Dodging Plastics-Megan Seroogy (Peter Boger 302)

My attempt to avoid plastics for a day was a complete failure. I really tried hard, but it seems like everything nowadays has at least some part of it that is made out of plastic. My family and I went up north to our cabin for Thanksgiving, so I thought it'd be easier for me to avoid plastic up there than a normal typical day. Even in cheating, I still was not able to achieve my goal.

I woke up and stepped onto a plastic coated wooden floor. At breakfast, my mom had plastic cups filled with orange juice, so I went to get a glass cup, only to remember that the orange juice came out of a plastic container anyway. In fact, the breakfast sausage, the eggs, and the bread all came in plastic containers. I had jelly instead of peanut butter on my toast because jelly, at least, comes in a glass jar. It was my turn to do dishes, and instead of using the plastic dish scrubber, I used a rag. But the dish soap is in a plastic container. Our dish drying rack is plastic.

I went to get ready for the day. My toothbrush, the shower stall, face wash, mascara tube, and even the handles to turn the sink on are plastic. I didn't take a shower or put make-up on, but I had to turn the sink on and brush my teeth. Even before 10am, I had several encounters with plastic.

Later, my mom and I took the dog for a stroll around the property (how much plastic could I run into in the woods and corn fields?) Well, it was pretty chilly, and almost all of our clothes, shoes, coats, etc have some sort of plastic in the form of zippers, soles, and material. But, besides what we were wearing, I did manage to avoid plastic for about an hour while we walked outside.

When we got back, my dad said he was taking us into town to go bowling. Even using the foot bar to step up into the truck, I was touching plastic. Most of the interior of the car was plastic. Chairs at the bowling alley, cups, floor laminate, the bowling equipment, etc -- all plastic! I was becoming a little frustrated. The burgers came out in plastic baskets. It's like you can't escape from it. So much of our daily lives rely upon plastics. It's actually kind of scary.

My brother and I watched a movie before dinner. The DVD player, the DVD, the television are all plastic. The remote control is plastic. I helped my mom prepare dinner, and realized that almost everything we use in the kitchen are made of plastic (spoons, bowls, knife handles, spatulas, pot/pan handles, stove knobs, microwaves, toaster handles, etc. Although some alcohol comes in glass or aluminum containers, a lot of it also comes in plastic containers. All the condiments in the fridge (with exceptions like jelly) are wrapped in plastic. Food and drink products in general all are contained in plastic. Not to mention pretty much everything else in general, as well.

Even though I didn't use everyday "unavoidable" plastics like my cell phone, computer, pens, make-up, and all the other technological stuff, and even though I was up north at a cabin where most people go to get away from modern life, I failed at not encountering plastics for a measly 24 hours. I realized how dependent upon plastic we are. It's almost impossible to not use them in the present day America. Like I said, that scares me somewhat.