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
We will ensure at least 95% of our collections are made from natural fibres.
We will use more recycled yarns.
We will replace our garment care labels & tickets with a natural alternative.
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.
So I used to do a monthly newsletter documenting each my plastic fails and successes. But since but since the pandemic I have felt rather uncertain about writing on the subject. First I myself was being hounded from pillar to post. The pandemic hit when we were in Thailand. We had planned to stay some time and ended up on the last plane out. Since then I have done three lockdowns and four quarantines in separate countries.
Obviously we have had to shop how we can.
And I have a lot of resources. I have managed to be reasonably plastic free and also use independents… but the thought of lecturing others on the subject seems unfair and unproductive.
So I have taken an unintentional sabbatical.
In the meantime I have been considering whether or not my input is still valid. When I started there were very few of us campaigning on the subject. Now there are well established and funded charities. But more on that later.
In short, I hope that any readers of the blog are well and happy. That you have managed as best you can and have survived the worst. My thoughts are with you. Let’s hope this year is better.
And some sort of service may well be resumed. Watch this space.
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
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
Insulation For A Van Conversion.
When converting our empty steel box of a van into a cosy camper home we had to line it with some form of installation.
This stops the van from being freezing cold in winter and a baking, boiling can of sweat in the warmer weather. And, very, importantly deadens the noise from outside.
Reading up about insulating vans and there are all kinds of concerns and worries. Many say you need to line the steel inside with a plastic sheet to stop the water condensing on the surface and rusting the van from the side out.
However I don’t want to use plastic. So I went for a natural carpet liner stuck straight to the metal. N.B. This is an important decision and may have long term, negative consequence. Please do your own research.
After some research I thought I would use wool.
I tried to buy some all natural Swaledale wool but Could get it on time.
Details Here
Swaledale 50 Pure Wool Carpet Underlay
heavy weight pure new wool carpet underlay
manufactured from 100% pure Swaledale wool. made with 100% Swaledale wool and has a new improved Jute scrim which is ideal for anyone wanting a totally natural product.
MULTI RICH 56 – Recycled felt underlay made from leftover carpet fibres made locally in Yorkshire.
This meets a lot of my shopping criteria. I’m into supporting local businesses, local production and recycled products as well as biodegradable and plastic free. So this is almost perfect.
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. And of course it does come packaged in plastic – sigh….
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.
Specialist manufacturer of underlay based in Dewsbury – West Yorkshire. Underlay made in the UK!
Wool carpet underlay is made entirely from 100% recycled fibres. Leftover from carpet production. 80% pure wool 20% synthetic
Specialist manufacturer of underlay based in Dewsbury – West Yorkshire. Underlay made in the UK!
Website http://wilsons-underlays.co.uk
Wilsons Underlays, Ravenswharf Road, Dewsbury
More Information
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
I want some foam rubber. But of course most of it is plastic derived. Apparently there is such a thing as natural foam rubber. But first I had to do a bit more research into actual rubber. Heres what I found…..
There are two major categories of rubber; natural and synthetic. The most popular compounds are;
Natural Rubber Vulcanised Rubber Synthetic
History
Thousands of years BC Indians living in Central and South America were using latex to makewaterproof clothes and shoes using latex from rubber trees.
It was unknown in Europe until 1731when French explorer Charles Marie de La Condamine sent back samples of rubber to Europe. It was put to a variety of uses In 1770 Joseph Priestley found he could use pieces of rubber to erase pencil marks.
Others used it to waterproof cloth a series of discoveries that eventually led to Charles Macintosh inventing and patenting the rubberized, waterproof coat or macintosh. But it wasnt until 1839 when American inventor Charles Goodyear discovered how to vulcanize rubber that it really came into its own.
Natural Rubber
also called Latex or Para
Natural rubber is made from latex Latex is the white liquid that oozes from certain plants when you cut into them.There are around 200 plants in the world that produce latex including dandilions. 99 percent of natural rubber comes from a tree called Hevea brasiliensis, or the rubber tree.
Though it’s sometimes mistaken as the sap of the Hevea tree, latex actuality runs through ducts in a layer just outside the cambium below the tree’s bark.
The rubber tree originates from South America.
90% of all natural rubber comes from these trees grown in rubber plantations mainly found in Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula and Sri Lanka.
This type of rubber is often called Para rubber.
However by itself, unprocessed natural rubber is not all that useful. It tends to be brittle when cold and smelly and sticky when it warms up.
So it is combined with a range of addatives to give it added strength and flexibility.
The tough rubber used for tyres and such like has been further processed or vulcanised.
Vulcanised Rubber
Latex is filtered, washed, and reacted with acid to make the particles of rubber stick together. Mastication machines “chew up” raw rubber using mechanical rollers and presses to make it softer, easier to work, and more sticky. Addatives chemical ingredients are mixed in to improve its properties (for example, to make it more hardwearing). Next, the rubber is squashed into shape by rollers (a process called calendering) or squeezed through specially shaped holes to make hollow tubes (a process known as extrusion).
Finally, the rubber is vulcanized (cooked): sulfur is added and the rubber is heated to about 140°C (280°F).
Biodegradable?
Latex when made from rubber trees a natural sounds like it should be biodegradable. Which has led to claims that that non-vulcanised products like latex condoms and other products are.
This is hotly debated! Most latex products contain addatives to make them (amongst other things) stronger. It all depends on wether they are biodegradable or not.
While many people say that simple rubber products people do eventually decompose, (not proven), it takes such a long time as to make any claims of biodegradability misleading.Certainly the anti-balloon camp do not consider latex balloons to be biodegradable despite what the balloon industry say.
And yet this….
Very thin rubber products, such as balloons and condoms, will degrade naturally especially if they are subjected to natural sunlight. As is evident from the problems which are associated with sealing rings natural rubber is capable of being biodegraded. It should be possible to compost thin rubber articles
In a composting environment, biodegradation rates over 24 weeks were twice that compared to the fertilized treatment in soils. Degradation of natural rubber condoms in soil was slower compared to gloves with 42% of the initial weights remaining after 48 weeks. In contrast, the manufactured polyurethane condoms were hardly biodegradable.
It is possible to buy natural latex foam rubber. For example 100% Natural Latex, Pure Comfort, Talalay rubber not foam, offering maximum comfort and luxury, available in Soft, Medium or Firm.read more here. I
Both of the above have been described as biodegradable.
However vulcanised rubber generally is not. Though there are some suggestions that it may eventually biodegrade more research needs to be done.
Synthetic rubber on the other hand is definitely not biodegradable.
More Stuff
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
One of the much touted benefits of plastic is that it reduces pressure on natural resources. Nowhere is this more true than in fabric and fibres.Producing natural fibres is certainly resource intensive. And synthetic fabrics have moved on since the early days of crimpolene and can now convincingly replace anything from wool to silk. They used to make the sheerest of stockings to the thickest and woolliest of fleece jackets. Dirty old fishing nets can be recycled into saucy bikinis.
And at a fraction of the price. So much so that synthetics now make up 60% of the market.
While using synthetic fibres means that less space is needed to grow cotton or flax, less pesticides are used and vegans can be pleased that less sheep need shearing and silk worms dont need to die for us.
But of course synthetics come with their own very real and severe environmental costs.
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 specialy disposed of. Cheap clothes and fabrics 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 more I sew the more I realise all fabrics are not the same – even if they go under the same name! The following are my ongoing notes on the subject. I have a lot to learn!
Lawn is a very fine cotton though as with everything in life it seems you can get different grades of fabric that have, predictably, slightly different qualities. The Ebay lawn I used to make my wrap around top creases far more than the Thai lawn from Japan I used to make the back packers bloomers. I am not complaining about the Ebay lawn. It is still good and at that price, a real bargain. But if you don’t like ironing but do mind looking crumpled than it might be better to try and source a higher grade fabric.
I though I had when I bought some grey lawn from the Button Box in Huddersfield to make the Choir Boy Top. This is more like a muslin more crumply than the Japanese lawn but nots as creased as the Ebay stuff.
Printed Cotton ROse and Hubble for loon pants. Seems to be indestructible.
Batting
Looks like a kind of cotton wool used for quilting and stuffing things. Can be bought HERE
Wool
Reading up on wool. How eco is it? This wonderful blog is my go to for this stuff. Heres their introduction to wool.
Silk
And while we are on the subject did you know about peace silk?
“When it comes to peace silk, the moth has been allowed to complete it’s full transformation, emerging from the cocoon alive and able to continue with mating. Additionally, the eggs are raised every year from one strain, assisting in the conservation of the species. ”
Silk is measured in mom’s. the more moms the thicker the silk. One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter; 8 mommes is approximately 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter.
Hot-water powder dyes, producing vibrant colours on protein fibres including silk, wool, feathers and most nylons. The “acid” is the vinegar that you add for fixing. Dye in an old saucepan, in the microwave, or paint or print and steam-fix. Ideal for dyeing silk scarves a constant colour, silk fibres for silk-papermaking, or wool for feltmaking.
Chiffon is a translucent fabric, or gauze, it is a lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, woven of alternate S- and Z- Twist crepe (high-twist) yarns. Chiffon is smoother and more lustrous than the similar fabric, Georgette.
Early chiffon was made purely from silk Under a magnifying glass, chiffon resembles a fine net or mesh, which gives it some transparency.
Chiffon is most commonly used in evening wear, especially as an overlay, for giving an elegant and floating appearance to the gown. It is also a popular fabric used in blouses, ribbons, scarves and lingerie.
Habotai is a soft, glossy, medium weight Chinese silk in ivory. It is popular for silk painting. It can also be used for making scarves or cushions, although other silks are preferable for the more hard-wearing uses.
Habutai or habotai is normally a lining silk
It comes in a variety of weights (thicknesses) which is measured in mommes (abbreviated mm). A lightweight and sheer habutai silk might be 8 mommes (“8mm”); a 16mm habutai is considered quite thick.
I bought this
good quality silk habotai, 10 momme, 140 cm wide, ivory, suitable for lining and craft
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
Was in Wilcos the other day and was delighted to see these snack packs of nuts and other tasty treats in biodegradable recyclable yet sealed packaging. Just like plastic but better. Recyclable or compostable paper that should it end up on the streets will not go on to choke wildlife.
Yay.
From U.K. companyEvolution Foods based in Telford.
They are a dried fruit, nuts and seeds producer and have introduced the paper packs as part of its new Natural Selection snacking range,
available at Wilko stores across the UK but they also supplya range of other retailers in the UK.
the breakthrough innovation could potentially save over 1,350 tonnes of plastic in the dried fruit, nuts and seeds market in the UK.
There are 25 products in its ‘Natural Selection’ snacking range. All packed in paper.
This includes such delights as yoghurt covered peanuts.
The range also includes snacking trays and shot packs which have been redeveloped to ensure that the packaging can be widely recycled.
You can visit their website here though honestly it is not that good and fails to explain clearly their innovative packaging. Better to read about them here.
There’s the old school stuff – paper, cardboard, leaves and other plant based materials. And then there is the new. The biodegradable 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.
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.”
Buying plastic free cheese is not so easy. But waxed cheeses are becoming more available, and cheaper. So is this a viable alternative to plastic wrapped? And what actually is in that wax?
Waxed cheeses are covered with a mix of paraffin and microcrystalline wax
Both are petroleum based.
The wax is coloured with food grade colours.
For example Babybel have this to say about their wax:
”What is Mini Babybel®’s wax made of? The wax we use to coat our products is made of a blend of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes and colouring, which specifically contains no Bisphenol A. It’s “food safe” and meets very strict regulatory standards.It poses no health risk if accidentally ingested.”
But still …..
Paraffin? Yikes. However paraffin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food, cosmetics, and medical applications. Food-grade paraffin is commonly used for manufacturing candles. For this and other interesting candle facts, visit this websiteHERE
Microcrystalline wax? What? “is a refined mixture of solid, saturated aliphatic hydrocarbons, and produced by de-oiling certain fractions from the petroleum refining process. ….. Microcrystalline waxes are tougher, more flexible and generally higher in melting point than paraffin wax. The fine crystal structure also enables microcrystalline wax to bind solvents or oil, and thus prevent the sweating-out of compositions.”
Microcrystalline wax is often used in industries such as tire and rubber, candles, adhesives, corrugated board, cosmetics, castings, and others
Other uses for parafin and microcrystalline wax include
Baby Oil – a liquid paraffin,
Vaseline® – a microcrystalline wax
But back to cheese. So we go with the wax covered cheese. And of course the wax can be easily peeled off. But then what to do with it?
Composting
This wax is not labelled home compostable but..
According to the dominator wax website The Biodegradable Products Institute has concluded that the natural and synthetic paraffins of the types included in snow sports waxes are biodegradable. Microcrystalline waxes, including those used in snow sports waxes, are biodegradable/compostable.
And paraffin is biodegradable “The wax components, n-and iso-alkanes with up to 50 carbon units were found to be rapidly and completely degraded within 28 days” reade more here
Candle Making
I heard of people who have used it to make candles. That cheesy aroma can only add to any romantic evening.
Firelighters
I use it as firelighters. For which it is extremely good.
More
More wax facts here
Plastic free cheesemakers can use beeswax to seal their cheeses according to curd nerd Read more here
I’m so excited by this… organic, biodegradable plasticfree elastic!! I haven’t used it yet as I’ve only just found it, but drawstring trousers are a thing of the past. The following is taken from Offset Warehouse website.
What’s so great about this elastic?
Not only is it made using certified organic cotton, it also uses natural instead of synthetic rubber to make it stretch and recover. Both of these materials provide a more stable income for farmers, allowing the local economy to grow. Generally, groves where natural rubber is tapped, is also a protected conservation area. At the end of its life, or at the end of your garment’s life, this elastic can biodegrade unlike its synthetic counterpart. Read more about this elastic, and why we’re so thrilled to be stocking it, over on our shop.
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
When I first started my boycott, the only way to get plasticfree coffee was to buy the beans loose and grind them. Now theres all kinds of options from instant in your own bag to compostable pods
Finally managed to score some plastic free instant coffee! Its back to the wonderful Leeds Market. I love it. Its a fantastic place to buy local, #plasticfree almost everything. Read a review here
The JarTree is where I got my coffee. Its a great stall where you can take your own packaging and buy just about everything you might ever need, plastic free. Address: Leeds Kirkgate Market, Unit BS1, Leeds LS2 7HY Phone: 07470 033404 https://www.facebook.com/thejartree/ You can see a picture diary here of all the products stocked including NOODLES!!!! Or visit the website for more. They are continually updating the product list here: http://www.thejartree.co.uk/store-product-list.html
Don’t Live In Leeds? More Plastic Free Food Shops Here.
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 HERE
Want more???? YES!
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
When I first started my boycott, the only way to get plasticfree coffee was to buy the beans loose and grind them. Now theres all kinds of options from instant in your own bag to compostable pods
“Peter Sylvan and John Dragone in the early 1990s started building prototypes of a coffee maker that would brew one cup at a time, using a throwaway package that would hold the grounds and the filter. The result was the Keurig single-cup brewing system, which uses disposable plastic K-Cups that look like supersize creamer containers.”
“When the company began selling its single-serve coffee systems to offices, the price was too high to envision a similar product living on kitchen countertops: $795. But by 2004, the company had created a consumer version that sold for $149. (Keurig’s least expensive machine, the B30 Mini, currently sells for $89.)” Read more
By 2017….
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.
coffee pods, or K-cups, that go in them… and make up a third of all coffee sold.
if you took the coffee pods that the coffee giant Nespresso produced over the years (nearly 30 billion of them), you could circle the globe over two dozen times!
That’s a lot of pods, a lot of plastic, and a lot of aluminium.
Sources for the above facts and a very good article can be found here.
So what to do if you have one of these machines?
Compostable Pods
You could try compostable pods. Such as these from Novelle Coffee
“Our dedication to provide premium coffee is matched only by our commitment to the environment, which is why our coffee is now available in compostable Nespresso compatible capsules.
Available in Intenso and Decaffeinato, it’s the same great ethically-sourced Novell coffee with added peace of mind.
Our capsules are made from 100% compostable materials that decompose over 12 weeks, meaning you can look after the planet as well as your conscience.” Read more
Reportedly the North American brands Purpods and G-Pak have also been certified 100% compostable.
I dont have a coffee making machine so cannot compare taste… but Which have done a survey that you can access here.
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.
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.
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.
Tea, coffee, cocoa and drinking chocolate all bought #plasticfree and made with milk from a returnable glass bottle. Details 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
Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide with many industrial uses, including as a common food additive. It is an effective thickening agent and stabilizer to prevent ingredients from separating. It can be produced from simple sugars using a fermentation process, and derives its name from the species of bacteria used, Xanthomonas campestris.
Wikipedia
It can be used in lieu of gelatine. Measure out half the amount of xanthan gum. ie for i 2 tbsp. of gelatin, use 1 tbsp. of xanthan gum. For baked products, add around 1 tsp. for every cup of flour added.
Hyaluronate Acid
Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, a glycosaminoglycan found in various connective tissue of humans.Wikipedia
Hyaluronate Acid is
A white powder with no aroma. Commercially, much of it is sourced from poultry (rooster combs) which we refuse to stock. The type we have sourced is made by producing enzymes from a bacteria based biofermentation process. It is guaranteed to be animal free.
1 gr Sodium Hyaluronate 98,4 gr Distilled Water If you have an air conditioning system or an electric dehumidifier, you can use the water which accumulates during their use as well. The dehumidifier usually has a container the water is collected in. Household air conditioners have an external compressor water tends to fall under, so place a bucket underneath and collect the water that way. https://thewatergeeks.com/how-to-distill-water/
She suggests adding a preservative but I don’t as preservatives react with my skin.
weigh the Sodium Hyaluronate and the water Pour the Sodium Hyaluronate on top of the water
“At this point some people like to mix it and some people like to let it be. I have actually tried both ways and here is my experience: if you try to mix it at this stage, part of the SH will stick to the spoon. This means that a precious part of your gel will get lost (and SH is not exactly cheap, so you’d want to mind this). IMO it is better to let the SH hydrate by itself on top of the water for a while, and stir later.
4) Cover the glass with plastic film and let it rest in the fridge for few hours.
5) After few hours the SH will be hydrated. Now you can stir it with a spoon so to make the gel more smooth (there will be harder parts and softer parts).
6) Add your preservative, stir again and put in a bottle 🙂
You can use this Gel by itself, for its great hydrating properties! If you have a very dry skin you could like to use it before applying your cream 🙂 You could also make a more luxurious gel by substituting part of the water (or the entire water) with Rose water!
As you might have noticed in the market we can find creams or serums that say “40% Hyaluronic Acid”. Well, as you can see I am using 1% of Sodium Hyaluronate and this is the highest concentration I can use.
This post talks about Microbes Antiseptics Disinfectants Alcohol Bicarbonate Of Soda Vinegar Hydrogen peroxide Soap Essential oils This is an area ... Read More
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The following information is for guidance only. None of the following recipes or tips have not been tested on anyone ... Read More
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
Yes I know many of us consider tap to be the only option but for those of you who love bottled water there are choices. But before we begin lets remind ourselves why water in plastic bottles is an abomination
But what to do if you don’t like tap? You can of course get water in glass bottles from shops and supermarkets. Buts its heavy and glass comes with its own environmental impact. Really glass bottles are only sustainable when they can be refilled. Read more here
So this is very good news… water in returnable, refillable bottles!
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. The only part of what we supply that isn’t reused is the aluminium cap. This is a security thing. Each cap has a use once only breakable seal.
We sell both still and sparkling spring water in 330ml and 750ml bottles. The sparkling water has a natural soft taste and is carbonated lightly.”
You can get them delivered to your doorstep along with your milk in bottles!
To find out more visit the website.
Compostable Bottles
We are always on the look out for new and greener plastics and these PLA bottles caught our eye. Personally I think bottled water is a scam. Why pay good money for that you can get for free? But if you should choose to go down that route, it seems a shame that such a decision should also result in a landfill site of non-biodegradable, plastic bottles.
There are of course compostable, biodegradable plastics – one such is PLA. But for years PLA was not considered up to the job of beverage bottle. You can read more about PLA plastic here.
The following would seem to disprove that theory….
From the website… Eco for life bottles are made from Polylactic acid, PLA for short.
During the production process, we produce 60% less greenhouse gases and use 50% less fossil fuels.
Will bio-degrade
✘ No, takes up to 1000 years
Yes, in an industrial composter
Made from
✘ Oil
Annually renewable plants
Leaches harmful chemicals into water
✘ Yes
No
Can be recycled
✘ Yes, but down-cycled and always ends up in landfill
Yes, and can be re-cycled into a whole new bottle, never ending in landfill
Releases harmful toxins when incinerated
✘ Yes
No
Greenhouse gases savings during production
✘–
Approx. 60%
Oil saved
✘–
Approx. 1 litre for every 24 bottles
N.B. I still don’t know if the screw top lids are PLA plastic.
Composting PLA Plastic
Back to me…. While most agree that PLA plastic is 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.
Moreover I have been composting my PLA plastic for years.
But why create any waste at all if you can avoid it? Get yourself a refillable bottle, use the tap, save money all round. Find bottles, refill places and other water related information here….
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
