Plastic reduction

[Katy]

Generators aren't 100% efficient, so that wouldn't be right.

 

Also how many people use a diesel generator to power their kettle? Not many... maybe a few IT departments when there's a power cut

[HarryMonkey]

We use loose tea when we can, we just bought one of these ... https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/riklig-teapot-glass-90150071/

 

You don't even need a tea strainer. They also do a smaller one for just a couple of cups.

[Arthur]

40% ends up in the bin!

 

Retailers to produce "horrifying" 2000 tonnes of plastic waste this Halloween

 

Retailers in the UK are expected to generate 2000 tonnes of plastic waste from costumes this Halloween.

 

The waste is equivalent to the weight of 83 million bottles, according to new research from environmental charity Hubbub.

 

The charity based its research on Halloween costumes sold by 19 retailers, including Argos, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

 

Hubbub estimated that 33 million people dressed up for Halloween in 2017, but 40 per cent of costumes were worn just once.

 

It also found that polyester was the most common plastic polymer, accounting for 69 per cent of all materials.

 

“These findings are horrifying. The amount of plastic waste from Halloween costumes is similar to the weight of plastic waste generated at Easter in egg-wrappings,” Hubbub chief executive Trewin Restorick said.

 

“However the total plastic waste footprint of Halloween will be even higher once you take into account other Halloween plastic such as party kits and decorations, much of which are also plastic, or Halloween food packaging, most of which quickly becomes ‘rubbish’ and ultimately, breaks down to be plastic pollution.

 

“Retailers must take greater responsibility to offer ranges for seasonal celebrations that don’t worsen the already worrying impact of plastic waste on our planet.”

 

www.fairylandtrust.org/the-scariest-thing-about-halloween-is-the-plastic-2019 / https://twitter.com/fairylandtrust/status/1185005724188991488

 

Edited October 20, 2019 by Arthur

[elsiegee40]

40% ends up in the bin!

 

Retailers to produce "horrifying" 2000 tonnes of plastic waste this Halloween

 

 

 

www.fairylandtrust.org/the-scariest-thing-about-halloween-is-the-plastic-2019 / https://twitter.com/fairylandtrust/status/1185005724188991488

 

 

It’s horrifying how much gets binned at both Christmas and Halloween

[LeMarchand]

Simple solution: Ban the hideous Americanization of Halloween. As I've said before, children who want to beg can use the traditional British "Penny for the Guy?" ploy.

 

[mavhc]

Just tax the creation of everything by the amount it costs to clean up the pollution it causes. Now recyclable stuff is 10% the price of non recyclable. And everyone buys the correct stuff.

[FN-GM]

It’s horrifying how much gets binned at both Christmas and Halloween

 

I guess they don't fit the children the following year. I can't see charity shops etc keeping hold of them for 12 months in the event they may sell them next year.

[elsiegee40]

I guess they don't fit the children the following year. I can't see charity shops etc keeping hold of them for 12 months in the event they may sell them next year.

 

I have shared that graphic on social media with the comment “Is Halloween worth this much damage to the planet?”

[LeMarchand]

Just got some toner from Amazon in a recyclable thick brown paper bag rather than a plastic one.

[elsiegee40]

Just got some toner from Amazon in a recyclable thick brown paper bag rather than a plastic one.

 

Fingers crossed this will result in the demise of their plastic envelopes

[mavhc]

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-reduces-our-personal-co2-footprint-we-have-clue-frank-bilstein/

[elsiegee40]

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-reduces-our-personal-co2-footprint-we-have-clue-frank-bilstein/

 

Really interesting article. Thank you [emoji4]

 

While the no more plastic bags thing has minimal impact on CO2, which is what this article is about, it does have an impact on environmental pollution and I suspect the survey respondents don’t separate these things in their minds. They’re considering their impact on the environment generally.

Edited November 7, 2019 by elsiegee40

[LeMarchand]

Really interesting article. Thank you [emoji4]

 

I wouldn't know as LinkedIn blocked here .

[Arthur]

I wouldn't know as LinkedIn blocked here .

Here's another way you can read the article...

 

https://outline.com/aZbaaA

 

Edit: The WayBackMachine has a copy of the article with images.

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20191106202644/https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-reduces-our-personal-co2-footprint-we-have-clue-frank-bilstein/

Edited November 7, 2019 by Arthur

[mavhc]

Seems to be missing the graphs though, which is the main part

[Arthur]

Seems to be missing the graphs though, which is the main part

I have updated my post with another link that contains the graphs.

[6Foot2]

Link: Could 'invisible barcodes' revolutionise recycling? [bBC News]

 

any of us struggle to figure out which items can be recycled while sorting our rubbish at home. Machines in sorting plants can have the same problem. This prevents many countries from achieving the recycling rates they would like.

 

But new "invisible barcode" technology is being piloted which aims to fix the problem.

 

The trial involves a consortium of some of the world's biggest brands, including Procter & Gamble, Nestle and PepsiCo, who were brought together by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a charity that aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

[elsiegee40]

Sperm whale dies with 100kg 'litter ball' in its stomach

 

A sperm whale which died after stranding on the Isle of Harris had a 100kg "litter ball" in its stomach.

 

Fishing nets, rope, packing straps, bags and plastic cups were among the items discovered in a compacted mass.

 

Whale experts said it was not immediately clear whether the debris had contributed to the whale's death.

 

But locals who found the carcass on Seilebost beach on Thursday said it highlighted the wider problem of marine pollution.

 

Dan Parry, who lives in nearby Luskentyre, said: "It was desperately sad, especially when you saw the fishing nets and debris that came out of its stomach.

 

"We walk on these beaches nearly every day and I always take a bag to pick up litter, most of which is fishing-related.

 

"This stuff could have easily been netting or the like lost in a storm, we just don't know, but it does show the scale of the problem we have with marine pollution."

 

Members of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (Smass), an organisation that investigates the deaths of whales and dolphins, dissected the whale to try and determine its cause of death.

 

A post on the group's Facebook page stated: "The animal wasn't in particularly poor condition, and whilst it is certainly plausible that this amount of debris was a factor in its live stranding, we actually couldn't find evidence that this had impacted or obstructed the intestines.

 

"This amount of plastic in the stomach is nonetheless horrific, must have compromised digestion, and serves to demonstrate yet again the hazards that marine litter and lost or discarded fishing gear can cause to marine life."

[Arthur]

Huge rise in 'bag for life' sales prompts call for new 70p price

 

Sales of plastic "bags for life" rose 26% last year to 1.5 billion - prompting a call for the standard price to be raised from 10p to 70p.

 

Greenpeace and Environment Investigation Agency research shows the bags are effectively "bags for a week", with UK households buying 54 a year in what was described as a "huge rise".

 

Researchers say that bag for life sales were cut by 90% in the Republic of Ireland by setting higher prices of 70 cents - and "ideally" they want the same in the UK.

 

It comes as their research also showed total plastic packaging used by the UK's 10 biggest supermarkets increased from 886,000 tonnes in 2017 to 903,000 in 2018.

 

It was mainly driven by sales of branded products, rather than supermarket own-brands, and the fact they are selling more products overall.

 

Only Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury's were able to achieve "marginal" reductions, said the report by Greenpeace and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA).

 

The other seven big supermarkets saw their plastic footprint increase.

[FishCustard]

Make only fiber/paper ones, charge £1. Solved.

[elsiegee40]

For those of you with those capsule coffee machines: reusable capsules for all machine brands!

 

https://www.evergreen-capsules.com/

Edited December 16, 2019 by elsiegee40

[6Foot2]

 

Conceptualized by Jonna Breitenhuber, SoapBottle is a potential solution to the over-consumption of plastic shampoo and shower gel bottles.

[Andrew_C]

Or just buy bars of shampoo.

[elsiegee40]

Recyclable electric toothbrush heads (you have to return them to the manufacturer) Available from Holland & Barrett if you don’t shop online.

 

 

https://www.livecoco.com/

[mavhc]

So I get someone to drive a box of plastic around the country to deliver them to me, and then drive another box back around the country to return them?