When I challenged myself to be “plastic-free” for a week, I expected a really exciting, satisfying outcome. “Look!” I would tell myself at the end of it, “that was so simple! I can live like this forever.” Blame it on the way 21st century life is designed, blame it on human error, or just blame it on me particularly—whoever is deserving of blame, the outcome remains, that the week was unsuccessful.

Earlier this year I moved to New York, and quickly came to realize that while I had moved to what many regard as the greatest city in the world, it is also, veritably, a city of garbage.