Ultra Curious: Plastic Free Day

Last year, A Plastic Planet launched the world's first #oneplasticfreeday which occurred this year on June 5th. Participation is easy: take a photo of one thing you want to see go plastic free, upload it to your social channel of choice and use hashtag #oneplasticfreeday. The hope is to create a visual survey of items consumers deem ready for a packaging overhaul and bring brands’ attention to it.

A handful of Ultralites joined the movement by not only participating in the day, but challenging themselves to go plastic free for an entire day. The choices and challenges are plenty:

• Convenience snack foods from breakfast bars to nuts to sweet treats. Some said no to using it, while others (hungry and needing a pick-me-up) failed to find snacks in paper or recyclable plastic. Fresh fruit is the best snack option in this case.

• Dining out, even for a sit-down meal, comes with unexpected plastic items like dipping sauces. Even if it could (and maybe should) be in a small reusable dish, the convenience of plastic wins even at restaurants where plastic alternatives are available.

• Some of the basic things in your every-day arsenal are all plastic. While we were focused on not consuming plastic waste in that day, it was shocking how much plastic was touched throughout the day, like shampoos, foam soap, Tupperware and beauty products.

Best advice to go plastic free? Be ready to say to no and sacrifice, especially those convenient things that make life easier. And, preparation is key: have reusable items on hand to store and transport what you need when you need it.