I often marvel at the amount of time that disposable items serve a purpose for us before we discard them. If it takes hundreds of years for plastics to break down , surely we would hope that the useful life of that plastic would reflect its slow decomposition rate. Sadly, if that were the case I probably wouldn't be writing this post. Plastic garbage bag - 2 weeks of collecting waste and then sent to landfill (out of a potential 23,464 weeks before decomposition) Plastic wrap - 1 week to hold your leftovers and then sent to landfill (out of a potential 23,464 weeks before decomposition) Balloon - 3 days (if your lucky) before it deflates and then sent to landfill (out of a potential 164,250 days before decomposition) Styrofoam cup - 30 mins to drink your coffee and then sent to landfill (out of a potential 236,500,000 minutes before decomposition) Plastic straw - 20 minutes to drink your beverage and then sent to landfill (out of a potential 236,500,000 minutes before dec...

~ This is a piece about plastic that I really could live without and how to navigate normative grocery stores in a more eco-friendly way. Yes more than anything really, this will be a rage piece about unnecessary everyday plastic that really does not need to exist and what we can do to live without it. ~ I began thinking critically about the everyday items I buy each week at the grocery store around September when I started to transition more and more towards being plastic-free. Like most students, my life is a balance between trying to eat healthy and work hard and then eating my stresses away with sweets. We are all trying our best. Its exam time now. Nothing a few bulk chocolate chips can’t fix. It’s going to be all good. You know what isn’t all good? Foods packaged unnecessarily! Foods for sale that have unnecessary plastic packaging when you can get the same food in a plastic-free manner! So I am going to tell you how I really feel and we’re going to go through the grocer...

click here to see the full image Polythene bags are very popular with both retailers and consumers. They are strong, lightweight, functional and hygienic means of carrying items. Though they are a modern convenience that we cannot do without, they are a menace. Around the world, this menace is showing its impact now. Not totally excluding the impact of other reasons like green house gases, pollution and deforestation, polythene has a much greater impact. As for me being an international student at University of Ottawa, I’ve come realise a lot of things. When I was a kid, we had this old age tradition to take our own shopping bags even for little stuff may be just fruits or vegetables. We would have exclusive bags, could be handmade or recycled or cloth that were beautifully painted or embroidered. I never understood why my grandma was always against getting any polythene bag home. As I grew older, finding out why a polybag was not good, I came across a lot of strange facts that ...

Photo credit: Brigitte Morin I wonder if the new tax of 5 ¢ per bag at the grocery store actually encouraged people to bring their own bags. Also, why isn’t there a tax for the plastic produce bags? I own three types of bags to bring shopping with me: I have my large reusable grocery bags which I am sure you have all received at the last conference or event you attended; I have a large produce bag to carry my apples, and other larger products; I also have small reusable produce bags for green beans, herbs, etc. I used to use the plastic ones from the grocery store, but I purchased some reusable produce bags which can double as cheesecloth and laundry bags. They cost 11$ (for three bags) the Herb and Spice on Bank St, but you can always make your own using left-over materials or an old t-shirt. -brigitte http://thesustainabilitree.blogspot.com/