Project: Use less Plastic

Since my post earlier this year on the dangers of Plastic I have been working on reducing my use of plastic in my everyday life. Here is an update on how it's been going.

Water bottles- I invested in some nice stainless steel Klean Kanteen (27 oz) water bottles. The water tastes so much better, and stays nice and cool. The bottles are heavy duty, but not too heavy to carry, easy to clean, and easy to carry. My next investment will be the Klean Kanteen 40 oz size to have a bigger one for camping and backpacking.

Storage containers- I have been using mason jars for most food or beverage storage. Food and drinks taste better without the plastic taste that I didn't realize was there until I switched. Mason jars are great reusable containers for juice, dried goods, leftover soups or sauces and many other things. I hope to get some glass storage containers for other leftovers. I have also been making my own salad dressing and yogurt in mason jars.

Lunch- I stopped using disposable baggies and now keep my sandwich and snacks in hard plastic containers (I know, still plastic, but better than throwing it away!) which I wash right after I eat so they are clean for the next day. I stopped buying pre-sliced cheese and bread, cutting down on plastic packaging. I make my own yogurt and bring it in tiny 1/2 cup sized mason jars.

Shopping Bags- My next project is to stop the accumulation of shopping bags in my house by making my own reusable grocery bags out of old t-shirts. I'll let you know how that goes!
(I do use the excess bags as garbage bags, so I'm practicing conserving those by dumping little trash cans into one big bag in anticipation of a shortage.)

Any other ideas or tips on how to reduce use of plastic for our health and the environment? Feel free to leave comments!