Beth Terry's plastic

Beth Terry, an accountant in Oakland, Calif., has pledged to reduce her use of plastic. She was motivated by learning about the effects of plastic pollution in the oceans, as well as the toxic effects of plastic on human health.

Terry weighs her plastic garbage and snaps a photo of it every week. But she still uses some plastic, like ice cube trays. Terry believes that cold plastic doesn't leach toxics, which are shown to migrate from plastic when it's heated.

"The idea is to not cause new plastic items to have to be made but to make use of whatever already exists in the world."

She and other garbage bloggers describe their lives as becoming simpler and more affordable.

"There are things you just can't have," Terry said. "Just not buying bottled water has got to be a huge savings. If you buy one a day, that's $365 right there."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this gallery misstated the frequency with which Terry weighs and photographs her plastic garbage. She does so weekly.

February 7, 2008 11:56 AM PST

Photo by: Beth Terry