Giving up plastic

[StrongLegs]

Hi,

I just saw Boris Johnson's comments on giving up plastic and it seems sensible to me.

I wondered if anybody had any tips on how to do it?

We always seem to have a lot to go in the recycling bin every week.

I get groceries delivered, and my worst sin is that I have gut problems that mean I can't drink tap water and have to buy bottled. I'm working very hard on sorting that, but haven't managed yet.

Thanks!

Does anyone have any recommendation for child friendly bubble bath or alternative that isn’t in plastic? We currently use weleda baby but it’s in a plastic container and doesn’t come bulk

@Caspianberg

Does anyone have any recommendation for child friendly bubble bath or alternative that isn’t in plastic? We currently use weleda baby but it’s in a plastic container and doesn’t come bulk

Lush bubble bars are good, although pricey. We don't use bubble bath regularly but when I want to bribe treat the kids then I'll get one.

[quote StrongLegs]I just noticed this helpful article:
www.theguardian.com/business/2021/oct/30/uk-supermarkets-climate-crisis-cop26-environment[/quote]
I'm wondering if I've read this right - one of the points in the article seems to be that Bags for Life are being phased out. So if you have forgotten your string bags, or they are not robust/large enough for heavy shopping, what is the plan? I had thought that Bags for Life were a good thing, is that not the case?
I do what I can , use a milkman now I can afford it ( and I understand this wouldn't work for many families - years ago we had to cancel the milkman in order to save over 40 pounds a month) use public transport when feasible, rarely fly, cook from scratch, grow some vegetables myself, use SMOL washing detergent...
The biggest use of plastic in this house is Diet Coke bottles ( not me!). Are the cans environmentally better? That is a switch that we could make.

We use:
Bamboo toothbrushes
Toothpaste tablets
Reusable cotton wipes
Bamboo cotton buds
Soap
Hair and conditioner bars
Dishwasher tablets in a box
Washing machine tablets in a box
Tubs (already had these) instead cling film
Recycled toilet roll
Reusable deodorant
Buy things in glass jars over plastic bottles (ketchup etc)

Biggest change is that I used to drink 4L of fizzy water a day - which was 60 bottles being thrown a month. Bought a sodastream machine and reduced that to 0.

I tried some toothpaste tablets and although they got my teeth clean, they didn't have that minty hit that makes your mouth feel really fresh. Are all of them like that, or is it just the brand I got? I think they are Eco Living ones...

I have to draw the line at milk deliveries. Its only the kids that have cows milk, but we get through 6-8 pints a week and I can't justify the cost of deliveries.

@theneverendinglaundry - thank you. Atm the weleda is a baby shampoo/ bath 2-1 type thing which we actually don’t get through that quickly, but aware it’s not great. I use shampoo bars myself but not sure how baby friendly they are. Il check out bath bomb type things locally

I had a chat with my elderly Mum last night, I asked her about shopping bags back in the day.. she said before there were plastic bags supplied by shops as a matter of course, you took your own bag or basket. I asked what happened if you forgot your bag? She said you didn't forget, just like you wouldn't forget to take your purse!
I can remember as a child that the local shops would deliver, so you weren't having to lug all the shopping yourself if you didn't want to . The delivery boys were full-time employees of the shop, usually teenagers on a bike.

As much as I try to avoid bringing plastic packaging into the house, it's nigh on impossible to avoid ALL plastic, and only the hard plastics can go into the council recycling. What do you do with all the soft plastic - e.g. film lids, cheese wrappers, biscuit packets?

The supermarkets have long had bins where you could put used carrier bags, and more and more bags are now marked that they can be recycled alongside the carriers - loaf bags, frozen food bags and the like.

Sainsbury's and Co-Op have now expanded their soft plastics collection to include things like biscuit/confectionery wrappers, film lids (e.g. from grape punnets) and more.

Sainsbury's: www.about.sainsburys.co.uk/sustainability/plan-for-better/our-stories/2021/flexible-plastics. The page lists what they will take and a link to a list of 500 participating stores. Although, my local store is NOT on that list but they have attached to the bin used to collect carrier bags a list of what else they will take, which is pretty much the full list. So even if your local store isn't on that 500-store list, it's still worth checking if they are taking it anyway.

Co-Op: "Clean it. Scrunch it. Co-op it." www.coop.co.uk/environment/soft-plastics There are links in that page to which packaging they will take, and which stores will take it (1500 stores involved so should be one nearish).

I think Tesco may also be doing this now, but haven't checked.

Also, it's worth checking if anyone near you Terracycles plastics - www.terracycle.co.uk. Basically this is a collection of sponsored plastic collections, e.g. Walkers sponsors the collection of crisp packets and KP the collection of nut packets. It's quite a range of collections, from food packaging to toothbrushes and a pretty wide range of the hard-to-avoid plastics.

Terracycle pays a small amount to the people who accept the plastics and forward it to them in bulk, so often this is done as a way of raising funds for charities. The Terracycle website has maps showing you where you can drop off what plastics, plus the people who do the collections often have Facebook groups you can join. For example, my local group accept plastics for about fifteen different schemes and you can ask questions if you're not sure if a particular item is acceptable.

I'm now putting to one side most of the soft plastic packaging to be Terracycled, and what remains can mostly go to Sainsbury's and the Co-op. Very little is going into the bin/landfill.

I make most of my own household products - weed killer, laminate floor cleaner, fabric softener etc. What I don't make, I purchase from the local Sustainability Store (bathroom cleaner, laundry liquid washing up liquid, body wash - all vegan) and the owner delivers to me about once a month or so. I give her any spare plastic bottles I have (my adult son insists on buying flavoured water in plastic bottles) and she uses them in the store for when people haven't brought their own containers. That way, hopefully, the bottles are used repeatedly.

I use mainly vegan bars of soap and am gradually starting to use shampoo bars, but haven't fully converted yet. My hairdresser used one of my shampoo bars for the first time the other week when she came round to put highlights in my hair. She was quite impressed!

I’ve gone back to pats of butter in foil paper rather than tubs of lurpak spreadable which alongside soap instead of liquid handwash / shoes gel has reduced my single plastic bag by a lot .
I’d like to go to loose dishwasher powder instead of tablets but can’t find it ?
Biggest plastic waste for me is squash bottles and apart from Rocks I can’t find this in glass bottles .

For the person who asked about coke bottles - one of the most polluting companies in the world. Happening to catch a programme about them and their greenwashing. They are even being sued bioplasticsnews.com/2021/06/12/ngo-sues-coca-cola-greenwashing/

Has put me off ever buying coke again, even in a can. Cans are definitely more recyclable than plastic bottles though.

@Charlieandlola

I’ve gone back to pats of butter in foil paper rather than tubs of lurpak spreadable which alongside soap instead of liquid handwash / shoes gel has reduced my single plastic bag by a lot . I’d like to go to loose dishwasher powder instead of tablets but can’t find it ? Biggest plastic waste for me is squash bottles and apart from Rocks I can’t find this in glass bottles .

Loose dishwasher powder in 1kg cardboard boxes are sold by Sainsbury's and Waitrose. Both charge £3, I suspect they're exactly the same.

www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-dishwasher-powder-12kg

www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/essential-dishwasher-powder-citrus/014539-6980-6981

I'd start by doing an audit of what you are throwing out and what you are recycling. Try and extend this to what you do outside the house as well - throwing things away in other bins.

It will help you identify what your major issues are. Otherwise you may focus on soap when fizzy drinks are actually 90pc of it, for example.

Not all plastics are equal - some are much more widely and efficiently recycled than others so actually look at what they things you have are made of.

There is CanOn Water which is mineral water in an aluminium can. But if you really won't drink tap water l, that would get quite pricey, I think.

Food waste is a big one to tackle as well - reducing it as much as possible makes a significant difference to your planetary impact.

@alreadytaken

For the person who asked about coke bottles - one of the most polluting companies in the world. Happening to catch a programme about them and their greenwashing. They are even being sued bioplasticsnews.com/2021/06/12/ngo-sues-coca-cola-greenwashing/

Has put me off ever buying coke again, even in a can. Cans are definitely more recyclable than plastic bottles though.

Thank you, that was me. It's not even me who drinks the stuff, it's 2 adult sons who get through at least a bottle a day. I've linked them Bioplastics article and have asked them to not buy any more coke in plastic bottles. It's about 80% of my recycling. Has anyone tried a Soda Stream? Would it work for coke?

Yes alreadytaken I saw that programme too it was soooo shocking (i've always disliked that company anyway , it was the one product I banned when the kids were at home!).

One thing I do to cut down on plastic use is to collect the old tops from yogurt pots, tupperware etc. (all different sizes) I wash them and put them in a box in the cupboard so that when we have to store cooked food, in the fridge, or opened cans etc. we reuse the tops. This stops the use of foil or film. The greaseproof paper sheets are
useful too. I do have to nag dh to remember to do it annoyingly though

As a general rule, the larger container you use, the less plastic is involved. Buying one litre bottle of shampoo is much better than 4 250ml bottles. Refills are better obviously.
I take reusable tubs to the butcher to avoid plastic bags, use reusable string bags for veg & fruit. plus hessian shopping bags. I buy as little polyester as possible. Bras and tights mostly.
And my loft insulation is made of recycled plastic bottles as is the garden bench.

There is lots of brilliant advice on this thread already.
I am trying to buy more second hand, especially toys and clothes for the dcs and also pass on/charity shop/sell things they have grown out of. Also buying far less clothing myself and trying to buy a few more expensive cotton/wool items rather than lots of cheap polyester.
I have trained myself to look on Ebay first before buying something new. I have also saved a lot of money this way.

The Moral Fibres blog is really good for checking out more eco-friendly products and have more advice on reducing plastic waste.
You could also watch Live Well for the Planet on iplayer, different families trying out a range of more sustainable products/lifestyles.
Bamboo toothbrushes and scourers and wooden washing up brushes are a very easy and cheap way to start. Our bamboo scourers have been going for ages, they last much longer and can be washed in the dishwasher. We use them to clean the bathroom as well as for washing up (not the same one!)

@HumbugWhale - which bamboo scourers do you have? Can they go in washing machine?

@Caspianberg I can't remember the brand I'm afraid, I bought them on Amazon ages ago. Never tried the washing machine but they clean up well in the dishwasher.

Milkman for milk and yogurt in glass
Soda stream
Beeswax wraps
Stopped coffee pods and use a cafetière
Chillies water bottles
Bar shampoo and conditioner
Refillable hand soap

All negated by the lfts we have to do twice a week for school and work. Might as well pop on my private jet from Glasgow to London. 🤦🏻‍♀️

idon'tlike Oh at least you're doing something! If enough of us stop or cut right back on using non recyclable plastics the companies will HAVE to stop making it. The annoying thing is that the recycling itself is polluting.

I'm using old large plastic bottles to collect the rainwater in the garden and reusing storing them for when it's dry. Also for the not too soapy tap water. We are now refilling the heavy duty bottles at a 'green' shop with non SLS washing up liquid and a mild clothes detergent, oh also household cleaner ( I make my own from old citrus skins too).

Toxic weed killers (or any sprays etc.) are never used in my
garden; they kill the wildlife.

Bower Collective Is a great place to start to help you remove plastic waste from your home in every day products.. We all know recycling is broken in the UK and they have a very simple and sustainable way to help with reducing the amount of single use plastic we all use. Reuse! They take care of the messy complicated bit. We have slowly switched over most of our household products and it feels good to know you are at least doing a bit to help.

Check out Bower Collective and their mission to tackle the plastic wast crisis by opening up the conversation on recycling in the UK. Reuse is the alternative that we all have to take the right steps in living a more sustainable life. They are a very cool little UK start up that are making this process easy for everyone to eliminate plastic waste from their homes.

ive switched to bar shampoo and soap bars

one thing i do is when the butter tub is empty i wash them and use them for taking packed lunch to work just the right size for a sandwich or salad reusable quite a few times before they go to recycle

tin foil containers that some ready meals come in are useful as freezer storage for batch cooking or if im just cooking say three or four sausages sized food i reuse them for cooking in and wash them out again they last ages when they get too fragile for cooking they then go in the recycling

we dont buy fizzy drinks so not a problem i buy big bottles of squash if i want a cold drink

no one is perfect but to my way of thinking each little thing i do helps in some way