Some alternatives for some plastic based very common items

[u/timpster1]

Plastic is usually terrible at degrading in a reasonable amount of time--not only that, but as it is degrading it's picking up albeit natural things, not everything natural is harmless. So the plastic pieces will pick up other pollutants now present in the water, and they may be eaten by fish, which most of us will then consume.

Plastic is not a good material unless it can be made with materials that are not harmful to humans if consumed, because it's very clear that we have not a clue how to manage the waste that we create. That will take a long time, and in the mean time, let's just create less waste.

"Alternative" products which I believe SHOULD be sold on store shelves, but I guess that's not how stores work. They buy only the stuff that sells, and that's whatever is currently in the store, because people who go to that store will only be familiar with the things that the store sells, so the store will stock up on the same stuff because they know it will sell. Vicious cycle.

That's what's great about online stores, they don't have that problem because they don't have to stock up on anything, they just let other people sell stuff and that's why they've taken off so well.

O.K. so let's get started. The first item is something you should be replacing every two - three months. Your toothbrush. Most are made of plastic, but bamboo is antibacterial (like most other wood) some of them have non plastic bristles (nylon). This helps create less waste as they can be composted, or decompose rapidly in a landfill, or treated like wood, and you can just throw it in the water without care.

Next up, to go water containers. I'm partial to steel containers that are insulated, such as RTIC, Yeti, and similar. I've sent an email to RTIC suggesting that they use a metal for their spill proof lids as well, more emails or other medium of suggestion would probably increase demand for it.

Plastic straws just need to stop completely. Use stainless steel (seems the most safe), bamboo, or glass (if you're not worried of someone smashing the straw. This really does seem like a very dangerous option.

Phone cases. There are some very nice wooden phone cases for both iPhone and many android variants. Worth looking into, maybe even find a company that makes them in your country, who knows, but not all are made in China.

Speakers. This is a bit odd, most big tower speakers are made of wood, but most smaller speakers, especially portable speakers and headphones use a good bit of plastic, so look around for wooden covered (not covered over plastic) headphones, wooden (and cloth/steel) bluetooth speakers, as well as smaller computer speakers.

Soap / toothpaste / etc etc containers, trash bins, storage containers, etc, many of these have steel (trash) and wood (storage) alternatives. Glass for soaps and toothpaste seems plentiful as well.

Office items, like hole punch, staples, tape dispensers, pencil sharpers, can all be (and used to be commonly) made of metal and wood. Not sure why that ever changed.

Brooms, try to avoid plastic bristles and get something that's a real fiber and find the right bristles for the right application. For wood floors, there's material for those delicate surfaces other than nylon, and harder, corn bristles for tough dirt areas. Avoid cleaning tools with plastic handles as well.

Desk lamps, get a nice metal or wood lamp that doesn't have any other plastic besides maybe the switch and as always the cable.

I have skipped a few things that I'd like to be more non plastic but won't mention them until an option is created, as it currently doesn't exist. It being "a few things"... like, a well, a good bit more than a few.

So I'm all out of ideas now, that's all I care to come up with at the moment, and if you'd please add things that currently exist that can substitute common plastic items you know we'd all greatly appreciate it.

Edit, before I submit, missed the probably well known, wooden eating dishes and utensils. I thought sugarcane was a good alternative, but the sugarcane farmers don't give a fuck about the everglades, so that's not a good option.

[u/hi_loljk]

Speaking of eating dishes, what about ceramics? Most of the dishes I have, not many at that, are ceramic. If you break one, what's the best way to repurpose it? I'd think in the garden... but are glazes a problem? And if not ceramic, would not glass be better than wood? I've found it difficult to find wooden bowls without unknown finishes, at least from what I've seen at thrift stores.

[u/timpster1 → u/hi_loljk]

I think wood is a better resource to use than glass, as a tree can be regrown to make more wood--sand is just... well how do you get that back? You can reuse glass but if it gets into our water, I think wood will break down much faster.

[u/[deleted] → u/timpster1]

Glass is made of silica, the most abundant resource on the planet. Glass is nontoxic and basically completely benign in the natural environment (if not in ragged sharp peices). Glass is a wonderful material to use for daily items and contruction and etc. It has a high cost to produce in the form of heat, but quality glass products can also last hundreds of years, or thousands if handled properly.

[u/Lolor-arros → u/timpster1]

sand is just... well how do you get that back?

Sand is silicon and oxygen. You get it back because silicon is the most common element in the earth's crust.

We aren't running out any time soon.

You can reuse glass but if it gets into our water, I think wood will break down much faster.

Glass in the ocean is actually broken back down into sand over time. It's no different than any other rock in the ocean.

The only problem with glass is the amount of CO2 produced to melt it down and process it. Glass requires an enormous amount of energy to melt. Recycling it only takes about 1/3 as much energy, but it's still quite a lot.

[u/hi_loljk → u/timpster1]

Hmm, well, I still feel that clay is a superior for dish-making, but at this time there doesn't seem a way to efficiently and properly salvage broken materials, though there could be. I use all wooden or bamboo utensils and can certainly attest to those over metal! Especially as it does not alter the taste of your food.

I guess I have not looked into it much, glass vs. wood, I mean. Trees take a lot of time to grow, so there's that. Whereas sand.. hm, well if not virgin sand, how do we know if something is recycled glass? That's a good point. Though seaglass is not a problem though as far as I am aware, though a diminishing resource as more and more bottles are made out of plastic.

Wood is great, I love things made out of wood. It takes maintenance though, especially for dishes/utensils, and if you do not take good care they will get damaged, crack, stain, etc. Bamboo in that respect is a wonderful resource, as it is lower maintenance, grows quickly and like a weed. Perhaps bamboo bowls/plates are the way to go!

[u/Lolor-arros]

Plastic isn't evil.

Wasting plastic is.

Some of the sturdiest, longest-lasting items you can buy are made of plastic. It's often a better choice than metal or glass, environmentally speaking...and it's DEFINITELY better than using wooden dishes, those wear out and must be thrown away SO quickly...

[u/timpster1 → u/Lolor-arros]

If you don't buy a cheap wood dish (I guess a thicker style?) then you can oil it and wash it so that it doesn't wear out. Same with utensils.

Also plastic is evil. When it goes into the landfill it will take at minimum, 400 years to start breaking down. When it does eventually break down into what's now called "micro-plastic" the tiny particles can be eaten by birds and fish which can quickly kill them.

Non degrading fishing line takes an estimated 600 years to break down, and marine life can get caught very quickly. Again birds also eat this.

Plastic is made from very rotted plant and dinosaur matter that should have been left in the ground. It's harmful to us and everything else as well. If we could find a way to make plastic items with materials that are not harmful when (not if) consumed by living things then I'm all for it.

Until then plastic is very evil.

[u/Lolor-arros → u/timpster1]

Also plastic is evil. When it goes into the landfill it will take at minimum, 400 years to start breaking down.

The same is true of wood, if you care to look it up. Almost anything that goes into a landfill is going to take hundreds of years to break down. It's not an environment that's conducive to things decaying.

Non degrading fishing line takes an estimated 600 years to break down, and marine life can get caught very quickly. Again birds also eat this.

Yes, fishing line is a bad thing to make out of plastic, it's horrible for the environment.

Objects that you don't throw away are the best things to purchase made of plastic.

Plastic is made from very rotted plant and dinosaur matter that should have been left in the ground.

A lot of it is, but not all of it - not all plastics are petroleum products. The first plastics were, we have other industrial processes to produce them now.

If we could find a way to make plastic items with materials that are not harmful when (not if) consumed by living things then I'm all for it.

Another solution is to stop making disposable crap out of plastic.

No animal is going to eat my water bottle, or my laptop computer. I have a few large plastic flowerpots that have MUCH less of an environmental impact than an equivalent ceramic flowerpot. There are some things where it really does make more sense to buy plastic.

[u/lazyflowingriver → u/timpster1]

Not to mention the oil used in creating plastic.

[u/timpster1 → u/Lolor-arros]

Trees can be regrown to make more wood. Petroleum, which most plastic is made with, is NOT renewable at all. In fact we're running out and all the drilling in the environment to get it can be problematic. So saying that plastic is a better material than wood just goes right over my head.

[u/Lolor-arros → u/timpster1]

People are removing that petroleum from the earth whether or not you purchase a few plastic products. So sometimes, it's better to use plastic for truly permanent items.

Products like plates made from trees degrade very quickly. You have to throw them away within a few years. And they are often made with glues and coatings that are not environmentally friendly.

Furniture is one thing, but if you buy random objects made of wood, glass, or metal, the impact on the environment is often actually a lot higher than if you buy plastic versions. Kitchen utensils especially.

So saying that plastic is a better material than wood just goes right over my head.

It would seem so :P

Wood is renewable, but it is also often wasteful...

[u/a-l-p]

The biggest problem with wooden phone cases (and sometimes also other wooden products) is the varnish and/or glue. It's often quite toxic, containing solvents and based on plastic/mineral oil. I once bought a phone case made from cork and when I opened the packaging it smelled like a chemical accident at a Chinese factory. NO WAY am I holding this in my hand for a prolonged time.

Sometimes the varnish/glue isn't as smelly as in my product, but harmful toxins can still be absorbed by your (sweaty) skin. So a case made of comparatively "safe" plastic might be healthier, if not environmentally perfect.

[u/timpster1 → u/a-l-p]

I've been told about glues and chemicals used in wood, and it's very saddening, I thought it would be simpler than that, but now I'll have to look into anything that's based in wood like this. Oh well, guess I'll stick with plastic for some things.

[u/a-l-p → u/timpster1]

Yes, it's very saddening. Thankfully for a lot of things there are great alternatives like untreated wood/cork, glass, stoneware/china and stainless steel. Unfortunately not all metal because I recently discovered that aluminium tubes for creams or tomatoe sauce (which - while not zero waste - are at least with minimum plastic and recycable) have a coating on the inside containing BPA, which leaks into the product. It's actually a problem with medicinal ointments and such, which are nearly all packacked in aluminium tubes. Eek. Unfortunately I think this also applies to my beloved Dr. Bronner's magical balm (and probably also the metal packaging by Lush, which I don't use though).

It's quite tough to avoid harmful chemicals in this world.

[u/unknownquark]

When you go out to eat bring a container just in case you want to take it to go so you don't have to use styrofoam

[u/concat-e-nate → u/unknownquark]

I've recently tried to do this more. It's one thing when you randomly decide you'd rather eat out at work instead of what you brought for lunch. But my husband and I usually plan when we go out. I've started bringing a little container along. Especially when we are going to a place where we know we'll have leftovers.

[u/[deleted]]

There's great alternatives to styrofoam made using mycellium. http://www.ecovativedesign.com/mushroom-packaging

Imagine having a parcel shipped to you in a regular box and packaging that you can just compost after. Imagine if it was embedded with seeds from a host of forest species so you could throw it on the lawn and it would grow a mini forest.

http://inhabitat.com/life-box-paul-stamets-unveils-brilliant-seed-sprouting-cardboard-box/

[u/lebohemienne]

Thanks for the ideas!!