I have a confession to make. On garbage day, I walk through our neighborhood looking into people’s recycling bins to see how they are doing at recycling. It may be a bit odd, but it helps to motivate me to do better. Since starting this blog two years ago, I have made some changes in what we buy to move from a self-rated C in plastic use to a solid A-. This journey has not been perfect, and is subject to decisions made when I am tight for time, but there has been good progress. See my before and after picture below: the left is before (lots of plastic yogurt tubs, etc) and the image on the right is after (switched from bottles to cans, making my own yogurt). It’s not perfect, but I have made progress. Here is what I did to get here:

1. Take stock of the situation. First I took at look at what was going in the recycling bin to examine opportunities for improvement. The offenders in the containers bin were yogurt containers, plastic pop bottles, and the occasional plastic clamshell produce package.
2. Set your goals. By far, the biggest change I could make was to stop buying so much yogurt. And if I did buy yogurt, I could recycle these containers to store food, or cut them into garden row plastic labels. The next opportunity has taken a long time, and that was plastic pop bottles. After two years of talking, I have finally convinced my husband to switch from plastic to cans, which can be recycled more readily than plastic.
3. Plan your shopping. To make this happen, I needed to be focused on reducing plastic at the grocery store. I now plan to buy the ingredients to make yogurt, and save a half-cup of yogurt starter for the next batch. I’ve switched from buying milk in bags to cartons, which are paper-based for better recycling.
4. Watch bakery products. Plastic containers of baked goods sometimes find their way into the grocery cart. We are now prioritizing baking our own, or at least choosing products that are packaged in paper products rather than plastic.
5. Shop in bulk and bring your containers. Bulk food stores will often allow you to fill up your own containers rather than using plastic bags. Our Bulk Barn offers a 15 per cent discount on Sundays to people who bring their own containers.
6. Refill your cleaning and personal care products. Another plastic culprit was cleaning solution. I now re-fill cleaning vinegar at a local refillery. I’ve switched from plastic toilet bowl cleaners to strips, further reducing plastic. We have made the switch to powdered laundry detergent rather than liquid, and have plans to switch to laundry strips soon. I have also dabbled in refilling conditioner and using shampoo bars rather than buying plastic. This holiday season, I was given a tube of deodorant that only uses a small drop every few days. The container is made of recycled plastic. Try some of these new products out.
7. Find solutions like Eco-Tank for windshield washer fluid refill. You can now refill your car’s windshield washer fluid at specialized locations. Find a location near you for Eco-Tank.

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