Breaking the Plastic Habit

I'm so excited about my first blog post on Love 2 Upcycle. Based on the title you would never know that I plan to make my feature center around gardening, but that is the idea. What inspired this title you ask? All the plastic bags that lodged themselves in my shrubbery. They didn't even come from my yard but they ended up here anyway.

The Problem:

Do you have a plastic bag problem? or even a paper bag problem? If I forget to take my reusable bags, I generally get paper over plastic, but only if they have handles. (Seriously what is the use of a bag with no handles?) Even doing that I have managed to collect an alarming number of plastic bags over the last year.

The problem is that plastic doesn't biodegrade, it is with us forever. If you want to hear more about the  larger plastic problem, check out this article on the Great Plastic Garbage Patch in the South Pacific:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/environmental/earth/oceanography/great-pacific-garbage-patch2.htm

The Rationalization:
Why do we continue to use plastic bags from the grocery store?

"I'll use them for my trash bags." is my personal favorite. I use it all the time.

"I forgot my reusables." Sigh, only too true.

"They are so handy." Especially those Ziploc's.

Alternatives:


There are a lot of great alternatives to plastic bags. Here are a few options:

Reusing:


What if you have a stash like mine? Rather than throw them away here are some fun ways other (smarter than me) people have come up with to reuse plastic bags.

99 ways to reuse plastic bags (How Stuff Works)

Plastic Bag Crafts (Green Living Tips)

Hoping your garden is a little greener,

Nikki
www.etsy.com/shop/ThisNThatbyNikki

Wasteless Wednesday!

Better known in the Twitter world, but quickly gaining momentum elsewhere is a new green trend tagged #WastelessWed for Wasteless Wednesday! It's a movement to take pause for one day to reflect on how we can find ways to waste less and save resources. To help you find easy ways to achieve this, we will offer you a week's worth of tips each Wasteless Wednesday right here on Love 2 Upcycle! Let's work together to Waste Less!

1. Of course, no self respecting leader of a team called Upcyclers would miss the obvious first tip: Support the upcycling movement by either purchasing upcycled products or creating your own! Products created by our team can be found by searching Etsy with the tag: teamupcyclers.


2. Pack a green lunch! Use a lunch box or tote to carry it and use reusable bags instead of plastic.

Greener Route

3. Use a reusable To-Go Glass or Cup!

Poppy and Pearl Co.

4. Don't grab a paper towel to wipe up~ grab a washable dishcloth instead.

Stagnant Gypsy

5. Here's another sustainable way to wipe up a different kind of mess {yuck!}, or just their runny noses~ Reusable baby wipes or as Sweet Memories Quilts calls them: Organic Bummy Wipes!

6. Use recycled business cards. These are printed on post-consumer packaging!

Vintage Script Press

7. Bring your own bag to the market~ We're begging you!

In(c). factory

Tune in again next week for another week's worth of ways to Waste Less!