All the rubbish I've generated during PFJ

Plastic Free July is over and I AM SO GLAD. I've been a busy bunny over the past month jumping from one event to another, coming up with ideas, organising stuff, and being extra careful about the rubbish I was generating. Overall it's been a very productive and rewarding month, but now I'm looking forward to going back into my routine of writing and blogging and just having more time to do my own thing. I'm obviously not going to stop being conscious of my impact on the planet, and I've actually been planning loads of exciting blog posts for the upcoming months, but I'm also relieved that I can also take some time to just chill and revise my priorities.

So to recap, this is all the rubbish I've generated in July. (This only includes plastic and landfill waste, I also had some recyclables - mostly paper - but I only wanted to include items that will - sadly - last forever.)

• Chocolate wrapping
  I've been addicted to this chocolate since I started working at Commonsense. It is hands down the best chocolate on earth. Unfortunately though, it comes wrapped in plastic. I only allow myself to buy it occasionally, but I guess I had a weak moment in July. Today I wrote an email to the company asking whether they might consider swapping to home compostable packaging instead. They are a German company and Germany is very much on top of things when it comes to waste management, so fingers crossed!
• Packet of crisps
  I'm not a crisps lover but these babies are delicious. I always tell myself I'm only going to eat half the packet and guess what, it never happens. Again, this is not something I buy on a regular basis but from now and then I do give in. 
• Yogurt container
  A recent discover, this soy yogurt is super light and super yummy (I'm not a fan of coconut yogurt - unless it's from this company) because my stomach doesn't really agree with it. I love fruit with yogurt in the morning and I'm not sure I want to give this up, so I wrote another email to them as well asking whether they can switch to glass jars instead of plastic.
• Pack of tofu
  This is a tricky one. I very rarely have tofu and I know there is a place in Wellington where you can bring your own container but I've never been myself. The other day I was meal-planning and I was really craving a tofu scramble, so I opted for convenience and got some in Tetra Pak. Tetra Pak is not recyclable in New Zealand and the alternative is tofu in plastic. Again, this is not something I have every day (far from it), yet I'm not happy that tofu is not sustainable in this country yet.
• Contact lenses
  I only use contact lenses when I play basketball, and I only had one game in July. I've never liked contacts as I find them itchy and uncomfortable, but when it comes to basketball they are the only way I can see where to throw the ball without having to wear glasses, which are actually pretty dangerous on court. As I'm approaching the end of my contact lenses supply, I'll have to figure out what I want to do next. I know you can get protective googles with a personalised prescription but I'm not sure I'm serious enough to justify them.

This is it! I'm pretty happy with my Plastic Free July low impact and I'm excited to keep on going. August looks full of workshops, make your own and volunteering, so stay tuned for more updates on that!