Plastic reduction

[eyetea]

I've been using solid deororant from Lush for years, Aromaco,(I love it!) husband has just swapped to it and it lasts for ages. Also the soild shampoos from there, and they've just got solid shower gels - good but don't seem to last that long.

Picked up a bar of Aromaco and so far so good! Used it Saturday morning and it lasted through a reasonably heavy day of DIY, I know it's early days but I'd recommend it already! Also picked up Lush's yellow solid shower gel which I'm not overly impressed with, it doesn't seem to create any lather at all (and it made me look like a Simpons character for the duration of the shower!) Don't feel it provides any benefit over a nice smelling solid bar of soap.

[LeMarchand]

Using the paper bags (provided for mushrooms) for the loose fruit and veg rather than the flimsy plastic ones gets rid of even more plastic.

 

Now I know why there are never any mushroom bags left! *Shakes fist*

 

razors (beard solves this but not for women).

 

Swap to old-fashioned blades (less waste and the blades *may* be recyclable) or an even older-fashioned straight razor? Electric may actually create less non-recyclable waste over the course of its life?

 

Make sure you have a set of reusable bags in any car she might use - and make sure they get put back afterwards!

I carry a nifty little material bag that folds up really small for those small purchases.

 

Yep, bags in the car and if you forget them buy one of the long-life ones to add to the stash. They're also handy for temporary storage round the house. I also carry a couple of these in my man bag: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Expandable-Shopping-Reusable-Grocery-Convenient/dp/B014K91GP4 though I think I got them from eBay at a quid each.

[witch]

Picked up a bar of Aromaco and so far so good! .

 

VERY expensive though - cant really justify it

[eyetea]

VERY expensive though - cant really justify it

It was quite pricey, will see how long it lasts!

[elsiegee40]

Petition: The UK Government to introduce a ban on all non-recyclable packaging from 2022

 

We call for action due to environmental crisis caused in the main by single-use plastics and demand the Government commit to an outright ban; most importantly in the food industry.

 

We also call on the Government to set a target date for eradication of non-degradable toxic plastics before 2030.

 

Single-use plastics can be eliminated by introducing bottle deposit schemes, pollution taxes and the removal from sale of all plastic bags, including 5p schemes.

 

Plastic use has impact on a global scale as recent articles have highlighted. It has to stop now!

[Arthur]

World's first ocean plastic-cleaning machine set to tackle Great Pacific Garbage Patch

 

Scientists are preparing to launch the world's first machine to clean up the planet's largest mass of ocean plastic.

 

The system, originally dreamed up by a teenager, will be shipped out this summer to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, between Hawaii and California, and which contains an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic.

 

It will be the first ever attempt to tackle the patch since it was discovered in 1997.

 

The experts believe the machine should be able to collect half of the detritus in the patch – about 40,000 metric tons – within five years.

 

In the past few weeks they have been busy welding together giant tubes that will sit on the surface of the sea and form the skeleton of the machine, creating the largest floating barrier ever made.

 

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) spans 617,763 sq miles - more than twice the size of France, and contains at least 79,000 tons of plastic, research found last month.

 

Most of it is made up of “ghost gear” – parts of abandoned and lost fishing gear, such as nets and ropes – often from illegal fishing vessels.

 

Ghost gear kills more than 100,000 whales, dolphins and seals each year, according to scientific surveys. Seabirds and other marine life are increasingly being found dead with stomachs full of small pieces of plastic.

 

Creatures eat plastic discarded in the sea thinking it’s food but then starve to death because they are not feeding properly.

 

Others are trapped and die of starvation or are strangled or suffocated by ghost gear.

 

More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year, according to the US-based Plastic Oceans Foundation.

 

Up to 90 per cent of the world’s plastic items are never recycled, and scientists believe nearly every piece ever created is still in existence somewhere, in some form, with most going into landfill or the environment. Single-use plastic, such as water bottles and nappies, take 450 years to break down.

 

The system to tackle the largest swirling mass of rubbish in the Pacific has been designed by a non-profit technology firm called The Ocean Cleanup, set up by Dutch inventor Boyan Slat when he was an 18-year-old aerospace engineering student.

 

“The plastic pollution problem has always been portrayed as something insolvable. The story has always been ‘OK, we can’t clean it up - the best we can do is not make it worse’. To me that’s a very uninspiring message,” said Mr Slat.

 

“What I really hope is that the ocean clean-up in this century can be a symbol for us using technology to make things better.”

 

The clean-up contraption consists of 40ft pipes – ironically made of plastic – that will be fitted together to form a long, snaking tube.

 

Filled with air, they will float on the ocean's surface in an arc, and have nylon screens hanging down below forming a giant floating dustpan to catch the plastic rubbish that gathers together when moved by the currents. The screens, however, will be unable to trap microplastics – tiny fragments.

 

:eek:

[AMLinington]

This is a great thread!

 

I am by no means brilliant at getting rid of plastic, but we buy a lot of stuff on Amazon which comes in wildly oversized but recyclable cardboard boxes. We let the cat play in them for a while then cut them up and recycle.

 

I refuse to pay 5p for a carrier bag - if we've forgotten a reusable bag we buy a new one - they are usually around the 50p mark and I call it my 'stupidity tax' and LeHusband and I keep a pile of folded bags in the boot of each of our cars so we always have some handy.

 

I have a Starbucks Travel Mug I bought a couple of years ago and this thing is AMAZING - stuff stays hot for HOURS! I drink my first cup of the day while commuting to work, then make another at around 8.30. It's still hot at well gone 11. I've accidentally left it at home before now and got home 10 hours later to find the contents still hot.

 

I'd recommend Starbucks travel mugs! The only thing that kinda bugs me is how travel mugs and reusable coffee cups are really bulky and not collapsible. Although I did come across this the other day: https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0794W7PNS/ref=smi_www_rco2_go_smi_9905632998?_encoding=UTF8&creative=22146&creativeASIN=B0794W7PNS&hvadid=231890503428&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045792&hvnetw=g&hvpone=&hvpos=1o2&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvrand=2075688990237274240&hvtargid=pla-421173097409&ie=UTF8&linkCode=df0&tag=googshopuk-21

 

I always have a foldaway bag in my handbag too.

 

I don't understand how places like Primark and Monsoon use paper bags that are recyclable, yet places like M&S won't!

 

Something else I'm trying to do is to use fabric handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues - apparently in Japan it's really unusual to find paper napkins as they are so wasteful and generate so much trash, so there are beautiful handkerchief shops all over the place. I'm trying to do something similar.

 

I try to upcycle too - I recently converted a beautiful Bombay Sapphire Gin bottle into a washing up liquid dispenser by reusing the pump from a plastic soap bottle and recycling the leftover bottle. It looks amazing.

 

I noticed recently that the Johnson & Johnson brand of ear bud now have rolled paper tubes instead of plastic.

 

We try to reduce the amount of plastic refuse sacks we use by putting compostible food waste in our compost bin and putting bunny poops and bedding in the compost as well (we get GREAT compost from bunny poops!) but there is a limit to how much we can put in there lol.

 

I also buy big 1L bottles of shampoo and put a reusable pump head on it to reduce the number of plastic toiletry bottles we have in the house.

 

IKEA sell reusable silicone 'Calippo' ice lolly molds - these are great for making your own ice lollies - Apple Juice works brilliantly in them!

[eyetea]

It was quite pricey, will see how long it lasts!

Still got a couple of weeks left of my current bar, heading to town on Thursday for a haircut so will get another lump of it. It does work out a bit more expensive but I'm happy with the difference as it's not huge!

 

Excellent news from a smaller coffee chain

Edited April 24, 2018 by eyetea

[spookyspoof]

Forestry commission advice is now to flick off the path

 

https://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/infd-8pymrq

 

 

 

Although doesn't work in town and on hard paving. Personally the idea of having to pick it up is enough to put me off dog ownership, but I know lots of people love their pets...

 

I've only just seen this as have broken my leg - but thanks for this!

 

I'm still looking for other ways to cut down on plastic - its amazing how much you see when you realise and try and cut back!

[witch]

About us | Mutts Butts

 

Totally biodegradable plastic poo bags

[ShellfishClive]

About us | Mutts Butts

 

Totally biodegradable plastic poo bags

 

Not too go completely off topic their blog is so cute! Boo's Blog

 

I do like the idea of these bags, they look pretty expensive though. We are heading in the right direction however!

[grzegorz83]

I have been obsessed with plastic reduction too. But there is another thing that I've been doing recently and it is zero-waste.

 

Believe it or not, but my family fills up only one trash bag a week (plastic apparently). How is it in your case?

[Katy]

I have been obsessed with plastic reduction too. But there is another thing that I've been doing recently and it is zero-waste.

 

Believe it or not, but my family fills up only one trash bag a week (plastic apparently). How is it in your case?

 

Our grey bin is usually only half full when it's time for its 2 weekly collection (although there's only 2 of us). The recycling bin for cans/bottles and the bag for paper/card are usually both overflowing though. Shame there's no widely available non-plastic equivalent for 2 litre drinks bottles.

[LeMarchand]

I have been obsessed with plastic reduction too. But there is another thing that I've been doing recently and it is zero-waste.

 

Believe it or not, but my family fills up only one trash bag a week (plastic apparently). How is it in your case?

 

Our grey bin is usually only half full when it's time for its 2 weekly collection (although there's only 2 of us). The recycling bin for cans/bottles and the bag for paper/card are usually both overflowing though. Shame there's no widely available non-plastic equivalent for 2 litre drinks bottles.

 

3 + cat. Usually 1x kitchen bin (30l) not "squished in"/week + "carrier bag" of stuff from other bins every other week. Maybe some odds and ends of stuff that goes straight into outside bin.

 

Everything that the council will recycle goes in their collection though they seem to have reduced what they'll take - they used to accept more plastics, but I guess it was too complicated for people. Glass bottles, foil, batteries, milk bottle tops and usable old clothes/shoes (not many of those!) go off to other places as and when. Compostable waste, small garden waste and occasionally chipped down garden waste goes in composter, larger garden waste goes to council who compost it.

[AMLinington]

We generate so much recyclables that we actually have 2 Green Recycle bins at home - I asked the council for a bigger one and they just gave me a second one XD

[elsiegee40]

I really am looking hard at what I buy to try to reduce waste.

 

Sainsbury’s no longer sells tinned own brand tomatoes - they’re in hard to recycle tetra packs - so I will buy them in rins from elsewhere or a more expensive brand now.

 

I am trying hard to reduce the plastic I buy in terms of containrrs and packaging. My black bin contains very little. My aim is to get my recycling bin for plastics to contain very little too!

[witch]

I try very hard too - but so much food that my daughter and her boyfriend buy is wrapped in plastic on trays!

[elsiegee40]

My local butcher is now letting you bring your own tubs for taking meat home rather than using plastic bags

[sippo]

It's got to be down to cost.

 

For example, I bought 4 limes from asda. It cost £1 for 4 limes but in a plastic container. 4 limes seperate would cost me £1.50.

 

I know it's only 50p but things have to cost the same. Money is tight, so I need to think about me and my kids first and foremost. It sounds selfish, but thats the reality.

[witch]

It's got to be down to cost.

 

For example, I bought 4 limes from asda. It cost £1 for 4 limes but in a plastic container. 4 limes seperate would cost me £1.50.

 

I know it's only 50p but things have to cost the same. Money is tight, so I need to think about me and my kids first and foremost. It sounds selfish, but thats the reality.

 

Same with carrots. Loose carrots that I can put in a paper bag are more expensive than the ones in the bags.

[Andrew_C]

Possibly there is more wastage in the supply chain. I'd expect that to be the flip side to significant packaging.

[nicholab]

Women products that my wife uses with extra plastic that’s what annoys. Also does recycling stop when stuff goes upstairs and then just the bin.

[FN-GM]

Purchased some patch cables for work. Each cable was in its own plastic bag. Can't understand why that is needed.

[southhamster]

I always save the big plastic bags that printers, monitors etc. come wrapped in to reuse as bin bags. Setting up a whole IT suite can keep you in bin bags for a whole year!

I still get weird looks for doing that, probably from the same people moaning how much it costs to buy bin bags!

[FN-GM]

Just thought about this. The Dell PC delivery we had recently had very little plastic. They KB and mouse are bagged and a thin layer of foam on the screen. The rest was cardboard. Good to see!