My name is Renee Koval-Huenuqueo. I am the Rise Above Plastics (RAP) Coordinator for the Gray’s Harbor Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation. I was born, raised, educated, I worked, raised a family and retired here, in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve long been worried about the welfare of our planet, and I am happy to have found the Surfrider Foundation which provides a way I can participate in taking care of our environment.
I recently heard some numbers that surprised me almost into shock. Fifty percent of all plastic that has ever been produced was manufactured only within the past 20 years. And 40% of that is single-use plastic, made to be used only one time, and after which will never decompose. Products that provide us with convenience are continually being developed, and the petrol-chemical industry is wrapping them all in single-use plastic. Just think, how many new products have you seen appear in the supermarket aisles? Pre-cut fruit and assorted berries are available in plastic clamshells so we no longer need to slice open watermelons or cantaloupes. Bagged salad kits make meal prep so much easier. It seems that more and more items are being bottled in plastic. Zip-lock bags are so conveniently water-tight that finding alternatives is a challenge.
Of course, we’re often so busy that we appreciate the convenience of these products. But as we are now realizing, this convenience has come at an extremely high cost to our environment and to our health. Most people agree that we need to reduce plastic, but how many of these conveniences are we willing to do without? Personally, now that I’ve learned more about the negative effects of these plastic-packaged conveniences, I’d be happy to pry open the sealed spout of a milk carton rather than just turning a plastic cap embedded in said carton. However, I’m loath to spend more time in the kitchen, because I truly dislike any cooking prep work, so those bags of pre-washed veggies seemed a godsend. Fortunately, with just a little bit of organization, I've been able to keep the convenience these products provide while eliminating single-use plastics.
Instead of buying bagged kits of pre-washed vegetables or salad greens, I make my own. At the store I look for fresh greens and vegetables in bulk. When selecting my vegetables, I put them in reusable cotton bags instead of pulling a green plastic produce bag from a roll the stores provide. I found some bags online at Life Without Plastic, but I’m sure there are some enterprising crafters out there who can find some organic cotton, stitch up such bags, and maybe even place them for sale at one of our many arts and craft fairs. After grocery shopping, I’ll set aside some time in the kitchen to make these kits. For me, this can be a bit of a slog, so I find ways to make it enjoyable. I’ll put on some music or maybe an audiobook, and I’ll set a cup of tea or a glass of wine beside me on the counter. While washing and cutting the veggies, I’ll take exercise breaks by doing some push-ups against the counter or practicing balancing. I find that if I toss the veggie scraps into a bowl to take out to the compost bin, kitchen clean-up is much easier.
Once the vegetables and greens are washed and cut, I store them in a way that keeps them fresh for just as long as plastic bags do. All I do is dampen the cotton bags that I used for shopping, and then put the prepared greens or vegetables in them. To preserve freshness, the whole kit and caboodle needs to be stored in air-tight containers, such as silicone bags available from Stasher/Surfrider. I’m sure this sounds quite basic, but for me, it works. I end up with the same convenience without relying on those factory prepared bagged kits that add to the plastic pile that is already suffocating our planet.
Another major challenge is avoiding items in plastic clamshells. Instead of buying trail mix packed in clamshells as I used to, I go to The Market Place Aberdeen which has a variety available in bulk. In addition, I no longer buy pre-cut fruit in clamshells, I buy the whole thing, melon or pineapple, I clean and cut it myself, and store it in glass bowls or mason jars.
A more difficult hurdle for me was finding fresh berries. The only choice the supermarkets offer is to purchase berries packed in plastic clamshells. However, at the approach of this past summer, I eagerly awaited the arrival of fresh, organic berries when Spooner Berry Farms in Aberdeen opened. For several weeks I enjoyed these berries as each wave washed in, first strawberries, then marionberries, raspberries and finally blueberries. I reveled in them not only for their natural sweetness, but also because they were packed in compostable paper cartons. But the end of the season approached, and I mourned thinking future berries would come in clamshells. As I watched customers walking away from the kiosk with flats of berries, I realized that I needed to learn to do what they were doing; I’d learn to freeze those berries. I asked the ladies at the Spooners kiosk how I should proceed in this, and they were so very helpful by giving me step-by-step advice. They told me that marionberries and raspberries are delicate so it’s recommended not to wash these berries so they could keep their shape. Then I should spread a single layer on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them for an hour or two. Blueberries have thicker skins, so don’t require this flash freezing step. Then, you simply put them into, well, zip-lock freezer bags. I put mine first in wax paper sandwich bags, which I found at Ocean Sunset Pharmacy, and then into Stasher Bags silicone bags. Thus, I’ve joined the hoards of Spooner fans who already knew about the pleasure of buying flats of those berries and freezing them.
So the petrol-chemical industry is creeping into our kitchen with new conveniences all wrapped in single-use plastic, hoping that we’ll become dependent on them. But the cost they come with is so high we won’t be able to sustain this planet for our children, if not for ourselves. We have to find ways to create our own convenience. I am very interested if anyone has found other ideas or interesting solutions. If so, please message me so I can share it in future articles!