For years I’ve been making my own muesli in a 6 quart cereal storage container. After adding all the ingredients I roll it around until they are fully mixed. Recently I’ve become concerned about how much plastic is shedding into my otherwise healthy breakfast, so I searched on Amazon and Google for a “6 quart glass storage container”. I’ve found nothing remotely close to the right size and shape. Infuriatingly, most of the search results are plastic. Does anyone have a suggestion?

​

https://preview.redd.it/yjj2smxjfh8c1.png?width=526&format=png&auto=webp&s=48a3273e630afe0f9478b71fa82152ec7379e248

Today I received silicone reusable "Ziploc" style bags.

They arrived in a plastic envelope, in shrink wrapped plastic. I really wish purveyors of these types of products would look at packaging alternatives.

🙃

My roommate is paralyzed from the chest down and uses a wheelchair. I'm his live-in caregiver. The way we do meals is I prep his meals in advance and put them in the fridge in containers, so he can eat his breakfast with oatmeal or heat up his dinner whenever he wants without us worrying about me being home at the time (I also have a full-time office job). I made the switch years ago to storing all my food in glass when needed, but he's the type who buys the cheapest of everything and uses the cheapest possible option, and I'm now genuinely worried about all the microplastics he's ingesting when microwaving his dinners. Glass isn't a good option for him because it's so much heavier -- he needs to carry it from the fridge to the microwave to the table either on his lap or on his tray in his lap (maybe he doesn't have to worry about Pyrex breaking if it accidentally drops on the hard floor, but that's because it's even heavier). Is there a lightweight, plastic-free material out there that's used to make food storage containers?

I am glad I did it. I thought it would be tough but I didn't expect the reaction I got from my husband....whom I told didn't have to participate. He was surprised at how hard it was. I started preparing a month ago for my one week trial. I prepared my menu in advance and made sure I could succeed and I still ended up with plastic in one-way or another.

I can't unsee all the uneccesary plastic at the grocery store now. I wish we could go back to a time when before plastic was invented and then just introduce plastic in very selected places. I do think plastic has a part in medicine and other areas but it is all around us now.

Did it change anything for me? I think I will bake bread more often. I am still wondering if I can find tortillas not in plastic. I did make my own sour cream. It tastes fine but isn't the right consistency. I got the recipe from "Zero Waste Chef" by Anne-Marie Bonneau.

I became friends with our county solid waste coordinator and I think I will trying working with her to help with recycling education. I think so many people in my area are very unaware of how damaging all this plastic is partly because they don't know that it isn't being recycled. And if it isn't or can't be recycled then we just need to get it out of our lives. EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

​

I decided on tuna sandwiches for day five of the no-plastic week. I wanted to do ham or turkey but my local deli puts it in plastic. However I found that if I bring my own bag to the market, (which is one of their bags, washed and cleaned) then would hand me the meat to put in the bag and then give me the sticker for the price.

Before I knew this deli trick I decided on tuna sandwiches. And on the day of prep I realized that the mayonnaise comes in plastic. I had two jars in the fridge and both were plastic. What to do to get the tuna to stick together. I used cream cheese. Please don't tell me the foil wrapper on cream cheese is half plastic. Anyway...it worked. No one noticed.

Is there a brand of mayo that comes in glass? Do I need to make my own mayo?

I think that is what no-plastic week has done for me. I found more plastic in my house that I had imagined.

Day four of no-plastic week. Taco salad. I made handmade tortillas because I can't figure out a way to buy them not in plastic. I used Mesa to make them and they were not great. Then we baked a few to cut up for chips. What is a taco salad with out chips? They didn't taste bad it was wasn't the right crunch. Parts were crunchy and parts were chewy.

What to do? Maybe I could change to tostados. Can I find a local tortilla maker and go to her shop? Give up on corn tortillas and learn to make flour ones.

I remember once my family went to Ensenada Mexico on the Baja peninsula. We went to the grocery store and got fresh warm tortillas and put butter on them like bread. Do they still do that?

Plastic surrounds us....That and sugar. It is kind of scary.

I use a sugar substitute called allulose in my morning coffee. When I started thinking about how to not be engaged with plastic this week I forgot to take into account the things I bought months ago that came in plastic. I can't think of any artificial sweetener that isn't in plastic. So...maybe tea? Loose leaf of course.

When I first considered cutting out plastic over fifteen years ago, the first step was bringing my own grocery bags to the store. Then it was, just don't by plastic. So no sandwich bags, no zip lock, no garbage sacks. I spent a long time at that stage mostly because I had a merchandising job and the product came wrapped in plastic. And I actually thought all that plastic was being recycled. Now I am at the "How in the hell can I avoid this stuff" phase.

I think back to the good old days when I was a kid and we had milk delivered in glass jars and then the jars were returned. How can we get back to that? I am a little down. Sorry. I should end up on a more positive tone. Thanks for reading.

Day one of my no-plastic week. My husband and I went out to breakfast with our oldest grandson. I wondered if I was breaking my no-plastic rule since I ordered a side of hash browns. But I rationalized that hash browns are made from potatoes and the best way to make hash browns is to boil a potato the day before and then shred it. But I knew in my heart that the restauranteur got the hash browns pre shredded and delivered in a plastic bag. But putting that aside we enjoyed breakfast.

Then a dilemma approached. We had ordered too much food and no one wanted my left-over hash browns. I do have my own take out container but I didn't have it with me because we had walked to the restaurant. I knew the take-out container would be some styrofoam thing. I could have left the hash browns for the restaurant to dispose of but I knew it would just go into the trash and not be composted. And now that I have been reading my county's solid waste plan I know that they don't want food in the landfill because it makes too much methane.

I read a book once that explained that sometimes Jewish people rely on a non-jewish friend to do things for them on the sabbath. I forget the jewish name. Maybe someone knows and can fill that in. Anyway I turned my grandson into that person. I got the take-out container,(styrofoam) and put the hash browns inside. My grandson took them home.

Going no-plastic is so hard that you have to have other people help you not accept plastic into your life. That is how bad the situation is in the US right now.

I welcome your comments.

I made a trip to Fred Meyer grocery store and bought meat from the meat counter and had the service person wrap it in paper. I wanted to get some nuts from bulk food but they took their bulk food section out. I was able to get some rice in a box, Rice-a-Roni and Uncle Bens. The only thing that I got that was plastic was Nexium. I guess I have to have a no-plastic exception for my meds.

This is my menu plan for tomorrow's dinner: Chicken Schnitzel and Broccoli.

I got my chicken. Bread crumbs come in a cardboard container or I make my own. Eggs come in a carton, and butter comes in a paper container. I like buying fresh broccoli as it lasts about a week in the fridge.

For breakfast I will have an egg with some Swiss chard. For lunch, left over soup.

One thing I was regularly buying in plastic was bread and tortillas. So this week I have to make my own bread and tortillas. I feel confident about the bread but I expect the tortillas to be terrible. We shall see.

Please give tips or ask questions.

1. Stop buying plastic....no trash bags, zip lock bags or garbage can liners.
2. Stop accepting the plastic that is heaped on me. I am still on this step.

In my journal I moved from plastic packaged food to canned food and food in glass. But in my area I found that glass is not being recycled, or it is awaiting a better price point before recycling. So I decided to cut out a lot of item that a in glass. I still have a few bottle each time that I take to recycling but it has gone down a lot. The problem with glass recycling is that it is so heavy that just transporting it to the facility that can process it sucks up all the revenue from recycling it. I guess we can't expect recycling to be a revenue stream.

What are the your steps? Where are you at?

​

https://lifewithoutplastic.com/dental-hygiene/

I generally buy store-bought bread and reuse the plastic bags for other things, like sandwich bags, or storing produce in the fridge. I have a no-plastic week coming up and I plan to make my own bread but then I thought about how to store the bread. To be pure, I don't want to rely on my washed out ,single-use plastic, that I keep reusing bag. Paper? Cloth? Metal box?

Hi, do you know of anywhere to purchase blackout curtains without plastic? I live in Sweden, so any EU based company probably works.

I moved to a new area and noticed they have cheese in a can. It is made at Washington State University and is called Cougar Gold. It costs about $50. It is a big can. I think it is more expensive than the regular cheddar but you get a lot more cheese. I bring it home and open it up. Then I freeze about half of it. The rest I leave in the fridge. It is a sharp white cheddar. Interesting.

Does anyone know of ways to buy cheese not in plastic? I was thinking of baby bell that is wax wrapped?

Are there any plastic-free lids that would fit this travel mug and thermos? https://www.stanley1913.com/products/classic-trigger-action-travel-mug-20-oz?_pos=2&_sid=a2b7a68bf&_ss=r

https://www.stanley1913.com/products/adventure-stainless-steel-all-in-one-food-jar-1-8-oz-1-1

I bought them before I started reading about microplastics and now I'm having buyer's remorse. I don't really care about the appearance, I just want something that fits and doesn't spill.

Just started my plastic- free journey. Went to the store and realized the sheer amount of plastic. Looking for a way to buy grocery staples (such as, but not limited to: oats, nuts, and coffee) without the packaging. I got no clue. And half the ingredients I need to make stuff from scratch come in plastic. Feels like a loosing battle. 🤦🏻

Is there any widely available nonplastic fill for bed pillows that's within an average budget?

Hi there! I need to buy a new shower curtain and I would really like a plastic free version. This is the first time I'm living on well-water and I'm more mindful than ever about how what we put down the drain ends up in our drinking water!!

​

thanks for any help you can offer!

Hi all,

First-time poster here. I've been struggling to find reliable sources for reviews on plastic-free products for a while now as I want to find products that are proven to be plastic-free but also of high quality - so just browsing Amazon doesn't really cut it.

So, my question is do you know of any existing plastic-free product review sites or apps that could help me and others in the same boat? I'm looking for a platform that provides genuine and unbiased reviews on a wide range of plastic-free products.

If such a platform doesn't currently exist, would anyone else be interested in having an app or website like this? I think it could be quite a game-changer.

Any suggestions of sites or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks :)

My boyfriend and I want to get a set of bento boxes for our work lunches but want to avoid plastic. I suggested tin/aluminum but he says it's important to him to be able to heat it up in the box rather than transferring it to a plate first. I tried searching the web but couldn't find any other good alternative materials. Maybe a wood like bamboo? Or maybe ceramic? Thanks in advance for any suggestions or advice!

Shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, moisturizer…

I make them all myself.

This was something unthinkable to me 10 years ago.

“Only hippies and housewives make their own products”, I thought.

And maybe I was right…

But maybe they were too.

Let me explain.

The ABCs of EDCs

I once heard a saying:

‘Don't put on your skin what you wouldn't put in your mouth.’

It made sense to me.

Most things we apply topically get absorbed into our bloodstream.

This is something I had always known, but I didn’t really know know…

You know?

It wasn’t until I started researching EDCs that it clicked.

EDCs is short for Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.

In a nutshell: they are things that mess up your hormones.

They can…

• Prevent your cells from generating energy [R]
• ‘Feminize’ you by raising estrogen and lowering testosterone [R]
• Cause all types of fertility and pregnancy issues [R]
• Increase the risk of cancer and obesity [R]
• Tank your immune system [R]
• Lower your IQ [R]

You get the idea.

EDCs do this through different mechanisms.

There are hundreds of different EDCs, so assessing their collective effects is difficult [R].

One thing is certain though:

They are everywhere.

• Some, like PFAS, have been found in the blood of basically all Americans [R]
• Others, like BPA, in the urine of 85% of Korean children [R]
• And others, like parabens, in a disheartening 90% of umbilical cords [R]

Now, can you guess what one of the main sources of EDCs in your life is?

I’ll give you a hint:

You use them every day, all over your body.

Of course: I’m talking about hygiene products.

‘Self-Care’ My Ass

I once went to my bathroom cabinet and started learning about ingredient labels.

Shampoo?

It had cyclomethicone in it, a silicone known to inhibit thyroid function.

Body wash?

I was lathering my whole body (and balls) with butylphenyl methylpropional, a perfume with a ‘nice floral scent’ and a recent ban in the EU for causing infertility.

Toothpaste?

It had diazolidinyl urea, used to release formaldehyde, a group 1 carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Deodorant?

It had a aluminum in it, which block sweat glands but is suspected of fostering the development of Alzheimer’s and promoting cellular damage.

This wasn’t any sort of ‘secret’.

The ingredients were right there, right in front of me.

But the thing is…

Even if they hadn’t been there—it wouldn’t matter.

Believe it or not, there are plenty of other compounds that simply do not have to be declared on comercial labels.

In 2018, the Breast Cancer Prevention Partners (BCPP) tested dozens of ubiquitous hygiene products for toxic chemicals [R].

The results?

The most harmful one of all was none other than “Just for Me”, a children’s shampoo in which 60% (!) of the harmful chemicals found were not even listed on the label.

• Bisphenols
• Phthalates
• PFAS
• Alkylphenols
• Nanoparticles
• 1,4-dioxane
• …

None of these things have to be declared—even though they are often the most destructive.

The more I read, the clearer things became.

It was time I started…

Making My Own Products

The thing about homemade products is we tend to assume they’re inherently worse.

I know I did.

But that’s simply not true.

They’re worse at some things, and better at others.

They’re worse at foaming up, for instance, since they don’t contain the same ingredients laundry detergent does.

But at the same time, they’re better at keeping me fertile.

And I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t trade a bit of foam for a lot of offspring.

Seriously though.

Here are three more reasons why I think homemade products are objectively better.

1. Making them is trivial

The number one obstacle preventing me from switching to homemade products was actually making them.

“Who has time for that anyway?”

In reality, making the products has proven to be embarrassingly simple.

None of them take me more than 10 minutes.

And most of them last me for weeks.

(I wish I had known this sooner.)

2. Making them is rewarding

The search for greater health is in itself therapeutic.

Deciding to detoxify my hygiene products has given me control over a part of my day I left to so-called ‘experts’ in the past.

(And they might as well be—just with different incentives.)

It is something I take some pleasure in now; a kind of self-experimentation.

This obviously isn’t a substitute for achieving sovereignty in other (bigger) areas of my life, but it’s also not nothing.

These things pile up quicker than we think.

3. Making them is cheap

Most of the products I make contain items I already used on a regular basis:

• Filtered water
• Coconut oil
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• Baking soda
• Apple cider vinegar

I already had these things in my pantry anyway.

The total cost for each, compared to store-bought products, is pennies on the dollar.

I haven’t done the math, but I know for a fact I’m saving money by making them.

You’re just going to have to trust me on this.

At least until I do the math.

(Maybe one day.)

Some Recipes

Here are my three favorite recipes for three homemade products:

1. Toothpaste

This simple formula is antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral.

You just need:

• 1 cup of melted coconut oil (you can melt it by doing a simple bain-marie)
• 1 cup of either sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) or, even better, arrowroot powder (it’s less abrasive)
• A few drops of peppermint oil and/or eucalyptus oil

Mix all the ingredients and pour them into a glass jar. The coconut oil will harden, and you can simply use a dab of the mix onto your toothbrush.

2. Moisturizer

When it comes to moisturizing your face, as bizarre as it may sound, beef tallow (i.e., beef fat) is a fantastic option, especially when it comes from grass-fed cattle.

Besides having ‘pro-metabolic’ vitamins (A, D, E, and K), the fatty acid composition of beef tallow is very similar to that of human sebum.

Beef tallow is:

• 40% saturated fatty acids (SFAs)
• 50% monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs)
• 4% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)

Human sebum is [R]:

• 38-45% SFAs
• 45-47% MUFAs
• 10-12% PUFAs

This makes tallow very compatible with the fats your skin naturally produces.

If you can buy refined beef tallow, you can follow this recipe to make a tallow balm:

• 1 cup of melted tallow, preferably from organically raised, 100% grass-fed beef
• 1/4 cup of the most decadent and luxurious EVOO you can find

Simply melt the tallow with a bain-marie, wait for it to cool a bit (but not harden), mix in the EVOO and add it all to a glass jar.

3. Hair Mask

This is baby-work; simply:

• Crack a pasture-raised egg into a bowl
• Add 5 g of EVOO (optional)
• Whisk it good
• Massaging it onto your scalp and hair
• Let it rest for 5 minutes
• Rinse it well with very cold water (unless you want to become an omelette)

You can do this hair mask every 2 weeks or once a month.

It is better and cheaper than 90% of toxic options out there.

Voilà.

What’s Next?

My detox journey began as a side-product of a bigger quest: learning how to maximize my physiological potential.

This is partly what I write about, as I attempt to uncover what makes up a modern Renaissance Man (not in the scholarly sense, but in the original one: a uomo universale).

If that sounds right up your alley, you can follow me on Twitter as I document my journey.

Talk to you there.

Upwards,
Yago

for example an perfume in glass little bottle, i wonder that because it possible that in the creation of the product it absorbed some micro-plastics, which then i put on my skin.

Working on making my house more green. Any suggestions on what to use for non-plastic garbage liners? We usually just use the grocery store bags but if I get reusable bags for the grocery store then I also need to find reusable or decomposable garbage bags. Suggestions?