Everything in my binbag is plastic!!

Fire_Fox

You are all better than I am - I recycle glass, tins/ foil and plastic bottles at the supermarket, and save card in my hall cupboard (very lucky in a flat) until I can't get any more in, and then mum takes me to the tip. Last time we couldn't get it all in the car!



But I buy loads in the supermarket prepacked: habit from when I bought mostly organic. I also shop online at Amazon etc. so loads of packaging - mainly card which I recycle. I cannot stop Mr. Fire Fox wasting empty sandwich bags and cling film. I do take my own bags to the supermarket and refuse one in the high street where possible, but I should do more.

fernliebee

Wilkinson now sell compostable caddy bags, 99p for 25 I think, instead of clingfilm, use foil- at least it can be recycled- or flattened back out and reused if you have to use sandwich bags use the bags from fruit or veg.
Lot's of things can be recycled at the tip, we save a bag up and then take it. I think like many others have said it's the stopping buying it in the first place.
Definitely agree with the real nappies too! This has so much impact and IMO the fact that no yukky chemicals are on babies skin is the biggest incentive. It's worth a try as once you get in to them they really aren't any more work.

fernliebee

Also if you have any storage room buy in bulk as this usually has a lot less packaging and then put into glass jars or tuppaware! But as someone else mentioned be proud of what you do, do! 1 bin bag is good for a family!

IamJen

I forgot to add, in my post above, that one of the ways we cut down on plastic is buy buying in bulk/from bulk stores at a local shop. There's a great shop in our town where we can get oats, grains, dried peas/beans, spices, dried fruit, salt, all sorts of stuff, without plastic. They offer both paper bags and compostable cellulose ones. We can also take our own container or bags in too. Very cool!

*chuckle* I see that someone else has already posted about bulk buying. It came into my mind just today though, as I'm off to the shop in a few minutes.

SailorSam

Sustainability was part of a OU degree that i started last year, so i have really got into re-cycling, i generally have only one carrierbag a week of 'rubbish' going into the main bin.
Reports on the news last week about the 'mountains' of waste that councils are holding because paper, glass etc cannot be sold, and may end up in landfill, will this disuade others to bother sorting their rubbish.

growing4gold

SailorSam wrote: »

Reports on the news last week about the 'mountains' of waste that councils are holding because paper, glass etc cannot be sold, and may end up in landfill, will this disuade others to bother sorting their rubbish.

I saw that- quite distressing really! I'm sure it could be sold somehow- maybe at a cheaper price rather then landfill! Utter madness!

Anyway, I guess its a message to cutting down on what you bring into the house and then REUSING

I keep all my glass jars and sauce bottles for bottling up home made jams and preserves come Autumn.
Any yoghurt pots for starting off veg seeds in- although I tend to avoid buying them
Loo Roll middles for starting off pea and bean seeds- the rest I compost
I made a fab lampshade out of plastic bottle tops after seeing one in a shop in Amsterdam. The rest I give to a friend who has a recycling facility for them at her work place.
I reuse all envelopes and jiffy bags
Bread bags are used to collect up kitchen waste until its full for the compost bin or for wrapping up pack lunches down at the allotment;)
I get a veg box during the winter, its great and packaging free- any thing that does come in a bag you can return to them for re-use!
I bulk buy pulses and grains and olive oil- I have a lovely small oil bottle that I fill up when needed.

Great tips on here! I love it when I find a new use for 'waste'!

A_fiend_for_life

All the more reason that the government needs to tackle waste at source rather than offloading it on to council tax payers.

geekgirl

Aldi have a bin outside their stores for you to leave your unwanted packaging with them. I think all supermarkets should have a container there for this purpose to encourage it.

IamJen

geekgirl, do you know what becomes of the packaging?

A_fiend_for_life

Organic stuff comes wrapped in plastic yet some non organic stuff is unwrapped. If the problem was shelf life then surely they would wrap everything in plastic. Time the wrapping law was strengthened particularly for fresh fruit and vegetables. Markets, grocers and farm shops get by without wrapping fruit and vegetables what makes supermarkets unreliable?