The first time when I was asked if I needed a carry bag at the billing counter of a shopping mall, I replied in an affirmative. I was nonchalant about the need and urgency to say NO. In fact I probably even felt a little proud to have contributed to the cause by “Paying” for the bag and being “understanding” unlike some other customers who expressed chagrin at not being given a complimentary bag despite having shopped for so much.
That was stage zero of awareness about the harmful plastic that invaded our lives so intrusively. Unfortunately stage zero dragged on for too long.
Problem was that the plastic litter shown in the photographs circulating around the internet as a testimony of how this poison was overwhelming our planets never felt like the plastic I bought. I never felt responsible for the journey of plastic waste from my home to wherever it ended. There were other things to think about.
This Stage 0 of Ignorance stretched on for too long.
Then, stage 1 came. It was mostly bits of awareness about the harmful plastic. Sea life poisoned. Stray cattle dying by eating plastic. Landfills overfilled and plastic waste impossible to degrade, avariciously feasting on our planet. It was slow realization but still lack of action.
As stage 2 transpires now, there are small changes I’ve been trying to make. Plastic carry bags from supermarket are a taboo. A cloth carry bag folded in my handbag is a constant. However as I began to take these small steps, I’ve also started noticing how little it is and how late !
Lately all I see is plastic everywhere. I went grocery shopping in the morning. While I carried a cloth handbag, what felt bad was to pick up a bunch of spinach leaves, sweet corn and ginger all in prepackaged plastic wrappers. The next thing on my list was Milo and while I was almost going to pick up a Milo packet with a free dinosaur plastic shaker which I was sure my son would love to have, I saw how much extra plastic that was and settled for the one without the offer. Next up was a packet of whole wheat crackers and it is when I picked up the packet I remembered how much plastic it had– 15 small plastic wrappers inside this big one. I gave it up but also picked up another one enshrined in lesser plastic. The feeling I had was of “defeat”.
At home, shower gel was over, leaving behind in its wake an empty plastic bottle. I can use it for craft but how many of them! The pending craft from leftover plastic bottles is a long overdue queue.
In the evening, my elder son wanted fresh orange juice from his favorite juice shop and we wanted to get some coffee and so we ended up contributing more to the world of plastic trash.
For dinner, my husband got food parcels for us in nice plastic containers placed in two big transparent plastic bags which boasted off the name of the takeaway place. There were two of them since one was slightly torn and could not hold the weight. The thought of what that meant took away the feeling of indulging in outside food.
So, to that one plastic bag that I said “No” to in the morning while grocery shopping, there were a dozen or more that we welcomed into our life in that one day. And then there are all the other reasons that plastic makes way into our lives.
We hosted birthday party for kids earlier this year and the plastic plates, spoons, plastic packaging for cupcakes, return gift plastic bags and the ignorance or compulsion to use them was overwhelming. After the party, when cleaning up the house, my heart broke over how many plastic bags we had collected. I’ve resolved to have No-Plastic parties from hereon.
I have a new “must do” list. I must go to BYOC cafes or grocery stores only, or give up on buying that thing which is snuggled in zillion layers of plastic. Take away has to be in a tiffin box — Non-negotiable. The trash from our house has to be plastic fee.
That will be stage 3 of my contribution.
Some time back I saw a video doing rounds on the internet. The lady who was in the video was talking about her efforts at minimizing waste in her life and composting her own limited kitchen waste that she was making. I liked that video very much and found it was so “hippie” and cool and yet found it an aberration.
It is only now I realize how that has been the writing on the wall all along. That is the meaning behind the meaning behind all the hum drum. The road to eco-friendly living compulsorily lies along the alleys of minimalism and self-reliance. It’s a way of life. The only way of life which does not bequeath the burdensome legacy of plastic waste to our future generations.
