The War against plastic waste

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

https://theecoshopuk.com/products/cora-ball-laundry-microfibre-catcher?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIw4uymJ-C4wIVgrTtCh2T8woaEAsYAiABEgJYjvD_BwE

I came across this the other day but haven't tried it so can't comment on if it's any good. If it did work it would certainly be cheaper then replacing all of your wardrobe!

One thing I did buy that has been a success is https://www.lakeland.co.uk/73241/Carrinet-Veggio-Reusable-Fruit-and-Veg-Bags-Pack-of-5?src=gfeed&efid=EAIaIQobChMIsbzn75-C4wIVT7vtCh2EsABcEAQYASABEgJAYPD_BwE:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!49!3!254162085726!!!g!295400821893!&ev_chn=shop&ef_id=EAIaIQobChMIsbzn75-C4wIVT7vtCh2EsABcEAQYASABEgJAYPD_BwE:G:s&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIsbzn75-C4wIVT7vtCh2EsABcEAQYASABEgJAYPD_BwE
I like the idea of buying loose fruit and veg but it's counter productive if you then have to put it in a plastic bag so these have been great.

DigForVictory

Spendless wrote: »

I was wanting recommendations for a good reusable one for DD to put in her stocking this year.

Well, I see Asda have a pack of 4 (and a brush) for £2.50 which should 'break the ice' and if you were wanting something darn near exotic then I see the Independent has kindly produced a review of their 8 best - hoping either of these helps?!

greenbee

I watched Hugh & Anita again tonight (I had to do something while doing the ironing), and came away with two key points:

1. McDonald's treated the kids who wanted to hand in their petition appallingly. Their PR people should know better, and it will have made a huge impression on a lot of people.

2. There's a week of direct action, returning plastic packaging to supermarkets with messages written on and posting pictures on social media with the hashtag #ourplasticfeedback. So anyone going to a supermarket might like to contribute.

I did think of dropping in if I'm passing a SM at the weekend, but have failed to find anything that I can return to them. I generally try to avoid supermarkets as I find the whole experience unpleasant, and when I do have to go I'm careful with my selections. Obviously I've been more successful than I realised!

Admittedly, I'm travelling a lot for work, so my low consumption of energy, water and packaging is probably down to the fact that I'm not actually at home that much... most of my food comes from either the milkman, a veg box scheme (when I'm home on the right days), the market, the farmers' market or the farm shop.

I was disappointed when I bought soapnuts the other day (the last lot finally ran out after a couple of years) to discover that they were packaged in plastic inside the fabric bag. I'll be asking my local zero waste shop if they can get them for me in future. I've also discovered they'll refill my 5l white vinegar containers (as well as the washing up liquid, floor, surface and toilet cleaner that I usually bulk buy), so I won't need to dispose of those anymore. My friend who lives near them will find she's getting a lot more visits

happydays89

Primrose wrote: »

I was dispirited to read today that a lifelong volunteer beach cleaner has just declared he's quitting his self appointed task because he believes we,ve already lost the environmental war to save the oceans from pollution which is where much of our unwanted plastic ends up.

I don't know whether he is right or wrong in his assertion but it should, I believe , encourage us to try even harder and campaign more aggressively for people to be better educated about reducing and disposing of our waste.

My current dilemma is looking at two rather grubby fleeces which need to be washed and the realisation now that every time I put them in the washing machine thousands of more tiny micro plastic beads or whatever this type of fabric is constituted of, are going to be released into the drainage system and ultimately flow into the oceans.

I can,t throw these warm garments away. I wear them to help reduce the heating bills and keep me warm so can anybody come up with a magic answer to solving this conundrum which must be faced by many thoughtful families where their laundry is concerned.

Could you hand wash the fleeces in a tub outside,drip dry (I use a small spin dryer)and tip water onto the grass so avoiding the water going down the drain.

Nick_C

happydays89 wrote: »

Could you hand wash the fleeces in a tub outside,drip dry (I use a small spin dryer)and tip water onto the grass so avoiding the water going down the drain.

Hand washing will minimise the amount of fibre that is dislodged. But fibres falling onto the ground will get blown away or possibly eaten by bird. And the fleeces wear in use. The damn stuff is in the air and we are breathing it. This is much more serious than plastic packaging.

Primrose

Yes, all this stuff is very scary. These fibres have been around for a long time now and we've all been inhaling them without realising. One wonders whether all the breathing allergies, increases in asthma, etc that we are experiencing are in some way due to these. Certainly they're adding to the air pollutions levels and there is no easy way of protecting ourselves against them. The tiny fibres are so small that I'm not sure that even permanently wearing a face mask would be an effective barrier.

dolly84

I like you guys am trying to do my best at cutting down on packaging and plastic generally but my word it is overwhelmingly hard. With regard to the particles in the air what we are going to find out about that in the future is just the same as when it was found that asbestos dust was so harmful, it is just on a much, much grander scale.


With regard to cotton as an alternative to synthetic fibres, cotton is a terrible crop for the environment before we actually start to wear it so we are scuppered there too, if you look into cotton growing and then all the processes and people and transport involved you have to ask why the likes of Primark are selling cotton garments for a couple of quid. I think there is a fabric called Lyocell which is more environmentally friendly and many sustainable retailers are using that.

Nick_C

Clothing made from Hemp, Flax (Linen), and Bamboo is probably the most environmentally friendly.

Mummy2cheekymonkeys

What about clothes made from bamboo instead of cotton? Surely the best thing we can do is to have natural fibres like cotton but to actually wear the garment until it is falling apart. The problem with everything nowadays is that it is all made cheap and not made to last. People go into primark and come out with bags full of items that after a few months won't be "in fashion" anymore and then throw it away. They think that because a top only cost them £4 it's OK to throw it in the bin.
My local council won't recycle yoghurt pots or margarine tubs so I only use easiyo yoghurt now. The sachets aren't recyclable unfortunately but one sachet for 1kg of yoghurt is saving a lot of pots. I've also bought an ecoegg which I am trying for clothes washing which seems to be working well at the moment.

euronorris

I didn't think about using a zero waste shop, and kind of assumed there wouldn't be one near us (as they all seem to be in big cities), BUT, there is one very close to where we take DD for her swimming lessons on a Sunday, so I plan to check it out on Sunday afternoon after swimming. Thanks