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Betsey Porter's avatar

Betsey Porter

Bloomington Ditches Plastic (residents and staff)

POINTS TOTAL

  • 0 TODAY
  • 0 THIS WEEK
  • 270 TOTAL

participant impact

  • UP TO
    6.0
    zero-waste meals
    consumed
  • UP TO
    4.3
    pounds of CO2
    have been saved
  • UP TO
    0.6
    pounds
    waste avoided
  • UP TO
    1.4
    pounds
    packaging waste avoided
  • UP TO
    50
    minutes
    spent learning

Betsey's actions

Food

Cook Meals with Zero Plastic Waste

I will prepare 2 meal(s) at home each day without using any items packaged in single-use plastic.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Plastics 101

Learn about Local Plastics Recycling

Plastics recycling is real, and it works in the Twin Cities metro area when done correctly. I will spend 15 minutes learning about how to correctly recycle plastics in the Twin Cities and where recycled plastics end up.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

COMPLETED 5
DAILY ACTIONS

Plastics 101

Know the Numbers

The numbers #1-7 on plastics tell us a lot and can help us be better recyclers. I will learn more about what the symbols on plastics mean.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Ditch the plastic baggies or wrap

I will ditch zippered plastic bags and/or plastic wrap and switch to reusable containers or wrap for food storage.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Food

Skip Single-Use Plastic for Freezing Food

I will use reusable containers when freezing food and opt for glass or metal when purchasing new containers.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

On-the-go

Use A Reusable Mug or Cup

I will avoid sending 1 disposable cup(s) to the landfill per day by using a reusable mug or bringing my own collapsible cup.

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Skip the Dryer Sheets

I will replace dryer sheets with a reusable alternative or use nothing at all.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Home

Shop Used

I will buy secondhand goods to reduce the demand for new plastic products and avoid packaging.

COMPLETED 3
DAILY ACTIONS

Participant Feed


  • Betsey Porter's avatar
    Betsey Porter 2/13/2026 7:51 AM
    I'm struggling with this format again this year. It's so hard to figure out how to do actions or remove actions so you can add different actions. Sigh. Maybe its just user malfunction.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    How easy or difficult have you found this task? Is there a way you could rearrange your freezer to make this work better?

    Betsey Porter's avatar
    Betsey Porter 2/06/2026 7:44 AM
    I had frozen some fresh cranberries in November in a reusable container and took them out last night to make some sauce as I was craving someone tart.
  • REFLECTION QUESTION
    Food
    Which method did you try? Do you prefer reusable containers or reusable wraps?

    Betsey Porter's avatar
    Betsey Porter 2/06/2026 7:43 AM
    I made waffles for breakfast and wrapped them in beeswax wraps and froze to take to work this week. Syrup went in a tiny mason jar.

  • Betsey Porter's avatar
    Betsey Porter 1/02/2026 11:29 AM
    Excited to further my plastic-free home journey!