A day without plastics challenge by Amna Zahid

I tried to plan ahead but the more I planned the more impossible the task seemed. A day without using plastic nowadays means not using the restroom, or taking a shower, brushing teeth and even turning on/off lights. Basically, it’s everywhere! Since I realized that I couldn’t go without using it entirely so I instead took notes and pictures of plastics around me. It was astonishing to realize how quietly plastic has sneaked its way into our lives.

I tried to avoid using computer but I couldn’t since I had a meeting with my group and most of our work required using the computer and calculator. I also noticed that the stationary box I use is made out of plastic as well as all of my folders/binders. Also, almost all the books/notebooks have a plastic film cover on top.

I did replace my plastic water bottle with stainless steel container for a day. However, The next day I had to switch back to my plastic bottle since it can hold more water and I have a health issue which requires me to drink a lot of water. I’m trying to look into purchasing a good, convenient and durable alternative to my plastic bottle since I know it’s harmful.

Since I eat at the dining halls, I could not skip my meals to avoid plastic. I noticed though that the drinking glasses, trays and plates they use are made out of plastic. I usually take my own stainless steel container to school for tea/coffee so at worked out fine.

The trash bin I used was made out of plastic and so was the paper towel dispenser. Other than that a lot of the products such as cream/lotion, shampoo and chap stick etc. are packaged in plastic. My lab safety glasses and my hard hat is also plastic. Other things in the house that I observed were blinds, telephone, television, microwave oven, refrigerator and lamps.

Another thing I’m concerned about are the plastic trash bags majority of us use daily. It’s convenient to use these since they’re non-porous and convenient. One reason why I still continue to use plastic grocery bags is because I reuse them as trash bags at home. An alternative to this is hard to find. I found some websites I found suggested going bag-less for trash bins but it’s not convenient. I hope we can find better solution to this problem.

Yes, I failed the challenge. It was funny that when I told my friends about this challenge, one of them suggested me to take sleeping pills and sleep through the day to win the challenge because it’s so hard to avoid plastics at least in this part of the world. Overall, this was a good exercise to make us aware of the amount of plastics we use in a day. It definitely makes one wonder where all this plastic will ultimately end up. It’s a scary thought knowing that plastics are immortal but we keep producing more and more every minute. It will take careful thought, time and money to considerably reduce the plastics in my life.