Kate Van Horne

Community Team

POINTS TOTAL

0 TODAY
0 THIS WEEK
121 TOTAL

participant impact

UP TO

1.0

plastic containers

not sent to the landfill
UP TO

1.0

advocacy action

completed
UP TO

25

minutes

spent learning

Kate's actions

Plastics 101

Stop "wishcycling"

Contamination makes the recycling process more difficult. I will review which materials are accepted by local haulers or drop stations in my county and recycle only those items.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

On-the-go

Say no to Styrofoam

Throughout its life cycle, polystyrene (styrofoam) can harm people, communities, and the planet. I will refuse styrofoam whenever I can.

COMPLETED 2
DAILY ACTIONS

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 1
DAILY ACTION

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 10 minutes learning about how to correctly recycle plastics in the Twin Cities and where recycled plastics end up.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

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.

UNCOMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Plastics 101

Recycle Plastic Bags

Instead of trashing them, I will recycle 1 plastic bags per day bringing them to a drop-off or special pickup

COMPLETED 0
DAILY ACTIONS

At Home

Swap Sponges for Longer Lasting Reusable Options

I will ditch the sponge and use a reusable or compostable option such as a brush, scrubber or dishrag instead.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

At Home

Plastic-Free Caffeine Routine

I will cut single-use plastics out of my morning drink by switching to reusable coffee pods, tea infusers, and bulk beans or tea leaves.

COMPLETED
ONE-TIME ACTION

Participant Feed

REFLECTION QUESTION
On-the-go

Why do you think Styrofoam is still so common despite what we know about its health effects? How do you think we can collectively move away from using it?
Kate Van Horne 2/25/2026 12:21 PM
It's less expensive for businesses to use. It is light, so when using it for packaging, it doesn't add to the shipping costs. I try to reuse it if I receive it in a box (shipping popcorn). I would like to try to bring my own takeout containers in the future to avoid the styrofoam. I should speak up and let the business know that there may be other cost effective alternatives.

Read More
- Layl McDill 2/26/2026 6:17 AM
  Our tile company bought a cardboard "perforator" that turns old cardboard into packing material. This meant NO MORE Styrofoam! It has saved us so much money and it's so much better! I wish more companies would figure this out!
  
  Read More
- Denise Lau 2/25/2026 9:12 PM
  I have gotten some shipping popcorn that disintegrated when it was wet. I'm not sure what that puts into the water but it had all of the same attributes as styrofoam being lightweight and reusable, small, etc. but disappeared if wet.
  
  Read More
Kate Van Horne 2/25/2026 12:18 PM
This month, I have started buying nuts and grains like oats in bulk using glass jars that I bring from home. Many of those products I'd bought before were in plastic bags.

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- Layl McDill 2/26/2026 6:18 AM
  I started doing this too - and I think it's so much more fun and "cute"- I've decorated my jars with stickers!
  
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REFLECTION QUESTION
At Home

How has removing your single-use plastics impacted your caffeine routine?
Kate Van Horne 2/05/2026 11:55 AM
I had no idea there was plastic in many brands of tea bags. Going forward, I will purchase from brands that are plastic free, and I now use a stainless steel infuser for bulk tea.

Read More
- Sharon Kephart 2/22/2026 9:18 PM
  I was horrified to hear that I was drinking micro plastics and I have a lot of tea in bags so now to use up those teas I'm tearing open the tea bag and putting the tea in a stainless filter.
  
  Read More
- Felix Goliwas 2/05/2026 2:24 PM
  Happy to hear that you are doing this moving forward!!!
  
  Read More
REFLECTION QUESTION
Plastics 101

Has separating your plastic bags for recycling helped you identify how you might reduce how many you have? What are you doing differently now?
Kate Van Horne 2/05/2026 11:53 AM
I try to save the few plastic bags we get and reuse them for dog waste pickup. We usually decline a bag at the store or bring a reusable bag (s) when shopping.

Read More