Plastic Free July

I've signed up for the Plastic Free July challenge - the aim is to take whatever steps you can to cut back on single use plastic. I've been trying hard to avoid 'disposable' plastic for many years but it never hurts to have a revision of what we can do to cut back on the amount of plastic coming into our homes. I haven't achieved being completely plastic free because there is a place for plastic that is reused or recyclable in my opinion - so I'd describe my attitude to plastic as minimalist. As far as possible I follow the mantra of reduce, reuse and recycle.

This means avoiding bringing new plastic into the house where I can although I have to say that COVID-19 is putting something of a crimp in this since we've had to go to online food shopping and with convenience comes plastic bags for fruit and vegetables. I do wash and reuse these multiple times and when they reach the end of their usefulness they are sent to be recycled but I'd rather not get them in the first place. The other problem is that the shopping is delivered in reusable plastic bags that used to be able to be returned to the delivery man but at the moment they're not accepting them. This means they're accumulating at a somewhat alarming rate. How I'm going to fix this problem I don't know yet but give me time. I'm sure there's a solution.

I might not be able to do anything about that issue for now but there is still a lot that I can do. For instance I'm still composting vegetable scraps and I'm continuing to try hard to avoid using clingwrap, too.  I have do have a roll but since it's probably six years old and nowhere near finished I don't feel particularly guilty about it. Once I finally get to its end I'll invest in something biodegradable for those rare times when nothing else will do. I've seen this in several stores but so far not have not needed to buy it. I hope it works as well as regular clingwrap. I guess I'll find out eventually. One thing that's struck me while I've been ramping up my bread-making, though, is how many recipes tell you to cover the bread with cling wrap while it's proving. It's not something I do since I'm old school having been taught to make bread by my grandmother. Her method was to use a damp tea towel as a cover but even websites that claim to be all about sustainability suggest the plastic route which I find surprising.

The thing is, I guess, that we're somewhat addicted to the convenience of plastic and there's no question it can be useful. What we have to do is to be more mindful and look for alternatives wherever we can. That's my plan at all events.