I've been on a mission over the past couple of years to de-plasticize our home. Not as easy as one may think, this task has proven to be quite the challenge. It's simple to eliminate all of the unnecessary plastics around the house. Terra cotta pots for the plants, wooden cooking utensils, bamboo cutlery tray, bamboo cutting board, real wood furniture, etc.
The real challenge is when you stop and assess everything that is made of plastic. Toothbrushes. Breast milk storage bags. Breast pumps. Coffee makers. Electric teapots. Baggies. Plastic wrap. The microwave?! Food packaging. Children's toys (#$^&*!). Children's furniture. Baby bottles, pacifiers, etc. Exercise equipment. Yoga mats. Toiletries containers. Spectacles. Window treatments. Zippers. Storage bins. ...... You get the drift.
Some of these products can be replaced with stainless steel (kettles,etc.). Some with wood (hair & tooth brushes). Others with glass (food storage). You really have to let your imagination do the work solving some issues. I refused to store breast milk in those pre-fab storage bags. Warm milk + soft plastic = nasties in the milk. Instead I opted for small mason / canning jars, perfect for the freezer & reheating. I even use these jars in place of baggies in the fridge (cut fruit, leftover soup, etc.)!
As for children's toys. Yikes. We're fans of wooden, natural rubber & silicone toys. It's tricky to get friends & family (the gift-givers) to opt for non-plastic things, though. We try to promote books, gift cards (plastic, argh) or wooden toys to them, although having come out of our 1st Christmas-with-baby I cringe every day at the mountain of plastic toys that have invaded our house. And then there's the issue of lead paint.
While I am an avid supported of recycling, I do find myself questioning the recycling of plastics into items such as clothing, bedding, etc. We recently purchased a duvet. I had narrowed it down to 2 choices: the expensive down duvet or the less-expensive 'eco friendly' duvet stuffed with recycled plastic bottles. I opted for the later, I now somewhat regret that choice (even though it is warm & cozy).
Obsession? mildly. Neurotic? maybe a bit. OC? mayhaps. Crazy and totally off-base? not in the least bit.
... Side rant about rubber: I once passed a rubber tree plantation in Malaysia and was sickened by the large-scale deforestation of the jungle / orangutang habitat in order to plant the rubber tree plantations :S
Some interesting blogs & websites promoting plastic-free living:
http://lifewithoutplastic.com/
http://www.lifewithoutplasticblog.com/
http://myplasticfreelife.com/
