Plastic free living

[stargirl1701]

Has/Is anyone worked towards this? I have just started and could use a buddy. I feel quite overwhelmed tbh. I'm hyper aware of all the plastic in my life at the moment. It seems a momentous undertaking right now.

Hi! Reading with interest as I've caught the environmental living bug! (And trying to bump this thread). I am very keen on the idea of reusing and reducing before recycling. I also like feeling like I'm being more self sufficient (never going to happen but it's a good motivator!) I'm currently unravelling a lambswool jumper that has moth holes to reuse the yarn and knit a replacement (in a style DH is more likely to wear). I've also just bought a book I really wanted, second hand instead of new. I'm not aiming for plastic free at the moment at all, but I am trying to become more aware of how omnipresent plastic is and considering alternatives when things need replacing. I've just bought bamboo toothbrushes for us, hope they'll arrive as I didn't get an order confirmation. I'm going to look into toiletries that aren't in plastic bottled. Any suggestions apart from Lush? Where could I get bars of soap that are vegan? I'm not even a vegetarian but I don't like the idea of 'washing' myself with animal products. I'm a sucker for handmade stuff so I could easily see this becoming a new and rather expensive hobby :)

I'm just taking baby steps here. Bamboo toothbrush, not using shampoo/conditioner/body wash. Eco balls in the washing machine. Christmas was tricky, as I don't really want anything I was bought (except a pair of slippers and Alexa, she's fab!

Puffinitee there are various shampoo alternatives other than lush. I've gone 'nopoo' though. I joined a Facebook page for information, and use various kitchen items to wash with now. A typical month involves an egg, peppermint tea, aloe vera, porridge... It's almost a year since I started.

I get so frustrated when my family members basically undo everything I do though, and it's a very demotivating. DS has long, long showers which make my water saving measures look ridiculous, and he still uses detergent in the washing machine.

I'm really interested in this. Although am struggling to see how I can do it.

I'm trying to reuse and recycle as much as possible whilst also saving the pennies

Food shops/farmers market near me sell fruit and veg loose. So we can cut down there on bags. I use a canvas bag for shopping.

I've bought reusable cloth wipes for removing make up and also get my coffee from local shop who weigh it into your own container.

Sadly most of my freezer stuff is in plastic. We have a whole load of takeaway boxes sonare reusing these. But I like the idea of gradually switching to something a bit more sustainable.

The money thing is an issue. Unpackaged food (butchers) tends to cost more than supermarket. One step at a time, every little helps!

Interested too. Need to start thinking about this. House full of plastic and me full of guilt! But need to reconcile cheap AND ethical AND healthy AND suitable for my and DS' sensitive skin AND ease of purchase etc. Lots to juggle. For example DS eats lots of fruit, berries especially, and I always feel bad buying out of season stuff from across the globe but at the same time I want him to eat well...

I've been trying to reduce waste as much as possible and am trying to be more eco (per my earlier thread).

I have just bought two Pyrex dishes with lids for freezer storage/cooking. The takeaway containers were good but some have gone a bit minging so have ditched these. They had a good life though. We'd had some for a few years. So dont feel guilty throwing them away.

I found an organic food shop near me which also sells washing powders in huge tubs. You can take old containers and refill. Am yet to try it though.

I'm looking at my make up... Eye liners are running out, and will be replaced with proper pencils. I haven't used shampoo or conditioner for a year now, so saved a few bottles there. I'm using up cleaning products and won't be buying more. I've bought Pyrex food storage, though the lids haven't lasted brilliantly.
It's the food that I fail at. Everything from the supermarket, meat, bacon... I probably ought to go veggie, but would struggle.
I have bout half a lamb in the past, that comes in bags rather than trays.

I bought huge salon size bottles of shampoo and conditioner (I totally admire those who can do no shampoo though I don't think it's something I could do...) which should last me until the end of the year. I only wash my hair on average twice a week. And use small amounts.

Am using up the stash of make up/toiletries I have hoarded and am trying to work out what I need vs indulgent spends.

There is a lady where I live who has decided to go through 2017 with zero waste. Or if she has to, only 2 bin bags.

Ideally I'd love to be in the no waste category but for now I'll work to reduce.

We are fairly good with food waste as both dh and I have embraced the freezer and take leftovers for work lunches etc. And we meal plan and only buy what we need. It's the other "stuff" we struggle with.

Yes, no food waste here, either. I couldn't do zero waste. Well, maybe if I didn't have DH and DCs

Serve kids less, then the unused food can be served at another meal. Once it has been on the plate it has to be chucked. They can always ask for more.

Adults should have the sense not to waste food.

This is something I really want to look into. Glad I've got this thread to refer to.

If anyone is looking for glass tupperware then IKEA sell glass boxes with plastic lids, pretty good price if I remember correctly

Hello!

I forgot my password so haven't been able to post for a while.

Update on the fleece clothes situation from Patagonia.

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.patagonia.com/blog/2017/02/an-update-on-microfiber-pollution/amp/

I found a local soap maker who uses local ingredients with no packaging. But...£10 for 3 bars. It does smell lovely. 😳

We are stubbornly stick at 30 litres of landfill a month. I probably need to keep it and sort through it to see what else we could reduce.

Can I just share my depressing trip to Tesco this morning, went all prepared with some tubs to buy cheese/ham etc loose from the deli counter, flat no, they simply refused to sell it to me unless it was in one of their plastic bags, sigh. Sometimes it's so hard to keep going trying to do the right thing.

Oh no. You could email their Head Office?

Shit though.

Hello, I've been following for a while and I am too trying to reduce my waste but specifically plastic. I have just purchased toilet roll from this company uk.whogivesacrap.org/ as it comes plastic packaging free. It has yet to arrive but I know someone else who is trying to be plastic free and has spoken highly of it.

My biggest use of plastic if food packaging, so trying to work on that by buying fruit and veg from local little markets which have less packing.

Felt quite depressed reading the article about the plastic bottle explosion on the Guardian this week.

Also taking baby steps and just trying not to introduce more plastic into the house and found these guys do plastic free hairbrushes and toothbrushes www.themadegoodshop.co.uk/bathroom/personal-grooming.html

I have just joined "Plastic Free July" and that has kickstarted a review of where we are with our environmental approach. When my DC were born we used reusable nappies and made various changes, then nothing for a couple of years, then a couple of things in the garden, like a water butt and wormeries, now, a couple of years later it is time to look at all the plastic we use/throw away and I've been quite shocked actually.

Things we've implemented recently:

I have a keepcup in my bag always for take away coffees

I have a reusable bag in my handbag for purchases

I use bowls/plates to cover food and have just bought beeswax to use where clingfilm would be used normally

I have switches to using bars of soap instead of shower gel/hand wash

I have dusted off my metal water bottle to keep in the fridge with cold water, ready to go

Switched from plastic bags to compostable bags (both freezer bags and bin bags)

I'm giving reusable sanitary towels a go. Am not entirely sure of this one but it was ok with the nappies, so how bad can it be?

Next on the list is making my own yoghurt (am horrified at the amount of yoghurt containers we go through) and (some) of my own cleaning products.

Am going for an 80/20 approach on this, but even so am feeling guilty for binning some plastic wrap from a JL delivery yesterday.

I've also signed up to Plastic Free July as I've been trying to reduce the amount of plastic we use for a couple of months now.

We throw away, or rather send for recycling, a ridiculous amount of yogurt pots, milk cartons, fruit and veg packaging etc. so that's what I've been focusing on so far. I've found a small shop selling local produce where I can buy milk and yogurt in returnable glass bottles/jars; all the vegetables are sold loose - I was particularly excited to find loose mushrooms (they come in plastic boxes wrapped in yards of clingfilm in the supermarkets here) - but the fruit is disappointingly all sold in plastic boxes. I've always taken my own shopping bags with me, but have recently bought RYBit and Onya bags for fruit and veg (and sometimes use them for bread too).

I've started making my own soya milk and have been attempting to make soya yogurt - with varying degrees of success. Apparently it's trickier to make yogurt from plant milks; I keep meaning to have a go at making dairy yogurt for the DC (I'm vegan, they're not) as the glass jars of yogurt are expensive.

I've also bought vegan food wrap and paper sandwich bags for the DC's packed lunches, a travel coffee mug and reusable bread bags (the bags from our local baker's are paper, but supermarket bread bags are half paper, half transparent plastic).

80/20 sounds like a good ratio to aim for, MGKJLW. I don't think it's feasible for us to do without plastic entirely (DD has type 1 diabetes and her medical supplies are packaged in/consist of quite a lot of plastic, for example) but there are certainly areas where we could cut down a lot, especially when it comes to single-use packaging.

Oh, those RYBit bags look good! Was going to make some myself, but am a sucker for the easy life, apparently!

Which reusable bread bag have you got linzertort.

I have these bread bags MGKJLW, but it looks like they're out of stock at the moment (on that website at least; not sure if you can get them from anywhere else). I use the voile bag for bread; I don't find the net bags quite as useful.

I wish I was better at sewing - I bought some washable make-up remover pads not long ago, but thought I could probably have made them myself for a fraction of the price.

The RYBit bags are really good; they're a bit thicker than the Onya bags - which I tend to use at the supermarket as it's easier for the checkout staff to see what's inside - but I find you can do them up more securely, plus they come in bigger sizes too. The Onya bags do have a drawstring, but it can work itself loose as it doesn't have the round plastic bit to keep the bag closed.

Holland and Barratt have BOGOF at the moment. I bought some Weleda face cream (metal tube/plastic top) and Kingfisher toothpaste (plastic tube but with fluoride sans SLS and triclosan).

Is everyone doing Plastic Free July?

Hi there I have signed up for plastic free July and wondered if anyone has advice on making yogurt in a bread machine? I had a go yesterday and it didn't work!

TheMemSaab I have never made yoghurt in a bread machine but I've made it in a thermos (that hadn't been used for anything before) and just in plain glass jars which I then wrapped in a tea towel and then a blanket and both worked. Must you use your bread machine? What kind of problems did you get?