I avoided plastic for a week. Here is what I learned about a plastic-free life

I avoided plastic for a week. Here is what I learned about a plastic-free life toggle caption Elizabeth Gillis/NPR Americans, on average, toss out about three quarters of a pound of plastic each day, according to researchers at Oxford University. Sponsor Message Going into my plastic-free week, I set some rules for myself: ♻️ Cut out online shopping and food delivery ♻️ Fill my own containers in the bulk section of my grocery store ♻️ Carry a kit in my tote bag whenever I leave the house ♻️ And replace single-use plastics with plastic-free alternatives if any run out For the most part, I avoided buying new single-use plastics — but still generated a pile of plastic waste from using up food and toiletries that I already had. “Because as anyone who's tried this knows, it's really difficult.” Going completely plastic-free was almost impossible Ironically, some of the ingredients needed to make plastic-free items from scratch actually came in plastic — like rubbing alcohol to make hand sanitizer spray and citric acid to make peach rings. toggle caption Elizabeth Gillis/NPR My waste from the week fills a big paper grocery bag, with a total of around 102 plastic or mixed-material items — like cling wrap from my DIY fruit fly traps, a plastic lid that got warped in the microwave and the glue that attached a label to a pasta jar which may or may not contain plastic.