When I wake up in the morning, I touch my plastic phone to check the time. Stumble to the bathroom, sit on my plastic toilet seat. Coffee is from a Keurig® that has plastic in all the pieces and parts, and even a little plastic cup gets poked to serve me my morning jolt.
Everything in the kitchen is plastic or rubber-even the new pipes from where the water flows. And the whole house water filter that keeps out the water born illnesses. Spatulas and pans can be metal or wood, dishes are okay too. But the dishwasher has plastic all through its pieces and parts. Refrigerator too-it’s a hunk of plastic and metal. Organic spinach, gluten free oatmeal, juicy strawberries, honey… they all grace me with their plasticity.
The floors and rugs I walk on-you guessed, plastic. The contact lenses I wear in my eyes, and the case they come in. Toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, comb—all plastic. The clothes I wear sometimes have plastic too. The cup I put inside me once a month-to save waste from tampons-it’s ‘medical grade silicone’ aka ‘medical grade rubber’ and yes, plastic. I put that inside me and I’m supposed to believe it’s not toxic on all levels.
What did our ancestors do to comb their hair, wrap and transport their food, build their houses, and live their lives? By ancestors, I mean my parents and grandparents. I remember a time before cell phones, but I remember the phone on the wall was made of orange or yellow plastic too. The groceries came in paper bags that we made into book covers for school text books. Meat came wrapped in paper. Water brought to us by copper or lead pipes.
They say ‘micro plastics’ are in everything. So are macro plastics. Try to rid your life of plastics, and let me know how much it costs, or if you can even find replacement products. I’ve started little by little with the kitchen items. First it was the pots and pans. Then my metal and wood cooking utensils. I haven’t found a teapot yet that doesn’t have some sort of plastic on it somewhere. I’ll be working to find a French press for coffee soon with no plastic–so far no luck.
Growing my own small garden on my kitchen top (made of plastic) out of plastic containers. But at least the spinach and lettuce aren’t coming to me wrapped in plastic. That’ll be my next purchase-clay pots to grow my veggies.
Plastic is ubiquitous. It’s one of the current pandemics that no one wants to talk about or do anything about. Add it to the list of things we are creating to destroy ourselves from the inside out-electronic waste, fast fashion, fossil fuels. If I make it to 95 years old, will my lungs have plasticized? Or my liver, stomach, or uterus? When I’m cremated, will it smell like plastic burning?
Let’s not forget about the ocean and all the animals that are drowning in our garbage–all plastic. I can’t blame myself anymore. I used to take it all on, beat myself up for being a bad citizen of Mother Earth. But the generations before me, and the manufacturers, are to blame. Looking to nature to help me, and maybe I can help her at the same time.
Rosetta Malf 