Go Unplastic Tip 4

For the last couple of months, FCC-V's Green Chalice Ministry has provided tips to help you to go "unplastic." It's a given that plastic bags, [PET] bottles, plastic straws, coffee stirrers, etc. are designed to be used only once and then end up in a landfill where they cannot fully break down. To continue our mission of "refuse" [that's rēfúse not réfuse] here are some other hints on how to make your world more unplastic:

• Look out for boxed packaging alternatives instead of plastic bottles or tubs. Often, products such as powdered laundry detergent or dishwashing granules are as good as their liquid counterparts AND they come in boxes that break down much more easily than plastic bottles. 

• FCCV has already stripped styrofoam cups out of its vocabulary and is using biodegradable utensils (made out of cornstarch or rice fibers). As opposed to plastic forks, spoons and knives, these alternatives are not made from petroleum byproducts AND they are compostable. Especially if you're going on a picnic, try eco-friendly compostable cutlery.

Go Unplastic Tip 3

Again this month, FCC-V's Green Chalice Ministry is providing each of you with a tip or two to help you continue going "unplastic." It's a given that plastic bags, [PET] bottles, plastic straws, coffee stirrers, etc. are designed to be used only once and then end up in a landfill where they cannot fully break down. To continue our mission of "refuse" [that's rēfúse not réfuse] here are another couple of hints on how to make your world more unplastic:

• If you know of a fast-food location or restaurant that typically uses foam takeaway containers, take your own alternative such as a reusable bag or lunch box and ask that the food be wrapped and put into your own vessel. At least you should ask if they could use a paper container rather than a styrofoam one.

• If you use plastic soap dispensers for dishes or hands, NEVER throw away the container and then purchase another pump bottle. Instead, refill all plastic dispensers with bulk liquid soap. Admittedly, the refill bottle needs to be disposed of in the blue bin, but you can make multiple refills from a single large bottle. The large refill bottle is cheaper in the long run and does not have a pump spray top or inner plastic tubing to discard.

• Have you stopped automatically taking that plastic straw at Denny's or Buttercup? Please remember whether taking your own re-usable straw, asking for a paper straw (if they have them) or drinking just out of a glass saves one more plastic straw from ending up in a landfill forever.