Kyra Sciabica

     I've always bought the largest dish soap bottles available and refilled the tiny one I keep out on my counter. I've recently switched to a bio-based dish soap that comes in a fully recyclable bottle and I really like it! I found it at Target, and the brand is called Seventh Generation.
      I don't recall it being that much more expensive than something like Dawn or the other big brands, and knowing that the refill sized bottle is fully recyclable and that the formula itself is supposed to break down naturally is a worthwhile swap. Also it smells incredible which was just a tacked on perk I wasn't anticipating. 
     This is happily a super easy swap I'll maintain, and hopefully I can find a more sustainable dish detergent for my dishwasher once I've used up my old one. I can recycle the bottle it comes in through my local recycling, but I vaguely recall reading a news article that dish detergents involve petrochemicals and that pollutes the environments they are produced in, so I'd like to find something with a more minimal manufacturing impact. Luckily, it seems like some cleaning companies are very slowly making the swap to more sustainable formulas, so I have hopes that I'll find something when the time comes. 

I have to use up the disposable razors on hand, but prior to this challenge I had just always assumed that metal and plastic were both recyclable, so it was fine to be putting them in recycling with the plastic protective cap on it. Now that I know it doesn't work like that, I'll start looking into sustainable ones with safer recycling options to make sure nothing is going to waste. Glad to have learned that this month so I can carry that forward!

Economically, bar soap is often cheaper as it can stretch longer, is more compact for shipping, and is generally cheaper than a bottled shampoo. Some people find that bar shampoo/conditioner works better for them than bottled types, though this can vary from person to person and their hair type. 
     A complaint I have about refillable bottle options is that they just aren't at enough in-person stores! I've only seen one brand at Target that is doing it so far, and the label says that it takes 3-4 uses before it begins reducing the plastic use by half. One of the refillable bottles is plastic and the other is aluminum, and the concentrate refills are in plastic bottles, albeit a much smaller bottle. I see some aluminum bottle options coming to market, but again, they're not available in-stores. I have to weigh if it is more sustainable for me to have it shipped to me (and probably come wrapped in plastic) or to be able to grab it when I make one large trip to a store (if any one has an answer on which is better let me know!). Hopefully these products start popping up on shelves more because sometimes online shopping just doesn't give you enough details about a product! I like to read the components of the product (and if the bottle is recyclable) and sometimes online pictures don't display that. 

     The benefits of a sharing economy are reducing waste and expense, but also, depending on who you're sharing with, getting better quality items. I do very little shopping because my family members get rid of things and offer them to me. I can frequently get a lot of older items that are higher quality than some new things I can buy. I've gotten several cotton or wool sweaters from family, whereas many that I can buy are acrylic, which is not nearly as sustainable as something natural like wool.
      I pass this on by helping out my brother. I was able to give him some extra things that I had accumulated so they wouldn't be wasted (they were just collecting dust), and he was able to save some money and not purchase new things that would require more resources. I was even able to salvage two perfectly good cabinets from my old job that were going to be thrown out that he can use for years to come. I always offer around if I have something that I'll be getting rid of (my mom has gotten clothes from me this way too!), and my family does the same, which means we don't always have to buy new things. It's also nice to know you get family heirlooms, even if it's just a blender or a old department store sweater from the nineties--it means more just coming from someone you know! And often older things are better constructed because they were built to last, so it works out pretty well if you end up with them.
      I think an important part of a sharing economy is letting go of perfection. Yes, this table may be dented and nicked on the legs, but it was free from a family member, and it suits my needs and it works with what I have, so do I really need a new one instead? I think letting go of the need for everything to be shiny new and carefully cultivated in an 'image' is really central to helping a sharing economy feel more natural. Now, you don't have to have extremely clashing items just because you feel you have to keep a closed loop in your sharing circle, but if that red crockpot your cousin is giving you doesn't match your blue kitchen, does it really matter if you know you'll use the appliance? My philosophy is if it works and I don't hate it, and I think I'll use it, then I'll keep it/accept it from someone else. No sharing economy is perfect (sometimes people just don't have your size or that specific thing you need), it's always worth a try to see if you can arrange a swap or share. You may be surprised!

     I can probably reduce the most waste in the groceries and hygiene supplies areas. Those are my main purchasing areas, and it can often be a challenge to find groceries not packaged in plastic or things like lotion that come without some form of plastic packaging. As far as I'm aware, there are pretty limited options for plastic-free shopping in my area (most everything is big-box stores and chains). I do try to buy in bulk at places like CostCo or Sam's Club to reduce the amount of plastic I have to bring home, and they provide cardboard boxes for loading instead of plastic bags, which is nice. 
     However, there's still an enormous amount of plastic that goes into buying food, and so much of it gets disposed. I'm really trying to slim down on the plastic packaging I'm bringing home, but it feels like a losing battle half the time, like when I crack open a cardboard box and find the product is wrapped in an overly large plastic bag. It would seem like it would save companies money to at least minimize how much packaging they're producing, but the sizing and amount doesn't always correlate with the product size. My goal is to try for glass and cardboard packaging as much as possible, and if I have to buy plastic, try to buy a recyclable kind to minimize the impact. I'll have to dig into what can be recycled by my local waste company and what needs to be sent to specialists, and see if there are any collection drives in my area. I know I'll be dropping off my collection of plastic grocery bags (since I couldn't bring my reusable bags during COVID, I collected...a lot) next time I'm at the grocery store to make sure they get recycled. In the meantime, I'll consume the least amount of products possible, with the least amount of plastic I can find!

I've been trying to research the recyclability of contact lenses and their cases for ages, so this is the push to start collecting them for specialized recycling and see if my optometrist's office either has a recycling program already set up, or see if I can get them to start one. I've always thought that throwing contacts away seems like such a shame, but the demands of everyday life aren't always suited to glasses either. Hopefully science can give us a biodegradable or more sustainable lens at some point in the near future, but until then, I'll keep collecting my lenses for the specialized recycling they deserve!

      I've always been a pretty spending-averse person (I never want to eat out because I can cook at home, and I rarely want to go shopping because I pretty much have everything I need), so this hasn't been too much of a dramatic change for me, but I've tried to stop impulse buying things at the grocery store if they're not on my list and if they're not in sustainable packaging. I'm also inclined to over-research things before I buy them (as in, I have very seriously considered making a spreadsheet to compare products before), which means I have to really want or need something to buy it. 
     I also want things that will hold up, because I have such a dislike of going out and shopping for things, so I really hunt to invest in something that will last forever. Of course, by that point, the item is usually gone, but sometimes it helps to be really serious about commitment, because I have shirts and shoes that I bought ten or so years ago that I've kept in good condition and wear regularly. I don't carelessly get rid of things, and my family and I always notify each other when we're planning to get rid of things in case the other person needs it. I haven't really bought clothes in ages because my mom is often getting rid of things and I usually snag something from her. If I want to go out and get something, it means I've been thinking about it for ages, have researched the material, and decided that it will get enough use to go into regular rotation in my life--which is a tough bar to clear, as I'm not typically looking for new things. 
     I find that not buying things is actually better for me as it reduces the feeling to compare oneself to others, and lets you understand the utility and/or value of what you already have. If I still myself thinking about something new because what I have doesn't work after a few months, then it's worth getting something new. If I'm getting along just fine and there's nothing wrong, then I don't get anything new. This rule holds true for all my non-consumable products/items. It saves a fair bit of money and time, though it does get you a reputation as a boring person with friends and family! 

There's so much single-use plastic at most grocery stores. It's almost impossible to make a trip without getting at least one, if not multiple items. Sometimes items have two different types of single use packaging, which is really frustrating. I try to buy the kinds that are clearly marked as recyclable and have the least amount of packaging possible. I decided to try a 'eco-friendly' and concentrated laundry detergent that dispenses exactly how much concentrate you'll need, so I'm interested to see if that will last me longer than the jumbo size I used to buy to reduce the overall amount of packaging I was using. In terms of food, there's just so many plastic wrappers that aren't necessary, but there's not always an alternative to purchase that comes in a less damaging packaging. I reduced as much as I could, but it's still disconcerting to see how many products are plastic wrapped. I've certainly seen a lot more eco-friendly products on the shelves in the past two or three years than ten years ago, but I'm concerned that the acceleration towards reusable/low-impact packaging won't keep up with the necessary timeline. I might see if I can switch up where I shop and see if there are better packaging options at some different stores, but of course, trying to shop at four different stores means driving between them, which has its own emissions burden. As much as I try to reduce how many items I buy, and how much plastic they're packaged it, the way most cities and stores are structured doesn't mesh well with plastic and emissions reductions. It takes a lot of planning and research to make it happen, which is not something that everyone has the time & energy to do. I think with increasing consumer pressure, we can reduce packaging and allow everyone to participate in a more sustainable lifestyle, not just those who have the time and energy to devote to it. Industry has to change (as the main polluters) in order for the majority of the population to be able to access and sustain a sustainable lifestyle. 

     The calculator estimated I use about 51.47kg of plastic a year. I'm not sure if I entered my numbers correctly since it estimates by week, and I try to shop every other week, but it's a disheartening number. It's a little less than most Americans, but most of it comes from grocery packaging and things like toothpaste and cleaning supplies. I hate how much packaging I'm either recycling or trashing a week, and I'm always trying to cut down, but it's difficult given how most American grocery stores work. There are so many things that I buy and think "This could have been packaged in cardboard or a tin can, and I could have recycled it." Rice and beans could absolutely be packaged in carboard boxes like pasta is, with or without that little plastic window so you can see inside it. 
     I've been slowly moving towards reducing packaging on everything I buy (and buying in bulk and as infrequently as I possibly can, which helps too), but it's frustrating to see how slowly plastics are being phased out and know you have only a limited amount of power as consumer. All we can do is our best and hope that we can tip the balance into a cleaner future.