Giving up plastic is not as hard as it sounds, when you have a plan

Waves of Changeis a CBC series exploring the single-use plastic we're discarding, and why we need to clean up our act. You can be part of the community discussion by joiningour Facebook group.

Single-use plastic (SUP) is everywhere, which means trying to reduce the amount you usecan get really overwhelming, really quickly. But as the movement to ditch many of these plastics grows, it's clear that what'srequired isa mindset shift, much like eating healthieror exercising, in order to incorporatethis into their daily lives.

Here are some of the habits people who have reduced their plastic use live by.

1. Sayno (thank you)

The tiny word "no"looms large in Bea Johnson's life. The Californian literally wrote the book on reducing plastics at home,and she lives by her 5 Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot.

For her, the first R, refuse, is most important. It means saying no to things you don't need, before they end up in your house and then the trash, or condemned to the purgatory of thejunk drawer.

"It's important to learn to say no to these things on the spot. The next time someone tries to hand you something, think about it before you reach out. Ask yourself, do I really need this?" she told CBC.

Johnson said that refusalapplies not just to plastic bags at the grocery store, but freebies think a branded stress ball or promotional pen. Accepting such items encourages more of them to be produced, she said.

Johnson said it can be intimidating at first to refuse, and it's good to have a few polite ways to say no in your back pocket

"I just say,'no thanks, it's really nice of you but Idon't need it.' And people, when you say you don't need it, they're not going to force it onto you," she said.

• The secret to living zero waste? Start small

• What's SUP, anyway? Here's what you need to know about single-use plastics

2. Get organized

When Johnson began reducing her plastic use in 2008, she said there were few resources to draw on to helprestructure her life. She took it upon herself to figure out a way forwardand came up with the 5 Rs.

"It was an effort of preparing, or organizing myself, when Ifirst started," she said. It took a while to get used to unloading her cloth bags in her kitchen and remembering to put them directly back into the car, so she wouldn't be caught off-guard, but now it's routine.

A little bit of pre-planning goes a long way toward avoiding plastic bags and the likesimilar to chopping up fresh veggies to snack on later instead of reaching for a doughnut when hunger strikes.

It may sound overwhelming, but that doing some extra organizing at the outset pays off, according to Alli Johnston, a graphic designer in Corner Brook, N.L..,who began buying more products in bulk at the beginning of 2018.

"It takes bit more planning. but once we got set up with ourstandard jars, the ones that oatmeal goes in, and all the spice jars and things like that, it actually got easier," she said.

3. Take it easy!

Similar to eating healthier, it's important not to live by absolutes, which can lead to disappointment, guiltor binge-eating a box of Oreos, Johnston said.

"Any change takes time,and not everyone is extraordinarily disciplined," she said."Ithink that the only way you're going to succeed at something like this is to go easy on yourself, and to allow yourself to slip up."

Johnston admittedshe's sometimes forgotten a bag or bought a product wrapped in plastic because of its convenience.But she doesn't beat herself up about it.

"I try not to. But Ialso try and acknowledge that feeling, that goes against what I'm trying to do here,and remember thatthe next time," she said.

The ultra-committed Johnson said her family of four produces a pint of trash a year. But even she says that you need to relax in order to reduce plastic use. She began by trying to eliminate almost all packaging from her life baking her own bread, making her own cheese, and even attempting to churn her own butter.

"Eventually Irealized Ihad thrown myself into a homemaking level that was just unsustainable," she said. It's important to find a balance and a system you can work with for life, she said, not one you can't keep up.

4. Be brave

Doing things outside your normal routinecan be tough, but no change can happenwithout taking thefirst step.

Johnston said the first time she used cloth produce bags instead of plastic ones for her vegetables, she felt an outsized sense of apprehension. It seems silly in retrospect, she said, but at the time the feeling was real.

"Ihad this little nervous feeling as Igot up to my turn at the checkout. And to her credit, the young woman who served me, just said, 'oh this is neat,' and took the tare weight off my bag," she said. (Tare weight is the weight of the empty container.)

Change can be challenging for everyone, even people who are really motivated.- Alli Johnston

"It's just evidence of how change can be challenging for everyone, even people who are really motivated."

Johnson said it's difficult but to put yourself at the forefront of change. She used to be alone in asking for her coffee in a reusable to-go cup, she said, but now it's common practice.

Equally important, shesaid, is not to judge others' actions.

"Some people are going to go faster than others," she said, "but Ithink it's important to know that change that is slow, is change that is typically more sustainable."

Johnston agreed.

"All Ican do is make decisions in my day-to-day life to help chip away at things. and if more people start doing that, then eventually things will start to get better."

Join the discussion on theCBC Waves of Change Facebook group, or send us an email:wavesofchange@cbc.ca.

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