myplasticfreelife.com

I first ran across Orta plastic-free self-watering seed pots last Spring at the Temescal Farmers Market in Oakland, CA. The kit came with two sizes of self-watering terracotta seed pots (handmade in Oakland, CA), seed starting mix in a paper sack, a and a few packets of seeds. The seed starting mix bag has a note that says, “We package our mix dry to avoid using plastic bags. I did notice a bit of water dripping out from the drainage holes in the bottoms of the seed pockets (maybe I added too much water to the potting mix initially), so I set the planter on top of one of the honeycomb pieces.

Ever since Lush reverted to packaging its Toothy Tabs toothpaste tablets in plastic containers instead of compostable cardboard boxes, I’ve been brushing my teeth with plain baking soda mixed with essential oils. Finally — well, okay, I may be a few months late to this party — finally for me, there’s a replacement for Lush Toothy Tabs that doesn’t come in a plastic container and is actually BETTER than the Lush product I used to love! Bite toothpaste bits are little vegan tablets stored in a glass bottle that foam up and quickly become toothpaste when you chew them. Unlike Amazon, which offers super fast, next day shipping, Bite has calculated the climate impact of various modes of shopping (driving to a brick and mortar store vs. buying online with standard shipping vs. buying online with expedited shipping) and come to the conclusion that faster shipping means less consolidation of deliveries and therefore, more fuel use.

The new law requires that: This ordinance is a big win for the plastic-free, zero-waste movement, and it will require big changes for some Berkeley restaurants. Last year, I hung out with Heather Clapp of Jules Thin Crust pizza restaurant just up the street from me in the Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland (right on the Oakland/Berkeley border), who has been pushing zero waste practices in her establishment for years. A large stainless steel dispenser (Heather says it’s actually an olive oil jug you can get from olive oil companies) beside rows of real glasses. Therefore, since I didn’t want to offer any straws at all (and my husband said that we had to offer something), we decided that we would keep one box of plastic straws in a cabinet, under our front counter and only give them out upon request.

The impact of plastic hadn’t touched me yet. It was projected as the coolest new piece in the waste management trash-combat strategy that promised a solution to the gigantic plastic centaur. I can now see invisible plastic in all things glossy or sturdy, and worse, I recognize plastic mixed with metal for that enticing rustle and scrunch it gives to the bags and containers to whet our appetite for more. It came in a plastic bag and left for the landfill in reused plastic pouches.