So Much Plastic! -Tyler Pennala

This being my second year at Michigan Tech and living off campus, I have used more than my fair share of disposable plastics. I really started noticing just how much disposables that end up in the trash are made of plastic. Living in a house with four guys, It seems as if we fill a trash bag every few days. Once we started discussing plastics in class, I started noticing that the common material in our trash was plastic. Gatorade bottles, grocery bags, chip bags, baggies, candy wrappers, and the list goes on for things that are found daily in the trash that our house throws away. 

My day where I collected the disposable plastics that I used was a day that I spend most of the time on campus. The foods that are quick and easy like Jimmy Johns, have a lot of plastic. From the drink lid, to the chip bags or the straw, there is a lot of plastic that could be reduced. The plastic bag is something I use everyday when coming to Tech, and usually its more than one. They are handy to transport food to campus because it can be thrown out as soon as I am done. I do not have to bring home a lunch box and containers after I eat, rather can throw it all in the trash. 

Day One!

My alternative day took place when I was at home so it was much easier to go without a ton of disposable plastics that I had used the day before. Instead of fountain pop cups, I dug out the water bottle I was sent off to college with. Instead of a frozen pizza wrapped in plastic, I bought a pizza from Little Caesars. At Walmart, you can ask for paper bags. That is something I didn't know that Walmart still had. Most stores only offer plastic bags nowadays it seems. Things like floss picks, shampoo, deodorant and mouthwash were plastics that I still used and didn't have a replacement for.  

Day 2!

Something that I started to realize and found interesting was how many things are wrapped in plastic that come in a box. Almost every time I would go to eat something, I could find a piece of disposable plastic that would never have crossed my mind on a normal day.I know that I could cut back a ton on disposable plastics, but being in college it isn't easy. Try going into the MUB cafeteria and walking out without any disposable plastics. That is nearly impossible. The pizza boxes, the endless amounts of juice bottles, Gatorade bottles, the chip bags, and the snacks all have some sort of plastic that is going to end up in the trash with a half hour after you purchase it! Its a hard thing to do when going to college, the small disposable bags are so handy and easy to use then throw out when commuting to Tech everyday. A lunch box and small containers are good alternatives to the plastic bags. There are many options to limit disposable plastic waste, so there is no reason why steps shouldn't be made to reduce the plastics I use. 

This project has made me think of how much disposable plastic is used everyday. Some things such as water bottles have easy replacements but its hard to find replacements for some objects like frozen foods and other grocery items. It was fun trying to go without disposable plastics but would be hard to do everyday!