While green Californians wait with bated breath to find out if their state senate will vote to ban disposable plastic bags, one Californian’s urging all to say no not just to the bags but to all single-use items. “Say No To Singles,” urges Beth Terry, an anti-disposable plastic crusader who blogs at Fake Plastic Fish.

Because while toting your own reusable bag and mug are a good first step, modern living still begs you to use disposable “convenience” items that mostly end up filling up our trash. Some of the culprits Beth names and shames are plastic bags for umbrellas (“Can you say mold?”), individually wrapped prunes (“The smaller the size, the higher the packaging to product ratio”), and single function gadgets like Butter Boy (“a plastic gadget meant solely for buttering corn!”).

Whether Beth’s post leaves you shamefully sipping wine in individually packaged glasses (to finish them off and never buy them again) or smugly patting yourself on the back for your plastic crap-free home, I hope you’re motivated to bring in less crap into your life. For daily inspiration towards this less trashy lifestyle, become a fan of Beth’s Plastic Crap Wall of Shame Facebook page, which names and shames the most idiotic plasticky packaging and products! On the top of the page today: A one-serving “sensible gourmet snack” with a plastic cup of cheese goo and a trio individually plastic-wrapped pretzel sticks — all encased in a plastic clam shell! (photo right)

I’m proud to say I’ve never bought that “sensible” snack, but I still do frequently buy one product that comes in single-serve packaging: Lara Bars. But last week, I finally bought a blender — which I hope to use to make my own, packaging-free Lara Bars at home. Wish me luck –

Earlier: Bare essentials green gift guide: Reduce and reuse 2.0

Photo by Amanda Goehlert via Plastic Crap Wall of Shame

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