Disposable Plastic - Duane Himmel

For the two days that I collected plastics, I did not collect a lot, largely because I stick to a relatively strict daily routine. I usually eat the same meals and carry around containers that are not disposable. I did collect 2 6-pack can rings, a plastic candy cane, bubble wrap and a few wrappers from slices of cheese, but aside from this I did not dispose of much. I do however, have several items that are not finished that are wrapped in plastic in my refrigerator, but since I had not disposed of them, I figured that they did not meet the requirements. I suppose that I could restrict my use of disposable plastics more by buying whole foods that are not wrapped in plastics, or making more of my own foods from scratch, but I honestly will probably not do this, due to a lack of motivation. When shopping at the grocery store it is far easier to grab the things that are pre-made and wrapped in plastic and I think that plays a huge factor in why so much plastic is disposed of throughout the country and the world. I'm not sure what remedies to suggest in terms of limiting plastic use, because it is such a convenient product to use, with a diverse range of applications. However, I do see that it is a huge problem to the environment and something should be done to limit its production and waste. The pictures below are of the 2 days worth of plastic, and the containers that I use to carry my food/drink around in everyday. I am usually somewhat conservative in my use of plastics, because I have had several classes where this has been a topic of interest, but it wasn't until only a few years ago that I actually cared enough to change the way in which I shopped and discarded of materials like this. I suppose being educated on the potential effects that plastic can have on the environment was what it took in order for me to understand that while I may not have the power to change the rest of the world, I can at least do my part. This 2 day experience was not much different from my normal routine, but as I stated earlier, there is always room for improvement and there are always opportunities to change things up, even if it is only slightly, to create a better world for tomorrow. After conducting this 2 day event, I will attempt to cut back even further on my use of disposable plastics, but I cannot say that they will be completely eliminated from my life. I do quite a bit of traveling in between semesters and these forms of plastic make it all the easier to stay on the road for longer stretches of time and the amount of planning and preparation that would be required for a week-long road trip would be highly inconvenient for me and whoever I'm traveling with.