Avoiding Plastic

I have resolved to stop buying anything in a plastic container, unless I can't avoid it.  After seeing news articles about the growing masses of plastic in large bodies of water, reading how the bottom has dropped out of the recycling market, resulting in a shortage of entities to take and re-use the material, I have decided the most responsible thing I can do as a citizen of our planet, is to avoid contributing to the waste cycle.


Avoiding plastic has not been easy.  This week, I purchased milk in a carton -- which cost a lot more than in a plastic jug.  The price difference in Orange Juice wasn't horrible, but I had to buy a product made from concentrate.  I can live with that.  The buttermilk I give to the pup is not available in anything but plastic.  It's also hard to find shampoos, moisturizers, etc. in anything other than plastic.  That large Neutrogena purchase I just made goes against my new resolve (I purchased it before I came to this conclusion).  I should probably stick to bar soap from here on in.  It will probably be possible to buy shampoo in a bar form -- but I won't have much to choose from.

I re-use glass jars, so that is the type of packaging I am always looking for.  Sour cream, yogurt, etc. only come in plastic -- so I try to re-use those containers too.  I don't know how badly plastic bags impact the environment, but I should try to avoid that and plastic wrap (which is very difficult to do).  That eliminates bags of salad -- I'll have to buy the heads (and not put them in plastic bags).

Completely cutting plastic packaging out of my life will be impossible, but I am honestly going to try.  I don't know how others feel, but I surely don't want to add to the garbage crisis.  Recycling is something I'll always do, but my fear is that as time goes on, what we put in that bin won't always end up being re-manufactured. Do you feel the way I do?