Microplastics, plastic generally and bottled water

[GrannyGardener]

If only supermarkets stopped selling bottled water that would make a big difference.

Your tap water doesn't taste and smell of bleach then? What is needed is a proper recycling process and a reversion to glass bottles with a deposit.

The water here tastes fine. I used to have a Brita filter jug but couldn't taste any difference. If your water smells of bleach you have my sympathies. Bring on the glass returnable bottles

I've always avoided bottled water anyway but agree there is so much waste isn't there? (the coverage on plastics in the news made me wonder how unhealthy our plastic kettle might be too, heat and plastic can't be that good ?) so I replaced it a year or so ago for a stainless steel one. )
I've also recycled our Tupperware and bought glass which I find better as goes in the oven .

if I do buy ready meals in plastic I reheat in an ovenproof dish in case makes any difference !

Another bad one for microplastics and the environment is clingfilm which I used to use all the time. The alternatives are almost as good. I made some wax wraps but a plate on top of a dish in the fridge is probably better. I wrap a sandwich for my packed lunch in greaseproof paper, and there's always foil or is that bad too?

No, of course it doesn't.

What is needed is for people to remember that it's remove, reduce, reuse, recycle.

In the UK, and many places for that matter, there is no real justification for bottled water.

Glass recycling is incredibly energy intensive, and it costs more to move around due to the weight. So it's not an impact free alternative to plastic, which should also be avoided if there's a viable alternative. Like a tap and reusable bottle.

Switch to loose leaf tea or organic tea bags too. If you can.

Going back a few years, my dad lived in frinton and his tap water was ok, but my aunt - 2 miles away in Walton - had heavily chlorinated water. You had to try to exhale as you sipped your tea!

Its far too late to be worrying about microplastics now. They're everywhere and increasing in number.

I buy a 6 pack of 1.5 litre bottles of water then refill the bottles with tap water until they collapse! Our tap water occasionally smells of chlorine - more often smells of it coming out of the shower head weirdly.

I've also never used the detergent pods - who on earth thinks that the plastic bit 'just dissolves'!!

Ditto compostable plastic bags! If you're growing your own veg so it's organic who wants that questionable stuff in the soil!

Buy metal water containers. We have several. Very handy.

This is NOT a good idea. The plastic degrades and you end up drinking it. Either buy hard plastic or metal ones and decant.

Including your brain. They’ve been shown to pass the barrier

I always find it depressing when I go to Costco and see the vast amounts of bottled water being bought by normal families

then equally depressing when i pick up the bottles lobbed out the windows

I bought 500 paper bags from the cash'n'carry for a fiver. I'm still only half way through the pile after a year!

They are great for sandwiches, wraps, rolls, pies, everything. I put a sandwich in there then in a normal packed lunch box for my son.

Sad but true

Also teabags apparently release plastic particles into your cuppa.
Not sure if ones without plastic exist anymore.

I'm going to go back to loose leaf but all the tea strainers everywhere now they sell are crap and let the tea leaves through. Anyone know of a really fine tea strainer?

No, I won't have it.

Someone needs to invent an amazingly good filtration system that water goes through during every transition (household, drains, sewage plant) and we need to get this sorted.

We’ve had one of these for about 6 years.

www.bibowater.co.uk

Our water isn’t actually too bad but I have a hypersensitive sense of smell and the chlorine knocks me sick so we just take filled metal water bottles if we’re out anywhere.

PG Tips became plastic free a few years ago.

I don't mean to be difficult but just watch out with which brand you use as recent studies found a lot of paper bags and paper wraps (and even paper straws) contain PFAS (forever chemicals!). Hopefully the govt are clamping down on this.

many of the so called "plastic free" teabags are also bad apparently - something to do with the glue they use (often PLA based) which is itself very controversial.

There are the odd brand who don't use that glue.

www.zerowasted.co.uk/plastic-free-tea-bags

Oh lordy, I hadn't even thought of that.

Nothing is sacred anymore!

This is a very useful link - thank you.

It seems clipper organic tea bags are ok - but the other clipper products aren't so great

Pretty sure they are made of plant based materials.

You can't exist and not have an impact.

We need to be mindful, but taking it too far can make life a bit stressful and miserable.

I used to be obsessive about this stuff. It's hard. And not sustainable actually.

It's good to read up and make sensible choices if we can.

But remember that we all make an impact whatever we do, and we shouldn't demonise others for their choices.