Plastic Free

I'm in the process of taking the Plastic Waste Challenge from Beth Terry's website.  www.myplasticfreelife.com  Some information about my first week is below:

What suggestions would you like from the group to reduce your plastic waste?
	How can I cut down my individual consumable items such as string cheese? Also since I work crazy hours (it's D.C.) what convenience foods are available that have no plastic?
Week Number
	1
List of plastic items you REFUSED this week. (Thanks!)
	Lids Straws Plastic Utensils plastic bags
Total number of plastic items in your stash
	36
List of recyclable items
	3 water bottles 3 Mountain Dew Bottles 1 Gallon Sweet Tea 1 Tide Detergent Bottle 1 Bottle Conditioner 2 Bottle Shampoo 1 Box pasta noodles (plastic window) 1 McDonalds Cup 1 ice pack container
List of non-recyclable items or those you are unsure of
	4 Straws 2 Styrofoam Cups 1 Candle lighter package 1 Hair Accessory Package 1 Pore Strip Packaging 3 Granola Bar packages 1 ramen package 1 bread plastic 1 plastic package for fresh Parsley 1 plastic six-pack ring 1 bag shredded cheese 1 individual string cheese wrapper 1 oatmeal lid 1 bag Doritos 1 bag Ruffles potato chips 1 styrofoam take out container (not pictured)
What items could I easily replace with plastic-free or less plastic alternatives?
	Drink items can be stored in reusable stainless steel bottles Straws can be replaced with a glass straw Plastic Utensils can be replaced with metal utensils Shampoo and Conditioner can be replaced with No-Poo (currently trying it, but not loving it)
What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic-free alternative doesn’t exist?
	Granola Bars (though I would want another fast snack) String Cheese Chips (these were leftovers from a camping trip) Bills or other mail with plastic windows candle lighter (I could use matches
What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?
	trash bags (my roommates aren't open to the idea of composting)
What lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption?
	I need to change my eating and cooking habits. I work a lot of weird hours for my job and most of the time I don't have the chance to cook and it look for convenience foods. I should look into bringing my own to-go containers with me.
What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week?
	This week I changed from using plastic utensils and paper plates at work to bringing my own dish and utensils. I want to look into using bulk bins more, though this will take extra planning since I've never made items like dry beans before.
What other conclusions, if any, can I draw?
	Most of the plastic I use is for convenience items. To make big plastic changes in my life I need to make sure that I plan my meals and time to fit this lifestyle.
Post Tags
	plastic bags plastic bottles plastic caps plastic containers plastic envelope windows plastic lids plastic packaging plastic straws plastic utensils plastic wrappers Styrofoam cups Styrofoam packaging plastic trash plastic waste plastic challenge