I almost didn’t join this NaBloPoMo group because it was too challenging to eliminate the plastic we so love in our household. (When you have a toddler, you have less glass in your life, period.) But then I realized that was exactly WHY I needed to join, and why it would be a challenge.
So for week one, I’m eliminating the packaging for the breath-freshening gum I like to chew, which comes in blister packs backed by foil. You’ve seen these all over. Who knows if they’re even recyclable?
Instead, I’m switching over to this other kind of gum which comes in an economy-sized recyclable container. It has xylitol, a natural cellulose (tree?) based sugar that inhibits cavity-growing bacteria on your teeth. So it’s great for freshening the breath when you don’t have a toothbrush handy, the gum helps clean your teeth, and for the 120 pieces of Xylichew gum, you’ve swapped one recyclable container for 10 bits of unrecyclable plastic and foil. (So far as I know, this Xylichew gum doesn’t come individually wrapped in paper-and-foil.)
It’s not a perfect solution, but I don’t see how I can keep chewing this gum I like and not involve plastic somehow. So in this area, at least, maybe I have to be satisfied with reduction as opposed to elimination.
(Week #2 of the Great Plastic Elimination Challenge is here.)
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Great idea! We love those types of gum, and I think they sell it in a big container, so we’ll get that next time.
Thanks for the idea!
By: Sarcastic Mom on February 11, 2008
at 3:17 pm
What a great idea…..does it taste as good as your other gum?
I thinking attacking single serving packaging is our next “going green”.
By: tommiea on February 11, 2008
at 7:55 pm
SarcasticMom: thanks for stopping by!
Tommiea: the gum’s flavor is surprisingly long-lasting. Definitely tasty! It comes in spearmint, peppermint, cinnamon, and licorice. (Don’t I sound like i work for them? I don’t.)
Best of all, xylitol (the sugar used in Xylichew) is safe for diabetics and does not contribute to cavities to the same degree that regular sugars do. It’s actually kinda good for you!
Check out more here.
By: cynematic on February 11, 2008
at 8:11 pm
I Googled Xylichew. It sounds like a good product. If it can really do all the good it claims for your teeth it is well worth the price. I just may have to order 100 pieces and give it a try.
By: adamswife on February 11, 2008
at 8:53 pm
[...] The Great Plastic Challenge, Week #2 (Week #1 of the Great Plastic Elimination Challenge is here.) [...]
By: The Great Plastic Challenge, Week #2 « P i l l o w b o o k on February 12, 2008
at 11:03 am
[...] share alternatives to plastic, especially the plastics that hold our food. (Two of my favorites are http://cynematic.wordpress.com/2007/11/03/the-great-plastic-challenge-week-1/ and http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/ and one that has been around a while [...]
By: » The Irony That Is Plastic Notes from the Back Porch: Perspectives on being. on April 30, 2008
at 5:08 pm