Little ways in which you help the environment and/or reduce waste

[GunpowderGelatine]

I thought we could have a thread where we share the small low-effort ways in which we can make changes and reduce waste.

• we have a good waste digester. Smarter than a regular compost bin as it takes all food waste even bones. Got it at a discount at £30 and I love it, it gives me really lovely compost too and we literally have no food waste going in the black bin

• I buy as much second hand as possible, if the kids need new clothes I look for bundles on Facebook, I only really buy new shoes or specific clothing like costumes for book day. Most things are like new when given a good clean anyway.

• I've stopped buying DVDs and subscribed to Netlifx, and if I do get a specific DVD I go to CeX and get it second hand

• i refuse to buy anything with unnecessary packaging, like fruit and veg (I only buy it loose)

• use less bath water and limit the number of baths we take

• I wash everything at 30, if it's stained I'll go to 40 with a bit of Vanish on it and if it's smelly I use a white wine vinegar solution on it before I wash it

• I only use eco friendly cleaning products (this has helped with our allergies massively too, no more sneezing after wiping the tops down)

Ooh - spontex sponges cheaper direct from spontex - who’d have thought?

www.spontex.co.uk/product/heavy-duty-super-sponge-scourers/

Wrapping paper... I've just been wrapping DDs birthday presents with that shiny non-recyclable wrapping paper, used it all up and ordered some recycled, recyclable brown paper online... a 50m roll so it'll keep us going a while. It's just like parcel paper but has a star print on it, so it'll do for birthdays and Xmas I didn't realise before being told at Xmas that most wrapping paper can't be recycled.

Oooh, where from, nomorespaghetti?

I have a question..,Isn't the toilet roll from "who gives a crap" toilet paper made of bamboo? Surely the air miles for that are just as bad? Also the exhaust / petrol from the delivery driver who is ONLY delivering ooo roll? Is it softer than normal supermarket recycled?

It's shipped by sea.

we bought a soda stream as dh drinks gallons of fizzy soda water and it has massively reduced our plastic recycling. Probably the thing which has had most environmental impact for us.

It's this one kitten

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01M26Q5I5/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_awdo_ef1wCbVZJ1NK9?tag=mumsnetforum-21

Thanks, spaghetti

RisingSun
Surely the air miles for that are just as bad? Also the exhaust / petrol from the delivery driver who is ONLY delivering ooo roll? hmm Is it softer than normal supermarket recycled?

Shipping is by container. Can’t answer precisely on mileage but I know I read recently that NZ lamb has a smaller environmental impact than Welsh lamb (will look for link)

My last delivery came from Hermes, so just one more parcel for that courier.

And yes, the bamboo is much softer than supermarket recycled

“NZ lamb has a lower carbon footprint”

www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=12119881

Can anyone who is better at maths than me (that'll be most people then) work out if £33 for a 50metre roll of the wrapping paper is good value please.

66p a metre if that helps.

Drookit I figured that i usually pay between £1 and £2 for (fairly low quality) 2m wrapping paper, so between 50p-£1 per meter, which would make the 50m roll at £33 a similar price to what I'd usually pay. It's arriving tomorrow, so i can report back on quality if you'd like.

I was going to add my bits and pieces but good heavens, it's nothing compared to what I see here.

I'm mainly posting so that I can see the thread and updates... and copy some of the ideas. Thank you!

Ta

So many more ideas than I've been using so far, so will read and then see where I can improve. And thanks to drspouse for the tip about shampoo bars on Etsy, will take a look.

EhlanaOfElenia Good set of books, those

@Drookit you could buy brown wrapping paper from Wilko's and use decorative tape (Washi tape) and either draw on the wrapping or use a rubber stamp/stickers to decorate it, if you want a cheaper option.

I have not bought any wrapping paper for several years.

I can always find tissue paper or brown paper or a box or large envelope that has been used for something else to wrap a present in. Likewise ribbon or string, so tape is rarely needed.

I use soap nuts with essential oil instead of laundry detergent. It's cheaper, fine in the water supply, packaged in hemp and doesn't hurt my eczema.

Win. Win. Win

MulticolourMophead they certainly are!

Those who use soap nuts or those eco balls, do you really think they get your washing clean?

Because I do ironing for people, and I suspect a couple of my clients use them. Their washing isn't dirty, but neither is it very clean. And I've noticed that some of the polo shirts are getting quite 'crusty' in the underarm area. The smell isn't overpowering, but noticeable for me. I wonder whether because it's their 'own' smell they don't notice it, but I do?

@EhlanaOfElenia they're probably not doing it right then. You have to put them in a cup of boiling water for a minute before you put the nuts and glass of water in the wash.

People wash on 30, which is great but too cold to activate the saponins.

My clothes come out wonderfully clean and smelling of oranges.

I do occasionally use laundry detergent on my whites though as they're not fab for keeping them bright.

People wash on 30, which is great but too cold to activate the saponins

If that's the case then I rather suspect a LOT of people are doing it wrong.

if you put stickers or paint on the plain brown wrapping paper it then can't be recycled crayon pen etc is ok though

Our council doesn't tell us no painted paper/paper with stickers. Is that specific to your council maybe?

@MotherWol I'm not a big fan of the print and decorate your brown wrapping paper trend myself but quite like the look of the one with stars on it.