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We Are Flying Solo

June 30, 2019

Make Your Own: SmartPak Edition

On a somewhat lighter topic, Cob Jockey posted about her solution for reusable supplement containers.  I have also recently begun doing this, so here is another easy option I found.

A bit of background:  I find it somewhat amusing, but encouraging, that the horse community is slowly going back in this direction after a heavy transition to SmartPaks.  I myself have used SmartPaks for a long time -- they were very convenient, particularly while boarding, with clear labels, & I never had to worry about torn baggies or mis-measured feeding during my frequent work travel.

However, as many of you know, I am also a conservation biologist, so I am hyper-aware of the breadth of issues disposable plastic involves, from manufacturing to transport to disposal endpoints.  SmartPak wells are technically labeled as recyclable, but now that much of Asia has finally decided they no longer wish to be responsible for our trash, much of the "recycling" in the US is not actually being recycled at all

Even without this change, I was becoming more & more uncomfortable with the amount of plastic waste generated each month by SmartPak containers - which also come wrapped in plastic wrap with what looks like foil lining on top.  I spend many of my work days in streams & rivers & it is rare that I don't see assorted plastic flotsam littering banks, bridge crossings, & root tangles.  It blows out of trucks, off barges, or is just plain thrown in the ditch.  I find animals with plastic wrapped around appendages, trapped inside discarded containers, & worse.
I couldn't find my pic of dead turtles wrapped in monofilament, so here's one that was thrilled to see me -- you're welcome
It was while eating lunch one day that I stumbled upon a solution that has cost me $0 extra & is saving me money on the supplements themselves too.  I still purchase the supplements in buckets from SmartPak, which is cheaper on a per day basis & I still get free shipping, along with the great service they have always given me.  I'm excited about the bonus of extra buckets -- if I reach capacity at the farm, I can always use them at work, where we convert buckets into traps for burrowing crayfish species.

Down the road from my office is a KFC where I sometimes grab lunch (I am well-known for my healthy food choices).  In the $5 box meals, they have begun using small reusable containers for sides like mashed potatoes -- they are even helpfully labeled "REUSABLE," although I'm sure many people still throw them away, sigh.  They also come with a cookie.  Win.
Sunglasses provided for scale
These are the perfect size for a couple equine supplements & I've begun amassing a collection.  I like that they are compact (4" diameter by 1.25" high), so they stack easily in my SmartPak drawers & I can shove them in my pockets.  The lids have little tabs so they are easy to open, even with gloves on, but still snap shut securely.

I have 8 so far (we've been doing field work a lot lately, when I pack lunch), so I can load a week at a time.  I keep the big buckets in the house so they are climate-controlled.  It takes less than 2 minutes to load them up, then I take them to the feed shed next time I go out.

I haven't labeled them since I'm just using them for Echo so far, but you could easily sharpie them or make tape labels if you wanted something less committal.  So far, I have dropped them, sat on them, & stepped on them (my clumsiness is so useful for product testing) & the lids have stayed on & dents have popped right back out. 

I ran them through the dishwasher initially to get the potato & gravy smell out, but haven't washed them since as I'm putting the same thing in every week & it's dry.  I've just been putting Echo's TractGuard in them, but am now switching both horses' SmartHoof pellets over to these containers & both supplements fit with room to spare.
TractGuard + SmartHoof pellets = not full

Now Solo will need a set -- I guess I better eat some more potato-flavoured slop!  I am trying to resist the temptation to raid the KFC dumpster...

How about you?  Have you repurposed a container that you love?   

11 comments:

  1. Nice! Also I love that snapping turtle pic haha. I do the same with containers from my local deli. They have old bay chicken salad that is TO DIE FOR, and the 0.5lb containers are the perfect size to accommodate my horse’s 2/3 cups of supplements each meal.

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    1. Well, now I have delicious chicken salad envy. ;-)

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  2. Love those little KFC containers. I don't like the sides that come in hem so I usually get a second biscuit and thus have not amassed enough tupperwares to store my supplements in, but I use little dollar store tupperwares to the same effect. Some of them I've had for like 5+ years now.

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    1. I have definitely found some good containers at the Dollar Tree too.

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  3. Oh this is so clever! I never would have thought about this, but what a great idea!

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  4. Brilliant! I recently went back to using baggies instead of the smartpack wells for all of the above reasons. Baggies are fine, but I love this idea! More durable!

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    1. They are much more durable -- I use gallon freezer ziplocs when I bag meals for feeders when I'm gone for work travel & have been reusing the same ones for a couple years, but for these smaller portions, I like these a lot more.

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  5. That turtle is so cute! I am currently looking for a replacement for Smartpak completely for inclusion and diversity reasons, if my switch ends up being more environmentally conscious that is a huge win too.

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    1. I definitely get that. I am weirded out by all the models wearing a bunch of makeup in weird poses, there is definitely zero relatability there. I'm not sure why it's so bad to show real people doing real, normal (as much as horse people can be normal) things, but that is also a problem that is way bigger than one company or even one industry. If I see anything like what you are looking for, I will definitely let you know, but I suspect you are far more in the loop than this quasi-hermit.

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