ASHEVILLE GREENWORKS - Mind Your Plastic May

We are drowning in plastic.

From beauty products to grocery bags to water bottles to our daily cup of coffee, plastic is present in every aspect of our lives. Most of these items are designed to be used once and thrown away, usually heading to the landfill.

Some of the plastic that we think can be recycled, like drink lids, straws and utensils, end up in the landfill because they're either too difficult to recycle or there's no market for the end products. Even recyclable plastic such as water bottles are becoming harder to recycle.

The most effective approach to reducing our plastic waste is to REFUSE, REDUCE, and REUSE.

In January 2019, GreenWorks spearheaded the creation of the Plastics Reduction Task Force -- a group of motivated volunteers dedicated to reducing single-use plastic in our environment. Since its start, the Task Force has already organized a campaign for a plastic bag ban, is developing a "Go Easy Guide" to businesses and coordinated a month-long Mind Your Plastic May Challenge for May 2019.

Join the plastic-free movement and break free from the plastic ties that bind us. Though May is over, you can still read back through all of the plastic-free advice we sent out.

When you take the Mind Your Plastic May Challenge, you will be entered into a drawing for plastic-free prizes such as locally-made Broo shampoo and body bars, a Shecology laundry starter kit, beeswax wraps from Lick Log Branch Apiaries, bamboo utensils from Ten Thousand Villages and more!

Plus, for every $10 donated to the campaign, you receive an additional raffle entry.

Donate now for a plastic-free future

Pounds of plastic diverted from the landfill*

*based on the average amount of plastic waste produced per person per day (0.6 pounds), the number of days of the challenge and the number of participants

Is this the end or just the beginning?

5/31/2019

What's Next?
Keep up the good work on going plastic-free by following @GoingPlasticFree on Facebook, where we'll continue to share tips and stories on liberating ourselves from single-use plastic.

Share the Mind Your Plastic May website with your friends. All the content from the daily emails lives on a blog on this page, so you can refer back to it for information and inspiration at any time.

Join the GreenWorks' Plastics Reduction Task Force and attend the quarterly meetings. The Task Force is working on a voluntary plastic bag ban, introducing reusable produce bags at local tailgate markets and piloting a GreentoGo reusable takeout container program with Asheville restaurants, among other initiatives.

Take the Plastic-Free EcoChallenge from July 1 - July 31, 2019. When you sign-up, join Team GreenWorks so we can take the challenge together. We're going to rock it!

Finally, join us for the next phase of our waste reduction campaign -- Flip Your Lid! During the month of June, we'll be exposing the myths around recycling as we flip the lid on recycling carts and find out what we're doing right and wrong.

(Here's an exclusive sneak preview of our first Flip Your Lid! video starring Jason Sandford of AshVegas. Only for MYP May Challenge participants).

The Final Test. How did you do on going plastic-free?

5/30/2019

Have you noticed any changes in the amount of single-use plastic you’ve been using over the past month? If you’re like me, there are probably plenty of single-use plastic items in your life. I’m slowly working my way through bottles of shampoo, laundry detergent and dish soap before incorporating plastic-free alternatives into my daily routines. And then there are the things I will probably never give up, like the plastic baggies for dog poop.

Remember, the Mind Your Plastic May Challenge is about becoming more mindful about single-use plastics and making choices to reduce the amount you use. It’s about the journey of going plastic-free; not completely ridding your life of plastic in one fell swoop.

So, how did you do? Conduct your own personal waste audit today to find out.

Peek in your trash can. Make a list of what you find. How many items are from single-use plastic? When we started this challenge, I shared the story of how my dog helped me perform a waste audit in my house. I found things like a beverage cup and lid, packaging from shredded cheese and a plastic fork from take-out. Today, my trash contains a lot less single-use plastic, but there’s still packaging from items like cheese for which I haven’t yet found a convenient plastic-free alternative.

Take a tour of the different rooms in your home or workplace. Make note of what single-use plastic you find. Also make note of the alternatives you’ve started using during Mind Your Plastic May.

Feeling social? Snap a few pictures of these alternatives and post them on Facebook or Instagram. Don’t forget to tag @AshevilleGreenWorks on Facebook and use #MindYourPlasticMay and #GoingPlasticFree. I’m particularly proud of my recent switch to a bamboo toothbrush and bar shampoo.

Do you still have room to ditch even more single-use plastic? Make a plan, with a timeline, for how you’re going to switch to plastic-free alternatives. After I finish the box of dryer sheets next month, I’m going to switch to wool dryer balls. Once the liquid shampoo is all gone, I’m going to recycle those plastic bottles and fully convert to bar shampoo. I’m buying some more reusable mesh produce bags and taking them on my next shopping trip. What do you plan to do? Write it down.

Dawn Chávez
Executive Director
Asheville GreenWorks

How to spread the word about going plastic-free (without losing your friends)

5/29/2019

Early on in the Mind Your Plastic May Challenge, a reader expressed disappointment at the comparatively low number of participants (350) out of an area population of nearly 300,000. I’m not worried, though. Having participated in a month-long plastic-free challenge, you are our best recruiter for getting more people to join the plastic-free movement. Armed with knowledge and suggestions for leading a plastic-free lifestyle, you have the power to influence others.

Be careful, though! Not everyone is ready to embrace these ideas. Borrowing from Vanessa Van Edwards, Lead Investigator at Science of People, on how to change people’s bad behaviors, below are some tips on how to encourage others to go plastic-free without turning them off.

Tactics that don’t work:
Helpful: Someone in your life is doing something wrong. You think you could help them out with some advice—if only they could be more like you or do it more like you would do it, everything would be easier! “If you brought your own reusable grocery bags and shopped in the bulk section, you could drastically reduce your single-use plastic waste.”

Threatening: Fear-mongering is a tactic often used by parents, bosses and people in positions of authority. Threats can produce stress, anxiety and might ruin your friendship. “If you use plastic straws at the restaurant, you will be injuring marine life.” or, “If you don’t offer reusable plates, cups and utensils at your cookout, my family and I won’t come.”
Incentivizing: Rewards for “good” behavior might work in short run, but over time, they lose their effectiveness. “If you give up single-use plastic for the next month I will give you a prize.”

Pleading: Van Edwards says, “When we are really desperate for someone’s behavior to change, we plead with them. We beg them to change and point to a higher purpose—the future, money, religion, children.” “I am begging you to switch to reusable stainless steel containers. Think of the world you want for your grandchildren to grow up in!”
Shaming: This tactic can work, but it can also damage one’s self-esteem and trust in you. They might end up avoiding you altogether to avoid the feelings of shame. “I can’t believe you went to Cook Out again! It’s disgusting how much styrofoam comes with a meal.”

Tactics that Do Work:

Pride: Van Edwards says, "Pride makes us want to rise to do more, it makes us feel powerful and we want to live up to the definition." If you want to change someone’s behavior make them feel proud by pointing out what is going well and praising them for what they are doing right. “Thank you for asking for ‘no straw’ at lunch. That’s a great way to cut back on single-use plastic.”

Togetherness: Change is easier when we have allies fighting alongside us. The movement to go plastic-free is gaining momentum, with more people taking steps to reduce single-use plastic in their lives everyday. Let your friend know she’s not alone by making change together. “Do you want to join me at this workshop on how to make your own beeswax food wraps?”

Progress: Noticing the impacts of incremental changes can be difficult, especially from close up. Van Edwards suggests setting measurable benchmarks, tracking progress towards those benchmarks and visualizing change. “You’ve been bringing your own grocery bags when you go shopping for about a month now. Let’s recycle the plastic shopping bags and see how many accumulate this next month. I bet there will be hardly any!”

Tools: Providing next steps and helpful tools can be empowering when timed correctly. Offering directives before the other tactics will almost definitely backfire. Once you’ve shown your friend that they’re doing a good job, you’re in this together and have outlined a path forward, you can provide them with some helpful tools like the Mind Your Plastic May Challenge blog with all the posts from the past month in one place.

Dawn Chávez
Executive Director
Asheville GreenWorks

Practice Makes Progress

5/28/2019

I recently started a book on what motivates people. I read lots of these books and others about utilizing our amazing potentials. So much so, my daughter often puts a teenage romance novel on my chair over the one about the inner workings of the teenage brain. She also verbally says, "Mom, take a break."

It is not a coincidence I work at GreenWorks, known by many as a 45-year old local organization. I see it as a living, breathing, thinking organism made up of a collection of people motivated and inspired to create a space for others to make the changes they see necessary in creating a better life for the collective. This month we worked to create a space for learning about plastics and how we could make a difference in our lives and other people's lives by taking steps to reduce the convenient also sometimes deadly and toxic polymer chains from our lives.

Many of us have heard it takes time to change something in the way we live day to day, a habit. Embracing change is a healthy lens to look at life on this planet and when we don't resist change we can use that energy for something else like enjoying an ice cream cone or the friendship of another over dinner.

Sometimes we may wonder "Am I hanging on to old ways or are they hanging on to me?" More often than not they are in some ways hanging on to you through well worn neural networks of habit. Some habits are healthier than others but to make real change for the good you need to start slow. Overwhelm is not an effective place to begin and will often only lead to going back to old and sometimes unhealthy ways.

Make your change slow and feel good about the one thing you did today or this week that made a difference in plastic reduction. Practice makes progress, not perfect. This practice, however, can become permanent. The practice of embracing change.

Joéle Emma
Education Director
Asheville GreenWorks

Head to the Mountains in Plastic-Free Style

5/27/2019

People are drawn from far and wide to witness the majesty of the southern Appalachians. It's no wonder — within a short drive, we can access Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blue Ridge Parkway, Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, and Pisgah National Forest… to name a few of the most spectacular and well-known places to go hiking, camping, or to take in a beautiful view (or maybe 20).

But for many, a day or a weekend in the woods comes with lots of plastic. Bags of trail mix, individually-wrapped granola bars, zip-top bags for food storage, and disposable plates, silverware and cups. While we admire the natural beauty around us, we are making a big pile of TRASH.

So how can we make our mountain adventure less plastic-filled? Plan ahead! As we discussed in our blog post about #GoingPlasticFree at the beach, a little planning can go a long way.

Plastic-Free Vacation Kit: I went over this in detail in our beach vacation post, but putting together a bin or laundry basket of the reusable items you’ll need for your trip will be incredibly helpful. Add a travel-friendly soap dispenser, water cooler or repurposed containers to carry water, and a bucket or wash basin in order to have a full-service washing station.

Meal/Snack Planning: BYO container to the bulk section to pick up trail mix, look for some package-free fruits and veggies, and do some pre-trip meal prep to transport in your plastic-free or repurposed containers. For some mouthwatering meal ideas, check out The Ultimate List of Make Ahead Camping Meals by takeoutdoors.com.

Make ahead granola bars from takeoutdoors.com

Toiletry Kit: We haven’t found a plastic-free toiletry kit yet, but if you’ve taken our earlier advice on #GoingPlasticFree in the bathroom, then you’re armed with everything you need to transition toiletries to the realm of travel. But for me, reuse and repurposing is key here. For years I have refilled the same pump bottle that originally held store-bought hand soap. Just wash out any pump or squeeze bottle and, voilá - a travel-ready container that will go well beyond its intended single use.

On the Trail: Reusable snack bags are an excellent choice for keeping your sandwiches, fruit, or trail mix fresh without any added weight. While there are a variety of choices available, we like Etee brand for its organic, sustainably-sourced materials that are fully biodegradable. Their average lifespan is between 120-150 uses.

(Pictured at left) Etee Brand Sandwich Bags

Don’t forget the sunscreen! As a reminder, here are 6 Plastic-Free Alternatives to sunscreen in plastic bottles.

We hope you've enjoyed these tips to help you in your (plastic-free) adventuring. Now go forth and recreate!

Sincerely,
Megan Travi
Development Associate
Asheville GreenWorks

The Best Part of Waking Up is No Plastic in Your Cup

5/26/2019

For some people, the day doesn’t really begin without a morning cup of coffee or tea. Whether hot or iced, decaf or regular, homemade or store-bought, our daily beverage is a great hiding place for sneaky single-use plastic and a great place to start with going plastic-free.
In the Home
The Problem: Plastic has a way of creeping into a lot products, including packaging for coffee and tea. It’s in the plastic vacuum-sealed bag that keeps the Arabica beans fresh until their ready to be brewed. Plastic can also be found enveloping individually wrapped tea bags or even encasing the whole box. Even coffee filters, that can be composted along with the grounds, can be packaged in plastic.

The Solution: Do some pre-cycling at the store when you’re shopping for coffee and tea products. Look for coffee and tea sold in recyclable paper (not foil- or plastic-lined) or metal tins. Bring your reusable container to purchase bulk coffee or loose tea. Try using a reusable tea ball to steep your brew. Search out coffee filters sold in paper rather than plastic packaging.

On the Go

The Problem: This is a big one -- hot beverage cups and their lids are NOT RECYCLABLE! The cups are coated with polyethylene to keep the paper cup from disintegrating. Unfortunately, this coating also prevents the cup from being recyclable. It’s estimated that 50 billion paper coffee (and tea) cups are being thrown away in the USA every year. eCO2 Greetings created this infographic to illustrate what it would look like if those 50 billion cups were piled up -- a mountain 701 meters high! Then there’s the issue of a plastic lid, the swizzle stick for stirring and the ridiculous little green stick that Starbucks gives you to put in the opening of your lid so your beverage doesn’t spill.

Iced beverages are arguably worse for the environment with the plastic cup, lid and straw, all of which are non-recyclable. And don’t be fooled by the so-called “eco” biodegradable or compostable cups. These are only compostable in a commercial compost facility like Danny’s Dumpster, so unless the shop where you bought your beverage offers composting or you have access to a commercial composting through Danny’s or CompostNow, this cup is headed to the landfill as well.

The Solution: Bring your own reusable cup or mug. Most places will happily pour your beverage into your own cup and may even give you a discount for bringing your own, like Green Sage Cafe, which donates a portion of its proceeds to GreenWorks when you use your own cup.

In the Workplace

The Problem: No matter the time of day, you can expect to find a coffee and tea setup at work meetings. Some offices have coffee stations for employees and guests to get their caffeine fix at any time. Made for convenience, these setups can be full of plastic from individual creamers, stirrers, cups and lids.
And, don’t even get me started on the single-use Keurig or K-cups. According to the Story of Stuff, “The amount of K-Cups trashed into landfills as of today could wrap around the planet more than 10 times! More broadly, almost 25% of American homes owned a single cup brewing machine. That’s over 75 million homes brewing single use pods like K-cups everyday, multiple times a day. This means that tens of billions of nonreusable, nonrecyclable plastic pods have ended up in landfills.”

The Solution: Stock your office kitchen with reusable mugs and spoons. If you’re heading to a meeting at another location, bring your own mug. Follow the pre-cycling steps above when purchasing break room supplies.

And for goodness sake, kick that Keurig to the curb or invest in some reusable K-cups.

Thanks for Minding Your Plastic! There's still time to support GreenWorks' plastic reduction efforts. Help us reach our goal of raising $5,000 during Mind Your Plastic May.

Sincerely,
Dawn Chavez
Executive Director
Asheville GreenWorks

Can You Cook Out Without Plastic?

5/25/2019

Any major holiday from Memorial to Labor Day will see overstuffed garbage cans at the local parks. Styrofoam plates, cups, bowls, flatware, cling wrap, aluminum foil, solo cups and thousands of plastic drink bottles. So how can we break this habit and still have a clean and safe cookout?

Check out these 6 steps to help you slow down on single use plastics at your next cookout.

Step 1) Remind your friends before the cookout that you’re trying to reduce the amount of plastic used. This way it’s not a huge surprise to everyone when you’re glowering at them over the styrofoam cups they brought.

Step 2) Carry your precious edibles in washable, sustainable containers made from glass, ceramics and / or metal. We’re open to the idea that folks have a varying degrees of food preferences but we should also think the same way about the items transporting our delicious dishes. Under the correct conditions some types of plastic product can leach harmful chemicals into your food.

Step 3) Bringing cold drinks? Pass on the plastic containers of beverages and opt in for aluminum containers. It’s more expensive to purchase singles of drinks but these containers can be easily recycled.

Step 4) Ready to cut that carbon footprint even further? Switch out your animal products with vegetable based proteins. There are loads of products that can help you slow down on animal proteins and satiate your cravings. Check out https://impossiblefoods.com/
and https://www.beyondmeat.com/

Step 5) Bring along extra reusable bowls, plates, flatware and serving utensils for your guests. Go a step further and have your wash pan with you to tidy up some of those items for the trip home.

Step 6) Bring a cardboard box for recycling, a lidded bucket for compostables and a bag for landfill items. You can make sure your cookout is as low impact as possible by sorting onsite and carrying it home with you.

Sincerely,
Eric Bradford
Director of Operations
Asheville GreenWorks

Sun, Sand, Surf... and Zero-Waste Sunscreen

5/24/2019

It’s almost summertime… I don’t know about you, but when the days get warmer and the sun shines in abundance, I start dreaming of the beach. Thankfully, I hold some roots down on the coast of Virginia and Maryland, so the location is almost always the same and lodging is free. (Score!) I also have two children and I’m known as the planner in my family, so the very next thing I do is make a list. And believe me -- if you’re trying to reduce single-use plastic in your life and you’re getting ready to go on vacation, a list and proper planning can be the difference between eco-friendly and eco-destructive.

Plastic Free Vacation Kit
I highly recommend making a kit with all the reusable items you think you’ll need on your vacation — travel coffee mugs and water bottles, bamboo plates and silverware, reusable straws, a few shopping bags, a waterproof “ditty bag” or two for wet clothes, towels and bathing suits, and maybe some travel-friendly food-storage containers. (It’s a good idea to brainstorm with your partner or travel buddy to make sure you’ve got your bases covered.) Then stick everything in a laundry basket or other container you’ve got lying around. Just think of all the food- and drink-related plastic trash you kept out of the waste stream just by planning ahead. Swoon!

Pro-tip: Bring a travel-friendly container of the Dr. Bronners’ Castile Soap you got in bulk at one of our local grocery stores, fill up a water cooler or a few repurposed beverage containers, and grab a bucket or bin. Voila, you’ll have a ready-made washing station in the back of your car.

Zero-Waste Sunscreen
Now, on to sunscreen. While sunscreen should be a part of any beach vacation and may even be in your daily routine, so often it comes in the ubiquitous plastic bottle. The aerosol spray version seems to be gaining in popularity… the metal part can be recycled, but the plastic spray nozzle cannot. Not only that, it usually contains a fraction of the amount, so really you’re spending more money to buy air.

Luckily, several options exist to buy truly zero-waste sunscreen that works. Here’s a link for 6 Plastic-Free, Reef Safe Alternatives to sunscreen in plastic bottles. And while we are focusing on plastic reduction, it’s important to note that many sunscreens have ingredients that are harmful to coral reefs and other aquatic habitats. “Swimmer pollution” in popular tourist areas can create an oily, iridescent sheen on the surface of the water that lingers after all the tourists go home. (Interested in more info on the topic of sunscreen pollution? Check out this blog post by MarineSafe.org)

It’s also important to plan ahead in this department because although there are several zero-waste sunscreens out there, chances are they’re not going to be available at the gas station or WalMart on the way to the beach. (Guilty.) Typically, zero-waste sunscreen comes in a metal tin, a compostable tube, or a glass jar. Just be sure that if you get one in a compostable tube, you keep it dry in your waterproof ditty bag or it may disintegrate over the course of your vacation. If you opt for the metal tin, some companies even offer a program for sending back empties for a refill.

If you DIY, you can also make your own sunscreen! Recipes typically include zinc oxide, which has a 20+ SPF, along with other ingredients like shea butter, coconut oil, and vitamin E that provide additional protection. Kathryn Kellogg from GoingZeroWaste, a self-proclaimed “child of the sun”, swears by her recipe for mineral sunscreen with a natural 30 SPF, but you can find many online.

Sun-Protective Clothing
Another great step? Use less! “But,” you say, “isn’t sun protection is important?” Yes definitely, but there are other ways to avoid sun overexposure. If you are going to be sitting on a beach long periods of time, try to take a break in the middle of the day and bring a hat and cover up that protects at least your upper body. Covering up with lightweight clothing and applying lotion to only the neck, face, feet and backs of hands can reduce the amount of the likely pricier-than-conventional zero-waste sunscreen you’ll need to apply, while also reducing sunscreen loads into the water by 90 percent. If you have children or are sun-sensitive (either naturally or because of a particular medication), you can invest in “sun clothes,” clothing items that are specifically designed to reduce UV exposure. A quick Google search pulls up a wide variety of fashionable options for everyone.

We hope you find these tips useful and have a fabulous, plastic-free beach vacation!

Sincerely,
Megan Travi
Development Associate
Asheville GreenWorks

Growing a Plastic-Free Garden

5/23/2019

As I started on this plastic-free journey with you a few weeks ago, I idealistically dreamed of growing my own vegetables, such as spinach, to avoid the plastic packaging in which so much produce is sold. What could be more natural and plastic-free than gardening? As I turned to our little raised bed in the front yard, I soon discovered how ubiquitous plastic is, even in our garden.

Prepping the Soil for Planting
Whether you’re planting a vegetable or flower garden, chances are you will need to clear some weeds and add some soil amendments to get the area ready for planting. Rather than using black plastic landscape “cloth” to rid the area of weeds, opt for plastic-free alternatives such as cardboard or newspaper that biodegrade and mix with the soil over time. Synthetic landscape fabric or plastic can kill the organisms and microbes that make for healthy soil.

Soil, compost, mulch and other soil amendments often come in plastic sacks. You can learn to make your own compost at home at one of GreenWorks’ monthly Composting Workshops and skip the middle-man. Some garden centers will deliver compost, mulch and soil by the truckload to your home -- just be ready to do some shoveling! If you must buy products in plastic bags, thoroughly wash the empty bags when done and take them to Ingles to be recycled with other plastic film.

Planting and Growing
As you assemble your seeds and starts to begin planting your garden, be mindful of plastic sneaking into the products. Glossy seed packets sometimes have a plastic liner to prevent moisture from damaging the seeds. Look for paper packets at your local garden store. Participate in a local seed swap and bring your own glass jars or paper bags as seed containers. Bountiful Cities coordinates the Asheville Buncombe Community GardenNetwork (CGN) which maintains a Seed Library at the Burton Street Recreation Center for exchanging seeds as well. Plan ahead for next year and attend a CGN seed-saving workshop in the fall to learn how to create your own store of seeds.

Commercially grown plants and starts are often sold in plastic pots and trays. Such plastic is not recyclable locally, but can be brought to a Lowe’s Garden Center where they will be recycled or reused. Lowe’s will also take the little plastic plant markers/labels. You can check with your local nursery or garden store to see if they will take the plastic pots or flats back. Or, save the containers to grow your own starts for next season.

Image Credit: Point of Comfort

To avoid the plastic altogether, look for plants in biodegradable pots or make your own from cardboard egg cartons, newspaper or cardboard toilet paper tubes. Check out this video from GrowVeg on how to make your own pots:

Cleaning Up
Weeding, pruning and harvesting produce a lot of yard waste. If you live within the City of Asheville and don’t have your own compost pile, you can have yard waste picked up at your curbside. Use brown paper yard waste bags, available at hardware stores, or a reusable bin to collect your plant material. This prevents unnecessary use of plastic trash bags, as the paper bags can be composted right along with the yard waste. Containing the plant material rather than piling it along the curb also keeps it from washing into our storm drain system and polluting local creeks and rivers. Enter your address HERE to find out if you’re in the City of Asheville and when your trash, recycling, and brush collection days are.

By going plastic-free in the garden, you can add to your overall joy of gardening and feeling of accomplishment. Do you have other tips for reducing plastic waste in the garden? Share your thoughts on the GreenWorks’ Facebook post related to this topic. Do you know someone who would like to learn more about going plastic-free? Forward this email and encourage them to check out all the previous posts on our website: www.ashevillegreenworks.org/mind-your-plastic-may.

Sincerely,
Dawn Chavez
Executive Director
Asheville GreenWorks

Online Shopping: Shop 'til You Drop (the Plastic)

5/22/2019

Online shopping is incredibly convenient. We can all agree that one-stop shopping from your couch (probably while chilling in your jammies) is pretty alluring, but at the same time you have much less control over an item’s packaging. In traditional brick-and-mortar retail, stores make their purchases in bulk, so consumers don’t expect items bought locally to be individually shrink-wrapped, padded, and boxed. It’s easier to control the amount of plastic and packaging you are accepting. You can refuse the extra bubble wrap, plastic grocery bag, and make purchase decisions based on items’ in-store packaging. The irony of ordering a plastic-free item that is then shipped in a box with bubble-wrap, styrofoam, or plastic air pillows is not lost on us. So we have a few tips to make your online shopping experience a little less impactful when it comes to plastic.

Amazon Shopping Tips
Of course we have to talk about the elephant in the room… Amazon. Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, with over 3 million active users Amazon is by far the biggest player in online shopping. But there are some specific actions you can take to reduce the amount of packaging.

Frustration-free packaging:
Did you know Amazon has over 200,000 items designated as having “frustration-free packaging”? These items are shipped in “its own packaging without the need foradditional Amazon packaging”. They use 100% curbside recyclable materials and no plastic clamshells or wire ties. Simply add “frustration free packaging” to your search terms.

Contact Customer Service:
You can contact Amazon’s Customer Service by email (cs-reply@amazon.com), phone (1-888-280-4331), or live chat with an Amazon associate on their customer service Contact Page. Blogger Late Summer Mama recommends using the following phrase:

“I would like to request that all of my Amazon orders be packed with minimal, plastic-free packaging. Please make a note on my account to avoid bubble wrap, styrofoam, and plastic padding when fulfilling my orders. Thank you.”

(To make it super easy for you, we have a ready-made email message you can access just by clicking the link above. )

Group Items Together at checkout:
Amazon has several shipping options including “deliver in fewest possible packages.” Not only will this choice create less waste, it also reduces carbon emissions since less packages are being sent.

Bundle Your Purchases:
Listen, you do not need a set of gel pens on Monday, a stapler on Wednesday, and some new hair product on Saturday. Seriously. In my house, I have an “Amazon List” on my refrigerator and when I think I things I might like to order, I add them to the list. You can also just save any items in your Amazon account and when you have several, place the order then.

General Tips for Online Shopping
Wherever you are purchasing from, see if you can make a special request for less packaging. Or, do a little research before purchasing from that online retailer. Often times you can find information about what materials are used in shipping in the FAQ section or by sending in a quick email. And when you order directly from the supplier rather than our favorite online retail giant, chances are better that you will be fully accommodated.

A Word on Meal Kit Subscriptions…
We’ve received some comments asking us to specifically address the phenomenon of meal kit subscriptions. We’re gonna need to do a little more research on that one, but there is no question they produce a LOT of single-use plastic waste. For more discussion on the topic, check out this blog post from The Dieline.

Still left with styrofoam and packaging?
Save it for Hard 2 Recycle! We host 5 different H2R events each year at various locations throughout the county. Our next Hard 2 Recycle is on June 15th in Weaverville. We’ll recycle the cardboard and styrofoam for you. Bubble wrap? Take it to a Pack N Post or UPS. Packing peanuts? U Haul's corporate locations have a “take a bag, leave a bag” exchange program.

Sincerely,
Megan Travi
Development Associate
Asheville GreenWorks