I recently spent several minutes considering my purchase of local apples in the supermarket.

Some of them were in paper bags, while others were in lightweight plastic tote bags. I would normally choose the ones in paper, so I could recycle the container. But I wanted McIntosh, and they only seemed to be available in plastic. Darn.

Maybe the plastic bag was recyclable? I didn’t have my reading glasses with me and didn’t feel like squinting.

Before this moral dilemma got too far out of hand, I spotted some Macs in paper. Problem solved.

Except, as I finished paying for my purchases, I noticed that the associate who waited on me had placed my paper bag of apples into a plastic produce bag and tied it neatly on the top.

I’m sure he thought that he was protecting my apples from rolling out of the paper bag. All I could do was sigh.

I would like to live a more sustainable life. I am even making that a New Year’s resolution.

But I am not hopeful.

Living sustainably is very difficult. I thought maybe once I retired I could dedicate more time to my goal. Nope. I do not have the time, energy or, indeed, the resources to be as kind to the environment as I would like to be.

What do I mean by sustainable? Right now, I’m concerned about my use of plastic. I sometimes accompany my husband on his errands to the landfill at Hatch Hill because it is a good spot to watch bald eagles. However, it is extremely distressing to see strands of plastic hanging from the trees. It’s like a silent rebuke of the nasty disposal habits of central Mainers.

We are definitely using too much plastic.

The same thing happened after the Dec. 18 storm, along the Kennebec. Some trees were positively festooned with plastic.

Plastic harms wildlife that ingests it or gets tangled up in it. It’s now common to find tiny bits of plastic in the human bloodstream.

I know that I cannot stop the scourge of plastic on my own. But I would like to do my part.

I have done some easy things to avoid plastic for years. I started bringing my own bags to the supermarket decades ago. I store most food in the fridge in ceramic containers, with plates as covers. I use wax bags for small food storage, and recycle them. I try to avoid plastic containers when possible, but that cannot always be done. Some products only come in plastic.

I hadn’t bought plastic wrap in years, but I had to buy a roll after I had knee replacement surgery, so I could wrap it around my bandage while I showered.

Naturally, I am using up the rest, feeling guilty the whole time. Still, I can’t help but think how convenient it is. There is nothing better than plastic wrap to keep a block of cheese fresh. Plus, you can immediately see what is beneath the wrapping.

But when the roll runs out, I will not replace it.

So, when I then see plastic hanging in trees I can say, “At least I know that’s not my plastic wrap.”

Oh, who am I kidding? There is really no way for me to completely avoid plastic unless I completely change my life around and make sustainability the chief focus of it. People have done it and written books about it.

I do not see that happening in my future. Every day, I toss a tiny plastic container. It held Restasis drops, which I use daily to alleviate my dry eyes.

I buy boxes of plastic bags that my husband uses to pick up after our dog, Martha, when she goes on walks.

At the supermarket, I’m buying frozen veggies in plastic bags. Yogurt and cat food in plastic cups. Peanut butter in plastic jars.

I recycle all I can, but I can’t be sure all the items I turn in ever see another life. And sometimes I have to decide which is the better choice: using a ton of water to clean that peanut butter jar for recycling or just tossing it.

More sustainable choices in the supermarket would be helpful. I hate to sound like a grumpy old woman, but my generation survived very well handling all kinds of glass containers, including gallon milk jugs. I suspect the big changeover to plastic occurred as we became a more litigious society. Of course, economics is also a factor, along with the public’s desire for ready-to-eat items, such as snack fruits in plastic cups and single servings of prepared haddock in plastic boxes.

I don’t have an answer to all of America’s packaging needs, but I am confident that olive oil, mayonnaise and any kind of jam and jelly could be packaged in glass.

Environmentalists are working on getting the manufacturers of plastic products to be more responsible. Meanwhile, I continue to try to minimize my use of plastic, realizing I am doomed to fail.

Yesterday, I unpacked my groceries to see that the bagger had placed the blueberries and their hard plastic (recyclable) case into a plastic produce bag. He had tied it up with a neat little bow.

I raised my fist toward the ceiling and silently shouted, “Why?”

Liz Soares welcomes email at lizzie621@icloud.com.

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