To be horrified at how much waste we produce but think food producers are to blame?

[malificent7]

Dp, dd and I live here ft. Dsd lives here pt. Our bins were collected on Wednesday and already on Sunday the recycling and wheelie bin are full again.
Main culprits are bulky plastic milk containers, things like mushroom cartons, pepsi/ fizzy water bottles..cardboard packaging etc.

However, the council only collect wheelie bins every 3 weeks. I think the reasoning behind this is that peopke will ve forced to recycle more. Great in theory. In practice many things can't be recycled.
Really i think food companies need to think of alternative ways of packaging food...quite what i don't know.

I think our next switch is to a soda stream

[quote kowari]**@Boarderingmadness
No you said that choices are for the MCs and that most people (I take that to mean the WCs) don't have them. I was pointing out that you don't have to be MC to have a choice, obviously those struggling wouldn't, but they are not choices restricted to the MCs. Most of us have some choice.

I don't buy anywhere near everything plastic free, but I am able to opt for some better options and every little thing helps.[/quote]
But it doesn't... Every little thing doesn't help at all, the crisis is so huge that you and your (and a few others) glass bottle will make zero difference, only changes at Governmental level will and that ain't happening.

But if it makes you feel better, carry on.

@Boarderingmadness
It may not make much of a difference but if we all voted by what we chose to buy (within our means) then these options would become more readily available. I was responding to your post claiming that choice was for the MCs, it was that I was disagreeing with, I think most of us have some choice and I think it's disempowering to suggest otherwise.

Every little thing doesn't help at all

That isn’t true at all. If we all do as much as possible it has a cumulative effect. Those who say otherwise are just making excuses.

Yesterday 13:38 sweeneytoddsrazor

It is absolutely not a viable idea at all. The supermarket recycles what waste it can and disposes of the rest. The only thing you are actually doing is leaving rubbish for someone to clear up behind you. Dress it up however you want but essentially you are leaving your rubbish for another person to clean up. If you don't like the packaging buy something in different packaging or out loose“

Shreddies are a bit tricky loose. Don’t need a bag and a box. Supermarket can recycle the box, we only get one collection every second week, however large the household.

@HasaDigaEebowai

Every little thing doesn't help at all

That isn’t true at all. If we all do as much as possible it has a cumulative effect. Those who say otherwise are just making excuses.

You want to keep thinking it makes a difference? go ahead but the sad reality is the UK govt is still issuing (ok paused for cop26) north sea oil licences - out to 2050! Even trying to start up a new coal mine! Opening up air corridors, no carbon capture, selling weapons to the worlds trouble spots... Few energy from waste plants, off shores manufacturing,

the world is fucked, the plastics in the worlds oceans is absolutely shocking, plastics found everywhere now, perma frosts melting, releasing, wait for it.... more green house gasses into the atmosphere than is currently already there!!!!!

But you think using a few less plastic packages on your shop will make a difference whilst you plan your foreign hols next year?

I do what i can but i'm under no illusion it makes a difference, because it doesn't, its too late.

If you really want to make a difference, vote differently.

@Boarderingmadness

If you really want to make a difference, vote differently.

But who for? Not the Tories, we know that. But will labour do anything about it? And where are the greens right now? I’ve heard far more about their LGBT policies than environmental recently.

But you think using a few less plastic packages on your shop will make a difference whilst you plan your foreign hols next year?

You have no idea what I personally do.

Read “There is no planet B” and “How bad are bananas” (both by Mike berners Lee). There’s a section on those who say there’s no point doing anything because of America/Amazon/China/[insert own personal excuse here].

There is a point doing as much as you possibly can. People’s behaviours influence business and politics. If you can do your bit and try to influence those around you it has a ripple effect.

I am sat here watching Sky and they are saying that all the oil companies are planing on and have Governemnt support to bring on stream more oil and gas fields.
They supply more oil but plant trees :(

So it does seem a waste of time.

I did read up on pensions recently and apparently a huge change for the better is to change your pension fund to a ethical fund, that hits these companies where it hurts - obviously not everyone can do this.

But i can, so will look into this, ESG funds can also have better returns.

@Boarderingmadness

If you really want to make a difference, vote differently.

Is there information on the best way to vote seeing as the UK doesn't have preferential voting? I voted Greens in my local elections this year (won a quarter of seats in district) but what do you do for General elections?

@HasaDigaEebowai

But you think using a few less plastic packages on your shop will make a difference whilst you plan your foreign hols next year?

You have no idea what I personally do.

Read “There is no planet B” and “How bad are bananas” (both by Mike berners Lee). There’s a section on those who say there’s no point doing anything because of America/Amazon/China/[insert own personal excuse here].

There is a point doing as much as you possibly can. People’s behaviours influence business and politics. If you can do your bit and try to influence those around you it has a ripple effect.

I didn't say don't do anything, i said it makes no difference, forget USA/China and Amazon - i ve stuck just to the UK.

Because unless there is change at Govt level, not enough people will change because they can't or don't want too.

so one example is homes, uk has the worst insulated ones, most people can't afford the upgrades, another one is building new houses with no public transport or cycle infrastructure i.e trains and trams... not some crappy bus route - and thats before we get onto the hatred of anyone on a bicycle.

Uk can stop exporting plastics but they don't....

Uk can stop handing out oil licences..... i could go on!

On voting? look at the Green party, join them and change the debate i ve just read their website and there was nothing on lbgt stuff.

Is there information on the best way to vote seeing as the UK doesn't have preferential voting? I voted Greens in my local elections this year (won a quarter of seats in district) but what do you do for General elections?

I vote for the Greens, they have won in Brighton, so it can be done but if say 20% vote Green but get no MPs, thats 20% less for the main parties - that makes them sit up and take note....
Look what Farage/UKIP did without ever getting a directly elected MP.

I'm sorry if its come across as poo pooing peoples efforts, i don't mean too, its something i'm passionate about but am also quite despondent that there is enough time to make a difference - i also think Governments are good at making us think we make a difference with our cloth bags, whilst we still vote these vandals into power.

But how does that comment help? You’re clearly interested enough to try to do your bit so why would you seek to dissuade others from doing so by saying it makes no difference? If enough of us do things and change our behaviours it will start to change. Politicians don’t prioritise environmental issues because they think people aren’t really bothered. If enough people show that they want the politicians to make changes that help the climate change battle then they will start to prioritise it.

Voting for the Green Party is a wasted vote. We fundamentally have a two party political system. You need to contact your labour or conservative politicians and ask them their positions on climate change and tell them that you can only vote fit them if they prioritise climate change issues.

My local is a Conservative/Labour swing seat. Aren't I just splitting the left vote to vote Green in the General election? If it was a safe seat either way I'd definitely vote Green.

I vote for the Greens, they have won in Brighton, so it can be done but if say 20% vote Green but get no MPs, thats 20% less for the main parties - that makes them sit up and take note....
Good point, it's just the swing seat issue has me torn.

@3luckystars

I agree but I think the main, number one problem is the way we treat out rubbish. It is far far to easy to put it out of our minds. I fill up a bin in the kitchen every day, then dump it out the back in a bigger bin, then every week a truck comes around to pick it up and I can forget all about it and pretend it never happened. It’s someone else’s problem then.

I was visiting Portugal a few years back and we had to take all our rubbish to the centre of the town, where we put in into bins and it went underground into huge skips and was collected from there every week instead of collecting form the houses. Even making the job a small bit harder, having to drag the bag down the stairs and across town, made me really think about the rubbish. And also to see how much the town was contributing to the pile made me very aware of what I was doing.

Sorry for the long winded reply, but I think it’s easy to put it out of our minds with the current bin collection system. Once it is gone out of the house, nobody cares where it is gone or thinks about it.

Yes to this.

There us only two of us. I’m thankful for the plastic that often keeps my meat, salads and other things fresher and less damaged than paper. It wouldn’t last me the whole week ( or longer if I don’t use it). Also we also use freezer stuff which is often cardboard wrapped.

We have alternate weekly collection and my bins aren’t full for either recycling or general waste most weeks. Glass bottle bin however is once a month and like all my neighbours ours is overflowing…

I do think a lot of the recycling isn't being recycled; your average drinks bottle has three different plastics. Bottle itself, lid and label. They cant be recycled together. I assume it's compressed and shipped.

The greens in Brighton are a joke. I live just the other side of Brighton to the west and have seen first hand some of the things they have done.
The cut down 150 year old stretch of living wall on Madeira drive. It was part of a protected wildlife preserve but cut down for yet another cycle lane. The oldest living wall in the uk gone for a cycle path no one asked for and not needed as there was already one along the path.

I like a fizzy drink and am not prepared to cut them out completely but where I used to buy plastic bottles I now buy tins.
Tins can be endlessly recycled and the turn around from waste to reuse is just 60 days.
Most plastic bottles can only be recycled once and not as another plastic bottle and once that item made from the recycled plastic reaches the end of its life it becomes landfill
www.plasticexpert.co.uk/how-many-times-can-plastic-be-recycled/

I've recently swapped to washing powder instead of liquid but am wondering about the sheets that seem to be the latest thing. Has anyone tried them, they seem a bit expensive.

Morrisons have their own brand shampoo bars for £3.00, I haven't tried yet as I need to use up the bars I've got

I would use washing powder rather than the capsules. A capsule must be designed for a full load in hard water area or they would be found not to work in some parts of the country - therefore, for most of us who don't always have a full load or have soft water they are overkill and mean you are putting unnecessary detergent onto the planet on a daily basis.

@HasaDigaEebowai

I give you the PM climate spokesperson.. Writing in The Telegraph, Ms Stratton says: 'Did you know, according to COP26 principal partner Reckitt, who make Finish, you don't really need to rinse your dishes before they go into the dishwasher?

'Does your brand of plastic bottle shower gel come as a bar in cardboard packaging? I bet it does. It might be freezing half a loaf of bread when you get it home, to get out later in the week, rather than throwing half of it away when it goes mouldy

This is utterly pathetic, the ice caps will be gone within 20/30 years, the Amazon is releasing more carbon than it absorbs... perma frost release.. but go freeze some bread :(

I am not saying don't do any of this, just don't kid yourself you are doing your bit, because you are not.

As for splitting the lab vote? well, Labour can adopt more Green policies and i'll vote for them instead? tbh they do talk more positively & want more change but is it talk?

But the more people who change their vote, the more the main parties will change their policies, as they did over Brexit (not that was a good thing from a climate pov)

btw i have written to my (previous) con MP, he replied back stating how tough the govts new targets are, my current MP is an alcoholic, so i haven't bothered.

Washing capsules are almost as bad as liquid detergent in bottles. You’re transporting water. The sheets in theory are the best solution. It seems to be the way that the climate choice is more expensive but this will hopefully change if enough people switch. Powder is definitely better than liquid.

I use the eco eggs for things that are only in need of a light wash and only use powder for really dirty stuff but I’m going to look at switching from the powder to one of the sheets.

I am not saying don't do any of this, just don't kid yourself you are doing your bit, because you are not.

I don’t disagree with your fundamental point that not enough is being done, I just don’t understand your repeated mantra. If you are bothered about the issue then perhaps the most important thing you can possibly do is to encourage others to be bothered, not to repeatedly make them feel like it’s pointless and therefore unnecessary. Its basic human psychology.

Let’s hope our kids are not listening to the “it’s pointless” messages since they are going to be living with the horrible consequences of what we are currently doing.