Contradictory, useful techniques for plastic reduction

Life is full of contradictions, and this post is no exception.  Using less plastic is a creative endeavor, after all, and here's where some of the creativity comes in.

To use less plastic, buy less and buy more.

I just broke down and ordered a pair of noise-canceling headphones, and of course they came shipped in a plastic bag that I didn't want.   Much of the stuff we purchase comes with this unwanted plastic whose use is temporary but whose environmental effects will persist for centuries.  Buying less stuff means getting less annoying packaging.  If we don't buy paper napkins, then we also don't by the wrapping that comes around them.  If we can borrow books or tools or costumes instead of ordering them through the mail, we save money and we also save the planet from yet another bubble-wrapped envelope.  

And yet, there are things I want to buy that I haven't (yet) figured out how to get trash-free, or whose trash-free alternatives are annoyingly expensive.  I'm particularly thinking of cheese and nuts here.   And so for these, I buy LOTS at one time.  A near-ish Amish market sells giant bags of organic nuts, and 8-pound blocks of locally produced, organic cheese for cheap.  And although they come in plastic packaging, it's not nearly as much plastic as if I'd bought even half as much of this stuff in individually wrapped containers.  So I buy in bulk and then re-package these things in smaller containers.

To use less plastic, get things early in their life and get things late in their life.

When I think about "get things early", I'm thinking mostly of food, and I really mean "pre-processed".  It's a lot easier to get potatoes without plastic than potato chips, and it's healthier for you.  Oats are less expensive, less processed, and also less packaged than breakfast cereal.   The same goes for so many food items.   But this "buy unprocessed" or "buy minimally processed" goes for all sorts of consumable goods.  If you brush your teeth mostly with water, or with baking soda, you'll create less plastic than if you buy most commercial toothpastes.   If you clean your home with baking soda and vinegar, you're likely to use less plastic than if buy a bunch of specialized spray bottles.  

At the other extreme, for durable goods, getting them pre-owned (usually) comes with a gazillion ecological and financial advantages.  I'd been looking for a tall podium for the Command Center, where I could perch my laptop to record videos at my chalkboard.  And, while I was thinking about how to get such an item, I happened to walk by a tall, thin dresser from the curb, where it had been put out at the trash.  Score!  Not only am I getting my podium completely plastic free, I'm avoiding manufacturing a new object.  Even better, I'm actively reducing something that would have been in a landfill a week from now.   (Not to mention, the price is excellent).  

Trash piles are my favorite source of stuff, provided I actually need the stuff.  Yard sales and FreeCycle come second because of the lack of intermediaries (and therefore, minimal waste); so-called thrift stores and CraigsList are other excellent sources of searchable finds.   Cost seems to be inversely related to serendipity, here.  

But speaking of cost, note that all of these strategies have the double advantage of reducing plastic while (generally) costing less.  And since debit/credit cards are plastic, I guess this means less plastic means you're using less plastic.   No contradiction there!