barbie and the dreamhouse coloring pages

But their seams were always filled with the crusty remnants of snacks past - so back we slid to store-bought pouches.Īnd after pledging to stop using plastic containers to store leftovers, and buying all sorts of glass ones (though probably not enough) to use instead, my cupboard is once again a den of shame, filled with plastic containers of all sizes, some of which I suspect were left behind by friends or family. I bought reusable plastic pouches and filled them with homemade baby food and yogurt for my kids. I embraced cloth diapers - buying up gently-used ones from friends and neighbors to cut down on waste - but then the pandemic hit and it felt like one task too many as we juggled young kids and full-time jobs. (I do own those nice mesh produce bags but they are somehow never with me when I arrive at the store.)īut it’s not always easy. And rather than using plastic bags for my veggies, I let them sit, naked and exposed, on the conveyor belt, vowing to wash them twice before serving them. I take my reusable bags with me when I’m shopping, and have found other ways, such as silicone bags and containers, to store food to avoid cling wrap, which is not recyclable.Īt the grocery store, I opt for the glass jar of Teddie peanut butter instead of the plastic tub, even though we consume a tub’s worth each week. So, I carry my reusable water bottle and opt for cans when I buy a drink at a store.

One million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world, and less than a third of those are recycled, according to the advocacy group Beyond Plastics. The obvious things - single-use plastic bottles, plastic bags, cling wrap - have been easy enough to cut out. Now, thinking about what I want to do better in 2024, I can’t help but reflect back on where things have gone wrong. Plastics clog our oceans, threaten wildlife, and spread toxins. Half of global plastics production is for single-use items, and just 14 percent of plastic packaging is collected for recycling, according to the World Economic Forum. After all, not only are most plastics made from fossil fuels, they also emit greenhouse gases. I am a climate change reporter, and sometimes tackling our household waste feels like the least I can do to quiet the demons I’m haunted by in my day job.

For years, I’ve been on a mission to cut out waste in our household.

Barbie and the dreamhouse coloring pages