Life Without Plastic (Spoiler Alert: It's Fucking Hard)

I have been recycling for donkey's years now, but I am ashamed to admit, it has been only very recently that I am rethinking my approach to the plastic problem in the world. It is definitely a big step and something very useful to recycle as much as I can. An even more valuable step is to stop using plastic altogether, a process I began last month when I bought a wooden toothbrush. I am very happy with it, by the way. That was an easy enough decision to see through. The real test came today when I went to do my monthly shopping with the intent to stay away from plastic packaged products.

Wow! What an experience. 90% of the items in supermarkets AND health food shops come wrapped up in plastic! Having said that, I am also very happy to have local shops owned by friends that sell products in bulk. I already buy a lot of food items from my friend Rocio's shop, Alhacena Granel in Seville, but today I also bought rice and pasta that she sells in bulk because I realised I would buy packaged pasta or rice, which I would transfer to glass jars once at home. I am smiling to myself as I feel a bit silly thinking about that :). It's very scary now that I am aware of how much I participate in the production of plastic, and scary to see the careless and unnecessary use of plastic (like cucumbers suffocating in film wrap). It is definitely a challenge: on my first plastic-free shopping, I did come back with one item wrapped in plastic. Now it is a matter of educating myself and choosing where to shop, something I am looking forward to exploring and learn from.

Everything is a process. I am late to the party, but I have shown up now, so the party has only just started!

#LifeWithoutPlastic #EarthLove #Mindfulness #Environmentcare #Sustainability