Not In My Bin Plastic Rule

4 July 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 4.0 Us, the boycott & the blog 2 Comments

When determining if something is plastic free I sometimes have to apply the not-in-my-bin rule.

A cheesy case study

Please note there are other cheese options but for the purpose of this study we are going with the cheaper mass produced cheese!

We buy cheese unpackaged. Sometimes from a market (try Queensgate in Huddersfield), sometimes a supermarket will have the block uncut,(Tescoes are good for this). We take our own packaging and ask for the cheese to be wrapped in that. However the big block of cheese is usually wrapped in plastic. It’s how they pack and keep mass-produced cheese in the UK.

So, does this counts as plastic free?

Yes and no. I cannot control the supply chain or how others choose to use plastic. I can only control my own environment and what I use plastic for. That might sound like dissembling but consider this;

many products even if they are sold loose will arrive to the shop plastic packed. That includes meat to the butchers, boxes plastic film wrapped onto crates, crates secured with plastic webbing.
You can buy an unwrapped sandwich in a bakers but what of the ingredients? did the baker buy them plastic free? Same can be said for dining out.

The only way I could be sure my food was plastic free would be to grow and butcher it myself – and never eat out or buy in. This is a blog about living plastic- free in the everyday world. For sure I do what I can but I cannot greatly affect how the supply chain operates – yet, (you wait till the movement gets more powerful).

However I can say not in my bin. I can show that at the user end at least, products do not need to be plastic packed and that some consumers will not use plastic packaging. By choosing biodegradable forms of packaging I can massively reduce my plastic waste. I can also dispose of my own rubbish by composting. It doesn’t resolve all the issues of plastic packaging but it reduces the problems at my level of use. And that is a pretty big contribution.

In the UK alone we generate 3 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, 56% of which is used packaging, three-quarters of which is from households. (waste on line)

Imagine if the 65 million UK residents cut the plastic that goes in the domestic bins and started composting. Looks wistfully into space…

Salt

3 July 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged 3.1.3 herbs & spices & seasonings

Sea salt

Can be bought from the Weigh & Save in Penzance and possibly at the other branches of this strange store

Normal Salt

What do you call this – cooking salt?

Budget and in a box from Lidles

Oil Vegetable Cooking Refill

3 July 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Disposables & Reusables, 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged 3.1.2 refill, 3.1.3 Groceries, 3.1.3 Loose Food, 3.1.3 Oils & Spreads, 5 Content Veiw 10 Comments

Vegetable oil is difficult to source plastic free. Buy in glass and the metal caps will have a little plasticized disc or plastic liner on inside and maybe a plastic seal. Plus the bottle will almost always have a plastic pouring widget in the bottle top.Like I can’t pour oil out of a bottle??? Buy in cans and they have a plastic lid, perhaps a handle and the can is of course lined with plastic. You can read more here

On Tap
But if you are very lucky you might find a place that sell oils on tap that lets you use your own refillable bottle. Do you need me to explain that? They sell oil from the can and you take your own bottle, which they refill with oil.

Whahey plastic free oil!

That said in 2015 Defra banned ‘On tap’ olive oil. The following is taken form their website….”These oils mustn’t be sold ‘on tap’ in their pure form: extra virgin olive oil, virgin olive oil, olive oil composed of refined olive oils and virgin olive oils, olive pomace oil. Today (2016) seems oil is back on tap. So, for now you can buy olive oil on tap from a variety of store.

Using your own bottle?
It would seem that some stores allow you to refill your own bottle. Whole Food Market do and I refilled my glass bottle there. But I cannot vouch for the others listed below! Any information on the subject is much appreciated.

Oil refills in the U.K.

The butchers St Agnes, Devon
Wholefood Supermarket Cheltenham & London

Demijohn – Victoria St, Edinburgh refill oil & vinegar (and spirits at Demijohn).

Olive oil Stoneygate, Leicester http://www.deliflavour.net/may also do refills but not checked
Sheena Hatton Claremont Farm in Wirral (oils and vinegars) and Spar in Llanfyllin.Åsa PamphilonHoland andBarrer in Chelmsford.” I havent yet refilled but it is clearly two different prices for their bottle and oil/vinegar or just a refill so I assume I will have no problems.

Or you could try lard. Other greasy options and ways to buy plastic reduced oils and spreads can be found here the edible oil index here.
And everything you need to know about fatty acids 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

Our Plastic Free Year

2 July 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 4 Year

Every month we do a round-up of news and products. 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 read them all here….

2020

2019

2018

2018

2017

2017 01 Roundup

Special Days

Valentines, Easter and other special days can all be found here….

Other Projects

Fair Share Fabric Project

Local Shops

I love me my local shops and this year I am making a real effort to buy British and buy local.

Buy British Buy Local
Use your local shops Reasons why here.
Buy British and cut those air miles. Some ideas HERE

Building a new van and I want it to be as environmental and as plastic free as possible. Decorating is very dirty work and needs a lot of research.

You can see all our related posts here

N.B.

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

Porridge

1 July 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged 3.2.4 cook book 4 Comments

When at home I have a milk man who delivers in glass bottles, but while in the van that is not really an option.

So this morning we had porridge made with water. I had never done this before as I think it sounds simply too workhouse for words. But needs must. So I made it as normal but with water instead of milk. However I added a banana – one per person and cooked it till soft and creamy. They added body to the oats and it all tasted fine.

Banana Porridge with water

Plastic free oats & bananas bought loose

Plastic we boycott

30 June 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 4.0 Us, the boycott & the blog 6 Comments

Obviously we don’t use

- - Plastic wrapping, bags and packaging and bottles
  - Throw away, disposable items
  - Synthetic fibres, fabrics and leathers – not just made of plastic but shed micro plastics when washed
  - Trashy items that are cheap, badly made,have a limited lifespan and are consumer trash.
  - Plastic items for which there is a viable and sustainable, natural alternative.
Sneaky plastics

But did you know that there were plastic in all these products too

Tetra Paks – those seemingly cardboard packs are plastic laminated.
That goes for a lot of other cardboard and paper products used for food like….
Disposable paper cups that are plastic lined
Plastic coated paper and foil – a tricky one often hard to spot.
Greaseproof paper including the stuff you use for cooking

Cans of soda and other drinks lined with plastic resin
Glass bottles and jars with plastic lined metal lids
Tin cans of food – they are nearly all plastic lined

Teabags (Packaging aside), the bag itself contains plastic
The plastic bag in the cardboard box squeeze and listen for the rustle.
Stickers on fruit grrrrr.

Tampons and sanitary towels (packaging aside) are made from mostly plastic. Yuck!
hewing gum
Plastic in toothpaste – packed in plastic, contain plastic – yes some toothpastes have plastic beads added for colour
Plastic beads can be found in exfoliating creams and washes. Not just excess packaging but micropollution as well!
Erasers – not rubber but plastic and PVC at that!
Talking of rubbers, condoms can be plastic too.

Chewing Gum

I don't do chewing gum because not only does it come packed in plastic, it is actually made from plastic ...
Read More

Toothpaste With Added Plastic

What's in your commercial toothpaste? For starters ther may be plastic micro beads!Did you know that at least 12 Crest toothpastes ...
Read More

Greaseproof paper/ waxed paper

There are two types of paper used for cooking and food preparations greaseproof bakery paper; waxed paper. The terms are ...
Read More

Condoms & Lubricants

If all goes well on Valentines day you may well be planning some intimate moments. Time to check out condoms ...
Read More

Cardboard laminated

When I started my boycott I soon realized that giving up plastic would be no easy ride but I didn’t ...
Read More

Cardboard Boxes With Plastic Liners

The plastic free cocoa quest has suffered something of a setback. Last week Mother came bustling in flushed with pride.“I ...
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Cardboard Cups & Pots

So you find what looks like a cardboard container full of yummy ice cream or you see that your favourite ...
Read More

Exfoliate

Microbeads.... the newest way to exfoliate. These tiny particles, or microbeads, scrub away at the skin supposedly leaving it wonderfully ...
Read More

Foil Card and Paper, Plastic lined

Paper & Card Paper and card are made from natural fibres and is biodegradable. Both can be recycled. Paper/card can ...
Read More

Plastic In Menstrual Products

Those disposable pads and tampons? Not cotton wool as you might have thought but plastic. Sigh! Why? Along with cotton ...
Read More

Metal Lids With Plastic Linings

Back in the early days of the boycott I didn’t think of glass jars as an issue - after all ...
Read More

Tin Cans, Plastic Liners & Health

So you think, no that you've given up plastic but at least you can buy stuff in tins. At least ...
Read More

Rubber – PVC free

I didn't know that PVC was found in rubbers but here you go .... from the blurb.... PVC-free thermoplastic rubber ...
Read More

Sneaky Plastic Tea Bags

Whats in your tea bag? Paper and tea you wish but actually no. Firstly is your bag made from paper? ...
Read More

Laminated Cartons /Tetra Paks

They might look cardboard and many think they are even some kind of waxed paper but tetrapaks and the like ...
Read More

Lucky then that we sourced a whole load of alternatives!

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

Beer

28 June 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged 3.1.2 refill, 3.1.3 drinks, 3.2.2 West Yorkshire, 5 Content Veiw 2 Comments

Of course you can get beer in bottles but those metal caps have a plastic liner or small disc to prevent leakage. It’s a tiny amount but it is plastic.
Cans of beer are plastic lined!
The only way to get plastic free booze is to use a refill service. Take your own flagon to the alehouse and get them to fill it. These are the ones I know of

Huddersfield

The Sportsman Huddersfield will sell you your own reusable flagon. Yes its plastic but it will last you a good long time.
The Grove
The Head Of Steam ( also sells plastic flagons)
All sell great real ales and very reasonable priced.

Magic Rock sell metal reusable flagons. Very stylish! Also sells great real ales but they are more expensive.

If anyone else knows of other beer refill options please leave a comment below… many thanks.

London

Hi Kate, I have been out and about in Kentish Town again A review of Clapton Craft – refill beers and wines. https://arefugefordaffodils.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/green-shopping-in-london-clapton-craft-in-kentish-town/

You can find other plastic free beverages here…

Hair Ties/ Bands

27 June 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Personal, 3.1.7 wear Tagged 3.1.7 Personal hair care

Every other hair tie in the world is made from a plastic-based material so rather than buy I have been reduced to harvesting fallen hair bands from the road side. Not only to I end up with some very peculiar, age-unsuitable ties, many have no twang left. So I am very pleased to have found these made from 100% biodegradable materials.

They do a range of colours but I bought 5 shades-of-blond/grey
There are 5 hair ties per pack.
Made fairly & ethically in California
MATERIAL: 75% GOTS certified Organic Cotton, 25% Natural Rubber
DYE: Hand dyed* using low impact dye
CARE: Wash cold with like colors; lay flat to dry

I bought mine from anything but plastic.. Not only do they sell plastic free products but they post out plastic free too! Hooray.

They are rather chunky but hold my hair in.

Find more #plasticfree personal care products 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

Tampons

26 June 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Personal Tagged 00 working

Whats In Your Tampon

Most Tampons are made of cotton, rayon, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene. Some of these materials are not bio-degradable. Organic cotton tampons are biodegradable, but must be composted to ensure they break down in a reasonable amount of time. Rayon was found to be more biodegradable than cotton [30].
Wikkipedia

Generally, tampons are blends of cotton and rayon, along with synthetic fibers, but each manufacturer’s products are different and considered proprietary.
In the United States manufacturers aren’t required to fully disclose what goes into a tampon or pad. That’s because they are regulated and approved as medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration
Read more here.
Tampon Components Function Material
Applicator Helps to comfortably insert the tampon Cardboard made of tightly wound paper or plastic with pigments for color
Absorbent Core Provides protection by absorbing and storing menstrual fluid Cotton and/or Rayon
Thin Fabric around Absorbent Core Helps with smooth removal; helps form the absorbent skirt on certain designs Rayon and polyester or polyethylene and polypropylene
String Used to remove the tampon; also has a braid on certain designs Cotton and/or polyester; Polypropylene braid
Thread Used to attach the string to absorbent core Cotton-wrapped polyester or polyester
Fragrance: Only on versions labeled as scented. All other versions do not include fragrance. Provides a fresh scent Fragrance ingredients like those found in other women’s products

From the Tampax website

Much as I love the Mooncup ( an internal, reusable, menstrual cup ) there are times when it is just a little bit, well, hands on! Occasionally you need to use disposable internal protection but the impact on the planet, and possibly your body, weighs heavy on your mind. And quite rightly so!

Step up Natracare who realising that “Most applicator tampons are made from 100% rayon or a mixture of rayon and conventional cotton, overwrapped with polypropylene, a by product of the petroleum industry. The applicator tubes of many brands are often made from plastic.” have brought out a completely compostable, organic cotton tampon with cotton cord. It has a biodgradable cardboard applicator. The tampon comes wrapped in paper and packed in a cardboard box. “They are non-chlorine bleached and women can be reassured that they do not contain synthetic materials, such as rayon, or chemical additives such as binders or surfactants. Certified organic cotton removes the risk of direct exposure to residues from chemical pesticides and fertilisers used on traditional cotton.”

Testing

I was given some to sample which I dished out to the laydeez. I and they can confirm that they work as well as any other. But over here at PIR we test rigorously and I did the bag test. You know the one where you carry round your emergency tampon that gets jumbled up in the bottom of your bag Yes for sure some people out there have special little wallets – I don’t. So here’s a bit of news for the rest of you bag sluts: the paper wrapper lasts just as well as plastic. Weeks later a bit battered but still fine. You can see the full range of Natracare products here , and stay tuned to PIR for more reviews. Coming up next – pantyliners (how I hate that word) You can find lots more plastic-free, menstrual products here

Non Applicator Tampons – massively plastic reduced

While the actual tampon is as above and plastic free, the wrapping is plastic. “Our non-applicator tampons are wrapped in polypropylene due to obligatory medical device regulations!”

BUY

You can buy these products in shops. If you want to get them on line try Ethical Superstore or Amazon

More plastic free menstrual aids here

2017 Plastic Free July

24 June 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 4.3 My Projects Tagged 00 working, 4.3 Plastic Free July 5 Comments

Of course every month is plastic free for me but plastic free July is a time to make a bit of extra effort.

What is Plastic Free July

The aim is to cut your consumption of one use plastic, for one month; how much you choose to cut is up to you – read my take.

A bit of history

Plastic Free July started in 2011 in Australia in 2013 it went global. They have a great website and are all round good eggs.

My Plastic Free July
I try to cut all disposable plastics including the lesser known sneaky plastics

Progress Reports

1 straw obviously my mimes were not too good
lots of plastic lined cans of beer because I get so bored of water
plastic bottle of rice oil for making suntan lotion
2 plastic caps from bottles of cordial.
2 plastic seals from larger fillable water bottles

We are on a remote beach on an island. It’s easy. I carry all my own ingredients for tooth powder and suntan lotion. We wash everything with soap we buy in cardboard.

U.K. Participants

Who is we? Every year UK based bloggers have joined in.
It’s really important to link up with U.K. based plastivists who will be sharing throughout the month. While some solutions like solid shampoo from Lush can be accessed UK wide, many are local.

First off we have Lisa at www.less-stuff.co.uk

and Sarah at www.facebook.com/rhubarbandrunnerbeans

Pip- squeaking @Pip_Squeaking of arefugefordaffodils.wordpress.com in her second year now. <

From Bristol it’s the Cheeky Girls of Green:
Author and TV presenter @nataliefee. Read about here in thePlastic Free U.K. Directory:
And Michelle film maker, writer of the great blog Plastic A Lot Less and tweeter @beingpall.
They are the brains behind numerous campaigns, the latest being

Get on the list

If you are tweeting or writing this year go to that post and add your details in the comment box.

You can find a list of bloggers who have contributed in the past, here.

Keeping in Touch

Join in at the Plastic Is Rubbish Support Group where people share plastic free tips. see below.
And Twitter @plasticSrubbish

Hashtags
I encourage UK participants to use the hashtag #pfjuk for British related posts. Mainly because it gets very dispiriting to hear of a fantastic bulk food store only to find it is based in Sydney.

N.B.

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

SaveSave

In the back of the van…..Karen Cannard!

23 June 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.6 Good to know Tagged 4 plastivan, 4.8 The Rest 4 Comments

Last week our U.K. tour took us through Bury St Edmunds which pleased me more than I can say. Why the boundless enthusiasm? For sure its a nice enough town. And it has a Poundland, rapidly becoming a favourite of mine. But it was not this that excited me so.

No, I had been invited for tea and buns with the first lady of waste, the founder of the rubbish diet, her trashness herself Karen Cannard. A highly pleasant afternoon was spent discussing recycling rates, rubbish reduction, Portuguese tarts (the pastries!) and plans for the future.

Mine include;

being a Zero Waste Ambassador for Zero Waste Week, now in its seventh year and running from the 1st – 7th September 2014.
girding my loins for plastic free July.

Karen news is also very exciting but sadly not mine to tell. For now you will have to be satisfied with a photo of her in the back seat of our van – enough excitement for any one!

Thanks for a great afternoon.

Recycling & Reusing Plastic – an introduction

22 June 2014 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 1.51 Reusing & Recycling Plastic, 5 Blog Social Media & Map Tagged 1.6 Definitions

This post is an introduction to recycling and reusing plastic non-biodegradable plastic at end of life. (also see Plastic Lifespan and Disposing Of Plastic ).

They include
Recycling
Transformation
Reuse

Recycling, Transforming & Reusing Plastic

Introduction.

What does recycling mean? Seems a simple enough question but I have seen the term recycled plastic used for everything from the mechanical melting down of waste plastic to make a new products, to crafting lampshades out of milk bottles. Rather more controversially, it is also used to describe the process of burning plastic trash in waste incinerators and using the heat to produce electricity. The argument being that the plastic trash is recycled as electricity.

In the USA, Recycling is defined as “Using waste as material to manufacture a new product. Recycling involves altering the physical form of an object or material and making a new object from the altered material.”

Burning is called Transformation, which “refers to incineration, pyrolysis, distillation, or biological conversion other than composting.” They are very different things.” As quoted from Treehugger
You can add to that
Reuse – when the original product is reused in a different way.
Recrafted or upcycling is the cottage industry version of the above.

N.B. Let’s be clear about this recycling is just a more responsible form of waste management. That stuff in your recycle bin is still rubbish and has to be dealt with the attendant environmental and financial costs. While recycling may offset these costs it is still expensive. Moreover recycling does not address the main issue of misusing plastic and stupidly using it to make one use throwaway items. The best waste is no waste.

Recycling Plastic

Recycling is altering the physical form of an object or material and making a new object from the altered material.

There are many different types of plastic. It is important to know what they are when recycling. Most plastics are marked with a plastic code or a number identifying the type of plastic. This information is used by recyclers.
Mechanical Recycling – very simply, consists of melting down the old plastic and using it to make new products.

Chemical recycling where plastics are actually dissolved back into their original chemical components. These are then cleaned up and reused to make new plastics

Recycling in the U.K.

Recycled Plastic Products can be found here 5.21 Recycled Plastic Products

Transformation

Plastic to Energy 5.4 plastic To energy

Incineration – burning, sometimes as a fuel in a waste to energy plant
Gasification – resulting in a gas (!)
Pyrolysis – plastic to fuel
Thermal depolymerization (TDP) – plastic to fuel

Reuse & Recrafting Waste Plastic

Reuse – when the original product is reused in a different way. Like shredding trainers down into playing field surfacing. Find some great ideas over here 5.4 Plastic trash reused

Recrafted or upcycling is the cottage industry version of the above. Have a look at what these talented folk have done over in the arty crafty part of this blog 2.2 Plastic Crafts and check out my PINTEREST board. Lovely but by no means the answer.

Recycling is greenwashing ?

The focus of this blog is the plastic rubbish created by our addiction to disposable products. As a result I sometimes sound dismissive of recycling. While it certainly has a role to play, and is better then the alternative ways of disposing of plastic, it IS NOT solution for overconsumption of plastic. Recycling does not address the main issue of misusing plastic and stupidly using it to make one use throwaway items. Just because a product can be recycled (or upcycled), is no reason to create plastic rubbish.

Recycling and Reusing waste plastic – a discussion

The best response to plastic trash is to REFUSE IT and find a compostable alternative.

All recycled plastic posts

A cheesy case study

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Sea salt

Normal Salt

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Oil refills in the U.K.

The butchers St Agnes, Devon Wholefood Supermarket Cheltenham & London

More

N.B.

And before you go…

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Special Days

Other Projects

Local Shops

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Obviously we don’t use

Sneaky plastics

N.B.

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Huddersfield

London

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More

Find more #plasticfree personal care products here.

N.B.

And before you go…

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Whats In Your Tampon

Testing

Non Applicator Tampons – massively plastic reduced

BUY

More plastic free menstrual aids here

Share this:

What is Plastic Free July

A bit of history

Progress Reports

U.K. Participants

Keeping in Touch

N.B.

And before you go…

Share this:

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Recycling, Transforming & Reusing Plastic

Recycling Plastic

Recycling in the U.K.

Transformation

Reuse & Recrafting Waste Plastic

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The butchers St Agnes, Devon
Wholefood Supermarket Cheltenham & London