Earlier this year, “06880” introduced Sustainable Westport’s newest project: “UnPlastic Westport.”
The initiative aims to reduce single-use plastics, and expand water-filling stations around town. The goal is to “turn shared intention into measurable, community-wide change.”
Once a month, we’ll help them highlight an area of daily life where single-use plastic is most common, along with practical ideas to use. This month, we focus on not a space, but a season: summer.
We’ve all reached for that bin in the garage — the one saying “Beach/Pool” — only to see a tangle of cracked plastic shovels, half-empty bottles of expired sunscreen, and a mountain of single-use waste from last August.
Beyond the clutter, there’s a hidden “scary” factor: leaching.
When plastic sits in a hot garage or 100-degree car, it begins to break down. Chemicals like BPA and phthalates are released into the same things we put on and in our bodies.
Sustainable Westport recommends a Great Summer Reset.
Everyone wants a “simple” summer. But we may start by buying a 24-pack of plastic water bottles, and a bag of disposable snacks.
This year, let’s try a different strategy. Let’s audit our summer gear not just to declutter, but to improve the health of our families and the planet.
The Sunscreen Audit (The “Goo” Factor)
The Friction: You find 3 half-used plastic bottles of sunscreen in your bag. One is leaking, one is expired, and all are destined for landfill because that specific plastic is a nightmare to recycle. Plus, heat and time cause the plastic packaging to leach endocrine-disrupting chemicals directly into the lotion you’re about to rub into your skin.
The Fix: Look for plastic-free packaging like Raw Elements, Little Hands Hawaii and All Good. Tins and cardboard sticks are becoming the new standard. They don’t leak in a hot car, they take up half the space in your “go bag,” and they use “non-nano” zinc, which is safer for your bloodstream and Long Island Sound.
Sunscreen comes in tins, too.
The Beverage “Buy-In-Bulk” Trap
The Friction: The urge to buy “flats” of Costco plastic water bottles is strong in May. It feels like “being prepared.” In reality, it means you’ll trip over plastic cases in the pantry all summer.
Meanwhile, single-use plastic bottles are often made of PET. Exposed to summer temperatures, these bottles can release chemicals and microplastics into your drinking water.
The Fix: This is the month to invest in a hydration kit. Ensure everyone in your house has a high-quality reusable bottle, and a stash of powdered mixes. It’s the preparedness of a 24-pack, without the storage headache or recycling bin overflow.
The Picnic Prep (Breaking the Zip-Top Habit)
The Friction: We spend May buying boxes of plastic baggies and pre-packaged snack packs, because they feel like the only way to survive a park play date.
The Fix: Before the schedule gets crazy, grab a few sets of stainless steel or sturdy glass containers. If you kit out your kitchen now, you’ll reach for the reusable option by habit in July when you’re too tired to think.
Convenient — but an environment-killer.
The Bottom Line: Future-You Will Thank You
May is about systems. By swapping out plastic “crutches” now, you set yourself up for a summer that’s cleaner, healthier and less cluttered.
Let’s leave single-use plastics in the past. Start this season with a bag that’s actually ready for the long haul.
(“06880” keeps an eye on Westport’s environment — and every other part of town. Please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
How about the hundreds of plastic signs all over town.
Balloons just add to the garbage.
Remember the line in The Graduate, “plastics”.