The ban that didn’t?

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know Tagged , 6 Comments

Got all giddy when I read that Oxford Council were banning plastic takeaway packaging….. only to be disappointed. Very disappointed!

On the 18th April 2015 The Independent reported that Oxford Council was to

ban non-recyclable plastic food containers

The story quoted one in the Oxford Mail  published Tuesday 14 April 2015 in News

“NON-recyclable takeaway boxes are to be banned from Oxford food vans.

Under new rules approved last night, packaging and utensils used by street traders, including burger and kebab vans, must be either recyclable or biodegradable.

Businesses will be allowed to use up existing stock that does not comply, but will have to make the change when they apply for their next annual licence from Oxford City Council.”

With thanks to the Oxford Mail

Hooray!!!

And the Independent quotes the council as saying

“The city is thought to be the first in the country to announce such a measure, and the city’s Labour council leader Bob Price told The Independent he was “sure many other local authorities will be taking the same approach as Oxford” soon.

“Plastic take-away food containers are an environmental disaster and recyclable and biodegradable alternatives are easily available,” he said.

“As a society, we should be relentless in driving down the amount of rubbish we send to landfill and increasing the level of recycling and re-use of materials.”

More cheers!!! But wait…

technically polystyrene, and other plastics, are recyclable. It can be difficult and expensive and food stained items, full of half chewed kebab, floating in last nights slurry of spilt beer, (and worse), are less likely to be recycled. But they can be recycled!

“You can recycle foam meat trays and clamshells (#6 polystyrene) if they are free of food stains and food odors. Wash with a little soap then rinse and let stand to dry. If food stains persist, toss them into trash. To recycle them, bag them separately.”

So it is the plastics industry who are now cheering thanks to this amendment…

“Oxford polystyrene U-turn hailed by plastics industry Posted 15 April 2015  by Plastic & Rubber Weekly

“following a plea made by Martin Kersh, executive director of the Foodservice Packaging Association, the council amended the wording.

It now reads “For food traders all packaging and utensils for use by customers shall be made of biodegradable or recyclable materials.

Kersh told PRW: “The councillors agreed that the phrasing of the by-law should be altered from biodegradable and recyclable to be biodegradable or recyclable.

“It would be very difficult to enforce a ban on polystyrene.”

Following the council ruling, British Plastics Federation (BPF) director-general Philip Law said: “A victory for common sense and a recognition that plastics packaging products are recyclable, save energy and help reduce the carbon footprint of retailers. The Food Service Packaging Association and Incpen, together with the BPF were active in informing Oxford’s local politicians and council staff.”

Oxford Council confirmed to PRW that as polystyrene is recyclable then it can continue to be used.”

Hmmm…. all plastics are theoretically recyclable and as technology advances are becoming more so, so what exactly have Oxford Council banned? Not plastic, not polystyrene, what? Is there actually a non- recyclable plastic packaging in common use, out there? If so, what is it called? Really, I want to know?

The point surely should have been that plastic does not biodegrade. If not collected, and specially disposed of, plastic litter is out there for ever – a permanent visual blight on the landscape and a threat to the ecosphere. So while it may be recyclable, using it for one-use, disposable items that can become everlasting litter is a misuse of plastic. And clearing it up is a misuse of council resources.

What we need is a ban on the misuse of plastic.

More

The problems with polystyrene – yuck you really don’t want to be eating this stuff.

 

 

now wash your hands

by Posted in 3.7 Other Solutions

Perhaps not a completely plasticless project but a plastic reduced because you get more for your rubbish. Any way I just love it and deserves publicising.

Hand washing cuts decease and saves lives in third world countries. The Global Soap Project Process recycles hotel soaps. The following is taken from their website

Handwashing with soap is the most effective way to prevent the leading causes of death for children globally — illnesses that claim more than 2.4 million lives each year.

It all begins with the hotels! Hotel representatives can use the registration form or contact our hotel engagement manager to get started.

Collection Soap is collected from hotels and shipped to our warehouse in Las Vegas.

Sorting Because every brand is distinct, we do not mix soap. Each is sorted into containers for each hotel and brand.
Processing The soap is softened by heat and filtered through an extremely fine-mesh screen to remove dirt and other particulates. It is then molded into finished bars, hand cut, cured, inspected and packaged. Much of this work is performed by volunteers.
Verification GSP commissions third-party laboratory tests to screen for traces of pathogens on a sample from each batch of soap it produces before it ships.
Distribution We work with distribution partners and NGOs to ship, distribute soap and educate recipients on the best way to use it for health and sanitation purposes
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Bristles

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know, 4 About The Alternatives Tagged 2 Comments

Natural fibre brushes come in many sizes – you can get everything from big bristly brushes for sweeping yards to cute scrubbers for your nails. They  can be used for sweeping, brushing, scrubbing and scouring.

If you don’t know your Piassava from your Pasodoble read the following:

Bassine is a coarse leaf fiber from palmyra palms. It is inexpensive and durable. It is used to make stiff sweeping brushes often used outdoors.
Natural Coco Fibre (COIR)  comes from the husk of the Coconut tree. It is softer than bassine so more liable to crush and splay. Makes a good soft sweeping brush.
Black Coco Fibre (DYED COCO) is coloured natural coco and has exactly the same properties.
Flagged Black Fibre is specially treated dyed coco fibre where the ends have been flagged or split. It sweeps better than plain coco fibre.

Bahia Piassava (BASS) is a stiff fibre harvested from trees. It is water resilient and doesnt distort. It comes from Bahia in Brazil.
Arenga (GUMATI ) Arenga fiber is harvested from the Arenga Pinnata Palm in Indonesia. Arenga is softer and finer than Bahia Paissava. It is very hard wearing and resilient
Tampico Fibre is from the lecheguilla plant (Agaves Sisalana, Agave Foreyodes) grown in Mexico. Good wearing and reasonable sweeping qualities, but is liable to crush. It is also very water absorbent, and non-electrostatic, so that the brushes remain dust free. The natural colour varies from green to yellowish-white although the fibre can also be black or brown as well as grey. The material is used extensively for making yard brooms, panel brushes, deck brushes, nail brushes and bath brushes.
Cereal root is the root of a species of grass, zacaton plant, which grows on the high plateaux of Mexico. The roots of the Zacaton are cut from the plant, washed clean from soil and transported to a preparation factory. Cereal root is a tought, elastic and water-resistant material which is used for vegetable brushes and washing-up brushes.
Union mixture is a mixture of white fibre and bassine. It´s a strong and water-resistant mixture which is used for vegetable brushes, deck brushes and scrubbing brushes

With thanks to Ravibrush  and  irishantverk for the above information

Animal Derived Bristles
The most commonly known uses for animal bristle and hairs are
Boars hair is used for hairbrushes.
Feathers for dusters
Paint brushes for decorating and art

But almost every other animal hair, feather or bristle can be used for something it seems.
Including
Camel Hair Brushes
Goat Hair Brushes
Hog / China Bristle Brushes
Horse Hair Brushes
Ox Hair Brushes
Pony Hair Brushes
Red Sable Brushes
Sabeline Brushes
Squirrel Hair Brushes

Decorating Brushes
Paint brushes are made from either synthetic fibres or natural hairs. Natural hair brushes are usually Chinese Hog or badgers hair and are recommended for use with oil based paints as they flow more smoothly and actually paint on the surface rather than simply “spread” the paint about. Synthetic brushes, e.g. Nylon or Ployester can be used with all paints but their use with water based, emulsion paints, is more usual. Chinese hog bristles absorb water which makes using them with water based paints very difficult and getting a good finish is almost impossible. Other natural fibres used for good quality paint brushed are Camel hair brushes, Squirrel hair brushes and Sable hair brushes.

Synthetic Bristles

Polypropylen (PPN) PPN
Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Flagged PVC/PPN

Easy enough to spot when they are used alone but sometimes they are mixed with natural fibres. Do check carefully. Ask if any of the above have been used or look carefully at the bristles. Here is an example.post scrub brush

Find reviews of natural fibre sweeping brushes here

    • Coir is a coarse, short fibre extracted from the outer shell of coconuts, that can be used for other things including
    • Coconut pan scrub

You can see almost every kind of brush ever made, here

Read about other natural fibres and yarn here

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Regenerated Fibres & Fabrics

by Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade, 4.9 Useful to know 1 Comment

Textiles and ultimately clothing start with fibres

Know Your Fibres
Fibres are short fine hairs that can be twisted or spun into longer thread or yarn. This may be woven or knitted into fabric.
Fibres (and then yarns and ultimately fabrics) can be can be natural, synthetic or chemically produced hybrid called regenerated fibres.

Natural fibres Are derived from plants like cotton or animals like wool and silk, Coarse Fibres Are used for rope, string, sacking and industrial uses.Read more HERE
Fibres used for finer fabrics and yarn include cotton, wool and silk. Read more HERE
Synthetic fibres are man-made from chemicals many of which are petroleum derived. Read more HERE

Regenerated Fibres The base material is cellulose that can be obtained from a range of sources. It is then converted through a chemical process into fibres.
Yarns and Fabric
Fibres are then spun into yarns and threads. These often take the name from the fibre in which they are spun.
Threads can now be woven or knitted into fabric.
Fabric made from regenerated yarn often takes the name of the fibre such as bamboo or go under the trade name.

How Are Regenerated Fibres Made?

The base material is cellulose that can be obtained from a range of sources including wood, paper, cotton fiber, or  bamboo. It is then converted through a chemical process into a fiber. One such in bamboo. Most bamboo fabric  is made using  chemical solvents such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH – also known as caustic soda or lye) and carbon disulfide  combined with multi-phase bleaching. Both sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide have been linked to serious health problems. Others are looking extremely promising and are biodegradable. But I don’t really know enough about them and

Regenerated Fibres Include
Rayon
Bamboo Rayon
Viscose
Modal
Tencel

Rayon Notes

Rayon or artificial silk is made from purified cellulose, derived from plants in this case primarily trees.
Because rayon is manufactured from naturally occurring polymers, it is considered a semi-synthetic or regenerated fiber.

The cellulose is harvested and then chemically converted into a soluble compound. The diluted liquid is forced through a spinneret to produce filaments.

These are now chemically solidified, resulting in synthetic fibers of nearly pure cellulose.

While the end products the process is concidered dirty and environmentally suspect. According to wiikipefia
Workers can be seriously harmed by the carbon disulfide used to make most rayon.
However there are many different types of rayon and some are greener than others.
Specific types of rayon include viscose, modal and lyocell, each of which differs in manufacturing process and properties of the finished product.

viscose rayon, which is rayon made using the viscose (cellulose xanthate) process.

Viscose is not a synthetic fiber made from petroleum; but rather it’s a “regenerated cellulosic fiber” made from cellulose – most commonly wood pulp, but many plants can be used, such as bamboo. The cellulose is broken down, and then “regenerated” into a fiber.

One of the major advantages of viscose over synthetics is that it is biodegradable.

Read more HERE

The following is information I am collecting on rayon. It is a highly technical product and quickly gets confusing. It is meant to be an introduction only .

 

It has been hard to find out wether Rayon is biodegradable or not!

 

There are definitely some  biodegradable rayons as made by Lenzing  which are touted as such. BUT most rayons are not described as biodegradable so I assume that other rayons may not biodegrade Or rather to be completely accurate like other synthetic polymers they will eventually biodegrade but may take hundreds of years to do so.
If by biodegrade you mean more like compostable then as far as I know, no rayon has ever been classed as compostable. However it is difficult to find hard, understandable data on this – at least I have not found any yet. If anyone knows anything about it I would love to know. So while it is easy to find out how long it takes for cotton to rot when scattered as litter there is no information on rayon.
Then there is this from  Wikkedpedia The more water-repellent the rayon-based fabric, the more slowly it will decompose.[10] Silverfish can eat rayon[citation needed]. Many kinds of marine creatures eat rayon fibers and it ends up in their bloodstream which can be fatal.[citation needed]
A recent ocean survey found that rayon contributed to 56.9% of the total fibers found in deep ocean areas, the rest being polyester, polyamides, acetate and acrylic.[11]
which suggests that rayon fibres act like other micro plastic fibres!

 

So while cellulose plastics used in packaging are often described as biodegradable, many rayons are not described as such. Could be an omission but is a grey area and until research proves otherwise, I will assume they are not.

 

Bamboo Rayon

 

Most bamboo fabric that is the current eco-fashion rage is chemically manufactured by “cooking” the bamboo leaves and woody shoots in strong chemical solvents such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH – also known as caustic soda or lye) and carbon disulfide in a process also known as hydrolysis alkalization combined with multi-phase bleaching. Both sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide have been linked to serious health problems.  great article here

 

The big bamboo swindle

 

“As the Commission charges, even if the rayon used in the companies’ clothing and textile products is manufactured using bamboo as the cellulose source, rayon does not retain any natural antimicrobial properties of the bamboo plant. The rayon manufacturing process, which involves dissolving the plant source in harsh chemicals, eliminates any such natural properties of the bamboo plant. Similarly, the Commission charges that the companies’ clothing and textiles are not made using an environmentally friendly process.

 

The rayon manufacturing process uses toxic chemicals and results in the emission of hazardous air pollutants. And, despite the claims of Pure Bamboo and Bamboosa, the Commission charges that these rayon products are not biodegradable because they will not break down in a reasonably short time after customary disposal. Most clothing and textiles are disposed of either by recycling or sending to a landfill. Neither method results in quick biodegradation.”

 

Federal Trade Commission Report

 

Wether that means they will biodegrade in a compost heap but not in landfill,  I cannot say but the production of bamboo fibres isnt very green. Everyone seems to agree on 

 

Rainforest Alliance

 

The Rainforest Alliance has this to say about other forms of regenerated fibres

 

To make popular fabrics, including rayon and viscose, forests are cut down to make way for monocrop tree plantations. Trees from both the forest and the plantations are cut down and go through an incredibly toxic process to create what is known as dissolving pulp, a white fluffy material that gets spun into threads and woven into cloth.

 

This cloth is made into fabrics by some of the world’s most popular brands, including RAN’s Fashion Fifteen: Forest destruction for fabric has to stop. That’s why RAN has launched our Out of Fashion campaign, to demand the fashion industry commit to forest friendly fabric.

 

“But it still comes as a surprise to many to learn that some of the most common fabrics used by big name fashion brands — viscose, rayon and modal — also originate as trees in Indonesia, Canada, Brazil, and South Africa. Only now has a public conversation finally started about the fact that the forest fabric industry is causing human rights violations and forest destruction in some of the world’s most critical ecosystems.”

 

Plantation expansion for pulp has also been devastating to indigenous and forest-dependent communities. Just in the area owned and operated by one company, Toba Pulp Lestari, in Northern Sumatra, a nonprofit organization called KSPPM has documented over 20 distinct cases where land traditionally owned by communities has been forcibly seized without the consent of the community and then clear cut for acacia plantations.

 

Lenzig & Greener, Biodegradable Rayon

 

Viscose, Modal and Tencel (lyocell), from Austria-based company Lenzing, are made from wood pulp. These high-purity cellulose fibres are obtained from sustainably managed forests, according to a report by the University of Cambridge’s sustainable manufacturing group. Compared with cotton, wood has the advantages of low water consumption, reduced pesticide use and produces up to 10 times the amount of cellulose per hectare, states the report. And these fibres are 100 per cent biodegradable.

 

Lenzing’s latest accomplishment in environmental fiber technology is known as Edelweiss. Edelweiss-technology is based on oxygen-based chemistry which is more eco-friendly than the conventional one. Thus Lenzing Modal® Edelweiss is the only Modal fiber which satisfies the highest environmental standards and is even CO2-neutral.

 

 

More

 

 

 

 

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Make up

by Posted in 3.1 Personal Tagged 1 Comment

It is a long time since I have worn make up. My excuse would be the most of it comes in plastic but the reality is that I’m simply too lazy. I can’t be bothered painting on some eyes, lips and cheeks every time I leave the house. Never have. My experience with makeup is limited to some exuberant punk escapades back in the day that featured a lot of smudgy black kohl and hanging around in bus shelters. It was grim up north I can tell you.

Since then my face has seen little more than a sweep of mascara on high days and holidays. And often not even then.

However the purpose of this blog is to source alternatives for plastic packed products and this year I am going to be making up for lost time. Time to tackle cosmetics and as I always like to lead by example so I am learning how to primp and paint.

I have bought some make-up. I’ve got a pencil, some liquid eyeliner, lipstick (greasy stuff) and blush. I will branch out into foundation and eyeshadow later. Learning to live with makeup is hard. Is it a skill you have to be taught in childhood? And I’m only up to mascara. One word – clumps!

Looking Into

Makeup Remover
Given my inexperience with makeup and hamfisted attempts with liquid eyeliner, my first and most important find has been a #plasticfree make up remover. And once again it is coconut oil. Removes all makeup easily and gently. Just add that to its many list of virtues. You can read about coconut oil and where to purchase it, here

Makeup

So I have been doing some research into plasticfree makeup. Here are some ideas

Boots no 7 foundation is in a glass bottle with a plastic lid
Besame cake mascara.They do it in both black and brown. The actual product looks great. Seems it comes in a tin with a paper wrap and cardboard box. Sadly the applicator is plastic and comes in a plastic bag.
read more here

Lush
solid perfume at Lush in tins like lip balm.
They also have packaging free blocks of lip colour in a pinks and reds option
eyebrow pencils that look like crayons as well.
They also do blocks of henna.
Read more about Lush here

LunaZeroWaste

is a UK designed and manufactured zero waste makeup brand. Our products are totally vegan and never come in plastic packaging.
The idea for LunaZeroWaste came from one person’s frustration in not being able to find makeup that was produced in the UK, animal product free and Zero Waste. We hope that you enjoy our products as much as we do!

Luna zero waste on Etsy does eyeliner, mascara an lip tint in glass and metal but no applicators read more here

Kajer Weiss do refillable metal and great makeup too read more here

Nuturissmo
Buy online and their packaging is all compostable and they sell things like kjer Weiss refillable makeup.

From the website
We want to be part of the solution so we practise responsible sourcing and make eco-friendly decisions. We stock products that avoid excess packaging and that provide packaging that can be recycled. Our own delivery boxes are 100% recyclable and FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) approved which helps prevent the use of illegally harvested timber. Our tissue paper is provided by a sustainable company and printed with eco-friendly soy ink, not petroleum-based ink, and it’s 100% recyclable. We use 100% natural starch-based packing peanuts to secure your products inside they box; they are a far more environmentally friendly solution compared to petroleum-based polystyrene packing material. We favour 100% recyclable packaging, fair-trade, locally produced and biodegradable products, all of which help reduce waste and pollution.

I haven’t had time to research this site but it looks interesting and they do consider their packaging. So while not plastic free I have included them as make up is very tricky to find. See for your self HERE

Anything But Plastic

This is a great online shop. You can read more about them here

I will soon be stocking plastic free make up on my website Anything But Plastic, I’m just waiting to try out some samples before ordering. It’s so difficult to source in the UK, I hope I’ve finally found a good supplier, fingers crossed 🙂
read more here

Many thanks to the lovely Plastic Is Rubbish FB group who came up with these reccomendations. They are a great source of personal experience and up to date information.

More

There are more plastic free cosmetics featured on our Pinterest page.

Interesting article here

See all our Personal Care Posts here

Why This Post Is ….

A little bit rubbish. You are reading a work in progress. Here’s how the blog is written and why we post half cocked.

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My Share Of Fabric

by Posted in 4.3 My Projects Tagged 9 Comments

I try to ration my fabric use to 3.8 kg of natural fabric /fibre products. That is for everything from towels to dishcloths.Just so you know a kingsize double duvet cover from Ikea weighs in at 991 grams and a Marks & Spencer short-sleeved tee-shirt is 156 grams.

Why? Because I feel the plastic-free wardrobe, bedroom and spa should only contain natural fabrics in sustainable amounts. But what is sustainable. How much is that in real terms? And how do you decide?

Heres what fibres and fabrics are currently used in the U.K.

  • 3.25 million tonnes of clothing and textiles flow through the UK each year – approximately 55kg per person.
  • Consumers in the UK spend about £780 per head per year, purchasing around 2.15 million tonnes (35kg per person)

Heres how many textile fibres are produced annually:

So let’s do some sums. Rough calculations would suggest that the average amount of fibres per annum, for every person in the world, works out at 11.74 kg per person This is for everything – clothes, bedding, fabrics used in manufacturing, furnishings, businesses. All our fabric needs.

We in the UK are using 55kg of fabric per person and 35kg of that is on clothes. We are obviously taking more than our share of fabrics produced.

Here’s how the figures are worked…. There are 7,304,489,285 people in the world right now Current World Population http://www.worldometers.info These are the fabrics produced (see here for sources and more info)

source Fibre Metric tonnes Amount per person
1 Cotton 25000000 3.43 kg
1 Wool- Sheep 2100000 29g
1 Wool – Other 40000 1g
1 Silk 150000 2g
1 Linen 147000 2g
Total 3.8kg
2 Total Fibers (natural & synthetic) 85500000 11.74

Increased Consumption

We are taking more than our fair share. So what about those who have less than their fair share? Well the second-hand clothing market is huge. Tonnes of second-hand clothing each year are exported overseas (including many of the clothes donated to charity) ending up in third world street markets.

Result! The poorer countries can always have our cast offs. In fact we are doing them a favor by giving it away. But suppose the saucy poor want new clothes? And in the amounts we have them? To maintain our level of consumption, and give use all 35kg of clothes each year, production would have to triple.

Fabric production like everything has an environmental impact and carbon footprint, a rather large one actually. And then there’s the waste created by this massive amount of clothing. I would argue that it is not sustainable for us all to have 35kg of new clothes each year.

Responsible Consumption

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.
  • Therefore we have to consume our global share

Fair sharing of resources or 11.74kg of fabric per person.

Plastic free consumption

I prefer to use only natural and, (ideally), organic fibres. There are many good reasons why (and here they are) However I do not think an increase in production is justified. For 11 kg of natural fibres per person we would need to grow tonnes more cotton, farm lots more sheep and millions of silkworms would have to die. This would put a huge pressure on land water and other natural resources. So I am going to use my share of natural fibres, 3.8kg of new fabrics a year for clothing, bedding and towels. I will use a few synthetic fibres for specialist clothing and tents.

Conclusions

This is a rough working figure. I am not claiming that current levels of production are sustainable. Nor that 11.74 kg per person is absolute. My world plan needs some work. Children for example might be given less, hospitals, nursing homes and other such places might need an allowance for more. Maybe you would have to pay part of your hotel bill with clothing coupons to contribute to sheet cost. There are all kinds of glitches that need working on but I have to start somewhere and this is it.

Benefits 9254be68c30f305028fb54a68f5198b4

Can it be done? I don’t know! But lets look at the benefits of the fair share fabric scheme. The first would be it would make clothes valuable and so valued again and the unsustainable consumption of clothing would be halted.

  • Clothes would be better made as they would have to last longer.
  • Rather than having hundreds of trashy items we would have fewer well made fantastic pieces.
  • We would all look like this
  • Quality fabrics like Harris tweed would be back in fashion.
  • People would adapt their clothes to suit new trends and not buy new
  • Swapping clothes would be the norm.

Really, it’s a fantastic idea. Second Hand Clothes Can I buy second hand clothes to supplement my allowance? No. I can buy second-hand but it has to count as part of my allowance.

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Fabric – An Introduction

by Posted in 4 About The Alternatives Tagged , , 1 Comment

Post Index

Definitions

Making Fabric

  • Types  Of Fabric
  • Fabric Weights 
  • Why Organic & Fair-trade 

Related Posts

An Introduction To Fabric

Introduction 

Fibres are short fine hairs that can be twisted or spun into longer thread or yarn. This is then woven or knitted into fabric.Natural fibres biodegrade. Synthetic fibres are man-made and plastic. Most dont. Regenerated Fibres are cellulose converted through a chemical process. Some it is claimed are biodegradable. Some are not. Yarns and fabrics made from these fibres share these qualities. Clothing – ditto. 

Natural Fibres used for finer fabrics and yarn include

  • Cotton used to make cotton
  • Flax is used to make linen. It is one of the strongest vegetable fibres. Other vegetable fibres include hemp and nettles.
  • Coarse fibres such as hemp is used to make sacking 
  • Wool and other animal hair 
  • Silk strong and light weight. Read more here.
  • Read more  HERE

Synthetic fibres

These are man-made from chemicals many of which are petroleum derived. Acrylic, nylon and polyester  are the most common. They are made from oil and coal.

  • Acrylic fibre resembles wool and so is used to replace that natural fibre.
  • Nylon is used as a silk substitute. It is a very fine and strong fibre so can be used to make ladies tights.
  • Polyester is one of the most popular man-made fibres. It can be used to mimic almost any natural fibre. is the same Polyethylene terephthalat, (frequently shortened to PET or PETE and was formerly called PETP or PET-P), that is used to make bottles and a lot of other plastic stuff.
  • Read more HERE

Regenerated Fibres

The base material is cellulose that can be obtained from a range of sources including wood, paper, cotton fiber, or  bamboo. It is then converted through a chemical process into a fiber.

They usually go under the trade names such as 

  • Rayon
  • Bamboo Rayon
  • Viscose,
  • Modal
  • Tencel (lyocell)

Regenerated Fibres & fabrics  a very basic introduction

Making Fabric

Fabric can be woven or knitted from yarn made by spinning fibres. 

Fabrics are often named  after yarn type. So cotton can be the fibre the yarn or the fabric. They can be a mixture of yarns like poly cotton – polyester and cotton mix. They may be named after the trade name like Modal.

Mixed Fibre Fabric

Where different fibres are mixed together like a wool/ silk mix  popular for suits or natural and synthetic eg polycotton

Stretch Fabrics

Stretch fabrics contains elasticine also called Spandex or Lycra. It 

is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It can be stretched up to 7 times it’s own length and snaps back into shape. It is blended with other fibres, both synthetic and natural, to create a stretchy fabric great for underwear and sports wear. Read more here

more names for fabric

There are many different kind of weave resulting in fabrics of different thickness and texture. Fabrics may be named after the weave for example twill.

Jersey is a knitted fabric that could be made from cotton, silk or polyester.

Cotton fabric can be described as denim, lawn or muslin.

Silk comes under any number of of luscious sounding names including Charmeuse, Chiffon and Crepe de Chine.

Different types of fabric have different qualities – demin is a heavy thick hard wearing cotton fabric while lawn is thin sheer cotton fabric. Differences are down to how the fabric is made and the weight (thickness) of the yarn used.

You can find over 200 types of fabric listed HERE

Fabric Weights

GSM means grammes per square metre so typically a voile or muslin would weigh less than 100 grammes per metre.

Shirtweight would be 100 to 200 gsm. Lightweight canvas would be around 300gsm. Denim is often classified in oz per sq yard. 12 oz = 400 gsm.

Natural & Ethical Fabrics

As many fabrics are made in poorer countries, do try to source fair-trade when ever possible. There are good reasons for trying to also source organic. Cotton especially uses huge amounts of pesticides.

Problem is fair trade and organic don’t come cheap and I can’t always afford it. So, without beating myself up about it, I also buy natural but almost-certainly-non-organic, who-knows-how-it-is-made fabric from local fabric shops.

Buy Fabrics

Buy fabric and other related informotion 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
Join our Facebook group here



Buy Plastic-Free Beauty Products

by Posted in 3.2 Shops & Businesses

Posts with links to suppliers

Usually not Amazon…..

Condoms & Lubricants
Cigarettes
Toothbrushes – bamboo
Tampons with applicator – plastic-free
Body Butter
Earphones plastic reduced and greener plastic
Razor
BYO Toiletries
Exfoliation
Sun block for a year
Jars & Pots
Antisceptic, tooth whitener and mouthwash …
Cream in Bangkok
How to …clean your teeth plastic free
Creams and Lotions
Talcum Powder
How to…menstruate plastic free
Tissues
Hankerchiefs
Nail Brush
Toner – skin
Toothbrush Ceba
Hair Gel and hairspray
Soap
Plastic IN toothpaste
bicarb for beauty
Sun block
Toilet Roll
Health care
tooth brushes Recycled plastic
Hair Brushes and Combs
Fake-bake plastic-free
deodorant crystals
Conditioners
lip balm
Shampoo
Ear buds

Amazon Catalogue

Please do read the notes in the sidebar on the right.

I have shown the products  in a catalogue format as I find this easier than browsing the widget. However clicking a link will take you to the shop widget  where you will also find the most recent additions

 

Thyvogue Men's Red Round Red Dial Wooden Watch with 40 Mm Size W00007 Jellybean Genuine Natural Wood Sunglasses Hand Made Exclusive wooden sunglasses or bamboo Polarized New (Unisex Mens Ladies) Wayfarer Sunglasses UV400 Lense brand 4sold
Thyvogue Men’s Red Round Red Dial Wooden Wa…
£24.99		 Jellybean Genuine Natural Wood Sunglasses H…
£49.95		 wooden sunglasses or bamboo Polarized New (…
£23.00 – £25.00
Wood Sunglasses Skateboard Go Pear wood sunglasses. The frame is made of pear wood. / Bamboo wood glasses eyewaer bamboo / unisex / new style fashion design Kent Handcrafted Half Round Bristle Hair Brush LC7
Wood Sunglasses Skateboard Go
£69.90		 Pear wood sunglasses. The frame is made of …
£49.95		 Kent Handcrafted Half Round Bristle Hair Br…
£27.61
Evolatree - Elegant Natural Handcrafted Comb - Wide Tooth - Lignum Vitae Wood - Pocket Size 4.5" Monkeybrother 1 x handmade natural wood wide tooth comb short pocket hair combs Handmade 100% Sandalwood Wood Comb, Pocket Comb
Evolatree – Elegant Natural Handcrafted Com… Monkeybrother 1 x handmade natural wood wid… Handmade 100% Sandalwood Wood Comb, Pocket …
£6.88
12 Pack Ladies 100% Cotton Plain White Handkerchiefs With Satin Stripe Border Samuel Windsor Luxury 100% Cotton Handkerchiefs - 12 Pack. Samuel Windsor Luxury 100% Cotton Handkerchiefs Check Stripe - 12 Pack.
12 Pack Ladies 100% Cotton Plain White Hand…
£7.46		 Samuel Windsor Luxury 100% Cotton Handkerch…
£16.00		 Samuel Windsor Luxury 100% Cotton Handkerch…
£10.00
Samuel Windsor Luxury 100% Cotton Handkerchiefs - 12 Pack. 12 Pack Of Womens/Ladies 100% Cotton Dyed Handkerchiefs With A Satin Border, Assorted Colours
Samuel Windsor Luxury 100% Cotton Handkerch…
£10.00		 12 Pack Of Womens/Ladies 100% Cotton Dyed H…
£10.99

Health & Beauty

1 x Radius Floss, handspun Silk Floss Waxed with Candelilla Wax 30 meters 3 X SMALL SILVER METAL FILLING FUNNELS Factorykiss 10 Transparent Clear Empty Lip Balm Tubes Containers
1 x Radius Floss, handspun Silk Floss Waxed… 3 X SMALL SILVER METAL FILLING FUNNELS
£4.99		 Factorykiss 10 Transparent Clear Empty Lip …
£2.82
Natracare Organic All Cotton Tampons With Applicator - Regular 16
Natracare Organic All Cotton Tampons With A…
£2.59
see review on our website http://plasticisrubbish.com/2014/06/26/tampons-with-applicator/
Organic & Fairtrade Shea Butter (Unrefined) - 500g Organic Coconut Oil Cuisine - Mild & Odourless (Biona) 470ml Lucy Bee Extra Virgin Raw Organic Coconut Oil 500ml
Organic & Fairtrade Shea Butter (Unrefi…
£10.95		 Organic Coconut Oil Cuisine – Mild & Od…
£4.79		 Lucy Bee Extra Virgin Raw Organic Coconut O…
£9.95
(5 Bars) 100% ORGANIC Hand Poured Beeswax - 30g each - Premium Quality, Cosmetic Grade, Triple Filtered Bees Wax Carnauba Wax - T3 Grade 1KG 250ml Castor Oil - 100% Pure Cold Pressed
(5 Bars) 100% ORGANIC Hand Poured Beeswax -…
£2.71		 Carnauba Wax – T3 Grade 1KG
£11.50		 250ml Castor Oil – 100% Pure Cold Pressed
£2.89
1 pc Banana & Honey dry skin Soap 100% Natural Handmade 120g100% Natural Handmade aprox.120g OOH LA LA Lip Balm 100% Pure Organic Cocoa Butter 120ml jar
1 pc Banana & Honey dry skin Soap 100% …
£4.60		 OOH LA LA Lip Balm
£3.00		 100% Pure Organic Cocoa Butter 120ml jar
£3.32
Elixir Pure Citric Acid |Food Grade | 250g,500g,1kg,2kg,5kg,10kg,25kg 6 x Radius Floss, Handspun Organic Silk Floss Waxed with Candelilla Leaf Wax. Radius Floss, handspun Silk Floss waxed with Beeswax x 1 plus Cranberry Floss x 1
Elixir Pure Citric Acid |Food Grade | 250g,…
£3.98 – £70.48		 6 x Radius Floss, Handspun Organic Silk Flo… Radius Floss, handspun Silk Floss waxed wit…
Raw Health Organic Raw Cider Vinegar With Mother 500ml Eco Friendly Disposable Make-Up Brushes (Lip Brushes) Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar 946 ml
Raw Health Organic Raw Cider Vinegar With M…
£6.20		 Eco Friendly Disposable Make-Up Brushes (Li…
£4.95		 Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar 946 ml
£11.70

Sex & Menstruation

Gladrags Menstrual Color Cotton Pads - 3 - Pack Mooncup Menstrual Cup Size B Mooncup Menstrual Cup Size A 1pieces
Gladrags Menstrual Color Cotton Pads – 3 – …
£18.99		 Mooncup Menstrual Cup Size B
£19.99
Comes in 2 sizes – check before you buy you can read a review on http://plasticisrubbish.com/2010/01/03/lady-stuff/		 Mooncup Menstrual Cup Size A 1pieces
£19.99
Natracare Regular Pads Natracare Organic All Cotton Tampons With Applicator - Regular 16 Reusable Hemp Sanitary Towel
Natracare Regular Pads
£1.90 – £20.10		 Natracare Organic All Cotton Tampons With A…
£2.59
see review on our website http://plasticisrubbish.com/2014/06/26/tampons-with-applicator/		 Reusable Hemp Sanitary Towel
Reusable Cotton Sanitary Towel - Flowers & Birds The Busy Woman's Guide to Cloth Pads GladRags Color Day Pad
Reusable Cotton Sanitary Towel – Flowers &a… The Busy Woman’s Guide to Cloth Pads
by Tracy Puhl		 GladRags Color Day Pad
£6.00 – £39.59
Trojan Naturalamb Luxury Non Latex Condoms (10 Pack) Biona Org Odourless Coconut Oil 610 ML x 1
Trojan Naturalamb Luxury Non Latex Condoms …
£28.99
Made from sheeps intestines		 Biona Org Odourless Coconut Oil 610 ML x 1
£5.82
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Clothing Manifesto

by Posted in 4.0 Us, the boycott & the blog 9 Comments

I have a list of sustainable criteria when choosing what clothes to buy or make. They have to meet as many of the following as possible

Fabric is mostly
made from natural fibres
ideally organic
Fair-trade or U.K. made
Clothes can be gifted/secondhand but only in limited amounts
Have to be fairly made / homemade i.e. made by adults who are paid a living wage or me.
From shops /businesseswith sustainable environmental policies
Or local shops & suppliers
Made using plastic free thread
Fastened with plastic free fixings
Bought in fair and sustainable amounts.
unhung & unpackaged

Natural Versus Synthetic Fibres

My clothes are mostly made from natural fibres because on consideration they are the greenest, biodegradable option. If you need it, there is a quick  intro to synthetic, regenerated, combination and natural fibres here.

Problems with Synthetic Fibres
Like most other plastics many synthetic fibre do not biodegrade so are difficult to depose of.
Synthetic fabrics  shed plastic microfibres when washed which are being consumed by plankton.
They cannot be dyed.
And more reasons why I prefer natural fabrics over the others here.

I still wear some synthetic fibres but only for specialist clothing that doesn’t need washing often. Tags plastic we use, clothes.

 

Buying Ready Made

Buying ready-made, plastic free clothes is a real chore. While I might choose to buy cotton that does not mean the clothes I buy  will be entirely natural fibres. Even if it says 100% cotton, you will often find that the washing instructions are printed on a synthetic fabric, the thread used to sew may be polyester, that buttons zips and other fixings and finishings will almost certainly contain synthetics.

Plastic Free Packaging
And even if I can get plastic free clothing there is the packaging and presentation to consider
While you may see clothes in shops unpacked, many fabric items come to the shop plastic packed for protection. Even clothes hanging unpacked on hangers will most probably have arrived plastic packed and then been unpacked .

Hangers
And you will of course see clothes hanging on hangers. I used to think that when the clothes arrived at the shop they were hung on hangers that would, if I refused them, be re-used to hang more clothes. This is not the case. Many clothes now come already hung hangers.  If I refuse a hanger chances are it will not be reused but may thrown away, possibly recycled.

Recycled Plastic Packaging
Though the bags and hangers can probably be recycled I have no way of knowing if they will be. Even if they are, recycling is only a more responsible form of waste disposal. It still comes with an environmental cost. Just because plastic can be recycled is no reason to use it to create everlasting trash and in such ludicrous amounts.

 

Price Tags & Labels
Even if you manage to source a packaging free item there will be size label, stickers, price tags and irritating plastic ties to contend with. Even cardboard labels will most likely be plasticized.

Buying On Line
While you might avoid the hangers and price tags by buying online there is onward packaging to contend with. In my experience many companies send stuff out in plastic and refuse to otherwise stating that they need the plastic is needed to protect the product. Even the greener companies do this.

Buying Second Hand

One way to cut the packaging, hangers and price tags is to buy second hand. It is also in many ways a greener option than buying new but I don’t like it.

I have no problem with buying or better still being gifted second hand clothes but there are a number of issues to be considered. For me the most important are you cannot use your money to influence how the clothes were made and by whom. Buying second-hand clothes made in sweat shops out of unsustainable fabrics are not, to my mind, guilt free.

Yes it is greener but the plastic packaging rubbish has still been created, fair-trade, organic and natural fibres may not be available and they still use those irritating plastic tags to attach their own labels. But most importantly I feel that charity shops take some of the guilt out of excessive consumption. People feel good about giving clothes to charity it helps raise money for good causes, helps people who cannot afford to buy new and so on. It also means that the donor can go out and buy more clothes. It does nothing to reduce the unsustainable levels of clothing consumption. In fact too many clothes are donated to charities and they simply cannot sell them all in the host countries. Many of the clothes donated to charity shops are sold to second hand dealers. You give to Oxfam, (and lots of other charities), they sell it to textile businesses (not charities) who make a profit from selling it in developing countries. The second hand clothes trade  is credited with hindering the development of sustainable industries in developing countries. You can read more here.

Sustainable Clothing

I only feel comfortable buying sustainable clothes. I mean clothes made from cloth woven from fair-trade, ideally organically-grown, natural fibres, by people paid a proper wage. The articles then need to be sewn up in safe and healthy environments by adults who can live off what they earn. Problem is I can’t afford those kinds of clothes on what I earn.

So I shop at M&S. one of the more sustainable high street stores and pretty good value. They also do reasonably good quality cotton basics. They sell a lot of stuff unhung and they actually reuse their plastic hangers. But….. much as I like M&S I have to admit that they can be a little… erm…. stodgy? And some of the above plastic related issues still apply,

Making Your Own Plasticfree Sustainable Clothes

Seems to me the only way to get completely compostable clothes that are, sustainable, affordable and plastic-free as possible is to make them yourself. So I dragged out my sewing machine and started stitching my own sustainable duds in sustainable amounts.

What’s A Sustainable Amounts Of Clothes

Of course one mans over consumption is another’s nothing to wear so how to decide what is sustainable?

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. Therefore we can only consume our global share

Whats a global share?11.74 kg per person of which 3.8 kg is natural fibres.  all You can check my figures here.

See my global share here…

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Natural V Synthetic fabric

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know, 4 About The Alternatives, 4.9 Useful to know Tagged 4 Comments

In April I am going to be trawling through my wardrobe, ( such as it is). here is some background information to get you in the mood.

What’s in your  Fabric

Synthetics

60% of fibres used today are synthetic and most of them are are petroleum derived, plastic in fact.

The most common are:

Acrylic fibre resembles wool and so is used to replace that natural fibre.
Nylon is used as a silk substitute. It is a very fine and strong fibre so can be used to make ladies tights.
Polyester is one of the most popular man-made fibres. It is the same  Polyethylene terephthalat, (frequently shortened to PET or PETE and was formerly called PETP or PET-P), that is used to make bottles and a lot of other plastic stuff.

Natural Fibres

The next big player in the textile market is cotton. Then in much smaller amounts wool and silk.

Regenerated Fibres

The base material is cellulose that can be obtained from a range of sources including wood, paper, cotton fiber, or  bamboo. It is then converted through a chemical process into a fiber. One such in bamboo. Most bamboo fabric  is made using  chemical solvents such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH – also known as caustic soda or lye) and carbon disulfide  combined with multi-phase bleaching. Both sodium hydroxide and carbon disulfide have been linked to serious health problems. Others are looking extremely promising and are biodegradable. But I don’t really know enough about them and more research needs to be done. They make up a small percentage of the market so for now I am going to discount them!

You can find more detailed facts and figures about synthetic and natural fibres here

Why Choose Natural Fibres

Natural sounds so lovely and clean but it can be low down and very dirty. Cotton comes with its own nasty a gender. A quarter of the total worldwide pesticide use occurs in cotton farming, hundreds or farmers get poisoned and it can take more than 20,000 litres of water to produce 1kg of cotton. Greedy and dirty!Read more…

Wool isn’t much better “The top three pesticides used on sheep are moderately toxic to humans but they are moderately to highly toxic to fish and amphibians, such as frogs, and they are suspected endocrine disruptors. Some of these pesticides are also highly water soluble which means that they can easily be carried from the sheep dip application site by rain or irrigation water runoff into our streams and rivers and contaminate our groundwater.” From Organic Clothing blog

However there are equally nasty chemicals used in making synthetic fibres. For example when making polyester, “Antimony is leached from the fibers during the high temperature dyeing process which is then expelled with the waste water. If not properly cleaned this results in a hazardous water pollutant.  Acrylonitrile used to make acrylic fibres is classed by the EPA as a probable human carcinogen (Group B1).

A main ingredient of Nylon  is “the chemical adipic acid. Producing the acid was once the largest source of industrial nitrous oxide (N2O), a greenhouse gas. Efficient pollution controls have reduced adipic acid emissions 61 percent between 1990 and 2006, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But the chemical still accounts for 5-8 percent of global human-caused emissions of N2O.” read more

Plastic Fabric Pollution 

Synthetic sock survives ocean voyage

Moreover synthetic fibres have the same qualities as plastic. The problems with a polyester sock are the same as with a PET bottle. Though you get more wear out of a sock eventually it gets thrown away and because it is now non-biodegradable rubbish it needs to be special disposed of. Which is expensive and not always effective. Often cheap clothes and fabrics are not properly disposed of and go on to pollute the environment in the same way a bottle may. Plus all the other problems attendant with plastic products (you can read more about the problems with plastic here).

Micro Pollution

And it’s not just end of life disposal that is difficult, synthetic fabrics pollute through out their life time. Everytime they are washed they shed thousands of non biodegradable micro plastic fibres that wash down the drains and into the oceans where they are now affecting the ecosystem, (see micro plastics for more)

The energy used (and the CO2 emitted) to create 1 ton of spun fiber is much higher for synthetics than for hemp or cotton. 

My Choice

So, while acknowledging that natural fabrics have a major environmental impact I feel they are a better option for the following reasons

You can see the contents of my wardrobe here

 

Selling second hand clothes to Africa

by Posted in 3.6 Good to know Tagged 6 Comments

You give to Oxfam, (and lots of other charities), they sell it to textile businesses (not charities) who make a profit from selling it to poorer Africans! Oh the irony!

According to the latest available UN figures, the UK is the second largest used clothing exporter after the US. It exported more than £380m ($600m), or 351,000 tonnes, worth of our discarded fashion overseas in 2013. Top destinations were Poland, Ghana, Pakistan and Ukraine. From the BBC News

According to Dr Brook in his book Clothing Poverty only a small percentage of clothes donated to Oxfam end up in U.K. stores. Most is sold to be exported. The majority is sold through “normal market exchanges”. It is purchased by “clients in the global south “ who sell to “African traders.”

Apparently most charities do this.

“Only about one-fifth of the clothing donated to charities is directly used or sold in their thrift shops. Says Rivoli, “There are nowhere near enough people in America to absorb the mountains of castoffs, even if they were given away.”

So charities find another way to fund their programs using the clothing and other textiles that can’t be sold at their thrift shops: they sell it to textile recyclers at 5–7 cents per pound.”

Cambridge University issued a report in 2006 titled Well Dressed? The Present and Future Sustainability of Clothing and Textiles in the United Kingdom, in which it raised concerns that trade in secondhand clothes in African countries inhibits development of local industries even as it creates employment in these countries.

And the authors of Recycling of Low Grade Clothing Waste warn that in the long run, as prices and quality of new clothing continue to decline, so too will the demand for used clothing diminish. This is because in the world of fast fashion, new clothing could be bought almost as inexpensively as used clothing.

Read more

One of the sad ironies of today’s globalised economy is that many cotton farmers and ex-factory workers in countries such as Zambia are now too poor to afford any clothes other than imported second-hand ones from the west, whereas 30 or 40 years ago they could buy locally produced new clothes. The Guardian

And it would appear that H&M have got it really sussed. They sell you the clothes then you give them back so they can be reworn…. or resold.  From the H&M website

Don’t let fashion go to waste

No true fashion lover likes seeing clothes go to waste. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to give your garments a new life. For example, we’ve already made some new collections from worn clothes – many of which came via our own Garment Collecting service.

Looking ahead, there are three ways to repurpose the unwanted garments:

  • Rewear – clothing that can be worn again will be sold as second hand clothes
  • Reuse – old clothes and textiles will be turned into other products, such as cleaning cloths
  • Recycle – everything else is turned into textile fibres, or other use such as insulation.

You can see all posts on Charity Shops here

You can see all our posts on clothing, fabrics and the plastic-free wardrobe here.

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Seed – harvested

by Posted in 3.1 House, Office & Garden Tagged

This one means planning ahead and the packaging may not be plastic free – you will have to check with the company BUT it means years and years of plastic free seed ahead of you. Basically you grow the plant, harvest some but let others go to seed. You then collect the seeds, store them then use them again next year to grow more food, more seed! How good is that?

You can buy real seeds from this company. They have a great selection including veges, herbs and flowers.

The following bits of info were copied directly from their website real seeds

Seed You Can Save Yourself

One of the main aims of the company – written into its deeds – is to educate and encourage home seed saving. All our varieties are real, open-pollinated seed (non-hybrid), so you can save your own seed for the future, using instructions we supply. We have written freely-copyable seed-saving guides, and we sell a more detailed seed-saving book at a subsidised price. There’s really no need to buy new seed every year – you can just save your own.

Hybrid (“F1”) seed is the result of a cross between two different , but heavily inbred parents. Seed you save from these plants will either be sterile or a give a whole mix of shapes and types, usually producing a poor crop.

Only the seed company knows what the parents are, thus only they can produce that particular variety. If you want to grow it, you have no other source – good for the seed companies but not for you! Small growers should be able to keep their own seeds, selecting each year the best plants most suitable for their own land and conditions.

Yes, there are a few exceptions, but in general, the hybrid seed business has been a public relations victory over the small grower. For example, you will soon see more and more hybrid leek seed offered to you. This is because the supermarkets have set incredibly rigid limits on leek size, and the only way to achieve this is through hybridising two inbred varieties, so all leek seed production is switching to hybrids.

You will be told that these new leeks are ‘more uniform’, ‘straighter’ and so on. But what about flavour and adaptability? People seem to forget that we want to eat & enjoy these things – food is not just a commodity!

Despite common urban myths, there is no magic about hybrids. So-called “hybrid vigour” is the simple fact that good hybrid seed is better than bad real seed, and that sadly much of the real seed you get now has been badly maintained. But good real seed – which admittedly requires time, care and patience to produce and maintain – must, by virtue of the genetics of these things, be just as good, and in fact much more adaptable to different soils.

The key here is that it takes less manpower to make the hybrid seed, so the wholesale seed growers are much happier to let the old varieties fade away.