Life without a bin?

Flymouse

I've just found & read through this thread & I just want to say how impressed I am with you folks & the efforts you're making in different ways with recycling & reducing waste. I know that depending on your council & your circumstances its not always possible to do everything, but its heartening to read about so many people concerned enough to do what they can. thanks for all the tips!

lil_me

I think it's great too Flymouse, my partner says I am now obsessed with recyling, proud of it if I am honest. I will dig that can out of the bin if he does put it in general waste!

Over the next year or so I think we will see more and more councils making the effort to recycle more at the kerbside, especially looking at the statements made by the government. I hope so, I have reduced the amount of times I take things to be recycled that are not collected, as I realised I was harming the enviroment doing so by taking the car, have found somewhere temporary to store it so I can make less trips, but not ideal so will be pleased when council start collecting cardboard, plastics etc like in my sisters area.

My kids are enthusiastic about it as they are learning about it both at school and from me. Unfortunately out of the 8 houses surrounding mine I only see 2 more regularly use any form of recycing provided, which I find disappointing. Suppose you can't tell people to think of the enviroment if they can't be bothered.

IWannabedebtfree

..brilliant for getting rid of unwanted bits of leftovers, but not whether it's a green alternative? I'm ashamed to say that I'm not too sure where the waste from it ultimately ends up?

Maz

Stop buying from supermarkets! The majority of the stuff they sell is in un recyclable plastic. That just goes into landfill. If you're a concerened shopper, most of the stuff they sell that is of any use to you can be reduced to about 2 aisles anyway.Visit your local market etc, much more fun than battling through grim faced, miserable loking people who can't wait to get out of there as soon as they can. Sounds really 'in my day' here but when I had little 'uns, all we had was washable nappies, I had two dozen and they had to last for two babies. All I did was soak in a bucket overnight, wash them (usually by hand) the next day, then bung them on the washing line where the fresh air and sunshine bleached and sterilised them nauturally. Occasionally drying them out over a radiator, if we were desperate. Don't be brainwashed by the adverts! You don't need all this expensive stuff!

Maz

p.s. this was in 1979 and we had nowt! We were both working full time and didn't even have a sofa to sit on. Didn't have a washing machine until my eldest was 6 and that was donated by a friend who was moving house, did it in the bath before then. So, that'd be about 1984. Dishwasher? What the hell was that, then?? (Apart from hubby at the time) You don't NEED all this stuff, you've just been told you do!

Flymouse

The best I've managed so far is to get 1 weeks "landfill" rubbish into an empty bread bag, the dustbin man didn't quite know what to make of it when he saw it sitting in the usual place at the top of the drive for collection! I did leave a note to say I didnt need a black binbag for the next week but they still left one, maybe they have no choice- rules & regulations maybe?
I would point out there's only 2 of us,obviously the more folks in yr household the bigger the challenge!
The week after christmas is probably the most difficult - I try not to buy stuff swamped in packaging but obviously at crimbo other people buy you presents etc. I always reuse/recycle paper & things but i'm still left with annoying bits of plastic. LIL-ME I'm always poking about in the bin pulling out things my OH has put in there & he also says I'm obsessed!

soba

We recycle everything we can, everything that can be reused is - shopping lists on cereal packet, jam jars given to a local lady who makes marmalade and does pickles, etc. We recycle cardbaord, magazines and flyers, glass, tins and cans, and we can recycle plastic - nos. 1,2,4 and 5, also foil.

At work we heat pies for customers, and they come in a foil 'tray', I really can't bear to throw them away, so they're all brought home to be sent with the recycling stuff. The collection guys must think we're a family of lard ar*es with the amount of pie trays they get!! My biggest bugbear is plastic packaging. We try not to buy anything wrapped in plastic, but sometimes it's unavoidable. Wish we could do something about it. Don't need to worry about reusing/recycling carrier bags cos I don't use/take them. We've got a selection of cotton, jute and bags for life to take shopping with us. Also if you have a JTF warehouse nearby they've got some folding shopping bags in at only 50p (+vat) that seem really good quality.

Just thought - I know you can make bags from strips of carrier bags that are 'weaved?' just wondering if it's possible to use packaging platic in the same way, or are the pieces too small?

TKP_3

We recycle where we can. Glass, tins and paper are roadside collected. Cardboard and plastic go to the recycle centre. (I phoned my local council to ask what recycling was available and where - I wish they would advertise more, as I did not even know we had a recycle area at my nearby shops, and I've lived here for years!)
I never get plastic bags, as I always have bags for life in my car. Even if i forget to take them into the shop, I just leave with the groceries in my trolley (loose), and put them into the bag for life at the car.
I never get plastic bags for fruit and veg in the shops - you really don't need to, and I only use the paper bags for very fragile items like mushrooms - the rest don't need any form of packaging.
I use old envelopes for writing shopping lists and my meal plans.

We only need to put the rubbish bin out every 2 to 3 weeks

Missy79

Our area is only average, they collect cans, paper and glass in blue box and bag respectively. I expect to get a brown garden bin eventually as it is gradually being rolled out by our council. I would love a wormery and am thinking of having a go at making one as they are SO expensive to buy. Am always slightly baffled by the recycling lorries determination to keep leaving new blue bags for paper though, I must have half a dozen now and there's still nothing wrong with the first one! ( and yes they know I have many as I tend to leave some of them in or under the box!)
P.S. To the guinea pig owner. You can compost the poo and urine contaminated material as well as the 'clean' bedding. Any 'vegetarian' animal poo is safe to include in your compost - rabbits, chickens, hamsters etc.

looby-loo_2

Our waste bin and green bin are emptied alternate weeks. The green recycle one is alway 3/4 full but the 'all other waste' black bin is only 1/4 full most times.