2023 November

Times have changed since I started this blog. Now I can buy almost everything I need plastic free on line.

My favourite on line shops can be found here.

Welcome To The Source
We are your local plastic-free bulk food & lifestyle store, here to make sustainable shopping easy. Whether you are a foodie or looking to reduce the waste in your daily shop, we are the place for you. We have over 500+ bulk foods and sustainable personal and household products – all 100% plastic free to make your zero-waste journey easier.

Shipping £5.00 but you can name the day

https://thesourcebulkfoods.co.uk

Make Waves Starter Pack https://wearemakewaves.com/
Rather gruesome website that makes it difficult to order individual items. But eventually I got there. L
Our starter packs include 1 applicator and either 1 or 2 refill capsules.

☑️ 100% made in the UK
☑️ Cruelty free & vegan
☑️ Dermatologically tested
☑️ No waste (100% circular refill capsules)
Each refill capsule lasts 4-8 weeks
https://wearemakewaves.com

post

April

The Plastic Free Garden

Time to start out there so I’ve updated the seed post to include heritage and plastic free seed.

You can find other plastic free garden products here.

Tagging

As ever I’ll be posting my latest plastic free garden finds here and on social media – (most often on Facebook) using the hashtag. #2023plasticfreegarden

Please see the 2023 Garden Facebook album here

Easter

Easter Sunday falls on April 9, 2023 so time to get busy. We have a few older ideas to make it less plasticky including refillable eggs and plasticfree sweets. You can find them here.

2023 Update

2023 finds are here

Absolutely disappointed that one of my favourites the M&S Cheese Eggs, with Barber’s Farmhouse Cheddar as whites and a vintage 18-month matured Red Leicester yolk hand-dipped in a duck egg blue wax ‘shell’, does not appear to be the stores. please correct me if I am wrong.

They are doing other plastic free eggs though.

#Easter

Has to be said that egg makers are much more plastic aware these days so you should be able to find one plastic free on the high street.

I am tracking the ones I find.

You can find them and other plastic free easter finds over here on Facebook tagged #plasticfreeeaster2023. Feel free to add your own.

If you can’t, this has to be most ethical, online list of eggs ever – all plastic free and sent to you in plastic-free, onward packaging.

Real Plastic Free

from the website….

We sell Real Foods brand packed in biodegradable cellulose bags
We will pack your order using only paper-based materials We are committed to reducing all waste
We partner with Real Foods who have been selling natural, organic wholefoods (packed in cellulose) in Edinburgh for over 40 years Real Foods brand is fully accredited by the Soil Association so you can buy our organic products with confidence

Visit the website

White Chocolate & Raspberry Pigs ORGANIC Cocoa Loco (100g) £5.99

So free No Added Sugar Oat Milk Easter Egg V..

£4.35

So free White Easter Egg Vegan

£4.35

Oat Milk Chocolate Salty Pretzel Easter Egg ..

£10.29

Dark Chocolate & Raspberries Stars

£5.55

Sorry unavailable

Christmas Puddings Choc Bar

Love Cocoa (75g)

Hammy Hamster Easter Egg Vegan Moo Free (80g) £4.65

Oat Milk Chocolate Cookies No Cream Easter E.. Hip (150g) £10.29

Christmas Trees Chocolates Vegan, ORGANIC The Raw Chocolate Company(180g) £10.55

Sorry unavailable

Luxury Filled Easter Egg Vegan, ORGANIC Conscious Chocolate (50g) £4.35

Spiced Buttons Chocolates Vegan, ORGANIC The Raw Chocolate Company(220g) £10.55

Chocolate Selection Box Vegan, ORGANIC The Raw Chocolate Company(270g) £12.65

Sorry unavailable

Choccy Easter Egg Vegan Moo Free (100g) £4.65

post

March

Easter Sunday falls on April 9, 2023 so time to start planning.

Absolutely disappointed that one of my favourites the M&S Cheese Eggs, with Barber’s Farmhouse Cheddar as whites and a vintage 18-month matured Red Leicester yolk hand-dipped in a duck egg blue wax ‘shell’, does not appear to be the stores. please correct me if I am wrong.

They are doing other plastic free eggs though.

You can find plastic free easter finds over here on Facebook tagged #plasticfreeeaster2023 Please do add and tag your own finds.

Busy Tagging

Cruising round what’s left of the high street, (use it or loose it), documenting my plastic free finds. Tagging them and posting them on Facebook & Twitter.

So far I’ve used the following

  • 2023
  • #plasticfreeproducts2023  – for all the plastic free products I’ve source this for this year
  • Type of products include
  • #2023plasticfreereusables
  • #plasticfreesupermarket2023 – type of venue #plasticfree xxxx 2023 – xxxx being the name of the store. So far there’s
  • #plasticfreeLidles2023

Lidles

Found quite a lot of plastic free stuff in in Lidles #plasticfreeLidles2023

(Love to see they still do the loose nuts.) See them here on FB or check out my twitter feed.

To Do

Late to the party but still plenty of time to get involved. Once again Keep Britain Tidy are organising The Great British Spring Clean, a massive litter pick of the U.K.

Back for its eighth year, the Great British Spring Clean is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign.  

The Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean 2023 will take place from 17 March to 2 April, and you can pledge to pick up a bag of litter – or more – from today. 

Curtains

Looking for some natural nets?

“Automation has killed off much of the UK’s industrial heritage, but at MYB Textiles it may just be its saviour. Based in Ayrshire, Scotland, the 100-year-old lacemaker is the only place left in the world working with traditional looms” Read more here

They do the most wonderful but expensive lace made from wool & cotton. Some are 100% natural some have 5% polyester added. The prices are …. well here are some examples

CAMPBELL
Material 100% Cotton £104.28 inc VAT

KERRY
In the sale Width 152cm
Material 95% Cotton/5% Polyester Oat Sky Maize Straw Earth
£28.40 inc VAT

RHONA
Not in the sale Width 150cm Material 95% Cotton / 5% Polyester
£44.30 inc VAT

Baking & Baking Aids

Ingredients

Agar Jelly

Baking Powder

More

Cookbook

Who knew? Baking – it’s not that bad!  Check out the plastic free cook book here

Ingredients

An introduction to some of the stuff you need to make the above

Everything Else

How to make it plastic free

post

Baking Powder

Hooray for cakes but increase your chances of  a lovely light cake with this plastic-free baking powder.

Ingredients Baking Powder ingredients: Wheat Flour, Raising Agents (sodium pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate). About Baking Powder Classic raising agent for adding to plain flours when making cakes, scones and puddings.

Buy online from Real Plastic Free. They sell almost everything your greedy heart could desire.  

As they say ….Why shop with us?

We don’t sell product packed in plastic
We sell Real Foods brand packed in biodegradable cellulose bags

We will pack your order using only paper-based materials
We are committed to reducing all waste

We partner with Real Foods who have been selling natural, organic wholefoods (packed in cellulose) in Edinburgh for over 40 years

Real Foods brand is fully accredited by the Soil Association so you can buy our organic products with confidence

We only charge fair rates for postage & packing

We really appreciate your custom and work hard to offer you the best prices we can on your plastic free products”

Plus they have a great product range. I use them all the time and they are great.

Want more? Try quick tips to cut your plastic trash for more ideas and of the Live Plastic Free Index for alternatives to plastic products.

Cookbook

Who knew? Baking – it’s not that bad!  Check out the plastic free cook book here 

N.B.

Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

</p=””>

post

2023 February

Everyday Plastic have  launched a petition calling for all UK supermarkets to remove plastic packaging from five top-selling fruit & veg products so that shoppers can #ChooseLoose.

Potatoes 🥔, apples 🍏, bananas 🍌, carrots 🥕 and onions 🧅 are some of the top-selling fruit & veg products in UK households. It’s estimated that selling these five items loose would:

  • Prevent an estimated 1.7 billion pieces of plastic packaging from being thrown away.
  • Avoid more than 77,000 tonnes of food waste by allowing people to buy only what they need.
  • Save shoppers a combined total of over £85m per year in uneaten food.

Agree that it makes total sense to #ChooseLoose? Then click the link below to join us in calling on the supermarkets to remove the plastic packaging 👇

 

Outdoor Cushions

So I’m looking for the plastic-free cushions to go on our purpose-built a pergola.

The pergola has been made out of recycled handrails and secondhand Key Klamp fittings. Never worked with these materials before so there have been a few mistakes made. On the whole though pretty happy. It’s extremely easy to put up and very easy to move around and adapt.

The seats are made with pallets we have collected from here and there.They are 80cm wide.

Now I need something to soften the blow. Most out-door cushions are made from waterproof polyester and filled with plastic foam. Obviously waterproof for outside is a good idea. But…. I don’t like synthetic fibres.

However if I go with an all natural fibres cushion than I have to move in the cushions whenever it rains. In the summer there is very little rain so for much of the year I can leave them out. But Winter is cold and wet. Which means they have to be reasonably light weight and not too bulky. We don’t have a huge amount of storage space.
They also have to be cheap.
And comfortable enough to sleep out on.
I was thinking of some kind of cotton roll-up Japanese futon.
Here are some interesting options.

Natural Fibre Mattresses

These mattresses from European store Maisons Du Monde look good. They are filled with cotton scraps look nice and firm – but at 70 cm they might be a bit narrow and at 90 they are rather wide.
Plus they look rigid and little heavy. I’m guessing I can’t roll these easily. If at all.

Children’s mattress 90×190

or Ecru Quilted Recycled Cotton Floor Mattress 70 x 190

€119.00 – 139
Dimensions (cm): Height11 x Width190 x Depth 90 or 70
Weight (kg): 13 or 15
Main Material: Cotton
Made In India
Product description
Additional information
100% cotton
Filling : 100% recycled cotton

Gaddiposh yellow cotton mattress 90×190

Much lighter – can be rolled reasonably priced at But thin. Very, very thin. the websites suggests “And stack other mattresses and cushions to provide more comfort.’ – Indeed.Dimensions (cm): Height7.5 x Width190 x Depth90
Weight (kg): 6.5 –
Main Material: Cotton
Made In India

Padding : 100% recycled cotton
Cover : 100% cotton

Futon 24

Cotton & Hemp

I am also liking the look of these. They are the right size. They are rigid and weighty so will be bulky to move but perhaps that is a price I have to pay? But at €199.00 the price is not too unreasonable. But at 141 shipping costs I would have to go to Berlin to collect them myself!

From the website

“SLEEP COMFORT:
The Vita-line Futon “Model 12” offers rather pure, firm lying feeling. The processed cotton is a traditional filling material for futons and is very resistant. Initially, the futon “Model 12” is 9 – 10 cm high. During the phase of layering, the cotton layers can lose up to 35 % (load dependency) of their initial height, but they become more firm over time and therefore, become more compact. Coconut as a latexed padding material is relatively firm, elastic and dimensionally stable. It is heat-retaining, breathable and resistant to moisture. This futon mattress offers medium-hard sleeping and sitting comfort. The cover is 100 % cotton.

FILLING MATERIAL:
1 Latexed coconut layer 1 cm
4 Cotton layers
1 Latexed coconut layer 1 cm
COVER:
100 % cotton
Non-removable
TOTAL HEIGHT:
9 – 10 cm
SPECIAL FEATURE:
The Vita-line Futon is adhesive-free.

COLOR RANGE:
From plain to colorful:
20 colors for the futon cover are available.

HAND-MADE FUTONS BY FUTON24:
The company established in 1996 Futon24 produces high-quality futons and natural mattresses. The “Model 12″ satisfies all sleepers who like it a bit firm. This futon is suitable for tatami (straight, closed supporting surface) and for bed bases and sitting base.”

More Stuff

Hair

Bars not working? You can get Faith In Nature refills for shampoo and conditioner at the panda refill in leeds market. Find them here at https://pandarefillshop.co.uk/ in Leeds. Along with loads of other wonderful things.

Spanish, plastic-free, online shop here – got some useful stuff. Including powdered washing up liquid.

Valentines Day 14th


It’s the big one of course! Valentine’s Day approaches.  We have got plastic free candles to set the mood, flowers without the wrap, chocolates,  sweets and cards. Even a few ideas for trash free gifts.
If your plastic-free sweetie is also a minimalist, there are some nice alternative ideas!
And if all this does the trick, some plastic reduced condoms you can compost.
Too much info?
Head on over here to get loved up!

Keep On Kissing

Stop chapped lips with this home made lip balm. It really works! And you can use your own  refillable tubes or metal tins.

Pancake Day

February 28 is Shrove Tuesday and you are going to make pancakes. Check out these plastic-free cakes fried in a plastic-free non stick pan. Yum!

Garden

While it is still a bit cold to be out there, thoughts now turn to the garden and the seeds that need to be sown for the coming year.
You need to start planning ahead for plastic free seedlings.
You can buy plastic-free seeds and find instructions on how to make your own paper seedling pots here Plus other great plastic free garden related products.

Planning Next Month

The life #plasticless needs forward planing. Come back for updates on lent and Mothers day

 

N.B.

Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

post

2023 January

New Year

Happy new year dear ones. Love to all and hope this year is everything you wish it to be.

Need A Really Easy & Effective Resolution?

I suggest that anyone in need of a new years resolution should try reducing their plastic trash by just one piece. Perhaps say no to straws in drinks, maybe buy, (and remember to use), some reusable produce bags or find a milkman with refillable glass bottles. This has to be the easiest New Years resolution ever. And so effective. Immediately you are making the world a cleaner place!  Just think if every one of Britain’s 64.1 million people did this!

Need inspiration. Try quick tips to cut your plastic trash for more ideas and of the Cut Plastic Index for alternatives to plastic products.

Yoga

So this month I have signed up for the Cancer Research 31 days yoga in January. 

From the website:

  • Complete 31 days of yoga in January and raise money for life-saving cancer research.
  • Sign up for free and you’ll receive:
  • A free t-shirt
  • A free online Giving Page 
  • A digital fundraising pack
  • Join the challenge

You can contribute here if you so wish.

Plasticless

All good stuff but there’s no doubt yoga is a very plasticky business. How do I do yoga plastic free? Well for a start I use this yoga mat

The Eco Mat by Ecoyoga

The following is taken from their website 

“Almost all Yoga mats currently on sale around the world were made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride: commonly known as “vinyl”)…. In order to make PVC soft and ‘sticky’, as is required for yoga mats, many chemicals are added.”

“Rubber/ latex comes from a tree called Hevea Brasiliensis and is a lectin from the bark…. Trees can be tapped for up to 30 years after which they can be used for building or furniture construction.”

And

“Jute is a sustainable plant that is grown in regions of India and Bangladesh in a 4 month period just prior to the rainy season. It is fast growing and uses land that would otherwise be dormant at that time so increasing revenue for farmers.”

They sell a range of mats through various outlets worldwide (find stockists here)

  • 6mm Phoenix 4mm “standard” 2mm lighterweight
  • 6ft  7ft & 4ft length mats
  • 5 colours including ecoYoga’s unique colourfree
  • wabi-sabi (factory second) mats
  • MADE IN THE UK
  • Sustainable / plant-based materials
  • 100% natural rubber (contains latex)
  • No glues – No animal products – suitable for vegans
  • biodegradable
  • EXCELLENT  GRIP … even with a sweat
See where the rubber is rather worn

My Review

These mats are it is said less resilient than the PVC mats. Well I guess that would be the case – and isn’t that rather the point? However I’ve been using mine since 2019 and its standing up well to the wear. It’s still good and bouncy and the rubber has not disintegrated. There are a couple of slighty worn patches on the top but I think that’s to be expected as I drag my great feet about.

N.B. It smelt strongly of rubber when I first got it but that has worn off. 

Packaging

I bought mine from Yoga Studio – visit their web site here

I was delighted to find it came, unwrapped, in a cardboard box i.e. with no other packaging. There was some plastic tape to seal it but on the whole I was very well pleased. Though that was some time ago. You may wish to check if this is still the case

Price

From Yoga Studio,  the Eco Yoga Phoenix Yoga Mat – 6mm, currently retails at £48.00

If you find that a bit pricy you can buy seconds direct from Ecoyoga

  • 4mm 6ft  £ 26
  • 4mm 7ft  £ 27
  • 6mm 6ft £ 27.01  
  • 2mm 6ft £ 15 .. .. .. only £ 15 !!

Go on – get streching!

post

November and planning ahead

Yes we all know what’s round the corner…..

So I’ve been using this glass, water-filter jug with plasticless refills. And I am very pleased with the product. Should you feel like buying anyone one here’s my gift to you…25% off with this link .

New In Town

So far have found Both Sainsbury’s and Primark are doing plastic free wrapping paper and gift tags. Yay.

Sellotape once again makes biodegradable cellophane tapes. Well done them.

The moral of this story – change is slow but it does happen. Keep on pushing.

I have seen them loose in Wilco or you can buy a pack of 3 online here

The moral of this story – change is slow but it does happen. Keep on pushing….

Want a paper tape? – try here

Advent Calendars

The Works https://www.theworks.co.uk/  have a few interesting Christmas  related plastic free products.

And they still have high street stores so you don’t have to worry about that pesky, onward packaging!

They have a wooden advent calendar reusable with little drawers for plastic free treats  for each day. sadly the product itself comes in plastic but you will get years of use and … you can’t win them all!  

They also have canvas sacks and stockings for the end of the bed. These come in plastic free packing and being canvas are obviously made from natural fibers.

Reason why you want to use natural fibres can be found here. Because no one wants their Christmas socks to last for ever!

Want More?

Course you do!

See all our Christmas posts here

Plastic Free Year

And for those of you who really like to plan ahead…..

Christmas

I always feel a sense of wonderment when I make something that turns out as good a shop bought but ...
Read More

Easter

Easter Sunday falls on April 9, 2023 so time to start planning. Absolutely disappointed that one of my favourites the ...
Read More

Halloween Celebrations

Halloween can be  truly a time of plastic madness what with the masks, fake blood and sweets. I beg you to ...
Read More

How to party…plastic free….

Organising a big bash? Nipping off out to buy some paper plates? WAIT!!! Given the choice between washing up and disposable ...
Read More

Mothers Day

Flowers and chocolates  are a traditional choice for such days and always welcome. Especially when you choose a few plastic ...
Read More

Pancakes & Pancake day

To make plastic free pancakes in a plastic free non stick pan ... you will need: Eggs in a cardboard ...
Read More

Remembrance Poppy

One of the most poignant events of the year happens in November. Every year on the 11th hour of the ...
Read More
post

April

Water Filter

So I’m trying this – a water filter jug from Phox. 

Plus points include

  • a refillable cartridge 
  • designed and manufactured in Scotland. 
  • the jug is made from glass and BPA-free polypropylene plastic. 
  • all Phox packaging is made of recycled cardboard and biodegradable bags. 
  • refill packs are built to last 45 days or 200 litres, whichever comes first. 
  • packaged in recycled cardboard and biodegradable bags.
  • refill packs are slim and built to fit through your letterbox.
  • Choose from the following filter packs 

 Alkaline Pack: for water with lots of limescale Filtered pH 8-9, Added magnesium, helps acid reflux, great taste. 

Clean Pack: Softens water, Great for tea & coffee, removes nasties, great taste.

More

Look here for more information on all things watery and plastic-free  including

  • Tap Water U.K. 
  • Refill Schemes – in the U.K. 
  • Carbonated Water 
  • Water Abroad

Bedding

Dunhelm Mill are still doing duvets in plastic free packaging. N.B. some of the duvets have man-made fibres in them… but at least the packaging is cardboard.

post

Agar Jelly

For making jelly and gels…….

Clearspring Organic Agar Flakes Vegan, 30g
Price: £5.79
Agar Flakes Vegan, ORGANIC

Packaging – Inner bag: Compostable Recyclable Outer carton: Recyclable. Made from bio-film from renewable sources.Comprises cellulose from wood-pulp, produced in carefully managed plantations Compostable certified by the EU and the USA

You can buy it and lots more here….

Real Plastic Free

We sell Real Foods brand packed in biodegradable cellulose bags
We will pack your order using only paper-based materials We are committed to reducing all waste
We partner with Real Foods who have been selling natural, organic wholefoods (packed in cellulose) in Edinburgh for over 40 years Real Foods brand is fully accredited by the Soil Association so you can buy our organic products with confidence

Visit the website

Biodegradable, Compostable Plastics

What is biodegradable?

Biodegradable products break down through a naturally occurring microorganism into simple, stable compounds which can be absorbed into the ecosystem.More about biodegrading here

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.

Want to start composting but dont know how? Find the answers here

Talking of composting, theres a new logo on the block. “The Home Compostable verification logo clearly identifies and differentiates packaging materials as biodegradable and home compostable. This means that the biodegradable packaging will break down under specific home composting conditions back into water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass.”

More

Cookbook

Who knew? Baking – it’s not that bad!  Check out the plastic free cook book here

Ingredients

An introduction to some of the stuff you need to make the above

Everything Else

How to make it plastic free

post

Phone Case

wanted to buy a phone case for a while but biodegradable ones are pricey. One cracked screen later and so glad them to come across these.

“Mobile phone case by eplanita is made from wheat straw that is completely biodegradable and recyclable TPU. This combination makes the mobile case kind to the environment. The iPhone case will only start the degradation process once under the soil or in a commercial compost.

  • Resilient and Durable
  • Shock Absorbing TPU
  • Raised Edges
  • Slightly Matted Texture
  • Anti Fingerprints, Scratches, Stains
  • 12 Months Warranty”

Prices are very reasonable iPhone XS Max eco case £9.99

The packaging is all recycled card

Also on Amazon Europe & USA

I had to buy mine from Amazon (I Know – reasons!), so the onward packaging was cardboard too. 

on Amazon Europe & USA

You buy direct from https://www.eplanita.com/product-page/iphone-xs-max-eco-case

Found a company here that sells all kinds of biodegradable things and sends them a packaging free including compostable mobile phone covers which is what I’m interested in 

  • 0% plastic. Made from 100% plants
  • Designed and produced in Sweden
  • 29 vibrant designs
  • 100% compostable
  • Recycle your case and get a new one at any time with A Good Loop
  • A Vegan Society Certified product
  • Pick iPhone: 6, 6S, 7, 87 Plus, 8 PlusX, XSXS Max

Detailed information:

  • Glass Protection: Yes
  • Compostable: Yes
  • All cases are printed by hand – slightly variations can occur
  • What inks are used: Waterbased 
  • Case type: Hard
  • Packaging: A red Stone Paper box
  • How we bring it to our warehouse: We ship in bulk without any plastics
  • Transport method to warehouse: Truck & Vessel
  • Factory: The Mobile Case Factory
  • Climate issue addressed: Plastic-pollution
  • Time to market: 12 months
  • Weight: 20 grams (0.8 oz)
  • How to recycle: Compostable but we ask you to use A Good Loop
  • Thats a company that’s serious about accountability.

What is Wheat Straw Plastic?

Wheat straw plastic is a renewable and sustainable alternative to some solid plastics 

is BPA free and is a food-grade material that has been approved by the FDA.

a natural by-product of wheat production.

is completely biodegradable. Better yet, wheat straw plastic products can also be melted back into a pulp and used again to create new products.

Wheat straw can be composted at home in a compost heap as well as commercially at a suitable recycling centre.

Advantages include…

“By using this agricultural waste product, there is less need to cut down forests to produce the paper we need.

Being a profitable source of income for agricultural farmers means they can sell this waste product instead of having to burn it. The benefit is less air pollution and less CO2 being deposited into the atmosphere.”

Read full article here https://wastenil.com/is-wheat-straw-biodegradable/

By Iain Pay / September 8, 2021 / Paper, Plastics

Composting

About Compostable Plastics
Compostable plastics come in various forms and could replace most non biodegradable plastics. You can read all about compostable plastics here

Home Compostable?
Many products ( especially compostable plastics), have been tested under industrial composting conditions. Therefore, while a product might be classed as both biodegradable and compostable, it might not break down in a backyard compost bin.
That said I have composted many such products in my own bin.

See our composting posts here

post

August

Welcome to our monthly round-up of news and products.

Yes I know its Summer but this month I am busy buying jumpers. There’s no trusting the British weather.

We update it as we go along so do check back for our latest finds. and you can 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.

So back to

Knitwear

My Woolovers cardigan has turned up. Hooray. A kitted hoodie. the best of all worlds.

I ordered from them because the garment is made from natural fibres and they send their cardigans out in almost plastic free packaging. 

The sealing  strip and some thread reinforcement on the top were the only plastic to be found on the outer paper bag. 

This was exciting enough but I opened it to see the cardigan itself packed in a degradable compostable cornstarch back. People will tell you that you cannot compose them in your garden composter. They are wrong I have composed of many of these bags. 

The label was cardboard and attached with string

The receipt, sadly, had a plastic liner attached. I don’t really know why. 

But on the whole a fantastic effort.

They also make a range of other environmental claims including

  1. We will ensure at least 95% of our collections are made from natural fibres.
  2. We will use more recycled yarns.
  3. We will replace our garment care labels & tickets with a natural alternative.
  4. Read all of them here

They sell other plastic free products. I got these tea lights in cardboard  a box. 

About

Langholm CapitalWoolOvers is a UK based direct-to-customer retailer of own-brand knitwear and jersey apparel. It was founded in 1989 and acquired by Langholm Capital in 2015.

My Wardrobe

More about fibres & clothes….

Check out the Wardrobe Index here with links to

post

July

Welcome to our monthly round-up of news and products. We update it as we go along so do check back for our latest finds. and you can 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.

Natural Fibres & Fabrics

Off to Leeds Kirkgate Market, Covered Market City Center, to buy some woolen fabric.

I used to go to Jacks, a small stall, selling all types of fabric, including end of line remnants of Yorkshire made wooden fabric. Not any more. They have closed.

Other fabric stalls include B&M who do a great range which you can preview via their Facebook page. handy.

BUT they no  longer sell wool. 

So I was extremely glad to see Fletchers Fabrics were selling lovely fine wool at the bargain price of £5 a meter.

I stocked up on supplies and as usual I’ve got rather too much. 

However I have made myself a pair of very lovely pants.

Here is an introduction to why you might want to, and how you can, start sewing plastic free. Plus all my  sewing projects to date. Read More

Weighing My Fabric

I am recording my fabric use  for sewing differently. In the past I weighed finished article of clothing. However this did not take into account all the offcuts. Which are considerable. 

So when sewing  am now weighing the fabric piece before I start and counting the whole.

This is because I keep a track of all the fabric are use. Or rather all the fibres I use both natural and synthetic. Why? Because I want to see if I can live within my global share. 

My Global Share

As an experiment I have pledged to use no more than my fair global share of fibres Whats a global share? Currently the global consumption of clothing works out (roughly) at 11.74 kg per person of which 3.8 kg is natural fibres. As I don’t like synthetics I try to stick to 3.8 kg of natural fibres.
Why not just use 11 .74 kg of natural fibres?

Fabric production like everything has an environmental impact and carbon footprint, a rather large one actually. I would argue that it is not sustainable for us all to have 11.74 kg of natural fibres a year. This is one of the promoted benefits of plastic, that it takes the pressure off natural resources.

Synthetic fabrics mean less land grab to grow cotton. But synthetic fabrics like any other plastic are massively polluting.

So if we cannot produce more, we have to consume less.  This is how the equation works for me:
We cannot exceed current levels of production:
We cannot expect others to want less than we have:
We cannot swamp the market with synthetics:
Therefore I have to live with my global share of natural fibres.
But can it be done? 

Cautious reply? Maybe

You can see a break down of my fabric use here

Van Insulation

I have no idea how this works under carpet because I don’t do carpet but it might be useful for those of you looking for a sustainable underlay. However I can tell you that so far it has done an excellent job of insulating our van

When converting our empty steel box of a van into a cosy camper home we had to line it with some form of installation. 

After some research I thought I would use wool.

MULTI RICH 56 – Recycled felt underlay made from leftover carpet fibres

Two downsides…on closer inspections I saw what appeared to be some synthetic fibres in there. On asking I was told that  it was guaranteed 80% wool but some synthetics did slip in. 

Anyway  2 years ago I glued it to the van where it still remains. It does indeed keep the van warm and or cool. So far so good.

It now needs to be counted as part of my fair share fabric I guess?

1588 grams per m2 15m2 on a roll is a whopping 23.83 kg. Obviously that is to be devided between natural and synthetic and the 2 of us using the van. 

Comes in at 11.92 

At 80% wool that 9.53 natural fibres. Yikes!

The next question is how do I count it as part of my fair share fabrics. As it is incorporated into the van I suppose I would have to do divide the weight of the material over the years I use the van and if of course I sell the van on and it would no longer be my fabric. 

Read More Here

N.B.

Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x

And before you go…

If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com