We’re halfway through Plastic Free July and it’s been a more challenging week this week. My husband has been raiding the ‘reduced to clear’ section at the supermarket for a start. This is great because it saves us money and we feel like we’re saving food from being wasted, unfortunately it inevitably comes with more plastic. I also forgot my containers when I visited the butcher’s this week. I was so mad with myself! Of all the times to forget my containers! After a bit of thought, I bought some waxed paper (waxed, not siliconised) at the hardware shop and asked the butcher to wrap my meat in that. He was fine with doing this and I can use the paper to start our fire when we’re done with it.

On a positive note, after a nudge from fellow blogger Rhubarb and Runner Beans, I finally got round to seeing if I could recycle soft plastics with the carrier bags at my local Morrison’s stores. I can, which is great and saves some packaging from landfill. Recycling isn’t the solution. The best solution is to avoid plastic consumption in the first place. However, when some plastic packaging is unavoidable (like the ever-shrouded cucumbers, for example), it’s great to know that I can recycle that packaging.

So, here is my plastic rubbish from Plastic Free July 2017 Week Two. On the left are the recyclables/reusables and on the right is the landfill waste. You’ll see a solitary cork at the right. I’d assumed it was plastic, but when I looked more closely I noticed it said ‘From sugar cane biopolymers’ on it. So I’ve put that to one side to see if I can compost it.

And here is 2016’s rubbish from the same point in the challenge. I think the amount of plastic is probably equal, but more went to landfill last year.

Next week, we have not only the end of term, which inexplicably tends to be a plastic-fest in itself, but also our middle child’s birthday. So I’m fully expecting a larger pile of plastic. We do our best to keep plastic to a minimum when it comes to birthdays and we also have several family members who very considerately do the same. Birthdays always seem to involve some plastic though, so we’ll see how we get on.

How has your second week of Plastic Free July gone? Easier or more challenging than last week? Remember, you can’t fail at Plastic Free July. Simply by joining in and making the effort, you’re already winning! Let me know how you’re getting on in the comments.