Hit 500 single-use plastic bottles avoided this year and it felt weird

I've been keeping a tally on my fridge of every time I used a reusable water bottle instead of buying a plastic one. Yesterday I hit 500, which is way more than I thought I'd manage back in January when I started. That number really drove home how much waste I used to create without even thinking about it. Has anyone else tried tracking a specific habit like this and been surprised by the total?

3 comments

3 Comments

jasonf171mo ago

Ngl that's a super cool metric to track. What worked for me was setting a pretty low bar at first, like just remembering to grab a bottle before I walked out the door. I'd tape a little note on my keys or wallet as a reminder. Once that became automatic, I started noticing how many times I'd reach for a plastic bottle without thinking, and that alone cut my usage by like half. Numbers on a fridge sound simple but honestly they make the impact feel real.

anthony1291mo ago

Yo for real, the low bar trick is key. I started by just putting a reusable bottle next to my keys every night so I couldn't leave without seeing it. After a week it became a habit and I stopped buying plastic bottles without even trying.

drew_reed621mo ago

Honestly I used to think tracking stuff like that was overkill but seeing you break it down like this Actually makes me want to try it. Might tape a note to my keys tonight.