Two Years Plastic Free

I have done it. Two years of plastic free living...

...or to be more accurate, trying actively to NOT buy new plastic for two years.
A bit of a mouthful and maybe why the term 'plastic free living' is a more memorable phrase.
I decided to reread the blog post about my first year to compare/contrast what had changed. In the post about my first year I listed what I was doing to reduce my plastic footprint by item. Some things have changed and some have not.




Personal care
Two Years Plastic Free
Soap
We buy blocks of soap from The Australian Natural Soap Company. Unpackaged, simple and all natural.

Shampoo
I was using shampoo bars from the place we buy our soap but found that it built up in my hair over a couple of months no matter how hard I scrubbed it under the water.

I then tried bicarb/vinegar for six months which made my hair horrible and gave me a sore scalp. Then I gave rye flour a go and found out it’s not great for people with long hair. Castile soap also did not wash out properly leaving an oily film on my hair.

Now I use bulk bought shampoo by Back to Basics in an up cycled glass bottle. I don’t use conditioner. If I have some oil on my hands from my body oil I will run them through my hair but generally don't add anything other than shampoo. I will continue to use a shampoo bar for travelling to save on space and weight.

Toothpaste
I make a toothpowder. I have not been to the dentist to check if everything is ok but the Builder has. He was happy to report that his teeth/gums are very healthy and the dentist & hygienist were all for using bicarb. The dentist said that bicarb is great for keeping gums healthy.

Face moisturiser
Last year I started using almond oil…well not anymore. It did not suit the skin on my face so I ended up using it just on my body which was fine. It soaks in faster than coconut oil and is more affordable. I have very oily skin so maybe the almond oil was too heavy for my face. And even Jojoba leaves my skin feeling and looking dull/congested.

As much as I lamented over this I went back to rosehip oil. It is my favorite face oil and I used it for years before going plastic free. It keeps my skin clear and bright. The bottle is glass but it has a plastic lid and plastic orifice dropper (gasp!) that I keep for reuse. One bottle of rosehip lasts the whole year as I don't use it everyday. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get this item plastic free please leave a comment. I am on the lookout for shea butter unpackaged as this would work well as it is light like rosehip oil or so I have read.

Body moisturiser
Coconut oil was too expensive! I switched to almond oil and love it. I don’t use it all the time only when I feel like my body needs it which is about once a week.

Deodorant
Still using the homemade spray option but am finding I need it less and less as the months go by. I just want to mention that the Builder does not need deodorant. How unfair is that?! The man never seems to smell sweaty.

Perfume
I make my own by blending an essential oil with almond oil. I love it when the stuff I buy has a dual use.

Sanitary items
Still going strong with my moon cup and reusable cloth pads. Money saved over two years is… $290. Cha-ching.

Make up
I make my own mascara, lip balm, cheek tint, eyebrow powder and I use plain tapioca flour as a face powder to get rid of any shine.

I do miss my old makeup sometimes. I loved the routine. I also miss dyeing my eye brows and eyelashes. I am contemplating trying henna as I can buy that package free. But then again...I don't miss the upkeep!

Toothbrush
Bamboo toothbrush. Always and forever. Though I accidentally bought a child's one the other day...

Nail file
Still using the same one and have gained two more that friends did not want. I'd say i'm set for life.

Hair ties
Continuing to collect ones I find on the street.

I don’t use a body scrub often as I have a good exfoliating cloth made of cactus. When I feel like giving my face a bit of indulgence I wipe lemon juice on my skin. It keeps any blackheads at bay and my skins looks brighter. Well, I think it does - and I'm the only person who matters when it comes to pleasing how I look.

I feel like everything in my personal care section is sorted. I am in a happy groove with each choice. When I first went plastic free two years ago making my own makeup was something that never crossed my mind. Now I have my makeup DIY down pat and am so happy with it. If I run out of my mascara or toothpowder all I need to do is mix up a new batch and I rarely need to top up the ingredients because only a small amount is needed.

Everything but four items (rosehip oil, essential oil, clove oil, orange oil) is bought without plastic. The clove oil and orange oil are used in my house cleaning products. All are recyclable but I would prefer to have refill options. If anyone knows anyone in Melbourne, Victoria or Australia that sells essentials oils as refills you would make my day. Or if anyone knows a fun way to upcycle essential oil bottles I'd love to know.

I wish I had calculated what I have saved in this area of my life as it is one of the more popular questions I am asked. I can only imagine I have saved money because I am not wandering into stores that house hundreds of cosmetic choices or dragging my mouse across online beauty bargain spaces. Going plastic free means I am limited severely. It’s easier to make my own rather than trawl search engines looking for plastic free alternatives to buy. Most of the items take 15-30 minutes to make and the biggest bonus is that I know what is in them.

I am looking at doing a price comparison post soon for those interested.

What about the Builder? 

We share the same soap. He also has shaving soap that is purchased from The Australian Natural Soap Company too. We share the toothpowder. He also uses a bamboo toothbrush. And that is the extent of his grooming.



Grocery Shopping/Kitchen

We have become pros at this. Practice and routine has enabled our grocery shopping to be seamless.

Our shopping is split between the farmers market, butcher, fish monger, delicatessen and bulk food stores.

We visit the farmers market each Sunday and if on the rare occasion we can’t make the market then we will go to a fruit and veggie store near our home.

We take cloth bags to the market and baskets to carry it all out in. I write a list before we go referencing what is in season. I don’t like food going to waste so we stick pretty closely to the list.

We have stainless steel containers that we use to collect our meat and fish. We have reduced our meat and fish consumption at home. As I type this I cannot remember the last time we bought meat for cooking. I wonder if we will end up removing animal meat out of our diet? Time will tell...

The delicatessen we visit is always busy post 9am. It can get hectic with the staff running around dealing with so many customers. So we decided it would be easier if we just reuse the plastic containers the staff are used to. We did toy with the idea of buying a collection of smaller stainless steel containers to collect dips, cheese, blood sausages, soft cheese, anchovies and whatever else we feel like getting…but quickly realised that would be too expensive. We don’t go to the deli every week, more like once a month. The plastic containers work perfectly well, are looked after (we have had them for two years) and doing what they need to do which is limit new plastic in our lives.

Two Years Plastic Free

The bulk store is last because this is the place we probably visit the least. We used to go every other week but now it is every three to four months and each time we buy less and less stuff. My food shelves are stocked with less than ever before and this might be because I am using my cookbooks and other online recipes less simply because the cookbooks and food blogs i used to trawl rarely work in favour of eating seasonally.

Two Years Plastic Free

Two Years Plastic Free

We take all our own jars, bottles and bags. I write a list of exactly what we need and take a container for each food item needed. In the last two years there has been an explosion of bulk food stores opening up around Melbourne.

I think one of the reasons we visit the bulk store less often is because we don't crave things like beans, legumes, rice and other grains. Maybe I never did like those foods that much and only bought them because they are in the supermarket or there was a pretty photograph on a food blog. We had a good couple of months where we had an empty pantry and were just eating vegetables. My diet has changed considerably in the last two years. Not only has all processed food vanished completly from the house (and a knock on effect outside the house) but also realising a lot of the food choices I was making were driven by food blogs, recipes books and magazines. I have a better understanding of what foods make me feel good and those that don't, learning to lean in more into what I naturally crave rather than chasing down a superfood or the latest diet trend.

While we can buy mustard and other sauces in glass I don't buy them anymore as the lids have a plastic lining. We don't miss this type of processed food. I might try and make my own sauces like tomato or mustard over summer. I can make my own mayonnaise so that's a start. What we eat/cook is a commonly asked question and I will expand on it in the future.

Two Years Plastic Free

Two Years Plastic Free

Two Years Plastic Free

We are now refilling our beer, cider and wine. I can only imagine this business model taking off. It's so much fun tasting the beverage first before buying it.

I buy butter from Curds and Whey in my own container.

People email me asking about milk and yogurt...I don't drink milk really. It's not something I crave at all. I buy it occasionally for cooking and yogurt is pretty much non existent in my diet. I thought about nut milks but again i don't drink it enough to make it and nuts are expensive! I can buy my milk in bottles from either Elggar Dairy or La Latteria. Both will take back the glass bottles for reuse but the lids cannot be reused due to some silly law in Australia. They can be recycled BUT I only just learnt that the lids are lined with plastic (another silly law). Milk that is in cardboard also has plastic too. So I am not buying milk until I find a solution or maybe its time to jump onto the nut milk bandwagon? Or maybe the laws need to just change in Australia. Thank goodness I can get cheese plastic free. A milk free life I can deal with.

How we store everything has not changed since my first year. Glass jars, ceramic bowls and the stainless steel containers are all we use. We have not dropped down dead from germs....because we all know that cling wrap will save us from germs.

Two Years Plastic Free

In the last year I have learnt to make:
- pasta
- olives
- pickled vegetables
- mayonnaise
- jam

This year I would like to learn the art of sourdough and maybe ginger beer.



Eating Out

If we are at a food festival or somewhere we know there is the possibility of plastic cutlery like a friends or family get together we take a kit with us that includes plates, cutlery and cups. That way we are never caught out. 



Cleaning

The cleaning products have changed dramatically and so has my attitude to cleaning. We refill our cleaning products at the bulk stores in Melbourne.

I kept old wine and juice bottles for collecting castile soap. I use the castile soap for hand soap, hand dish washing, floors, general surface cleaning.

I still have the old boxes from our clothes washing powder and dish washing powder that get reused and reused.

There is a giant container of bicarb soda that is used for cleaning the toilet and oven plus used for toothpaste. And I have vinegar which is a great multipurpose cleaning tool for the windows and a multitude of stuff.

I keep clove oil and sweet orange oil on hand.

Two Years Plastic Free

Two Years Plastic Free

I still have the spray bottles that I put watered down castile soap into and also the window spray. These are plastic and were bought last year.

General cleaning is done with old cotton t-shirts. We wash dishes with an second hand cotton shirt cut up and sea sponges collected from the beach. We still have our old brooms and vacuum cleaner.

There is no bleach. No harsh chemicals.

Attitude to cleaning = relaxxxxed.



Clothes

I don't know why I included this on the list in the first year.

Continuing to buy second hand but even this has bottomed out. I bought one top over the whole of last summer and two tops this winter. We do laps of second hand stores but always walk out empty handed.

I did end up giving away boxes of clothes and shoes (so many shoes!!!) not because I have planned to go all minimalist but because I was not wearing any of them. I am leaning towards more natural fibers with the last three items I have purchased made of linen and wool. I love wool, it's perfect for Melbourne. Why have I not worn more of it?? So there, I am leaning away from synthetic ‘plastic’ fibers.



Health

This is a popular question – what do I do if I get sick?

First things first, I am not anti plastic. I am anti the misuse of plastic. Plastic has done some great things for medicine. It has healed and prolonged life, made mobility easier, given the gift of hearing, walking - the list goes on and on.

Whenever someone asks me what to do I tell them to make a decision based on what's best for them.



How was the second year? Good? Bad? Any ugly moments?

This year has been pretty good. All in all I feel like I am finally on top of this no plastic life. I have scaled the peaks and conquered the mountain of change. I feel content and happy, and as silly as this might sound, more in harmony.

You would have seen in the list that there are areas where plastic has popped up; my rosehip oil, essential oils and milk lids.  My plastic free life is not completely plastic free and it won't be. The aim of living plastic free is to reduce NEW plastic. These last two years has been hard work retraining my mind to think more critically more than anything.

There is another mountain in the distance and the trek ahead of me is going to include moving from behind my screen to becoming more active in my community. I have changed my life now it is time to spread what I know to others to show others why we all need to make changes.

I'm thinking community events, movies (showing not making...well not yet), writing for broader publications, and maybe getting a plastic bag ban petition started. 

I will continue to write and share everything here. Maybe my journey from blogger to public motivator might inspire fellow introverts to find their voice too.



As I finish this long post I want to give a high five to the Builder who has been a patient partner, my greatest ally and a wonderful problem solver. And to all my family and friends that go along with my choices, help me out and make cloth bags (mum and sis!).

And a round of applause to all the people who comment, email, like, double tap when I have a question or query. I learn so much from you all. Keep sharing with me.

To another year plastic free.

24 comments:

  1. Thank you for the inspiring post!

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    1. Thank you for the lovely compliment :)

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  2. Lots of great info in this post - thanks! Just wondering if you have tried a safety razor like you mentioned in your 1 year post. I desperately need a new razor and would love some feedback. :)

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    1. Hi Em, I am still using the same razor so I have not needed to buy a safety razor yet. Sorry I cannot be of more help. No Trash Project has done a review and here is the link ---> http://notrashproject.com/2012/09/14/i-get-a-lot-of-questions-about-grooming-and/

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    2. Anonymous5/13/2016

      My old razor got so blunt I couldn't use anymore, was causing a lot of bumps. I have changed to a safety razor and it is waaay easier than I thought to use. I would recommend giving it a go!

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    3. My razor still has life in it! Maybe next year is the time I get on the safety razor wagon.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    1. I will see what I can do - not sure how inspiring my food can be!

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  4. Hi Erin,

    thanks for a wonderful post - I loved all of the pictures, and what a great boost for Plastic Free July!

    Re moisturiser - what about finding a company that makes moisturiser in glass jars and just reusing the glass jars for spices, homegrown herbs, little pots of homemade jam for gifts, nails, screws etc...Or perhaps someone in Melbourne is making a nice moisturiser in refillable glass jars? Those of us who are Rosehip oil fans could try writing to the company that makes the oil and requesting they find a bottle with a metal lid - after all, most bottles came that way not so long ago.

    I'm concerned that you might be reusing takeaway containers at the deli. These containers degrade very quickly and leach into your food. Perhaps they could be reused in the garage?

    As for the beans and grains, they've been staples in most cultures for thousands of years, and if you are moving away from red meat you may need them for the iron content. It sounds like you are doing brilliantly in the diet area, but as a long-term veggo myself I'm very aware how quickly iron levels can go down without beans and greens!

    All the best Erin, and thanks for your wonderful, inspiring blog.

    Madeleine.x

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    1. Hey Madeleine, thanks for the comment.

      I am going to try and find shea butter in bulk. I think there might be two places where I can get it package free in Melbourne. I am also looking into Australian based oils. I had no idea that most rosehip came all the way from Chile. There has to be something thats good for wrinkles in Australia...

      I wish we didn't have to use the old takeaway plastic containers. We do transfer them to a stainless steel container once we get home.

      Thanks for the concern regarding beans and grains. I have been vegan and vegetarian before and my diet was full of greens and beans plus vitamin C rich food but I never felt great and ended up anaemic. So i eat red meat now but its more around that time of the month when I am feeling depleted.

      Thanks again Madeleine x

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  5. Wonderful post Erin! Loved it :)

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  6. All great. Just wondering how you live without a plastic bucket though - do you have a metal one? I haven't seen one for a long time.

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    1. I have an enamelled metal bucket for compost and I know galvanised buckets are still available. But don't rely on cheap hardware chains as you will not get one that lasts. I have three broken metal watering cans! In the end I purchased a beautiful English-made watering can from the Digger's Club and I expect it to last me a lifetime. I'm sure if you google metal bucket you'll find some. Alternatively, you may be lucky enough to find antique buckets in good nick. Good luck!

      Madeleine

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    2. Hi Vivianne,

      We have one for our mopping the floors as we have yet to find a metal one. But i have found we have not needed one yet. We have some big ceramic bowls that we use if we ever need to soak clothes in. And we have seen large crocks in the thrift stores that would suit as a bucket in the laundry. Hope that helps!

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  7. Anonymous7/05/2015

    This is awesome! Congratulations :) Now do you wash your face with the oils as well or just use lye soap? Do you recommend moisturizing your body daily or is it more of a every-few-days deal?

    Thank you!

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    1. I wash my face with lye soap or just plain water. I only moisturise when I feel my skin needs it. Hope that helps :)

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  8. Anonymous7/07/2015

    just an idea about watering can: use an old china coffeepot from your grandma or the fleamarket ;)

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    1. That is a fantastic idea!!! Especially for indoor plants. Thanks for sharing that gem :)

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  9. Anonymous12/31/2015

    To solve the constant throwing away of plastic straws I have just purchased steel straws...I hope they will work long term.

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    1. If the straws are well looked after, then yes, they will last a long time. I have had mine for two years now and continue to work well.

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  10. Hi about the nut milk... making oat milk is a cheaper and easier way to do it! Yummy too :)

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    1. I love oat milk and find it far more palatable than nut milk. For some reason i get nervous consuming so many nuts too!

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  11. Hi Erin, I have been going plastic-free, chemical/toxic free, waste free, slowly over time and ?I have noticed the changes in my life. I live simpler and have more in quality of life and in things I own. I have a disability and in the US, the land that doesn’t believe in Universal Healthcare, it’s important. I am able to save money to buy better Mobility equipment and other items that attend to my disability out-of-pocket. My last Wheelchair had a 17 year life, only changed the wheel locks and upholstery about three times, The same Care I give to my wheelchair I try to give to my household and of course, my body. I never had sensitive skin or obesity risks until I injured my spinal cord. Over time, trends changed but my body would always tell what it didn’t like. I think that’s important, first and foremost. I enjoyed reading about your struggles in personal care because you listened to your body and did not try to follow the pack when it comes to making your own soaps, etc. I did want to share with you what I learned and I hope it helps you and your followers. 1. The bicarbonate hair cleanse; it’s recommended to do no more than once a month and should be followed by a vinegar rinse. Using bicarbonate on your hair and scalp changes the pH level (alkaline) and it needs to be balanced (acidic) hence, vinegar. 2. Castille soap is a great base for cleaners, body and household but two things to watch for; what it’s made from. Traditionally, Castille soap was made from olive oil but as it has become popular, some manufacturers are mixing olive oil with palm oil. It will still work but not as well. Loads of people have had issue with Palm oil. It shouldn’t be used on your skin. That may be why it didn’t work, The other thing to watch for if your using Castille soap for personal care is quantity. As you mentioned in your household cleaners section, Castille soap is concentrated. It’s one of those “less is more” situations. Your body doesn’t need more than two or three pearls worth and, depending on your skin type, it should be mixed with other ingredients for your skin type; dry, oily, sensitive. In general, we bathe or bodies more than needed. Frequent showering isn’t good for the skin. The same holds true. Doing so strips your body of its natural oils causing it to overproduce.
    I love your achievements and I hope to be where you are. As for the plastic bottles some of your essentials oils come in, I’ve always saved little plastic bottles for travel use. I never have to worry about changes in air pressure or items shifting in my suitcase or backpack causing a bottle to break. I usually place them in a plastic zipper case that came with a cosmetics purchase from my past but there are food safe silicone bags similar to Zip-Lock plastic bags in its design. If there’s a leak, your clothes won’t get ruined.
    In NYC, there are small batch manufacturers that work with recycled plastic in pellet form to create a new plastic item or to be mixed with other things to create something useful and economical. I read about Corian and Granite like counters made from a variety of items including recycled plastic. In India, they are using recycled plastic for roadways. I’ll be following your blog. I love your writing style. I feel like you’re just talking to me and not the Internet Universe. Thanks!

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