AIBU to be annoyed at how smug this couple seem (DM warning)

[GreatBallsOfFluff]

here

I really do admire the effort that they have put in, and I'm all for being green and recycling as much as possible but there are just a few things in the article that really annoy me.

'After what we have achieved this year I don't know how much lower we can go with our rubbish disposal,' said Mrs Strauss.

and the bit about them speaking to the Council to suggest ways in which recycling facilities can be improved. I do try my best with recycling but I don't think I could ever get my landfill down to just one bag a year, and if I ever did get to that point then I would sit quietly proud of myself rather than shout about it to the world.

Myzerowaste yes I previously saw your story in the Forester/Citizen.

We have collections for glass, tins, plastics, paper/light card. They also ask us to seperate food waste but to be honest we dont have any! I compost, have a dog and chickens - after that there is nothing left.

Wow! Good for you, MyZeroWaste.

p.s. have you tried a Mooncup? It would save you washing your sanitary pads?

Morning @MmeLindt to be honest I don't know about animal waste; you'd need to check that with your local council. It's bad enough trying to give advice to people in the UK as each local authority can do what it likes; but I really wouldn't like to say about animal waste; it would depend on what system of composting they are using...

Hi GrendelsMum, I've heard lots of good things about the mooncup, and I know women who LOVE their's, but it's not for me. :)

Mme, when we lived in Switzerland I would put chicken carcasses etc in the green compost bin. I used to see fish heads in the communal one too [vom]

Thanks for coming on MyZeroWaste - very brave

You know I'd often thought about composting, I don't garden (- a proven track record of killing even plants such as cacti and although have an outdoor space here there isn't soil at all. I hadn't thought of the fact that my gardening friends could come and get compost from a compost bin if I had one.

Have just looked on my council website and discovered that I can buy a subsidised composting bin for £7 (plus £5 delivery charge) so am ordering that this morning [smile

MmeLindt - our council compost can take all sorts - meat, bones, fish, cooked left overs. I think they compost at a higher temperature, and more securely than at home.

BaroqueAroundTheClock if your compost bin isn't sitting on soil you won't get worms burrowing up from underneath and doing the mixing and munching which makes it quicker and nicer. Ask one of your gardening friends to bring you a bucket of worms and compost to get it started (they can see it as a downpayment on all the good compost you will give them back in the end).

Thanks, will ask the council. Or rather check out their website, with the help of google translate and a BIG glass of wine.

I have a mooncup. It is FAB. I hardly even notice that I have my period.

Tbh, it was convenience rather than ecological reasons that convinced me to get one.

Just a question on compost ladies () but does your homemade compost look, well, pretty minging? I thought it would end up looking like the stuff you buy in a garden centre, but mines is more sticky and still has identifiable bits (mainly pineapple) in it?

bronze I didn't know she was on the thread actually, but I wouldn't speak one way in someone's prsence and another behind their back.

I just didn't recall name from article, that's all.

MZW - you do rather remind me of my vegan friend at Uni. She was very earnest in her cause but also very ill. What is the motivation for such an extreme effort when most of us only manage to do a fraction of what you have.

Of course it's commendable but are you sure it is clinically 'normal'?

PS do you have a mooncup, and not shave ever?

Oh, I see the mooncup qu has been answered - which leaves me wondering if you flushed loads of stuff down the lav and not include it??? If you free bleed don't tell me, I can only cope with reading about that when I can't see the person.

switchtvoffdosomethinglessboring No my compost never ends up looking like the stuff in the garden centre. Mine usually has loads of bit of eggshell, orange peel and other identifiable stuff in.

I think if you want to use it as 'potting compost' you have to sieve it and mix it with soil and all sorts of complex stuff. But if you just chuck it/dig it into veg. plots/ flower beds the bits quickly disappear.

It shouldn't be wet and nasty smelling though (too much grass clippings...) ripped up egg boxes and toilet roll tubes are good for drying out the compost mix...its all about the brown/green mix apparently.

Anything that hasn't broken down can just get chucked back in.

Big stuff (like cabbages you never got round to eating ) break down quicker if you remember to chop them up a bit before putting them in.

Adding a bit of wee (not mine, the DCs..) to the compost heap once in a while speeds up the decomposition process.

Don't put leaves in (leaf mulch them in bin bags) and don't put twiggy bits in.

hobgoblin - she's already says she uses washable pads

Great news on the compost bin @BaroqueAroundTheClock I admire you for doing that when you have little use of it yourself :)

@switchtvoffdosomelessboring you've probably not mixed your browns and greens my lovely, as Himalaya mentioned :) Greens are the veg peelings and grass cuttings which people have lots of. If your ingredients is all greens, you end up with stinky stuff. You need to add the same (by volume, not weight) of browns which is things like shredded cardboard, paper, twigs etc Does that help at all?
Some things will remain intact for longer like pineapple and eggshells - just chuck it back in for starting the next batch...

@hobbgoblin You wrote : "Of course it's commendable but are you sure it is clinically 'normal'?"

I'm not at all sure how you expect me to answer that or whether you actually want me to.

However, for me it's perfectly normal and now part of my chosen lifestyle. My motivation is that I care about leaving my daughter a beautiful planet to live on. I have a 'normal' lifestyle - I get takeaways, buy stuff, have a laugh with my friends. I'm really not sure I understand your question...

If you think about it, many of our great grandmothers lived in a time where it wasn't 'normal' for them to vote - it was unheard of. Not that long ago it was 'normal' for rich people to have slaves. During the war it was 'normal' and expected that we did not waste a thing.

Just because other people don't recycle to the extent I do and it's not classed as 'normla', does that mean I shouldn't do it? Not at all! I am fortunate enough to reach thousands of people through my website and lots of people have been inspired to make small changes. My belief is that if everyone makes one small change the collective impact of that can be massive.

I never expect people to recycling to the levels we do, but as I've said before, if everyone in the UK were to recycle just one more tin can, that would be 60 million cans saved from landfill - and that IS a result.

I cannot let the fact that my effort is small in comparison with the bigger picture stop me. If we all had that attitude nothing would ever change for the better.

What sort of world would we live in if women had never pushed for the vote and if slavery had not been abolished? What sort of life would you have if you were second only to cattle in your worthiness, which is how women were viewed until relatively recently? What sort of parent would you be if it was 'normal' that children were seen and not heard or if, at the age of 7 your kids were taken away as slaves? What sort of position would you be in if it was still 'normal' that a man could treat you in any way he wished without punishment and that rape was a commonplace part of a marriage?

For your other questions, yes I do shave which is why I have razor blades in my landfill waste and I use washable pads when I have my period.