Amy Melcher
"Reduce my plastics use."
POINTS TOTAL
- 0 TODAY
- 0 THIS WEEK
- 930 TOTAL
participant impact
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UP TO1.0documentarywatched
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UP TO170minutesspent learning
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UP TO36pieces of litterpicked up
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UP TO1.0waste auditconducted
Amy's actions
Plastics 101
Avoid Harmful Plastics
I will avoid buying toxic plastics, including polyvinyl, polystyrene and polycarbonate (#3,#6 and #7).
Plastics 101
Watch a Documentary
I will watch a documentary film about plastic waste with family and friends and talk about what we learned.
Plastics 101
Read Plastic-Free Challenge emails
I will read through the three emails each week to learn more about plastic and get ideas on how to use less.
Community
Pick Up Plastic Litter
I will pick up 3 piece(s) of plastic litter each day and dispose of it responsibly.
Plastics 101
Estimate Your Plastic Footprint
I will complete a plastic consumption calculator to learn about my plastic footprint.
Plastics 101
Complete a waste audit
I will spend 10 minutes conducting a waste audit- including recyclables and compost- to understand how much plastic waste I create and where I can reduce the most.
Participant Feed
Reflection, encouragement, and relationship building are all important aspects of getting a new habit to stick.
Share thoughts, encourage others, and reinforce positive new habits on the Feed.
To get started, share “your why.” Why did you join the challenge and choose the actions you did?
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Amy Melcher 2/29/2024 2:56 PMBeautiful day to walk the neighborhood and pick up trash. I average about one bag/mile walked. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPlastics 101 Estimate Your Plastic FootprintWhat did you find out about your plastic consumption by using the calculator? What did or didn't surprise you?
Amy Melcher 2/21/2024 8:11 AMI used the linked Plastic Footprint Calculator and found I have a personal plastic footprint of 28.4 pounds/year. This matches up with my waste audit of a little less than 1 pound/week for two people. Always room to improve and reduce plastic use. -
REFLECTION QUESTIONPlastics 101 Avoid Harmful PlasticsDo some research on polystyrene and polyvinyl. How many items in your house already contain these toxins?
Amy Melcher 2/21/2024 8:02 AMGood article from Plascene.com linked in the 'Learn More' button. We try to avoid #3 or #6 plastics. Sometimes they arrive with something you order. I'd like to send it back to the company that sent it to me. -
Amy Melcher 2/20/2024 8:15 AMI did a waste audit of our compost, recycling, and garbage.
Compost was 5.2 pounds
Recycling was 7.8 pounds
Garbage was 15 ounces
Cat litter (added to garbage bin) was 2.8 pounds
I was happy to see we had less than a pound of garbage. The picture is our 2-person household garbage for the week. All plastic or plastic coated paper. Valentine's added to our waste this week. Always room for improvement. -
Amy Melcher 2/19/2024 4:52 AMI saved the small pots and trays from my community garden last year and post them for free on Nextdoor. Saves the black plastic rom the trash. -
Amy Melcher 2/17/2024 1:38 PMI dropped off a stack of plastic PakTech tops at 44 France Wines & Spirits. They have a collection bin at the liquor store exit.-
Amy Melcher 2/18/2024 4:38 AMThese are craft beer can tops for 4-packs or 6-packs. -
H McCrillis 2/18/2024 1:18 AMOoh, what are they usually used for?
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REFLECTION QUESTIONPlastics 101 Watch a DocumentaryWhich documentary did you choose to watch? What did you learn?
Amy Melcher 2/16/2024 11:09 AMI watched 'The Plastic Problem' the 2019 PBS NewsHour Documentary. We only recycle 9% of plastic. Most of it is put in landfills. Manufacturers are pushing back on taking responsibility for their products. -
Amy Melcher 2/13/2024 3:09 PMYesterday, I did two loops of the Hwy 60 rest area south of Worthington. Gathered two bags of trash. Mostly plastics. Spread milkweed seeds along the native prairie trail. -
Amy Melcher 2/08/2024 12:43 PMYesterday, I did two loops of the west-bound Blue Earth I-90 rest area. Lots of plastic - plastic car parts, plastic wrappers, plastic bottles, plastic to-go food containers, plastic bags. So much plastic! -
Amy Melcher 2/07/2024 4:51 AMPicked up litter along 49th street from James to Xerxes.