Community Support

When we started our research into this project, I don't think either of us thought we'd get as much help as we are getting from vendors around the city. I think we both thought this would be much more difficult than it is. Don't get me wrong; plastic is everywhere and being forced down our throats (literally and figuratively) everywhere, but where there are potential solutions, people are being very good about helping us out.

For instance, when we shop at Coopers, we can fill paper bags instead of plastic in the bulk section. We can also, we found out yesterday, bring our own containers to the deli, and so we can get meat and cheese this way (completely plastic-free dairy tally: ice cream sandwiches and deli cheese = 2; the plastic seal around the glass milk bottle tricked us). The cashiers are aware of our project (as we keep asking them what our boundaries are) and ask us how the project is going every time they see us, plastic-free, at the till.

At restaurants, waitresses have been helpful as well. At Boston Pizza, where we go for our cactus-cut fries fix, the dipping sauce (the crux of this appy) comes in a plastic cup, but the waitress told us it was ceramic and they washed them like any other dish, but then two minutes later, she told us she checked with the kitchen staff, who corrected her and told her it was plastic, but that they would happily serve it to us in a different, washable dish instead. She also served my smoothie without a straw and made sure we got no candies at the end of the meal.

Thank you, Kamloops, for supporting us in this project!

-Sheri

*UPDATE* We went to Coopers to capitalize on our new-found info, containers from home firmly in hand. The deli clerk was able to put our lunchmeat directly on their scale, but when shaving slices, she 'had to' use a small sheet of plastic to catch the meat from the slicer. She also told us they don't in fact slice cheese, so I guess we can cross that off as a viable dairy source, too. However, surely there's another deli someplace in town that can slice cheese for us and use our container as well.