There are steps you can take that don’t mean skipping meals or ditching your favorite brand of yogurt.

One woman wrote to her local deli and asked them to stop using plastic wrapping materials. Hopefully she’ll keep us posted on a (positive) response. Others suggested asking stores, restaurants, and markets to look into compostable or other materials for packaging, with one man sharing his experience simply mentioning alternatives to workers at his local market.

Better yet, simply hand back the plastic bag or plastic packets and pull out your reusable one. Some states like California and New York charge a bag fee at grocery stores and some retailers. On the flip side, at places like Whole Foods, if you bring your own bag you can get a small credit to knock a few cents off the total or to donate to a charity. You should invest in reusable containers, especially glass ones and jars for storing and carrying food around. My chips can easily pack into a small glass jar or container, I just need to do that instead of grabbing the easy plastic bag.

Buy in bulk and find brands that offer bigger sizes instead of individual containers. This Chilean startup offers refills in sturdy, reusable containers for laundry detergent, hand soap, and other home essentials so you don’t have to constantly re-purchase the packaging or keep buying plastic. If you can make it work for you, eliminate any foods that come in plastic and seek out an alternative, whether that’s making your own coffee instead of a daily Starbucks order (or bringing your coffee cup to Starbucks for a fill) or buying sliced turkey from the counter and asking the butcher to put it in your own container instead of grabbing pre-packed slices. Not everywhere will be as open to providing your own packaging without a prior conversation and permission, but at least in California you can bring your own doggie bags to restaurants now.

The 365 days between today and next year is my round two for the plastic-avoidance challenge. I already know it’s impossible. This is a systemic problem and not something for single individuals to conquer. But there are organizations, companies, and activists trying to make it easier to exist without plastic. Concerned citizens aren’t just sitting back. An Ohio company is trying to encourage a zero-waste lifestyle. The Zero Waste Store packages everything (including shampoo!) in non-plastic ways. Even if it seems impossible that doesn’t mean I won’t try for a more plastic-free life.