Daily contact lenses - eco disaster and other forgotten things …

[Lightisnotwhite]

I wear hard, gas permeable lenses. They last for years or until I lose one or decide I can’t see properly. Opticians are always trying to flog me daily ones.These are disposable ones that come in little plastic tubs. So that’s 2 a day plus the lenses being chucked out.

The traditional Poppies have plastic stalks and middies. Goodness knows how many we get through. I support the cause with cash but use a knitted one.

So many little things need updating to be eco friendly.

EastWest what's the difference between wearing them twice (or more) and cleaning them in between and doing the same with the monthly ones? Literally the only difference between the two is how thick they are, dailies are just thinner that's all.

I wore gas permeables for 20 years no problems with hygiene or comfort apart from when getting dust in my eyes (lying on my back in yoga classes in dusty village halls were the worst). I've had monthlies for 15 now and recycle the cases, I'd never go back.

I use a knitted poppy too. At least there are more reusable ones available now, pin badges etc.

Other forgotten things also include the nylon nets that fruit is (needlessly) sold in, and cat food pouches. Haven't heard much about these being a problem but they must be given the volumes sold.

[quote gogohm]@nocutsnobuttsnococonuts get yourself a rice cooker, batch cook rice and freeze in reusable tubs. If you own a pressure cooker they cook rice well too[/quote]
I have thought about a rice cooker but wasn't sure how good they are. And our kitchen is tiny so space is at a premium.

And I dont know if I could freeze rice, im terrified of getting food poisoning from rice. My mum was really ill through not reheating rice properly!

Lots of things come in foil pouches now.
I buy a Thai curry pack. Yes I have coconut milk in tins but the paste is the price of a pack and it goes off before I use it up. .
Unfortunately smaller portions means more plastic.

Schools photocopying. So often it’s wrong size/ not colour/wrong orientation. I use all my hashed copies as notepaper but if I think to all the schools and colleges churning out wasted paper.

@IdrisElbow

Terracycle also collect contact lenses and the plastic cases.

Will they accept the lenses, foil, and plastic cases in one envelope or do I need to separate these before posting?

Luckily at secondary they email letters in the main. And make us print out necessary papers at home.

Yes the netting is not good on fruit and some veg.

I am sitting here thinking of the mindless plastic waste at Christmas in packaging from manufacturers.

Those plastic hooks are wasteful in shops where it is hanging up a product often not but always encased in plastic. Think things like small electronic gadgets and socks.

Recycling stuff doesn’t offset it. Have you looked at the efficacy of recycling?

Thing is I’m not going to be made to feel guilty about something I can’t really control. My bad eyesight isn’t a result of anything but luck, I’ve not bought it on myself so if I want to wear contact lenses to correct it I will. My eyes are bad, seriously bad and even with the thinnest lenses my glasses aren’t comfortable to wear all day. I wear two weekly disposable ones because they are the healthiest for my eyes.

Same as someone else said about tampons vs mooncup, if you can’t get on with a cup you shouldn’t be made to feel guilty about using tampons for something you’ve had no say in!

However I do agree about biros.

Same here, my eyesight is so bad that no glasses give anything like the correction contacts do, and they're uncomfy and unflattering. So contacts it is.

@nocutsnobuttsnococonuts I have a small rice cooker and it’s amazing - do try it.

I asked the optician about monthly contact lenses the last time I had a check up (because I thought it might be more eco than dailies) and they dismissed them and barely mentioned them before trying to get me to sign up to their monthly payment programme for dailies
I have 1 pen that is made from recycled fibre of some kind. I can't quite remember what.

I'm also aggrieved about cat food pouches but the cats don't appear to like tinned food.

Those wretched plastic in between the teeth stabby things my dentist keeps trying to tell me are great for gum health. Single use plastic. I have tried the bamboo ones but they're too big for my mouth.

I hit the happy medium of continuous wear contacts - I've been using them for about 15 years, and no issues at all (and as soon as an optician hears that's what I use, they give me the works - dyed eyeballs the lot, so I know my eyes are fine).

I put them in, and leave them in (so no contamination issues) for 3 weeks (I can tell when it's time to change them).

Tepe brushes can be used multiple times. Just rinse them like a toothbrush and store them somewhere they can dry out. The dentist is right - they are good for your gum health.

Advent calendars are my gripe. I don’t understand why an adult needs an advent calendar. That said, I use advent candles which aren’t reusable 😑

Advent calendars are just two layers of cardboard though? Light to transport, no plastic, easy to recycle. We’re allowed some joy.

(But not glitter, to the other pp! It’s a disaster!)

We now have little recycle piles all over the house: contact lenses, biros, medicine blister packs, cereal bags, foil. My kingdom for a kerbside system where you could recycle everything.

We’ve successfully deplasticked/dewasted the bathroom, but the kitchen is taking longer. And all of it feels like a drop in the ocean because the real issue is heating and food (we don’t fly or drive so that’s sorted); can’t afford a heat pump.

Some joy is fine. I suppose they didn’t bring me any joy whatsoever but each to their own. I find them just tat.

We have a Christmassy bag of sweets and chocolates on the back of our kitchen door. The dc get one daily during advent which causes much excitement. The bag is foldable so easy to store the rest of the year. it doubles as a nice christmas ‘fluff’ in the house in December. And hardly any rubbish to dispose of. Perfect for us.

But congrats on all the other efforts made! I’m seriously trying to de carbonise my life ASAP. We are getting water heaters on our roof in the new year and I can’t wait.

I gave up the old style poppies years ago because they were never secure, I got through lots every year and I used to hate seeing them discarded on the street.

I now have a knitted one and two big plastic ones for the cars that I have had for years and re-use. But of course the British Legion doesn't want us just to reuse them because otherwise it would stop getting the money, so I also have a collection of metal pins and buy a new dated one every year.

I wear glasses not lenses. Much less waste!

We have a reusable advent calendar, it's made of cloth with little pockets and you put your own treats in

You're not wrong!
And recycling plastic is a nightmare. Lots of it doesn't actually get recycled at all as it's too difficult and costly, and when it does it creates even more microplastic pollution.
At least contact lenses are important though. Its not like plastic packaging etc which is unnecessary.

My monthly lenses are continual wear too, but my optician does not recommend doing this as it means you are wearing them in the shower which they strongly advise against. They also told me it was safer to take them out and clean them every night than keep them in and let all the proteins and stuff build up on them. So I only keep them in overnight very occasionally.

Yes to the little piles everywhere! We have a foil pile, a metal lid pile, a milk bottle lid pile, a contact lens stuff pile. Well, they're all in cupboards and drawers. But it would be lovely to be able to just put them all in the recycling bin.

@antsinyourpanta

I'm also aggrieved about cat food pouches but the cats don't appear to like tinned food.

You can recycle cat food pouches using a drop off point. More information can be found on the tetracycline website www.terracycle.com/en-GB/brigades/petfood-uk