The War against plastic waste

THIRZAH

They are extending the scheme to DDs local Waitrose soon. I've suggested she buy her produce bags from Lidl.

DigForVictory

It does make a lot of sense! I hope her store has an interesting range.

My parents (& sister) assure me the pinot grigio is Very Nice Indeed & they may take bottles to Waitrose rather than buy a winebox... As they're not yet doing tea loose, I'll just have to wait a bit longer for my drink of choice.

THIRZAH

Thank you-I'll tell her about the pinot grigio. She lives by herself so is quite looking forward to buying things in smaller quantities. So am I-every time I go I buy things that end up sitting in the cupboard until next time I visit and then they've usually past their use-by date.



Let us hope more supermarkets follow their example. We only have Tesco and Aldi here so end up with quite a lot of plastic waste.

DigForVictory

I can report back on three zero waste shops
I popped into Plentiful in Ramsbottom out of raw curiosity - there's Pretty much Everything from ecover to lentils to spices to coffee to bottles cups jars & an impressive array of menstrual products as well as ecofriendly loo paper.

I was then visiting parents in Oxford & so dropped in on the Waitrose there - clearly a trial site, with a limited (but Terribly Waitrose) range. Like so many Waitrose treats however, everything I tried was golden - my parents Love the wine & may never buy another winebox, taking the bottle I left them (and as I now have to source another dozen for their Christmas present, I'll be looking at Wades of Knutsford - very happy customer)

Then we were in Hartlepool & as we staggered back to the car, we passed The Simple Weigh. I am in awe. Bigger than both Ramsbottom & Waitrose, far more things to eat, and a spectacular array of teas and chocolate that will make a return trip to get a plastic free Christmas sorted a gustatory delight! Packed in the Lidl mesh bags & then in a string bag or two if I can bring myself to part with a few, naturally...

grunnie

2 examples today ,one great one not so great. My good housekeeping magazine sub was delivered for the first time in a paper envelope instead of plastic bag but it was ripped and torn and so was the magazine and it was damp as well as it was raining.On the plus side I bought some orgaic milk from a farm. You bring your own bottle or buy one of theirs put your money in the vending machine and out comes the milk.Wish i stayed nearer as this was brilliant and the place was really busy.Next time will buy some of their icecream and eggs as well.

bobbiz22

Hi all,

I'm trying to be more conscious of what I buy in regards to plastic...whilst not completely plastic free, or very minimal in plastic use (yet) I am slowly making better choices and thinking about what I am buying more than I used to.

I have 2 things I want to switch to plastic free next, as the current plastic containers are almost empty. This is my aim going forward, anything that runs out...looking for a better alternative that doesn't cost substantially more, or if it does, it lasts much longer than the plastic contained option,

1. Shampoo & Conditioner - I have thick, long wavy hair and have heard varying degrees of information about the bars. Plus I don't want to do the whole apple cider vinegar rinse that is suggested for some of them! If anyone has similar type hair and can recommend a bar that is great & not expensive, I'd really appreciate it

2. Washing my clothes - My liquid is due to run out in the next week or so .Has anyone ever tried soap nuts? Do they work as well as liquid detergent for you and good for stains? Or do you use something else for stains?

Thank you in advance

freebiefinder1234

bobbiz22 wrote: »

Hi all,

I'm trying to be more conscious of what I buy in regards to plastic...whilst not completely plastic free, or very minimal in plastic use (yet) I am slowly making better choices and thinking about what I am buying more than I used to.

I have 2 things I want to switch to plastic free next, as the current plastic containers are almost empty. This is my aim going forward, anything that runs out...looking for a better alternative that doesn't cost substantially more, or if it does, it lasts much longer than the plastic contained option,

1. Shampoo & Conditioner - I have thick, long wavy hair and have heard varying degrees of information about the bars. Plus I don't want to do the whole apple cider vinegar rinse that is suggested for some of them! If anyone has similar type hair and can recommend a bar that is great & not expensive, I'd really appreciate it

2. Washing my clothes - My liquid is due to run out in the next week or so .Has anyone ever tried soap nuts? Do they work as well as liquid detergent for you and good for stains? Or do you use something else for stains?

Thank you in advance

Replying so I can hear about any recommendations too! :cheesy: I have the same problem as you - my thick hair never feels cleaned by bars. I've tried Lush ones before & my hair just felt greasy. Sorry I can't offer any recommendations myself - hoping someone here has some insight.

greenbee

I use soap nuts and have done on and off for years. Annoyingly some of them come in a plastic bag inside the cloth bag.

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire

I tried soap nuts but I didn't find them particularly economical. You are supposed to be able to use them a few times but they seemed to disintegrate after just one or two washes (although that could have been my naff old washing machine which I have now replaced). I have a very small refill shop in town where I refill with BioD clothes washing liquid which seems to work fine. As a stain remover I have started to use washing up liquid, which so far has really impressed me, much better than the clothes stain removers you can buy. Someone on here recommended that to me and I am very grateful for that - saves buying another product.


I never got on with shampoo bars so now I buy shampoo and conditioner from the Body Shop. They have started a scheme where if you take back 5 empty packages to them they will give you a £5.00 voucher back. They even take the paper that the soaps are wrapped in as an item. I think (but am not certain) it is only their old packaging but at least it doesn't end up in landfill.


I hope that helps.

bobbiz22

Crafty_Lisa_Hampshire wrote: »

I tried soap nuts but I didn't find them particularly economical. You are supposed to be able to use them a few times but they seemed to disintegrate after just one or two washes (although that could have been my naff old washing machine which I have now replaced). I have a very small refill shop in town where I refill with BioD clothes washing liquid which seems to work fine. As a stain remover I have started to use washing up liquid, which so far has really impressed me, much better than the clothes stain removers you can buy. Someone on here recommended that to me and I am very grateful for that - saves buying another product.


I never got on with shampoo bars so now I buy shampoo and conditioner from the Body Shop. They have started a scheme where if you take back 5 empty packages to them they will give you a £5.00 voucher back. They even take the paper that the soaps are wrapped in as an item. I think (but am not certain) it is only their old packaging but at least it doesn't end up in landfill.


I hope that helps.

Thank you so much, I've heard it depends on your water type too...I have no idea what ours is though. I want to test a small batch ideally, instead of forking out on a huge bag and finding they don't work for me, so I may hunt around to see if I can acquire a small handful I know of 2 refill shops but they're about 45 mins - 1 hour drive from where I live unfortunately

Interested in the washing liquid as a stain remover! That's a good tip - thank you

greenbee wrote: »

I use soap nuts and have done on and off for years. Annoyingly some of them come in a plastic bag inside the cloth bag.

Oh that's frustrating but I suppose it would at least be *less* plastic used than a bottle of liquid...