Brent Nourse, former recycling program manager and business manager for Methow Recycles, discusses plastic recyclables collected at the Twisp facility in this 2021 file photo.
Looking for a way to build ingenuity and resourcefulness – and help the environment? It’s time for Methow Recycles’ annual Plastic-Free February challenge, where people commit to using as little single-use plastic as possible for the entire month.
Even if you can’t achieve what, in 21st-century America, is a nigh-impossible goal, making the effort will help you reduce your use of plastics and build a healthy awareness of just how many things come packaged in plastic.
Recycling center staff and the others who take on the challenge collect the plastic they can’t avoid so they can compare experiences and workarounds at the end of the month. They’ll also be posting about their efforts and insights on Facebook and Instagram throughout February.
If you don’t want to take on the full challenge, you can pick one item (like yogurt, snack bars or coffee beans) and devise a way to get that item without plastic for the month.
Methow Recycles offers suggestions on its Facebook page to help you find plastic alternatives. Tips include replacing plastic bags for sandwiches and bulk foods with reusable ones made from washable fabric or silicone, carrying refillable water bottles and coffee mugs and bringing your own containers for deli items, and looking for products wrapped in paper instead of plastic.
Remember to bring reusable grocery bags, or use one of the cardboard boxes that many stores otherwise discard.
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