Fuck Plastic: 101 Ways to Free Yourself from Plastic and Save the World
by Rodale Sustainability
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You’ve probably come across this site because at some point, you’ve looked around your house and said, “I throw away a lot of f**king plastic.” That’s pretty much why I’m here too. So this small book by the fine folks at Rodale totally gets us.
See our list of best books on sustainable living here!
About F**k Plastic
Clocking in at about 120 pages with plenty of white space on each, this book is short and sweet. As the title suggests, it doesn’t hold back on no-nonsense ways to reduce your plastic consumption.
With that being said, I was a little suspicious. I mean…I’m pretty sure I can find 101 ways to reduce plastic on the internet. Hell, one thousand and one. No! One million and one. You know what I mean. Anyway, at first glance the introduction makes a strong case for eliminating single-use plastic while giving the material its due. The title may indicate a total disdain for it, but plastic is necessary to our modern life.
Why does this book matter?
We depend on things like joint replacements and cell phones. But the things we use just because we’ve gotten complacent? Like throwing one single onion in a plastic produce bag because you’re not really paying attention? That stuff lasts for so long.
(How long? It could be up to FIVE HUNDRED years, according to Biological Diversity, as cited in the book.) It’s not just those plastic bags, either. So much of our single-use plastic items (think yogurt containers, drinks, plastic wrap, etc.) ends up in our waterways through either littering or the very. slow. breakdown in landfills. In fact, the book states that there are currently 51 TRILLION microscopic pieces of plastic in our sea.
Microscopic, sure, but 51 trillion of anything will certainly add up. That they’re so small, is actually terrible news. Because of the vast quantity that’s already in the sea, and the fact that each plastic piece is so small, it’s not likely they’ll ever be removed. The key now is to not add to this mess we’ve created. So, yeah, fuck plastic.
The meat of the book is 101 ways each of us can use less plastic in our lives. Each tip is accompanied by short explanatory paragraphs.
Tips range from, “Huh! I never thought of that!”…
Like “#6 Opt for the Ice Cream Cone” (as opposed to the cup). I mean, I’ve always done that. For Dessert Reasons, rather than because I’m an amazing steward of the environment, but I’ll take my wins where they come.
…to “I know, I know”…
“#10 Pack a Bag” reminds you to bring your reusable grocery bag into the store. And honestly, we do all know, but maybe the tip should be, “hide your cart and walk your lazy ass out to the car when you realize you didn’t bring your bag in. Again.”
…to “I did not know that!”
Like “#38 Detergent grows on trees.” Really! This is cool. If you play the definition of cool pretty fast and loose, as I do.
Final thoughts about Fuck Plastic
Conveniently, the tips are broken up into areas of your life, like “Food and Drink”, “Around the House”, “Lifestyle”, and so forth.The information in this book is all worthy, if a little barebones. (For example, one tip encourages you to make your own cleaning products, but doesn’t include any recipes.) It’s a great primer on the topic, but certainly not encyclopedic by any means.
Its cute cover and petite package makes me think it would be a great stocking stuffer for your favorite tree-hugging rookie, if you’re determined to purchase this. Otherwise, check it out from your local library (that’s what I did!) and jot down some notes.
Do you have a favorite book on sustainability? Let me know what they are.
(If you’re looking for more book reviews, I got you.)
