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I've shampooed my hair with bi-carb and cleaned my teeth with soap - great, thank you.

Anne

I'm 15 so I can't practice going to plastic free till I move out of my parents house. All but one of the schools in my area HAVE industrial sized DISHWASHERS but they GIVE us STYROFOAM plates/trays and plastic sliverware. When I was young child, they used to give us reusable plastic trays, but have gave us throw away stuff for the last couple of years. Giving us washable plastic is better then throwing it away after one use.

I practice a lot of these ideas (I especially hate styrofoam) and I always carry a reusable to go box with me for restaurant leftovers or carryout.  There is one plastic I have invested in that I will have for a long time. I found CRESBI crates to use for groceries because they are lightweight yet rigid collapsible crates and keep my food from being crushed like it would in a bag.   They stack in my cart and I put my products in them as I shop. Then I just set the crates on the conveyer and the checker scans them in the cart.  Plus they can be thrown in the dishwasher so no bacteria worries.  They cost more than a bag but like I said, I'll have them a long time.

I've been looking around for a good under-the-counter water filtering system that doesn't use plastic, and it's not an easy pursuit. However, I wanted to let everyone know that I found this place: http://oasiscoolers.com/

The housings for the filters is plastic, but this company sells the refills as solid carbon tubes, without extra plastic. From what I've researched, you can just crumble up the old filters, and add them to soil. Apparently it's also possible to purify them in boiling water and baking, but that can be smelly and dangerous.

Hi. I just purchased the Green pan. It's non stick but its not made from Teflon and it supposed to be non toxic. Did I make a right choice? I did give away all my old non stick pots and pans. Thanks!

Hi, if you are recomending people buy and use CFL bulbs perhaps you should let them know they contain mercury, so they must not be broken and  require special disposial programs. ?

Hi Beth. I just saw "Bag It" again and noticed it is you in the movie. Beautiful job. I also have a new post about Plastic free Tupperware system. I would appreciate your imput. Thank you so much for everything you are doing. You are truly amazing and are making a difference.

http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-to-simplify-and-organise-your.html

Hey there!

I guess not all people have access to farmer's markets, so we gotta make a point of not wanting plastic. So tell the store you don't want to buy plastic foil, you want to buy bananas who already have a protective casing for god's sake, and a biodegradable one to boot!

I remember the beginnings of environmental awareness here in Germany, back when I was a kid. In increasing numbers and fed up with all the effing plastic and shrink wrap around fruit and veg and the completely unnecessary double and triple wrapping of already wrapped items if there's several of them. 

So people would unwrap the things right in the store, at the checkout, and leave the plastic there for the store to dispose of. The method is simple, easy and saves space in the bin at home, so a lot of people started doing it. After some time, guess what happened? Especially in the fruit and veg department, plastic and shrink wrap began to recede. I guess things would take a little longer what with the US being a much bigger country, but you gotta start somewhere. Keep it up!

Here's a tip for those in Southern California, along the same lines as the pizza table idea: if you ask the taco shop to put hot sauce directly in your burrito, you can avoid those little ramekins.The sauce heats to the temp of the burrito, and I've found that to be more pleasant to eat, anyway. Just make sure they wrap it up in paper or foil!

Additionally, I recommend those who enjoy craft beer get growlers for your local breweries, and reuse them, rather than buying new glass. Part of this entire thing, in a larger context, is cutting back on the need to manufacture unnecessary items.

You act like plastic containers and bags choose to get blown down the street after its use is up, plastic doesn't have legs it can't do that. How it gets disposed of is up to people they choose whether to litter or recycle. Yes, recycling can be costly and yes it will degrade a material slightly but why does that matter when recycled plastic goes into making other bottles, trek decking, flower pots and children toys; items that do not need the best properties. A big thing is garbage cans, what alternative material will you use if you need a new garbage can (outdoor ones you but all trash bags in for garbage men)? Making a garbage can out of any time of metal would be ridiculous and making it out of wood would be heavy. Or are you just going to continue to use garbage bags which are made out of plastic? I'm sorry to inform you but plastic will not go anywhere: it's versitile, cheap, and has a quick production when compared to glass paper and your stainless steel. With the finding of the Marcellus Shale there will be enough petroleum to keep the plastic industry alive and kicking for years to come.

Did you know that several types of bulletproof glass are actually made out of plastic, that being polycarbonate. Bulletproof vests also include polycarbonate and Kevlar, bulletproof vests you know the ones protecting the men and women protecting this country's freedom. So are you saying we should live without plastic so if this men and women need protection they shouldn't get it because plastic is bad.

Clothes, nylon and polyester, those are plastic fibers. So hopefully you don't ever buy clothes made from those materials.

Automobiles, hopefully y'all only buy used cars because did you ever stop and think about how much plastic is in a car? The dash, interior door panels, bumpers, mirrors, etc. So here's a scenario: you car gets a decent dent or underneath it starts to rust out what do you do? Leave it? Buy a new bumper which is plastic? Or use Bondo or a similar product to patch it; which is primarily polyester.

Plastic is a huge part of the medical field. Many medical parts are made out of plastic because most of the parts are one time use due to sanitary issues. So why do they choose plastic over another material? Because its more cost effective they can produce more of the component and use less energy making the same number of parts.

Sorry if I duplicate (there are too many posts to read right now!). Two ideas:

The Crockpot Lady makes yogurt in a slow cooker. Haven't tried it myself yet but I hope to.

I bought my guitar-playing husband a pick punch. It punches guitar picks from plastic credit cards and gift cards. One punch within a circle of musical friends would be enough. Different weights of plastic suit different players. Saves the plastic from buying new picks from the store.

Love your ideas and commitment. Thanks!

Hi. I love this site! After having recently moved from Oahu I have regained my plight to stop wasting so much. Sadly, on such a beautiful island, the amount of extra waste is sickening - Styrofoam take out every where. Anyhow, I truly love your site and feel that it is really a spiritual path. It takes such dedication and commitment. I was wondering about how you feel when eating out with others who don't share your philosophy. I am normally pretty low key but the other day I was at the market and found myself a very heavy presence towards my brother and his girlfriend for drinking smoothes out of disposable plastic cups with plastic straws. I had a hard time even being present with them I got so angry! Any tips?

Hi Beth. I also noticed you mentioned Yogurt  in you list, because of the plastic container. I found two options for that problem. My family LOVE plain yogurt and i had to find a way.

1. Here ia California, I found "saint benoit yogurt" which is in returnable glass container. It is a little pricy for the amount of yogurt we consume.

2. Make my own. I made my own for a while. But the results were very unpredictable. It started to stress me out. So i just invested in a yogurt maker and am waiting for it to arrive. I buy organic milk in returnable glass, so making yogurt will not generate any extra waste. Here is a likt to the yogurt maker i ordered. I made sure it comes with glass bottles, not plastic. As far as the actual machine goes, i am afraid there is no ther chice but plastic.

Here is a link to the yogurt maker

http://thegreenminimalist.blogspot.com/p/the-green-minimalist-store.html

I double checked the link and it links you to my store. I am having a hard time linking it directly to only the yogurt maker.Sorry.  But please go to kitchen category and one of the last ones is the yogurt maker. I also ordered extra glasses. This one has an authomatic shut off and has great ratings.

Thank you Beth for everything you are doing.

Hi Beth! Thanks for this great list. I work in climate change research and I'm always looking for ways to reduce my waste, but plastics can be so overwhelming. It;s helpful to a  list of ideas I wouldn't have thought of, and that have already been tested out. I wanted to offer one thing to add to your list in the kitty section. It's often really hard to find attractive looking cat scratchers in general, much less eco-friendly ones. So I was really excited when I found the sky scratcher on etsy. The designers use a central wooden post on which they stack floors of cardboard, without any adhesives or added chemicals. The floors can be replaced once they're worn out, which means only replacing those specific sections rather than the whole scratcher. Check it out here http://tinyurl.com/skyscratcher.

What a wonderful list. Loved every one of your ideas. Here is a post about how i have a plastic free freezer. I have been doing it for over a year now without any problems.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5699040314448130509#editor/target=post;postID=5104955116066503891

I was going to ramble on about how stupid this article was, about how chemicals from plastics can only leach from the material when its a molten liquid, how its actually more environmentally friendly to make and transport plastic bags vs. paper bags, and about how outdated some of this material you base these 'facts' on, actually are. Rather, i'll just laugh to myself and know that the dumb preach to the uninformed.

Hi, ingallsa18.  I, too, am gluten intolerant.  There are several brands of pasta out there that are gluten free and in a box and don't really cost a lot more than regular pastas.  Hodgson Mills makes mostly wheat products, but also some guaranteed gf products.  They actually taste pretty good.  I have found Hodgson Mills and DeBoles at my local grocery store in the health food aisle.  If you don't find them there, check for a diet food aisle or where the regular pasta is.  At one store I went to, the Hodgson Mills was in a diet food area separate from the regular pastas and health food.  I never could figure that one out.

Hodgson Mills http://www.hodgsonmillstore.com/en/gluten-free/gluten-free.aspx?p=1-12

DeBoles  http://www.deboles.com/products/gluten-free-pasta.php

Vitacost is a big company that carries many products of various brands.  They carry several brands of gf pasta.  Here is the link to their gf pastas for sale.  Ancient Harvest is a good company.  They make guaranteed gf quinoa and quinoa pasta.

http://www.vitacost.com/pasta-7

All of these products are in cardboard/paper boxes.  They have plastic windows, but between being guaranteed gf and having less plastic packaging, are very good options.

I would love to buy more bulk items, but my family has many food allergies.  I have not ever seen gluten free pasta in a bulk, probably because of the risk of cross-contamination.  I also have a deadly peanut allergy and have to be careful of the bulk section if there are nuts.  If anyone has a suggestion, or knows of a source of gluten free pasta in a box (even with a window, it would be less plastic) I would appreciate it.  I know I could attempt to make gf pasta, but I am already a bit overwhelmed learning to revamp my baked goods recipes.  Thank you,

Amy

Just wanted to say, I loved your book and it has inspired me to make a lot of changes in the way we do things around our home.  It drives my husband a little crazy, but even he is coming around to the non-plastic lifestyle!  

I am also trying to pass on your message down under through my own blog.  Thanks for the inspiration

Can't you freeze liquids such as broth and sauces in glass jars?  I've not yet mastered canning - my attempted have failed and proved inedible.  So for now, I freeze things.  I do try to wash and reuse the freezer bags that I do use - it's the best I can do for now.

This list makes my attempts to live a plastic free life look pathetic!  Clearly I am not trying hard enough and am going to have to make more of an effort

I am so inspired by this list! I have been on a green journey for years now, and there are many, many great ideas here to keep me going and help me continue to make progress. I also have a few suggestions:

-A baby section: cloth diapering/cloth wipes; avoiding prepared baby food: make your own, or do baby-led weaning/baby-led solids; natural rubber pacifiers, breastfeeding or using glass baby bottles–maybe there are plastic-free formula brands?

#29. You can also make soy milk or nut milk in a vitamix.

#44. You can also make deodorant from equal parts coconut oil, baking soda, and corn starch. The consistency is more like store-bought, so it may make for an easier transition for some people.

#50. You can also switch to reusable toilet paper. It's similar to using cloth wipes for baby. You just cut flannel or other fabric into rectangles and keep a little storage container for them in the bathrooms. Then launder. It's just like using hankies.

#52. You can make your own sunscreen as well.

Lizzyand all,

I have 5 abcessed teeth and am thinking I need dentures at this point. The dentures are plastic and are making people sick,,,,any alternative suggestions or people who have found biological dentures that are safe.Help?

Kate

Hi there, I'm really digging reading your plastic-free tips! I actually found some lunchskins bags at Target and I was so excited! 

I was wondering if you have any tips about buying meat, like chicken breasts, without plastic waste. I only ever see it being sold on those styrofoam trays wrapped in plastic!