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Ethical living

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#plasticfreejuly

38 replies

HoundOfTheBasketballs · 02/07/2018 13:40

Is anyone else having a go at this?
I'm far from perfect, but I'm going to give it a go. To keep me on track I'm going to keep hold of all the plastic waste I generate until the end of the month and have a sift through it to see where I can make further changes.
So far I've got the wrapper from a chewy bar I ate earlier and the wrapper from a packet of pitta breads I finished off at lunch time. I've bought all the ingredients I need to make my own pittas to see if I can do it. It looks fairly quick and easy.

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torthecatlady · 04/07/2018 01:39

We've been trying to cut down on plastic for a while and generally be a bit more eco friendly (whilst hopefully saving money).

Looking forward to hearing some tips Smile

Knitjob · 04/07/2018 16:54

I want to focus on beauty products for my plasticfreeJuly challenge.

I'd like to switch to bar soaps but I find the smell of Lush really overpowering. I also don't know how you stop it getting slimy in the water. Bar hair conditioner would also be good bit I've got really curly hair that takes a lot of moisturizing so that might be tricky.
Any recommendations?

KimCheesePickle · 04/07/2018 17:40

Knitjob, store your bar of soap on a folded up dry facecloth to stop it disintegrating in the puddle of water around the wash basin. Also, bar soap is available in most grocery and personal care retailers Smile

Re your hair, have you tried the curly girl method. Skip the shampoo and co-wash it (conditioner - try to get the bottle refilled at bulk stores - see here thezerowaster.com/zero-waste-near-you/ ) Look for styling gel in a glass jar. Spritz it with a little leave in conditioner (make your own... just water it down & decant into a spray bottle). Blow dry with a diffuser.

HoundOfTheBasketballs · 04/07/2018 19:51

Welcome knitjob!
Cosmetics are plastic central, aren't they?! I'm really not sure what I'm going to do when I need a new mascara.
Good tips from kimcheese though. I also have a little bamboo rack that my soaps sit on. I got it on Etsy for about £1.
I'm really raging about food packaging tonight, specifically Nairn's oatcakes. They come in a cardboard box, which is great. But then inside they are packaged in sixes, in little plastic cellophane wraps. I know it's for convenience/freshness but it's so annoying - and I really love dipping them in my soup. I'm going to try Sainsbury's own and see if they are packaged better.

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KimCheesePickle · 04/07/2018 20:07

Hound oatcakes are really easy to make... just oats and olive oil or another fat, pinch of bicarb and salt. Double up the oven while something else is baking, and they're practically free Smile

HoundOfTheBasketballs · 04/07/2018 21:07

Thanks kimcheese. I'll have to give them a try. Do I need to blitz the oats first so the oatcakes aren't lumpy?

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KimCheesePickle · 04/07/2018 22:46

This recipe says to blitz up half the porridge oats

frugalfeeding.com/2014/03/05/scottish-oatcakes/

Other recipes I've seen use mostly pinhead oats, then a few porridge oats for texture.

HoundOfTheBasketballs · 05/07/2018 10:02

Thank you!

I will have a try and report back.

I've generated quite a lot of plastic waste already this from snack bars, cereal bars etc.
My son has Bear Fruit Yo-yos for his snack at school and I was really pleased to see they are wrapped in paper!
I now just need to find something for myself, or make my own. At this rate by the end of the month there won't be many things I won't have tried making myself! Grin

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HoundOfTheBasketballs · 07/07/2018 19:35

Major fail today. I intentionally bought a Solero. Grin
It tasted so good. But now I have it's plastic wrapper in my box of plastic waste. Sad
I'll try and do better tomorrow!

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MERLYPUSSEDOFF · 14/09/2018 09:10

I'm very late to the party here but I have HAD ENOUGH!
I am trying to change our house hold buying habits fro now on. So far...
Convinced the kids to have no individual snacks for school. I buy a large pack and divide it into small pots. This is a baby step, I realise, one week crisps, next week h/m flapjack...then???
Bar soap (and shampoo for me so far) for me and kids. Need a way for OH to take a body/hair wash to gym that wont go sloppy.
Stainless steel straws and take my own cup.
Reusable shopping bags. Will try to remember to pack pots for when I buy ham etc from deli s they will use your pots.

Any better ideas for me???

PaulMorel · 17/09/2018 04:17

We've been living plastic free for almost 2 weeks. It's not that perfect but we're trying our best. We've already bought some organic shampoo bars and whenever we go for groceries, we would bring our own containers for the cereals and other stuff.

ClarabellaCTL · 08/11/2018 12:55

Has anyone found a good solid moisturiser bar? I'm trying solid shampoo, conditioner, soap and a serum bar from lush but I haven't yet found a solid facial moisturiser with good reviews.

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