Steps towards zero waste - 2019

maryb

I find myself going round in circles a bit (and then obsessing about it) because climate change, zero waste, peak oil and plastic pollution are all interlinked but not directly.

Talking about average carbon emissions can also be confusing. It’s obviously valid at a national level. How else could you compare the lifestyle of someone in the US with a European? But when it comes to individual decisions it can lead to silly results. For example saying that the average carbon emissions from travelling by train off peak are often higher than the same journey by car if there are only a handful of passengers on the train. That may be true but as the train is going anyway then going by car could only add to carbon emissions. ie marginal cost is the better measure here. I try to work out what I can do personally with my individual decisions to keep my footstep small. It usually comes back to live simply that others may simply live

jwil

There's an interesting article on the bbc today about plastics and some of the unintended consequences of alternatives https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47161379

Catbells

I'm new to this great thread and reading about things like soap nuts for washing clothes, alternatives to cling film and collecting small fragments of metal have catapulted me into a new way of thinking. Not that I wasn't thinking about it before.

One thing I have been doing but lapsed recently due to it being a bit fiddly and time consuming is to use washing soda crystals with grated soap for washing clothes. I wondered if it had any negative effects on my washing machine. Does anyone know?

The best thing I've done is recycling glass and I have a whole shelf full of glass jars with lids. I sometimes make jumbo amounts of sauces for spaghetti etc and use the jars for giving portions to my kids or friends to use at their homes. A lady I know makes chutneys and jam for selling on the allotments so I give her a few now and again.

I have a nice looking fire bucket in my bathroom and after a bath fill it with the waste water to flush the loo. I've got a sand egg timer on the wall to remind people to have a 5 minute shower although my hot water probably wouldn't last much longer anyway.

Started buying solid soap.

Composting in the garden but I got a rat lately so have had to stop. I don't want to use rat poison - birds, cats - so any ideas on how to solve this problem would be great. I've noticed a cat lurking around the compost heap recently so maybe she has solved the rat problem.

I had a downturn in fortune over the last 155 years and started getting 90% of my clothes (not shoes) at charity shops. My fortunes have improved lately but I'm so hooked on second hand stuff that I don't want to revert to buying new clothes. The thrill of getting a high quality used item and having it altered at the local tailors is unbeatable.

maryb

They say that in London in particular you are never far from a rat. I take my compostable waste to my allotment now but before I had it, I had a compost bin at home. I just used to give it a kick before opening the lid. I did stop feeding the birds because of the nonchalant rat that used to sit on the bird table just outside the window. Shudders!

It helps if you don’t put any cooked food in the compost even if it’s vegetables. But if your council does a food waste collection that at least ensures that the waste gets properly recycled. If I didn’t have an allotment I think I’d just rely on that

maryb

That was an interesting article from the BBC. Nothing is straightforward is it?

dan958

I'm looking at getting some re-usable silicone bags (airtight) as a way of not using as much clingfilm. Just something to put cut up carrot sticks, cut up lettuce, sandwiches and other snacks. Anyone have any recommendations?

I've seen sme highly recommended ones called 'Stasher Bags', but wanting to see if there is anything cheaper that people here have used and recommend.

-taff

rats normally go after cooked food, so make sure there's none of that in your compost. Ask at coffee shops if you can have their coffee gounds, I did last night at Costa and got two big bag fulls which are going on top of the compost to cover anything veg related that's in one piece, and it's nitrogen so god for leafy things.
I haven't had a problem with rats in any of my compost ever, but when I had the use of a polyunnel on a farm, a rat did make a nest in the compost there. It was uncovered and left for the birds. Turn it regularly and it shouldn't be a problem.

Twiggy_34

Dan958 have you looked into beeswax wraps? I finally bought some after an old work colleague started promoting her homemade ones on fb recently. Reusable and compostable when their time does come, and can be used to wrap most things (excluding raw meat). Not as cheap as cling film (depending on how much you get through) but you can get some cool patterns!

My latest revelation is to start saving paper bags from bakery items etc to use in place of the compostable bags I used to buy. Definitely more of a mse solution provided I don't use it as an excuse to justify more purchases from the bakery ailse! :rotfl:

I've also just started to save the plastic bags different food products come in that I can't avoid. I'm coming to the end of the cheap roll of clear bags I bought long before I decided to reduce my plastic use - I use them for disposing of the toilet mess my lizard makes, I feel that is the most hygienic solution as we only live in a flat and it has to go in with any household waste in the kitchen bin. I'm sure I'll come up with other substitutes over time, including using old plastic containers. My partner is lactose intolerant and it's hard to avoid plastic with lacto free products.

GreyQueen

I have those plastic compost Dalek type bins on the allotment but only use them for peelings, weeds, tea leaves etc, never meat or fish products. In 10+ years, I have only seen signs of a rat in there the once, when I opened the lid and saw holes where something rat sized has tunnelled. Got the garden fork out, stuck it down inside the bin and stirred things about a bit, and there was no repeat.


Some authorities recommend standing compost bins which would otherwise be on soil onto strong metal mesh, to dissuade rats from getting in. I think you can also get plastic conical compost bins with a metal 'basket' bit which sits in the soil at the bottom, to get the same effect.


I tend to think the presence of the neighbourhood cats who love wandering around on the lotties to be the best pest control going, have several times looked around and seen a pint-sized panther trotting purposefully away with a rat in its mouth.

pinkladyvenus

Just seen this on BBC news what a good idea

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/video_and_audio/headlines/47880558/would-you-sort-your-rubbish-into-seven-different-bags