Pitching Plastics Around the House
Plastic-Free July is the perfect time to try a few new products around the house to help pitch plastics out of your everyday routine!
As a disclaimer, the products mentioned in this column have been tried and liked by the authors of this newsletter article. We are not, however, endorsing them. We just want you to know there are alternatives available to you!
Let’s talk cleaning. While single-use wipes and floor mops are handy, they come packaged in plastic containers, are expensive and, yep, are made of plastic that cannot be recycled. Diluted white vinegar, Borax or simple dish soap used with Swedish cloths can be just as effective to clean most surfaces, are almost as handy and are a lot less expensive. If you still want to use a commercial cleaner, look for a concentrate. And yes, vinegar and dish soap come in plastic containers, but you need to use such a small amount each time you clean that a container will last for months. The containers themselves also are usually recyclable. Remember: reduction is what we are going for, not perfection!
For the laundry, we found these cool plastic-free, waterless laundry detergent sheets (Earth Breeze, Sheets Laundry Club). No more lugging those big plastic bottles of detergent that are mainly water! There are plastic-free dryer sheets out there, but no one we know has tried them yet. Another alternative to a softener is white vinegar in the rinse cycle and three wool dryer balls in the dryer for static-free, fresh-smelling laundry.
Lastly, are you drowning in the holiday hangover of unwanted junk mail and catalogs from all that online ordering? Unsubscribe! DMA Choice will help you rid yourself of junk mail and Catalog Choice will help you unsubscribe from catalogs. Your postal worker will thank you, and you will be eliminating all that junk mail plastic wrap.
We encourage you to try the ideas you read in our newsletter that easily fit into your routine, then add on as you discover other tips that fit your lifestyle. This is all about lifestyle change, not a to-do list, so allow time for new routines to take hold.
We also invite you to join us for the Environmental Action Committee meeting on Monday, July 15, from 4–5 pm. Email us at environment@lwvchicago.org for access.