To think reducing plastic consumption is only really possible for wealthier families.

[P3onyPenny]

So we recycle every single thing we can and having researched reusable bottles that don't leak all 5 of us have Smash bottles at £12 each. Not having the plastic in the house in the first place is what really counts and wanted to do more but every single recommendation costs a fortune.

We shop for most of our bill at Lidl which is the worst for plastic packaging so can't change supermarket.

Changing to a milkman to stop plastic milk cartons cost double.

Having toilet role delivered in non plastic wrapping which supports building 3rd world toilets is double.

Having a Riverford( or any box) for veg let alone meat is hugely more expensive.

Lush shampoo bars and tins are very expensive.

Bamboo toothbrushes,paste in jars,non plastic deo are things we would get though a lot of and again are££££££...

Beeswax wraps are £££££ for a decent size x5........

I went to one of the local Belgian supermarkets yesterday, and all the loose fruit and veg could be put in paper bags, no plastic ones anywhere. The fresh bread is not prepacked here and goes into paper bags, and milk is sold in the type of cartons used for fruit juice. The only visible plastic on the milk cartons is the lid.

I don buy Tupperware, but use old ice cream tubs that have lids, as they go through the dishwasher again and again. They stack well in the fridge and freezer and go in the microwave as well.

I think it debunked the bottles in the car as a myth blobby the dioxins are not present. The phthalates that could be released by exposing the plastic to very high temperatures were the only things they said could possibly be an issue. I guess if your car regularly became extremely hot that might get the plastic up to those sorts of temperatures.

Headline though was that it is all an urban myth and there is no danger at all in reusing or freezing plastic water bottles. The only possible issue was the phthalates if the plastic became extremely hot or, ironically, the BPAs in some multiple use hard plastic bottles.

Those cartons are very difficult to recycle, Scaryteacher.

Too many layers, paper reinforced with plastic, also plastic parts for pouring.

I Think Pinterest is your friend at this point. There are lots of zero waste posts on there and tutorials for making your own cleaning products, beauty products, etc. I’ve recently switched to a Mooncup ( probably just as I start the menopause ). I’ve ditched paper towels and have cut up some old towels into handy sizes and keep them in a nice basket in the kitchen ( they need edging with a sewing machine to stop fraying) - they get thrown in with general washing. I’ve switched to bar soap and enjoy hunting out different brands at markets etc but it’s available cheaply enough. I’ve not ventured into shampoo territory but I will explore that. Washing liquid has been switched for powder ( and no I don’t think everyone already uses powder). We make soda bread which uses porridge oats and no yeast and is fast and easy to make and I also have a yoghurt maker. ( you can strain it through a Muslin cloth to make it thicker ) but my DD6 does complain about the loss of those tubie yoghurts. I’m a bit sad that there’s no shops near me that sell packaging free products like rice etc but actually all this stuff takes time. We are all invested in the family though so that’s a start. I do see the family across the road unpack their huge packs of bottled water and wonder what will become of us all if we don’t stop wasting resources.

www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-controversies/plastic-bottles-and-food-containers

No need to worry, Blobby