One day I was innocently shopping at my local Costco when I made what I call an eco-no-no: the leading cause of green guilt. It was unexpected and out of character for me. How could this happen? It may have been the savory samples, distracting me at every turn, or the book of coupons, burning a hole of savings in my clutched hand. But these were mere excuses for what happened next... dare I say it? PLASTIC HAPPENED! 20 bowls of it!

I remember it clearly. It was a grey day, a day like most others in Columbus, Ohio. As I made my way inside the large welcoming doors, I fumbled through my wallet to free my coveted Costco membership card from its resting place. As I possessively clutched my monthly Costco coupons with my left hand, I traveled up and down each aisle, pushing the oversized cart with my right. Wearing a broad grin, I eagerly scanned the shelves for items I wouldn’t normally purchase, lest I had a coupon. And out of nowhere, there it was... an item for which I have never tried, my family would love, AND possesed a $6 off coupon! (a free sample would have put me over the edge I tell you!) It was a triple whammy, a consumer hat-trick if you will; it was a 20 pack of “Nongshim Bowl Noodle Soup”! (That’s seriously the name... it sounds backwards to me, too.)

No MSG, 0 trans fats, microwaves in 3 minutes, endorsed by professional chefs (wow!) and proudly stamped with the Chefs Best Award. I was sold!

To understand my excitement is to understand my family’s love and regular consumption of the Ramen Noodle (not a nutritional bragging point I realize). This looked like an opportunity to enhance their noodle eating experience with this chef approved version. I smiled to myself as I visualized how I would be thought of as a hero for weeks to come. (Did I mention it also contained freeze-dried vegetables?)

I made off to the check out, where I mentally added a checkmark in the shopping “win” column. But it wasn’t long before that checkmark would become a lie.

The four simple words, uttered by my sweet child, pecked out as innocently as a hatchling, ”Mom, is this recyclable?” Those four words pounded in my brain, echoing like a woodpecker on a gutter, as I realized that my shopping victory was actually a violation of eco proportions! For each serving came in a very large (mind you convenient) plastic bowl!

Nooooooooooo!!! I start to panic as it strikes me that my curbside recycler will not accept this plastic, for it is not in the shape of a bottle. What have I done?! I move into damage control mode and grab the bowl from my child’s clutches, as this is out of his hands now. I frantically search for the tiny number contained in the triangle on the bottom, and yes!! A #5 plastic! I calm myself with a cleansing breath for at least I’m able to recycle #5 plastics at Whole Foods.

Whew, disaster averted. Now I can get these plastic bowls back into the recycling stream where they can be made into other products. Perhaps toothbrushes, razor handles or a nifty promotional item from Weisenbach, here in Columbus (plug for a great local company).

Thankfully this story ended happily, but not all do. The unhappy endings account for 1/3 of all garbage we send to the landfill! That’s right, packaging happens, but I caution you to avoid it at all costs, lest you become the next victim of GREEN GUILT!

(This is a true story. Names have not been changed to protect the innocent...or the guilty.)