Alexa Edinburgh Section 308

I completed the plastics challenge over thanksgiving break because I thought that it would be too difficult to complete on a campus that is surrounded by plastic. Just by simply waking up I would encounter plastic in touching my alarm clock. I knew this would be quite a challenge to complete but I don’t think you can fully understand how difficult it is until you have endured a day without plastics.

To prepare for this challenge I first thought of what I would come into contact with through out the day that I would have to avoid all together and what I could substitute for materials that were not made out of plastic. I knew I would not be able to brush my teeth that day if I was to complete the challenge because my toothbrush is made out of plastic and the toothpaste is in a plastic tube. I would not be able to use my cell phone or computer all day because they both contain plastic. This was a difficult realization considering I use both of these items almost all the time. I also needed to make sure I ate my meals on plates not made of plastic and needed to drink from glasses instead of the water bottle that I use everyday. I felt that asking my friends or family to open something that was in a plastic container or untwisting a plastic cap was cheating. If I wanted to complete the challenge I needed to do it all for myself and see how far I could get. I prepared my meals, which mostly included fruits and vegetables and some pasta that was in a glass bowl. I would have to eat things cold because putting them into the microwave to heat them up would of course involve using plastic. I had prepared for my not so enjoyable, plastics free day so I went to bed and braced myself for the day to come.

When I woke up the next morning I got out of bed, which does not contain any plastics and got dressed. Luckily my clothes are all cotton and do not contain plastic. I spent most of the day reading and lounging around the house. I did watch TV with my family but did not have any contact with the plastic remote, which for me was a struggle considering I am the one who usually picks the show to watch. I spent some time outside as well and realized that a day without plastics really allows you to spend time in nature. I ate some fruit and cereal for breakfast. I had to eat my meals in ceramic bowls in order to avoid the plastic. When my mom asked me to run errands with her I had to break the challenge because the car contains plastic. After we ran some errands I tried to continue with the challenge and ate my lunch, which was some cold pasta and some vegetables. I broke the challenge again at dinner because I had a meal with my family and had to use plastic to prepare the food. I spent the evening doing some more reading and spending time with my dog, who luckily does not contain plastic. I had to break the challenge again before I went to sleep because I had to brush my teeth. Overall the day was successful, except on the few occasions that I had to break the challenge and use plastic.

This challenge made me realize that everyone uses plastic all the time. Plastic is in everything. It is impossible to avoid plastic, unless you lived in the jungle away from all modern societies. To live my lifestyle and the lifestyle of most people around me plastics are unavoidable.

I enjoyed this challenge because it opened my eyes to how significant and widely used plastics are. I don’t think that you can fully escape plastics but maybe we can use a little less plastic or if there is an option to buy something made of plastic or some other material, we can make the active decision to buy the item that is made out of glass, or recycled fibers. I think in the future if I have the option I will try and buy items that are made of less plastic. Plastics will always be a vital pat of society but maybe we can cut down on how often we use these plastics in our daily lives.