The Rs of disposable plastics go:

1. RETHINK 2. REFUSE


(+ REDUCE, REUSE, REPAIR, and “RECYCLE”…if you must).

To help you reduce your own plastic waste, just remember the simple advice above.  To elaborate:

  • Rethink your use of plastics. Remembering that every plastic item ever created still exists, ask yourself whether that disposable convenience is really worth it?  That plastic granola wrapper (for e.g.) will be on this planet for thousands of years…(could you do without it, or make/find a better treat?)
  • Part of rethinking is to start recognizing where all of the disposable plastic items in your life are coming from.  What are your own bad plastic manners?  What items are you just buying out of habit?  Are others constantly imposing plastics on you without notice?
  • Armed with awareness, get disciplined about refusing single-use disposable plastics.
  • Start with the easy things, refusing coffee lids, straws in drinks, plastic bags, cutlery, wrapped muffins etc etc.  So easy.
  • Then, move onto the ‘harder’ things, sourcing one alternative at a time.  Be creative!

For me, this refusing business has become a really fun and rewarding challenge.  It never ends, but it has become second nature.  And finding/making alternatives is even better, if you even needed replacements in the first place .  If there are two things that I have learned during this project, is that:

  1. Convenience is not what makes life colourful.
  2. There is abundance in going without.

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Now, let everyone know what plastic you refused today.  Snap a shot of your refusal, or you can use these handy plastic refusal cards and place them in plastic places (you can either print single or double sided).  Send pictures to me at plasticmanners@yahoo.ca and I will share with others.   Together we can prevent a whole bunch of trash with a number of small refusals.

To start, I refused a small plastic butter packet.  I asked the restaurant to bring me a slab of butter from the kitchen on a plate instead.  Browse the gallery below to see what others have REFUSED!

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For great alternatives, and more specific tips, please visit my Tips and Alternatives page, or Fake Plastic Fish’s The List of Plastic Free Changes.