Zerowasteweek 7 - 13 September 2015

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi everyone!

It's a long way off yet but Rachelle Strauss, or Mrs Green to many of us, is asking if we can combine ideas to suggest a theme for Zerowasteweek this year.

She has the link to this thread and will pop in from time to time to see if anyone has any cracking suggestions. If one of you comes up with a great idea she may give you a mention on her site and on twitter. If you want to get a twitter mention leave your twitter handle here along with your suggestion

Meanwhile Rachelle's also helping out with our New Year's Resolutions this year. Have a look at the full New Year's Resolutions list for all of them

ZeroWasteWeek

Thanks so much for posting!

So far we have:

Food waste - always a popular theme
Living plastic free - a tough one but could be a lot of fun!
Reuse - giving things a new life before banishing them forever.

What do you think? Do you like one of those or do you have some ideas of your own?

smileyt_2

I've started a blog about my attempts to reduce my landfilled rubbish (if anyone's interested the link is in my profile). Plastic is one I'm really struggling with so over the next few weeks I'm going to do some research into recycling plastics. So a 'living without plastic' challenge is indeed a challenge!- i

One them could be 'reduce' ie think twice about buying something - is it a genuine need or is it a want? Could you do without or possibly buy a more eco-friendly version of this need/want?

My twitter handle is @aweebitginger

WestonDave

Not sure its that "sexy" a theme but unnecessary and non recyclable packaging could be worth addressing.


For example our council will recycle a lot of plastic food packaging but not black plastic and not blown foam trays. Morrisons in particular use a lot of the latter and despite raising it with them some time ago via social media, they still persist with it. Similarly certain things seem to come in black plastic trays for no apparent reason - why does most meat come in clear or white trays that can be recycled but ham almost always comes in a black tray.


Maybe if we started choosing what we buy to some extent around whether the packaging can be recycled it would put pressure on retailers to cut out the stuff that can't be recycled.

SailorSam

I can't think of a lot of waste i have.
The 'grass' wheelie bin gets full; even the paper/glass/tins one. But the wheelie bin for general rubbish only has about a carrier bag full each week.

Andy_WSM

It's our fortnighly waste collection day tomorrow and I shan't bother putting any of the bins out again as there's really no need.

I am very thorough about recycling. I won't even throw out veg peelings / stalks as I save them in a bag in the coldest part of the fridge ready to chuck in a pan when I boil a chicken carcass to make stock for soups.

My big bug bear is plastic packaging. Yes it's possible to avoid some of it at the Supermarket, but often at a cost as Supermarket pre-packed fresh veg is usually cheaper, especially when subject to 3 for 2 offers etc.

ZeroWasteWeek

smileyt wrote: »

I've started a blog about my attempts to reduce my landfilled rubbish (if anyone's interested the link is in my profile). Plastic is one I'm really struggling with so over the next few weeks I'm going to do some research into recycling plastics. So a 'living without plastic' challenge is indeed a challenge!- i

One them could be 'reduce' ie think twice about buying something - is it a genuine need or is it a want? Could you do without or possibly buy a more eco-friendly version of this need/want?

My twitter handle is @aweebitginger

Thanks so much for sharing your ideas. I'll be over to your blog later to see what you're up to!

Plastic is a huge issue for most people, so I'll be following your challenge with interest. Loving your ideas about buying a more eco friendly version of something. A great one to add to the pot of idea - thank you!:)

ZeroWasteWeek

WestonDave wrote: »

Maybe if we started choosing what we buy to some extent around whether the packaging can be recycled it would put pressure on retailers to cut out the stuff that can't be recycled.

I agree it would and it needs a critical mass before the manufacturers / retailers change anything. But that's what Zero Waste Week is all about - it's about realising that we can make a collective impact if we work towards a common goal. Thought provoking stuff about the black plastic trays; there's nowhere I know of that you can recycle them...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and adding to the conversation

ZeroWasteWeek

SailorSam wrote: »

I can't think of a lot of waste i have.
The 'grass' wheelie bin gets full; even the paper/glass/tins one. But the wheelie bin for general rubbish only has about a carrier bag full each week.

Wonderful achievement SailorSam - can I have a peek under the lid? What's inside that tiny landfill bin of yours?:D
That might give us some clues about the theme for this year's Zero Waste Week

ZeroWasteWeek

Andy_WSM wrote: »

My big bug bear is plastic packaging. Yes it's possible to avoid some of it at the Supermarket, but often at a cost as Supermarket pre-packed fresh veg is usually cheaper, especially when subject to 3 for 2 offers etc.

Good point, and as this is a money saving board we have to appeal to people's wallets. It seems so unfair that pre-packed is cheaper doesn't it? I guess it results in less overall waste? Or perhaps it means they can chuck one manky thing into each bag without us noticing until we get home