Welcome to our yearly round-up of news and products. Each month we blog about our latest finds and collate them all here. Subscribe to get our monthly updates delivered to your virtual door. There’s a subscription form at the bottom of the page.
You can see our past round ups here HERE.
Plastic Free Christmas
CHRISTMAS WREATHS Completely Plastic Free in Sheffield
We do use wires (& know its tempting to have a sparkly wreath!) But our wreaths have zero plastic or glitter.
We can also do gold, red and blue – more examples to come over the weekend in different designs!
But why not consider a natural, festive wreath!?
We make all our wreaths from scratch – from mossing to sprucing to decorating
This one has citrus fruits – oranges, lemons, grapefruit – apples, lotus pods and pinecones and it actually Smells Amazing!
Measures app 24″ £30.00
Will be Available to purchase from the Winter Gardens Next week or can be delivered this weekend!
Limited Orders being taken now for Christmas Wreaths start from £20.00 – message us know with your requirements!
#florist #sheffield #plasticfree #christmas #wreath #ecofriendly
https://m.facebook.com/auroraecofloral/
Elastic
But honestly, I’m more excited by this… organic, biodegradable plasticfree elastic!!
Find More
I have been updating my list of towns with refill shops and adding new shops. Have a look and see if there is one near you.. Plus how to get your shop added to the list.
Online
This is an interesting option that allows you to buy basic foods on line plastic free.
You can even use your own produce bags. Read more
HEREdd your own grisly finds and ghastly zero waste ideas.
And you can read up more about special days and general partying here.
Instant Coffee
Finally managed to score some plastic free instant coffee! Its back to the wonderful Leeds Market. Read more here.
Make
Conker soap
Like Soapnuts, conkers contain saponins, a soap-like chemical compound. Unlike soap it’s they don’t have to be shipped halfway round the world but rather picked up off the streets. They can be used to make
laundry soap and
shampoo.
Conkers are not as strong as soap nuts but are free.
WARNING: Conker juice, like saponin, is mildly poisonous and should be treated as such.
September
Cheese update how to buy and what to do with the wax.
BYOB
Bring your own bags?
If you want to shop plastic-free you often need to take your own packaging. While seems bothersome, it means no hormone inhibitors and toxic chemicals leaching from plastic packaging into your food, and less plastic pollution. Here are the win win alternatives.
The Curse Of The Single Cup Brew
coffee pods made up a nearly 5 billion dollar industry.
at least 16 million U.S. households currently have a single-serve brewer on their countertop.
Good job I found these. Coffee single-cup brewing system – compostable pods
Compostable Plastics
What is compostable? To be classed compostable, items must biodegrade within a certain time (around the rate at which paper biodegrades), and the resulting biomass must be free of toxins, able to sustain plant life and be used as an organic fertilizer or soil additive. For a man-made product to be sold as compostable, it has to meet certain standards.
One such is the European Norm EN13432. You can find out more here.
Composting Plastic At Home
While most agree that some plastics are indeed compostable, many say that it can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. As we don’t have many large scale municipal schemes this they say is a pointless advantage. I say the days of large scale municipal schemes is fast approaching as governments aim to divert biodegradable rubbish from landfill sites.
But more to the point, I have been composting my compostable plastic at home for years now, including Biobags, deli pots and disposable cutlery. Read more about that HERE.
It does take longer than other products and sometimes I have found shreds of it in my compost but I dig it into the soil where it quickly disappears.
Read more about compostable plastics here
Greenwashing
And never forget that bio-degradable plastic bags do not biodegrade where as compostable plastic bags do compost. Not all bio-plastics (plant derived plastics) are compostable. Read more here.
Compost Bins
How Do I Compost?
I have a Green Joanna compost bin and I compost up in the North of England.
More Drink
Tea, coffee, cocoa and drinking chocolate all bought #plasticfree and made with milk from a returnable glass bottle. Details here
Water
To make coffee you need water. Go to the water index to see all posts on water
August
On holiday
July
This month we are talking about
Merino and sunburnt sheep! Do we believe this? Check out U.V resistant clothes here http://plasticisrubbish.com/2014/05/25/love-your-layby/
Holidays
Why my blog has gone private!?!
Plastic Free July
Water in returnable glass bottles
Planning Your Jollies
Going on holiday or maybe a longer trip perhaps backpacking? Check out our #plasticfree travel experiences with links to how we #passonplastics when backpacking, where we have been and how to avoid #pointlessplastics abroad. Wish you were here
It’s that time of year when sitting on the balcony becomes a feat of endurance rather than a pleasure and it’s down to those vile biting mosquitos. Time to take action…
Notification of wonky links
It has come to my attention that some of the internal links on this blog lead you not to some plastic free loveliness but an abrupt notice saying the blog is private and that you need to contact me for access. The blog is not private so please DON’T email me for access as I don’t appear to be able to grant that either. another problem!
This is some kind of internal mixup and I am correcting the links as I come across them. Please let me know if you come across a bad link via the Plastic Is Rubbish Facebook or Twitter accounts.
Many Thanks
Titanium Dioxide
also known as titanium(IV) oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula TiO ₂.
It can be used in Sun Screens, Moisturisers, Powdered Make-up, Lip and Baby products and virtually any Skin Treatment product.
Read more here http://plasticisrubbish.com/2012/10/26/but-can-i-drink-the-water/
Of course every month is plastic free for me but plastic free July is a time to make a bit of extra effort, promote projects, look at my bin and join with other people all over the world who are taking this time to rethink their relationship with plastic.
Water
Well its finally getting warm and everyone has to stay hydrated so lets revisit the subject of plastic free water
Plastic Free Bottled Water
Returnable Bottles
“Crag water are the only bottled spring water company in the North of England that reuses its glass bottles. By that we mean that we will deliver and collect then send back to be washed, sanitised and refill the bottles.
read all our water posts here http://plasticisrubbish.com/2012/10/26/but-can-i-drink-the-water/
AugustJune
More Medical Stuff
Did you know you can recycle your inhaler?
Find your nearest participating pharmacy via this website.
Enter your post code
and its as easy as that to breathe new life into your old inhalers.
If you fancy making your own decongestant and with a reusable inhaler – check this out.
Try a reusable inhalers and eucalyptus oil. Breath easily and cut the trash.
Find more #plasticfree personal care products here.
And more refill services HERE
Talking of refills….
Supermarkets
Some time you have to use them.
Morrisons is to become the first supermarket chain to remove packaging from its fruit and vegetables.
The company said customers would be able to choose from up to 127 varieties of fruit and veg in many of its stores, buying them loose or putting them in recyclable paper bags.
However, there will continue to be a neighbouring section where customers can still buy packaged veg, if they choose
The move follows a ten-month trial in three English stores where the amount of loose fruit and veg bought by customers increased by an average of 40 per cent.
From the Scotsman.
Read more abut supermarkets, local shops and how we choose where to shop, HERE.
Plastic Free June
Want to really cut your plastics? Then this is a great campaign organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCSUK).The MSCUK is a UK charity “that cares for our seas, shores and wildlife”.
The Plastic Challenge takes place every year in the U.K. in June.It is organized by them.
You can read more about it here
May
Back Home
Keen readers of this blog will no doubt have been devastated that there have been no monthly updates recently.
Why you ask desperately?
You may remember that back in 2018 May I wrote “back in the U.K. in Leeds after year backpacking. Re-entry has been rather bumpy. I have a horrible stomach complaint which has meant I’ve had to stay close to home or at least close to a toilet.”
A year later my complaint has finally been diagnosed and hopefully cured. I’m off my bed of pain but very much weakened. I have the energy to move about (a welcome improvement), but nothing extra. Writing the blog and maintaining my social media groups has definitely counted as extra. So I’ve had to take time off.
Given that I have written posts in deepest darkest Borneo back in the early days when internet access online was via some grimy café, you can appreciate how frustrating all this has been! In short its been a very long year involving a lot of plastic medicines.
Now I would never suggest you don’t take your plastic packed medication.
But surely we can do something about the onward packaging? Thankfully someone is.
Boots supplying prescriptions in plastic bags!
Hi Everyone!
I know you’re all as concerned about the use of plastic as me, so thought you would want the chance to sign another petition – this time to Boots who have decided its a good idea to start supplying their prescriptions in plastic bags!
Let’s them back to plastic free prescriptions – please sign and share this petition: http://chng.it/gswWWfqh
Thanks,
Rosie
However this fantastic news has had me back at the keyboard.
So glad to announce that fellow campaigner Michelle Cassar has written a kids book. As well working long and hard at raising awareness of the environmental damage caused by plastic pollution, she has always shown and encouraged practical solutions. Plastic pollution, that is the non-biodegradable throwaway plastic that is increasingly littering and damaging the land and sea. She has lived plastic reduced for decades and coined the descriptive term Being PALL, that is Being Plastic A Lot Less, to describe her lifestyle choice. She went on to become one of the original members of City to Sea, an organisation preventing plastic pollution at source.
Add to that Michelle has now written a book to teach children about the dangers of plastic misuse. Especially single use plastic plastic. That is the plastic products used once and then discarded. Yes it a big subject for small children and an incredibly complex one. But she has managed to write a heartwarming, kind and informative tale that introduces children to the problems without scaring the pants off them. She highlights the issues while gently suggesting ways children can change their habits to help change their future. It features snarky big sisters, goggle-wearing supersheros, leatherback turtles and Narwhals. Add a curious determined little girl who realises that one person can make a difference and what’s not to love? Written for kids but great for adults (and snarky big sisters), too. Read it and be inspired.”
You can help get this book published by supporting her crowdfunded. It goes live on the 5th June #WorldEnviromentDay up and running for the 8th June #WorldOceansDay. It will be a kind of ‘pre-order’ with some additional rewards for name in book, and kids party planner etc.
Keep track via her blog.
Buying British Made
Read up on how and why we buy, here
March
Hair Bands / Ties – Kooshoo- pleased to have found these made from 100% biodegradable materials. Read up here
It’s way too sunny so I am looking for some sunblock and some shady clothes. By which I mean clothes that protect me from the sun and not a dubious looking look.
Anything But Plastic online sell this
Shade Sunscreen for £9.75 for 100ml. I have bought some and will be writing a review.
But at that price I will also have to continue making my own. So far I have made a zinc based lotion and a zinc based suntan oil. You can read more about that and find my recipes HERE
February
Plastic free February is happening in leeds, right now and being run by Plastic Free Me. Find out more here
Events with Plastic-Free Me
FEB 5 Plastic-Free Youth Leadership Course
FEB 21 Plastic-Free Film Workshop
FEB 22 Plastic-Free Me Workshop
Crisps
Wahey…after years of no crisps….Its now possible to buy crisps in home compostable packaging! Find them here!
Refill Service
This is a very interesting article “A coalition of giant brands is about to change how we shop forever, with a new zero-waste platform. Loop will send you name-brand products, like Tide detergent, Crest mouthwash, or Häagen Dazs ice cream. When you’re done, you ship the empty container back, where it gets cleaned and reused for the next customer.” Read more here.
Of course we are already big fans of refill services. Here are a few we have found. #plasticfree refill index
Head on over here to get loved up!
January
PG tips threatening to bring out plastic free tea bags
http://plasticisrubbish.com/2010/09/13/bean-me-up/
coffee in compostable packaging
read more here.
Bedding
A plastic free duvet cover is hard to find. It seems that washable cotton products generally need a tough plastic casing. well not at Denhelm mill.
Talking of shopping…..
Here are my thoughts on how to shop #plasticfree and ethically. I try to apply as many of the following criteria as possible
Obviously first and foremost said products have to be plastic free or help me reduce my plastic footprint
Support independant shops
Buy British made products
Support British companies
Realistically I sometimes have to shop in supermarkets and chains. Then I have to consider which is the most ethical choice