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The Big Plastic Count

15 replies

FormerlySpeckledyHen · 14/05/2022 07:52

thebigplasticcount.com/sign-up/digital?source=PO&subsource=OCPOPSOAPO01PL&utm_source=Insert&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=BPC%20-%20Household%20sign%20up%20%20OA%2020220221

Anyone else doing it?

OP posts:
StandardLampski · 14/05/2022 08:18

I've signed up...

slavetothekittens · 14/05/2022 09:20

I've signed up, ready to start counting on Monday.

FormerlySpeckledyHen · 14/05/2022 16:45

I think it will be the small plastic count at this rate…

OP posts:
slavetothekittens · 16/05/2022 11:58

Bump for plastic counting people.

CheshireSplat · 16/05/2022 12:10

Yep, have been looking forward to doing this. Recycling isn't enough, need to reduce and counting it all should be impactful.

pastaparadise · 16/05/2022 12:45

Yes we've signed up. Think it will be scary to see the amount we get through. Though the people who sign up are probably untypical in that they are already making steps to reduce plastic so the real picture will be so much worse

slavetothekittens · 20/05/2022 09:32

How are you going on with this?

Been surprising how much plastic we are using but at least most of it is recyclable.

BeyondMyWits · 20/05/2022 09:37

We've been doing it and have found we use much less plastic than we used to when the kids were home... much less.

FormerlySpeckledyHen · 23/05/2022 07:55

Well I’m not sure if it’s bad? 2 adults , 7 days , 54 pieces of recyclable plastic

It was very thought provoking to save it all and go through it …

Can definitely reduce it a lot though by :-
Buying all loose fruit and veg salad etc
Fish off the counter ? but then they would put it in a plastic bag…
Not buy from M&S online until they start using paper packaging
Stop eating mini bags of twiglets
Milk from the milkman in glass bottles? Is there such a thing these days…off to look.

OP posts:
Bloatstoat · 23/05/2022 09:33

118 items, that's for me, DH and 3 DC. 😱

I really need to do better. I have found it hard though - we tried milk from the milkman in glass bottles but it was so much more expensive, and fruit/salad etc is often prepacked, the greengrocer works out more expensive than Aldi. We cloth nappy, but they weren't counting that so I can't even use that to feel better

Another big source this week was that I'd bought come summer clothes for the DC online as it's easier - each item wrapped in plastic, and sent in a plastic wrapper. It doesn't have to be like that. I also bought a couple of books from eBay that both came wrapped in plastic.

I really hope this helps lead to change in a government level - making retailers find alternative packaging. Some shops for example do fruit like grapes etc in little cardboard trays instead of plastic - if they had to do this, they all would. We've cut plastic bags with charges and encouraging reusable bags, now we need to do it elsewhere.

slavetothekittens · 23/05/2022 09:38

Just about to put my results in, just over 200 plastic things used, majority of which were for the menagerie with pouches, poo bags, biscuit bags and salad things. Lots of recyclable plastic at least but definitely an eye opening exercise.

bakewellbride · 23/05/2022 09:51

I'm not doing it but only because I already try really hard - cloth nappies, cloth wipes, green grocer loose fruit and veg, refillable toiletries and cleaning products. I'm not really sure what taking part would help me with e.g we use lurpak but my husband won't budge on that so seeing that on a screen won't help me. Pasta, rice and cereal etc is in plastic in our house but our local food refill shop closed because of lack of business so I can't shop there any more. Not really sure what I'm supposed to do there either. I'm doing my bit but it's not doing a plastic count that would help me but things higher up that I can't control like food refills still going so that I'm not forced to buy pasta etc in plastic. It's hard.

BeyondMyWits · 23/05/2022 12:07

57 here. But did eat out a couple of times.

BlueChampagne · 23/05/2022 13:15

FormerlySpeckledyHen Morrison's fish counter will put fish in a tupperware box if you remember to take one. And we've been having milk delivered to our door in reusable glass bottles for years.

FormerlySpeckledyHen · 24/05/2022 07:43

Thank you BlueChampagne I hadn’t thought of a container - I will ask my supermarket.

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