Steps towards zero waste - 2019

inkie · 31 December 2018 at 10:02PM

Once I have used up my shower gel stash I want to switch to bar soap

Yep this is my intention. However, I am still trying to work my way through a stockpile of shampoos and shower gels that I seem to have had years! Getting there slowly but surely.
The thing that really does worry me is seeing the amount of plastic milk bottles that we seem to go through. I need to find a milk-man.
Does anyone still use them? I hope that I can find one locally as it will kind of defeat the object if they are having to drive for miles to deliver my milk.

GreyQueen · 31 December 2018 at 10:11PM

One of the easiest ways to cover leftovers etc in the fridge is really old skool. Leftover on a plate? Put an upside-down bowl over it. Leftover in a bowl? Put a plate on it as a lid. Simples.

I have a small fleet of six small and medium pyrex tureens, all sourced from bootsales for pence. They're ideal for storing food and you can see what you have in there.

I'm a bit frustrated in my efforts to go plastic-free in the food line, tho. Head of celery on the market, grown locally in my region and completely unpackaged - £2. Or a Spanish-grown imported head of celery in a plastic sleeve for 47p in the supermarket next door. Loose carrots on the market? 2.5 times the price of bagged carrots in the supermarket a few yards away. All the loose produce I see is more expensive than the bagged in the supermarket and 2-2.5 times more expensive on the market.

Being pretty hard up, these aren't things I can just grit my teeth over and pay up. My best veggies are the ones I grow myself on the allotment and cart home in the bike basket, entirely packaging free.

Other than that, it's extremely rare for me to buy anything new and therefore packaging doesn't enter my world and therefore doesn't have to leave it.

tori.k · 31 December 2018 at 10:25PM

Grey queen do you not have a wholesalers close to you? ours has a little spit and sawdust shop alongside open to the public the prices are comparable to the cheaper supermarkets

ivyleaf · 31 December 2018 at 10:28PM

Ilona wrote: »

I made some re usable drawstring cloth gift bags, using offcuts of cotton material. Sold some at our Christmas Fair. not many though, 25p each. I gave a lot away to friends after. I think it will take a while for people to get used to them.

ilona

Ilona, that's a brilliant idea! I would say I'm going to do the same next year, but i fear I probably wouldn't get a round tuit

GreyQueen · 31 December 2018 at 10:34PM

tori.k wrote: »

Grey queen do you not have a wholesalers close to you? ours has a little spit and sawdust shop alongside open to the public the prices are comparable to the cheaper supermarkets

:( No. I live slap-bang in the centre of a city with a central produce market and small stores like tosspots metro and sains local. About 0.75 miles away, I can get at medium-size supermarkets such as smallish Sains and Aldee. At 1.25 miles out I can get at a couple of Liddlys.

Big supermarkets are about 3 miles away and there are no veg wholesalers within 8 miles.(I have seen local independant greengrocers topping up their shop's supplies in Liddly and my indy greengrocer's wholesaler is about 40 miles away). Should add that I cannot afford a car (nor afford bus fares) so go everywhere on foot or by pushbike - and have ME so long-distance biking isn't an option.

However, I am now on 1.5 allotments and am planning a bumper harvest for me and the extended family for 2019 - I shall be on £land early in January getting my onion sets.

I am thoroughly t'd off about CeleryGate and grind my teeth when I hear folk in the media burbling on about how loose produce is always cheaper as my experience is completely otherwise!

Full disclosure; I have been 'into' zero waste for over 5 years now.

Nonnadiluca · 31 December 2018 at 10:53PM

I make reusable produce bags from old net curtains, have done for the last few years. Advantages: they weigh almost nothing: the checkout operator can see what's inside: you can just pop them in the washing machine: NO PLASTIC!! I get loads of positive comments about them and give lots away. They are the easiest thing in the world to make - sew a channel at the top to thread string/ cord through, sew up the sides and you're done. I cut the fabric with pinking shears so no extra sewing to stop them fraying. If everyone used them, think how many plastic bags wouldn't be made. Please have a go, it doesn't matter if they're not perfect!

tori.k · 31 December 2018 at 11:03PM

There is benefits to both city and rural living, zero waste is now bang on trend ( not a bad thing) but prices do reflect this I guess.
For once im trendy rather then just having short arms and deep pockets

skint_chick · 1 January 2019 at 11:21AM

Nonnadiluca wrote: »

I make reusable produce bags from old net curtains, have done for the last few years. Advantages: they weigh almost nothing: the checkout operator can see what's inside: you can just pop them in the washing machine: NO PLASTIC!! I get loads of positive comments about them and give lots away. They are the easiest thing in the world to make - sew a channel at the top to thread string/ cord through, sew up the sides and you're done. I cut the fabric with pinking shears so no extra sewing to stop them fraying. If everyone used them, think how many plastic bags wouldn't be made. Please have a go, it doesn't matter if they're not perfect!

I don't have any old net curtains, but will have a look in some charity shops as I have a sewing machine and could easily do this rather than ordering some ready made from ebay that come from China!

dragonlily · 1 January 2019 at 11:34AM

Happy new year and all the best for 2019!

We went with our daughter to friends last night, and I did not drink anything alcoholic. First time in a long time, and had a really lovely time. Cluedo, sing star, watching the London fireworks on the BBC. My friend makes the most fabulous homemade pizza, so it was all really quite fab.

I was hoping today, I'd wake up raring to go, but the cold and cough I felt I was starting with has now developed. As we don't seem to have any tissues I have succumbed to Christmas themed paper napkins (bought long before I ever thought of reducing waste). Zero waste alternatives? Can you even get hankies anymore?

My ten year old has been going for sewing lessons once a week for the last couple of months. They are brilliant, an hour and a half for £10 including materials, and she loves it. As such, her grandparents have bought her a sewing machine for Christmas. Maybe that could be something she could make for me?

I have never learnt any sewing skills although my nana was an amazing sewer and knitter. It was great as she'd alter things for me, and even sorted us out with curtains when we got our first home. I wish I'd appreciated her talents more, and took the opportunity to learn. I'm wondering whether to save for a few lessons myself, as seeing and hearing about some of the great things being made is very inspiring.

Nonnadiluca

I make reusable produce bags from old net curtains, have done for the last few years. Advantages: they weigh almost nothing: the checkout operator can see what's inside: you can just pop them in the washing machine: NO PLASTIC!! I get loads of positive comments about them and give lots away. They are the easiest thing in the world to make - sew a channel at the top to thread string/ cord through, sew up the sides and you're done. I cut the fabric with pinking shears so no extra sewing to stop them fraying. If everyone used them, think how many plastic bags wouldn't be made. Please have a go, it doesn't matter if they're not perfect!

That is fab, and repurposing

Thriftwizard

Now the "kids" are all young adults we've stopped the stockings (by agreement!) and adopted the Icelandic Jolabokaflod instead, whereby everyone gets a book and chocolate. I made drawstring bags for the books out of old shirts with a glittery thread for the girls and the legs of OH's old jeans for the lads & OH. These were then glitzed up with bits of old Christmas decs - unused baubles & bits of plastic greenery & tinsel, sort of thing, all wrapped in florists wire & pinned on. They looked rather lovely, if I say so myself, and with the decorations unpinned can be used for muddy boots, make-up or whatever.

So many lovely ideas, I particularly like this one, I haven't heard of that before.

Grey queen

Re the cost of things, I get frustrated by the fact it is expensive to cut waste at the moment, or as you have pointed out with the celery, to buy British over food that has travelled many miles. You have the right idea with your allotment, must be very satisfying too, eating food you have produced yourself! Again, skills I wish I had took the time to learn.

I am excited about the year ahead. It is so lovely to have a place now to share baby steps and get ideas and inspiration

.

As for today, it is time for all the Christmas decorations to be put away, and then round to my mums for the rest of the day. Whatever you are doing today, have a wonderful time.

x

GreyQueen · 1 January 2019 at 12:10PM

I'm an habitue of charity shops and there are often net curtains to be had for about 50p or so. I would think the ones called sheers would be better than the heavily patterned ones, as they'd be lighter, easier to sew and easier for the cashier to see the produce.

re learning how to sew, the basics don't require a lot of time and effort to learn and you may be able to skill-swop with someone like me, who learned the basics decades ago and does them without thinking. Mebbe worth asking around your circle of friends and acquaintances? I'd hate not being able to sew as it closes off a whole world of useful and MSE activities.

My latest thing is umbrellas. In my city, every blustery windy day sees crippled umbrellas abandoned on the city streets. I have harvested a few of these. The fabric isn't organic or biodegradable, of course, but it has the advantage of already existing, being lightweight and pretty water-resistant and makes really good re-usable shopping bags. If you don't want to work out your own method, google will show you some patterns. Most sewing patterns can be created from newspaper, sheets taped together if needed. This makes sewing a pretty economical hobby.

You can also dramatically extend the life of household textiles and clothing by sewing, leading to less waste going into landfill. HTH.

ETA; How to harvest an umbrella:

1. With a stitch-ripper or a sharp pair of scissors, snip the threads which hold the tip of the ribs to the cloth, and the 1-2 polints of attatchment along the ribs. The cloth part is now held exclusively at the centre top by the spike or boss.

2. Sometimes you can prise the boss off with a screwdriver, sometimes you can break it off by walloping it with a hammer. Sometimes it won't budge and you will need to cut the cloth around the boss.

3. The umbrella shaft and ribs may be metal, or plastic or some and some. Try to get the metal bits off and to recycling (Red Cross charity shops can do this).

4. If the umbrella has little plastic doo-dads where the tips of the ribs joined the cloth, it's probably a good idea to remove these in case they come detatched in the washing machine.

5. Launder brolly cloth on your next washload and you now have some project fabric for free.

Oh, and if you have a full-size brolly, you can slit it along one side and have a rain cape for a small child. Rainbox brolly capes and small children are a particularly winsome festival combination.

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Steps towards zero waste - 2019

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