Microplastics, plastic generally and bottled water

[GrannyGardener]

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

Well I also live in West Yorkshire and there is nothing wrong with the tap water. I drink pints of it every day. Not 'like bleach' like a pp claims.

People are being utterly ridiculous and incredibly spoilt. We are so fortunate to have access to clean safe water in our homes, that is affordable to almost everyone and so many people are turning their noses up a d declaring it 'not good enough'.

Luckily my tap water tastes great, but when I've been in other areas of the country where it smells of chlorine, I've found that filling a jug up and leaving it in the fridge for a couple of hours allows the chlorine smell to dissipate and the water tastes fine.

I'm pleased you have good quality water. But if you live in an area which does not then why suffer?

@Bjorkdidit West Yorkshire here too and I also drink pints of my tap water, it's lovely and clear and very drinkable! Nothing wrong with it at all!

Theres no way we'll ever get rid of nano plastics and micro plastics from our environments.

Washed a fleece? (Typically made from recycled plastic bottles) Thats 250,000 plastic microfibres in the water system that cannot be filtered out.

Its in all of us, our entire food system and all of our oceans.

Finding out out stuff like this has really put me off eating any seafood that filter feeds.

We might be able to limit the amount going in to the system but what is there wont go away in the next 100 lifetimes.

I used to live in the east midlands and the water was absolutely disgusting, hard, and tea tasted dreadful. I now live in the south east, and our water is pretty palatable, much better. However sometimes it gets dosed up with something that makes it smell strongly of chlorine - then we have to let it sit for a few hours.

I think I may be doomed as my chopping boards are plastic and I adore seafood. Not to mention the amount of West Yorkshire tap water I consume 🤣
However I want to start small and stop microwaving plastic- at the moment I use a Sistema microwave steamer for veg and Sistema microwave soup mugs for work.
Please can I have suggestions for microwave safe, unbreakable (for mugs), dishwasher safe alternatives?
Google suggests Silicone is much safer- is this the case?

You’ll be waiting a long time as the water companies only care about dividends to shareholders, so much so that they are filling our rivers with sewage.

Everyo been watching This Morning 🤔

The Rare Tea Company has very nice loose tea. You can reuse them several times and they keep getting better!

I've always despised those plastic chopping boards. A plain china dinner plate for me since I was 16.

Every restaurant / takeaway / cafe / sandwich shop / bakery uses those vile colour coded chopping boards. That means even if you eat in a local food type restaurant that claims to use organic ingredients - it won't be organic by the time it reaches your plate!

The plastic ones are recommended by environmental health. Wooden can’t be cleaned properly for things like meat. Obviously fine for things like bread.

I’d love to stop buying bottled water but due to the quality of and frequent non existence of my tap water (from fucking shitty Southern Water) I can’t.
It gives me no pleasure to have to effectively pay twice for drinking water.

Our tap water smells very bleachy.

I can't stand tap water. So many times over the years people have tried to trick me by saying its bottled water they've poured. I know damn well it's not.
So when I drink water. Which admittedly isn't often , like it should be. I about will drink bottled water.

You're better off with Pyrex I reckon.

Where I am in London the water is horrible, every time I visit relatives further
North I just can’t get over the luxury of being able to get a nice glass of water out of the tap. That’s virtually all I drink when I get the chance, lovely tap water. But every sip here is unpleasant. I do drink it, but I don’t drink enough and I have too much Diet Coke or squash to disguise the taste, not great.

ps @FoolishHips I hope that doesn’t come across as doubting you, I don’t at all and was trying to agree with you, obviously further North than London is a big and varied area!

ikea do good food dishes that are glass with plastic lids (or bamboo if you prefer) - oven, microwave and freezer safe dishes (not so sure about the lids for oven)

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/ikea-365-food-container-with-lid-rectangular-glass-plastic-s89269071/

this is just one example (you can also get circular and larger ones)

Ceramic (pottery) is definitely ok in the microwave.
However I've just googled silicone and microplastics and found this: 'Though silicone is technically a plastic polymer, its durable molecular structure keeps it from shedding microplastics in the way that common plastics do. But it can still break apart into small pieces and enter our waterways. To keep silicone lasting as long as possible, be careful with it around sharp stuff, like the blades of a food processor.'
So still not perfect.
I bought a silicone dish type thing for the air fryer but as it gets so hot I think it's safer to use a ceramic dish for that too

Some tap water is rank. I grew up in Edinburgh and the tap water was lovely. Local to me is very chlorinated. I have a private water supply and I think spring water is much better for you. My skin always feels a bit rubbish/ dry and tight when I shower at the gym.

Aren’t wooden ones naturally anti microbial? I switched over to wood years ago. I do have two one for high risk ( raw meat etc) and one cooked good and veggies. Never had an issue. Obviously they get a good scrub in hot soapy water after use.

Just a note to say if you want to buy a wooden one apparently it is important to buy "whole piece" ones made of a single slab of wood - which are not made of strips glued together - the glue can be toxic.

(I swear it's so difficult with everything these days to be healthier and better for the planet!!)

To be fair most homes used them until the mid 90’s when plastic was recommended. And I’d imagine most homes didn’t have an issue.
Thinking back to my gcse food tech, its something to do with the cuts on the board and temperature of washing.

I completely agree. Nothing is straightforward. Like wrapping fruit and veg in plastic. It cuts down waste so saves more resources being used to produce more.

then your left with plastic.

so which is better.
nothings cut and dried

Is the private water supply still through the mains? How does it work please?