When I started MylarMistake, my main focus was to educate the community to avoid purchasing Mylar balloons and offer information on how to reduce and reuse them. We know that every Mylar balloon either ends up in the ocean or the landfill contributing to the blight in our environment. My goal was to help educate to make better choices when planning our special events!
One of the lessons I learned; Mylar is rampant in our daily lives—it seriously is EVERYWHERE. I mentioned on my website, MylarMistake.com, that we encounter this thin polyester film every day, most commonly in the food and party industries. I had thought to myself, “I’m not buying these balloons – I’ve done my part.” It was when I reached for an energy bar snack in my kitchen cabinet drawer, peeled down the wrapper, devoured the contents, then opened the trash can to throw it out – that I realized, the wrapper was Mylar too!
It makes sense, Mylar is heavily used by companies because it is strong, a good insulator, keeps its shape, seals well for freshness, and it is inexpensive to produce. Think of your potato chips, snack foods, energy bars, yogurt tops, dog food bags, coffee pouches, tea bag wrappers and flower bouquet sleeves. All of this Mylar is being thrown in the landfill daily – never to breakdown.
Here is my challenge for you – do the 1-Minute MylarMistake Challenge. I did this on my recent grocery shopping to a popular grocery chain. Check out my photo of my pile of Mylar packaging from just one household—mine! It is terribly embarrassing – though, my saving grace is that I will recycle all this packaging (learn how to recycle Mylar here).
Stand in your kitchen and set a timer for 1 minute. Look in your food cabinets, drawers, refrigerator and freezer to find as many products that have Mylar and make a pile. Snap a photo and send it to @MylarMistake on Instagram. I bet you will be surprised how much Mylar you find. Next ask yourself, “what am I going to do with this Mylar after I am finished with the packaging or wrapper?” Will you just throw it out in the trash to go to into the landfill? Will you recycle it? Perhaps you will start to purchase food in less packaging, get creative and repurpose it – or even purchase a Terracycle box to recycle.
Whatever you do to reduce Mylar products– every little effort to reduce Mylar locally makes a global difference.