Don't just throw them away...

watch_this_space

To make bangles - cut slices from plastic bottles, then wrap strips of plastic (cut from carrier bags) around.(I've used gold bags from Evans and pink from Superdrug, etc )You can always add decorations, e.g. buttons (stitch or stick);tassels from plaited or twisted scraps of wool;ribbons, beads etc. Great project for groups of girls with nothing to do!
Family size bake bean tins, well washed,lined with greaseproof paper or parchment make great individual sized fruit cakes, especially around Christmas

tik33

well - glad to see that there are plenty of us 'reusers'...

we try to say no to plastic bags when offered them (even for lunch - the sandwich shop offer you a plastic bag - to carry a sandwich???!!!)

we have some great little bags which fold up to nothing - are also reliable so you don't end up having your nice bottle of red hanging out with the pavement

using the bags that we do need as bin liners goes without saying doesn't it?

That reduces plastic bags - though really I'd like to see a 10p charge on each bag (not just the good ones) - that would make supermarkets and people think twice - they did this in Ireland and it has cut the amount of plastic bags filling up landfill by over 50%.

We walk to our supermarket/grocers 9 times out of 10 - saves on using the car.

A lot of people talk about compost - we don't have a big enough garden - so when I change the water in my fish tank, I use that to water the plants - very good for them! Water from pasta/veg cooking etc also good for plants or soup.

We use the plastic containers that meat or veg comes in as a mini bin while cooking to save mess...

and luckily we can recycle most of the stuff we can't reuse - we have a collection service.

freecycle is also great.

I'd love to see a builders merchants that had a 'second-hand' section - ie all that stuff that you over ordered in one place - reduce a lot of the waste in building materials that normally gets chucked away.

keep it up everyone!

twink

agree about the grass clippings, we dont have grass, but we had a horse in the field behind our houses and neighbour was asked not to throw his grass clippings into the field

poppycracker

KraftyKate wrote:

Apparently us girlies have far too many hormones in our pee and that isn't so good for the compost!!!

Yes, it isn't good for grass either (don't ask me how I know!)

Same with girlie dogs too. There are lots of little brown patches over our lawn now, that was never a problem in the wilds of Lewis.

Sarahsaver

hamaradam wrote:

... sometimes the resident fox also enjoys some...

Do you HAVE to feed the foxes? :rolleyes:
Otherwise great idea. Unfortunately round here the fast food place thinks recycling means leaving the stuff in a doorway to drool all over the pavement

I may recycle a cardboard drinks holder later, by planting some seeds in it.

tr3mor

hamaradam wrote:

sometimes the resident fox also enjoys some

Why would you feed a fox? Would you feed a rat? They're exactly the same, both vermin, I wish city dwellers would realise this!

rubix_76

Slightly off subject, but has anyone seen that !!!!!! Strawbridge (used to be on Scrapheap Challenge and that war gadget programme) TV show on at the moment (tues BBC2 8.30) where they are trying to be as green as possible (also self sufficient - good-life style) it is also (as we all know) very moneysaving-esque too !!! :j

Anyway to the point - there was a guy who was so green (he was a pice of brocoli :rotfl: ) he claimed to only throw away one carrier bag worth of rubbish every MONTH. He either composted, recycled, or reused.

NOW THAT IS MONEY SAVING !!! :T

I wish I could be that good, it would save on bin-bags !!

Rubix

madmumatuk

I found this out as a poor post graduate student!

You can take your slivers of soap and put them in a bucket or container and fill it with water - preferrably one that makes pouring easy. Then this can be used as washing detergent for your laundry. Worked wonders! - my flatmates mum did it during the war apparently.

full-time-mum

Supermarket bags are great for temporarily wrapping things but don't use them for long-term storage as they are designed to bio-degrade in (I think) 18 months or so.

I have noticed that in a warm environment, this is a much quicker process (say 6-12 months) and you end up with tiny pieces of bag all over the place - we seriously thoght we had mice in our loft until we twigged that the bag was 'chewed' to bits but not the wrapping paper that was inside the bag!!!


I'm recycling toilet roll inners to plant my sweet peas in - apparently they like a long root run. I'm hoping that I can just plant the whole lot into the ground which will save root disturbance and mess.

I use sheets of newspaper to shade inside my greenhouse rather than buying the expensive netting. Use drawing pins in a wooden frame or the special nuts and bolts for an aluminium frame. Faded and soggy sheets get put in the compost and then replaced.

full-time-mum

cathy wrote:

when the old fart cuts the grass he puts all the cuttings in a bin bag and leaves it alone adds tea bags and UNCOOKED food to it over the weeks then tips it onto the compost heap

not pleasant but boy does it get the compost heap going

Thanks, I was having trouble getting my compost heap to compost so will try this when we finally get around to cutting the grass.