post

Plastics – a big list of the different types of plastic

by Posted in 1.2 Plastic The Product Tagged

Plastics can be made in a variety of ways from a variety of materials; shale gas, oil, plants even chicken feathers can all be used to make plastic.
However oil derived plastics are the most common.
Plastics are created from single units combined in a variety of ways. This process is called polymerisation. Different combinations result in different products and there are hundreds of them.
Plastics can be used to make everything from varnish to stockings, bottles to car parts by way of varnish, crisp packets and computers.
Most plastics do not biodegrade and last for centuries possibly for ever.
But then there are other plastics that are truly compostable with a lifespan of months and dissolve in the dishwasher.

Confused? Find out more here  What is plastic -an introduction.
Don’t know your P.E.T.s from your polymers?  Check out this collection of definitions essential for understanding plastic!

A List Of Plastics

Some quick notes

Click on the name to find out more

Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene -BOPP when polypropylene  is biaxially oriented, it becomes Biaxially Oriented Polypropylene -BOPP– the crisp crystal clear stuff used for greeting cards, the plastic wrapping round boxes of tea etc.  It is easy to coat, print and laminate to give the required appearance and properties for use as a packaging material.
Bioplastics are made from plants rather than oil.
Bio- degradable /Degradable Plastic has  additives to make it bio-degrade. NOT to be confused with compostable plastic!

Cellophane is one of the first plastics. Proper cellophane is plant derived and biodegradable. However the term is often applied to a petroleum derived product.

Compostable Plastic  has been certified compostable and can naturally biodegrade such as PLA plastic.

Degradable plastic with added chemicals to make them break down more quickly.

Ethane derived plastics – ethane comes from plants, oil coal and gas

Film plastics can be bonded together to create different kinds of product.All of which can be hard to RECYCLE

Halogenated Plastics include

  • Chlorine based plastics:
  • Chlorinated polyethylene (CPE)
  • Chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC)
  • Chlorosulfonated polyethylene (CSPE)
  • Polychloroprene (CR or chloroprene rubber, marketed under the brand name of Neoprene)
  • PVC
  • Fluorine based plastics:
  • Fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP)

These are known as the poison plastics are carcinogens are produced when they are made and ageing when they are disposed of.

Film – different plastics can be bonded together to create all manners of film. Read more HERE

HDPE- High-density polyethylene plastic code 2  Used to carrier bags, toys, bottle s and a whole load of other stuff.  

LDPE- Low density polyethylene plastic code 4  used to make everything from soft clear bags to parts that need to be weldable and machinable

Nylon is often associated with the fabric of the same name but can be used to make all manner of things from fibre to  moulded objects.

Polyethylene (polythene) derived from ethane.

      • High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
      • LDPE- Low density polyethylene plastic code 4
      • Cross-linked polyethylene (PEX or XLPE)
      • Medium-density polyethylene (MDPE)
      • Linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE)
      • Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) 
      • Very-low-density polyethylene (VLDPE)


PLA a plastic derived from poly lactic acid that is certified a compostable plastic. Fact Sheet or all posts

Polyethylene terephthalat PET or PETE plastic code 1 most often used for making fibers and bottles

Polyurethanes  can be used to make almost anything from cushions to varnish. Used to make  flexible foam in upholstered furniture and rigid foam such as shoe soles. It also comes in a fluid form in  varnishes, adhesives and  sealants.

Polypropylene PP plastic code 5  is used to make ropes, thermal underwear, carpets, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types. Used in the automobile and construction industries, some car battery casings, oil funnels, and plastic drinking straws, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes.

Polystyrene – PS  plastic code 6 disposable (ha!) products to food packaging like fast food clamshells, meat trays, protective packaging  and loose fill peanuts. Difficult to recycle.

Polytetrafluoroethylene  (PTFE) is a synthetic non stick coating for cookware to armoured bullets. It is an efficient lubricant and can kill budgies. Check it out.

Polyvinyl chloride PVC  plastic code 3  PVC is known as the “poison plastic” because of the lethal chemicals produced during its manufacture and possibly again when disposed of.

 Silicon and silicone rubber– Plastic? Rubber? Just plain weird? Used for everything  from ice-cube trays to adult toys to cake tins it certainly gets around. So what is silicone??

The main polymers in use are

      • polyethylene,
      • polypropylene,
      • polyvinyl chloride,
      • polyethylene terephthalate,
      • polystyrene,
      • polycarbonate,
      • polyeurothene
      • poly(methyl methacrylate) (Plexiglas).

According to Wikkipedia they account for ” nearly 98% of all polymers”. Wikkipeida”

Most of the plastic products we use are derived from these polymers with alternative plastics accounting for the rest.

Most of the base components for these polymers are derived from oil.

Why Do Some Plastics Have Numbers?

Plastic codes are the number you find on some plastics to identify the polymers used. There are many more plastics than numbers and new plastics are being made all the time. Find out more here

 Brand Names

post

Milk & Milkmen

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink, 3.2 Shops & Businesses Tagged , , , 15 Comments

British consumers got through nine billion pints of milk last year. 90% of that milk was bought in a plastic container. That’s a lot of plastic trash only a percentage of which gets recycled. See some recycling stats here.

Here are some ways to buy plastic free milk

get a milkman – see below

find a milk vending machine. more common n the continent but popping up here.

buy direct from the farmer
Buying milk straight from the farm is one way to make sure crisis-hit dairy producers get a fair deal.
Farmers Weekly has created a map of British farmers selling direct to the public – cutting out the supermarket or middleman.
Some produce pasteurised milk, others sell raw or unpasteurised and a few have a wider dairy range to try.

See the map here

Milk Delivery
Glass milk bottles can be re-used up to 20 times. By my calculations that means that 1 bottle lasts 20 days that equals 18 bottles a year as oppose to 364 plastic bottles a year.So I got myself a milk man with real glass bottles.

Do you want one? Course you do!
Are they expensive? I pay £1.70 for 2 pints of organic semi skimmed delivered to my door.

This his website can  help  Find Me A Milkman does exactly what it says on the tin. Type in your postcode to find who is delivering in your area. N.B. Not all deliveries are in glass – you will have to check

Milk and More Dairycrest  also deliver nationally. However they were looking to phase out glass bottle and replace them with plastic. You can read more here

Local & Glass

These companies are smaller and usually local businesses. When last checked, the delivered milk in glass bottles – BUT DO DOUBLE CHECK

In The North

Darlington

Darlington Acorn Dairy, do doorstep delivery in glass bottles. They deliver to Darlington,South Durham and the Dales/North Yorkshire.

Huddersfield

Ian on 0795 829 0246 delivers.

Lancaster
This is thanks to the students of Landcaster who gave up plastic for Lent. May be out of date but worth a try.In case anyone is looking for a Lancaster Milkman, here is a useful list compiled by Emily! Milkmen in Lancaster (April 2009)
Raymond McDougall tel: 01524 36158 – covers Fairfield and the Marsh.
Hey & Sons tel: 01524 770343 – covers Primrose, Greaves, Scotforth, Piccadilly and Lancaster University.
Martin Edwards tel: 07739 486357 – covers Hala.
Colin Johnson tel: 01524 36222 – covers Aldcliffe, Ashton Road, Torrington Road.

Leeds
Mc Queens Diaries  deliver to Headingly Leeds and perhaps other places too

Manchester
Cream Online is a great doorstep delivery service that does milk in glass bottles. But also juice! And it delivers a veg box which when I asked they told was very much plastic reduced. I didn’t actually use the veg box service so you might want to double check.It also delivers all kinds of other essentials. Not plastic free stuff but not from a chain either. Rather it is a local, family run company.

Midlands

Moofresh – loads of different milk in glass bottles. They deliver round Birmingham and Tamworth – you can find a full list of places here on their website

The Cotteswold Dairy serve:
Tewkesbury
Cheltenham
Shrewsbury
Colony Bay
More info here 

Kirby & West  https://www.kirbyandwest.co.uk/

Family run dairy business delivering milk and other products to doorsteps around Leicester, Market Harborough and Lutterworth.

South

London

Parker Dairies is a small independant dairy situated in Walthamstow, supplying milk and other goods all over east london and the city. parkerdairies.co.uk

Suffolk

£1 for 1L bottle £1 to fill it from a vending machine.

North Oxfordshire

North Aston Dairy

  • North Aston
    Somerton
    Upper Heyford
    Lower Heyford
    Steeple Aston
    Middle Aston
    Duns Tew
    Deddington
    Wolvercote

We deliver the milk late afternoon onto doorsteps in glass litre bottles. It is pasteurised but unhomogenized so has a lovely layer of cream on top. We also attend East Oxford farmers market every Saturday. Follow us on twitter @northastondairy Enquiries – northastondairy@phonecoop.coop

Ongar Dairy

Epping
Loughton
Chigwell

@ongardairy

Milk delivery across Epping Loughton and Chigwell. Our product range includes local and organic produce delivered by 7am ongardairy@gmail.com

Essex

Essex Dairys @essexdairys Twitter Says YES they deliver in glass!

Milk, eggs, cheese, yogurts and much more delivered to offices, restaurants and homes across Essex and guaranteed by 7am!! Contact us at essexdairys@gmail.com

Felsted, England

U.K. Wide

And this website can  help  Find Me A Milkman does exactly what it says on the tin. Type in your postcode to find who is delivering in your area.
N.B. Not all deliveries are in glass – you will have to check

Milk and More Dairycrest deliver nationally. keep the glass featuredDairycrest is a big company that deliver nationwide. However they were looking to phase out glass bottle and replace them with plastic. You can read more here 

Milk Dispensers

If you can’t find a local milk man why not petition your supermarket to set up a milk dispenser where you can refill your own bottles. 

SaveSave

post

How to wash the pots plastic free…..

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 Special days & Parties, 3.2 How To...plastic-free Tagged , 5 Comments

By Hand…Sigh

Washing up liquid and I use Ecover  in a refillable plastic bottle. I know the bottle is plastic but kitchen? glass? This is a case for reusable plastic if ever there was one and I have been using mine for YEARS now.If you wanted to be a purist you could use a metal bottle I guess.  Check out where you can find a refill service here .

Cotton dishcloth. You can usually find the old style cotton knitted dishcloth in local shops and hardware stores such as Wilkinsons. Or you can knit your own. If you cant knit you can buy hand knitted from Etsy and lie.

Bristle brushes are useful for  scrubbing away  burnt on gunk.  They can  bought on-line here or from the delightful kitchen ware shops at Saltaire Mill.

You can find a range of scouring  pads here from the butch knitted metal to the soft and natural luffa. 

Washing up gloves. – biodegradable Fairtrade rubber gloves – guaranteed to compost down.

Cotton tea towel.

Now all you need is someone to actually wash the dishes. Come on Grandma….

Dishwasher

Or you can get an dishwasher and use this plastic free dish wash powder from Sainsburys and other supermarkets.. Goodbye Grandma…

 

 

One man in a boat – to say nothing of a pile of rubbish

by Posted in 3.5 Plastic Free People, Projects & Campaigns 2 Comments

A book I do like is Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog) published in 1889. In it,  Jerome K Jerome recounts a boating trip taken down the Thames with his two daft chums. They are  a bumbling but amiable crew and the journey is not without its problems. They have rain, a badly behaved awning, run ins with insolent steamers and  Montmorency is shamed by a large cat. He so deserves it.

Occasionally Jerome waxes philosophical and muses on the dangers of over civilisation and consumerism, the joys of a simple life and the beauties of nature.

But now where does he mention huge frickin piles of plastic trash littering the way.

Sadly the same cannot be said for this latter-day man in a boat, Kyakman. He kyaked down the Thames  recently and was appalled by the levels of plastic pollution he witnessed. Bags caught in trees, bottles floating by and polystyrene clam shells in the reeds to give you but a few examples.

If old Jerome could see his photomontage I think there would be tears.

You can see  Kyakmans photo stream here – please look

Follow through for the other  plastic free campaigners featured in this mighty organ.

If you want your anti plastic project, waste busting, dumpster diving project featured in the Plastic Free Who’s Who do this now – we would love to have you xx

Want to cut down on more of your plastic rubbish?

Find plastic free products with the A-Z plastic free index

post

Reuseables

by Posted in 5 Blog Social Media & Map

I don’t think theres enough said about reusing stuff. By which I don’t mean recycling – recycling is great but it usually means the waste product is taken away then processed into something else.
Plastic Produce bags for example. Yes they can be recycled but why? Recycling costs a lot of money. It is not really cost effective and only offsets the cost of disposing the bags. Which is why so many don’t get recycled but end up in landfill.
We really don’t need a new bag every time we buy some beans. A cotton reusable bag is more than good enough. Yet we have become such a throwaway society we have almost forgotten about reusables.
Here are some products that dont need to be thrown away after a few uses.

Our Resuables

Advent Calendars

Covered in plastic and  full of trashy sweets, they just add to the huge amounts of Christmas rubbish. So here ...
Read More

Bun/muffins

Baking buns is fun but try getting plastic free bun cases and you will be in difficulties as they all come ...
Read More

Carrier Bags reusable

Cotton string bags are fantastic. These are my best bags and I use them most of the time. They have ...
Read More

Chop Sticks Folding

The curse of the plastic chopstick wrapper means that eating plastic-free South East Asian style  can be hard work. So ...
Read More

Christmas Crackers Reusable

As they sound - a cracker that can be used over and over again. Probably not completely plastic free, (those ...
Read More

Cups BYO

Any one lucky enough to see the photos of Vladimir Putin bare-chested in camo  will have some idea just how ...
Read More

Cutlery – travel

The buffet cars on Polish trains are so cute. They are relatively modern but have an old-fashioned feel. Perhaps it’s ...
Read More

Easter

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

Gift wrap reusable

Which wrap should you choose? Well we prefer reusables over all else so here are some wraps you can use ...
Read More

Glasses / Tumblers/ Pint Pots

When we go travelling, camping, partying or picniking, we take our own steel tumblers for wine and other beverages. They ...
Read More

Menstrual internal protection reusable

Products to deal with menstruation are plastic heavy  ( see some stats). They are made from plastic, come wrapped in plastic, ...
Read More

Menstrual Pads – sanitary towels

There is no doubt that sanitory towels are plastic heavy. Yes you knew they came packed in plastic but did you ...
Read More

Paper versus plastic versus reusables

So if I don't want to use plastic bags then would I suggest using paper as an alternative? Well actually ...
Read More

Produce Bags

Produce bags are reusable bags that (as the name suggests), you put your loose produce in. It means you don't ...
Read More

Razor

Shaving is a big part of almost every adults life wether a beard or a bikini line. Back in the ...
Read More

Straws – reusable

I don't use straws but if I did I would go for one of these. Do note I have not used these ...
Read More

Refills

Imagine a world where you returned your empty milk bottles to be refilled and took your washing up liquid bottle back for more of the soapy stuff. Seems such an obvious way to save resources and cut waste doesn’t it? Well thankfully a few far seeing people still offer such great services.
You can find them here.

Disposables

Sometime you need a disposable and when you do it has to be compostable.  Here are biodegradable bags for the butcher, paper cups for the office party and plastic free tampons. To name but a few. Find them here

Sun block for a year

by Posted in 6 archive Tagged 5 Comments

I have absolutely no melamine and my skin burns even in cloudy conditions. Sure I cover up but I still have  to factor up on a regular basis.

I have been making my own sun block for years now and it does work (details below), but when setting off on our plastic free travels I had to ask myself:

  • Could I  really carry a years supply of home made sun tan lotion out there with me?
  • If so, how I would I carry it?

Last time I went away I took my home-made lotions in metal pots. While they are fine in the handbag they are not so good for hard core backpacking. My pack gets flung on and off jolty old buses and the metal bottles crumpled and creased under the strain. Then the lids could not be removed or started to leak.

Obviously I am not going to use glass bottles.

This is one of those times when plastic bottles are the best option so why not just buy the lotion out there ready made and packed in plastic bottles. Its not even as if those bottles would be going to landfill or end up as litter. In most of the countries we visit plastic bottles represent cash and are collected by  litter pickers.

Plenty of justifications for buying ready-made, plastic –packed lotion and yet I was not keen on that idea. Part of it is just stubbornness. I want to see how far I can go with this. Another reason is I hate  the crap they put in those creams – all those nasty chemicals and irritating perfumes.

So here’s my solution.

Back home I made some uber strong sun block cream. It’s  as thick as axel grease with a factor of about 100. I adapted an Aromantic recipe, reduced the water and upped the sun block ingredients,details below. It was all very ad hoc so there is no recipe.

Now, while travelling,  I thin down the axel grease with  homemade lotion as needed. I refill the  reusable plastic bottles I took from home. I can make a range of factors depending on how much lotion I add. So far it is working.

The logical amongst you will be looking puzzled. Surely  the problem remains? Rather then carrying a years supply of sunblock I now have to carry a years supply of lotion to thin the sunblock down with??

No because I make the lotion as I go along using the Plastic Is Rubbish backpackers home made lotion kit.

I think you will be proud of me!

Here’s how you make sun tan lotion

And here is  The Plastic Is Rubbish Backpackers home made lotion kit

Other cream related posts can be found HERE. If like me you don’t tan, you might be especially interested in Home madehfake tan

There are lots more plastic free beauty products here.

 

 

post

Glasses / Tumblers/ Pint Pots

by Posted in 3.1 Disposables & Reusables Tagged , , 1 Comment

When we go travelling, camping, partying or picniking, we take our own steel tumblers for wine and other beverages. They don’t smash like glass and are light weight and easy to carry.

Tumblers

These glass size tumblers are great.  We got ours in India. You can often find something similar in Indian/Asian shops.

Pint Pots

At festivals we like to drink pints. But they often come in plastic. Forget festivals even. In the U.K. there is a worrying trend in pubs to serve drinks in plastic pots, especially if you are drinking outside. It is really horrid. So we need to take our own pint pots out with us and preferably something that won’t break in our bag and cant be used in a street fight!

We did consider buying a Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint Cup. This holds just under a pint and is made of stainless steel BUT we had serious reservations that have prevented a purchase.  First it’s not quite a pint, second it is imported from America and finally they are very expensive. The cheapest is being sold  £7.95 per glass.  Not that green and frankly over our budget.

So we stopped going to festivals (increasingly more than we can afford) and try to drink in pubs that serve in glasses.

Glogg Pots

However Glogg felt our pain and came up with some  proper, U.K pint pots made from stainless steel, right here in England. And at £5.00 a pot – just about affordable! Wahey!

This is from the website….

Sustainable

  • Stainless steel is the no-compromise alternative to disposable paper or reusable plastic cups
  • Diverts landfill waste with each use

Durable

  • Can be reused indefinitely
  • Won’t deteriorate over time

Safe

  • Constructed from certified 304L food grade stainless steel
  • Won’t shatter like glass or shard like plastic

UK Designed and Made

  • Quality, without compromise
  • Supporting British jobs, skills and industry
  • Reduced environmental impact compared to Far East imports
  • UK trading standards compliant for sale of alcoholic drinks

Buy

You can buy from  the website…. or via Amazon.

Onward Packaging 

I wrote to them about their packaging and here’s the reply

Our pint cups have taken a lot of blood, sweat and tears to turn into a reality and we are immensely proud of them!

All cups bought from our website just come in a cardboard posting box with no extra packaging at all. While we are not wholly against plastic, we are very much against waste of any kind and it just isn’t necessary to send people packaging they are simply going to send to landfill. Of course, the box can be reused or recycled.

We do also sell through Amazon fulfilment centres and, unfortunately, cups sent to Amazon have to be in plastic bags to comply with their regulations. We never purchase plastic though, we always reuse bags from elsewhere. The local printers we work with often have products that come to them individually packaged but that don’t need to be repackaged once printed, so we use bags that they no longer need. We know it isn’t ideal but it is the best we can do to avoid waste.

Hopefully that tells you what you need to know but feel free to come back to me at any point with any other questions.

Using Them

There is of course no guarantee that you can use them in the pub of your choice. Pubs often have funny ideas about using and then reusing pint pots. But the more of us keep on asking the more likely change is. See you at the bar!

More

If none of the above suit I have tried to source some alternatives. Being committed to local shopping, I prefer to buy that way whenever possible. I would encourage you to do the same. One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source.

Plastic Reusable Branded Glasses Featured Branded Cups

If you are having a big party or event you might consider theses reusable branded cups. Yes they are plastic but they get reused throughout the night and can be kept at the end as a keepsake. A great compromise where glass cannot be used but disposables are just too wasteful.

Compostable Disposables

If you really must use disposables here are some compostable options….

More

If none of the above suit I have tried to source some alternatives. Being committed to local shopping, I prefer to buy that way whenever possible. I would encourage you to do the same. One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source.

If you can’t buy local, I have put together and Amazon catalogue. Yes I know…

Do note – I have not used these myself  so I cannot say how well they perform or what the onward packaging is like. You will have to check with the suppliers. Any one who has tried them, can review them or can recommend some other great product please do  leave a comment.  Together we can make changes.

Primeshop-30ml Stainless Steel Tumblers Glasses Drinking Cups for Camping Garden BBQ
Primeshop-30ml Stainless Steel Tumblers Gla…
InterDesign Polished Stainless Steel Forma Tumbler Audi Stainless Steel Tumbler Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint Cup - 473ml/16oz
InterDesign Polished Stainless Steel Forma …
£10.49		 Audi Stainless Steel Tumbler Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Pint Cup – 47…
£8.48
Not quite a pint, pint tumbler. Read the reviews.
Amazon is a very dirty word at the moment and I thought long and hard before suggesting them.  Heres why I went ahead….. No we are not entirely happy with Amazons recent history. However, we have always found their service to be good and their packaging usually compostable.

If you buy a product via this link we may one day get an affiliation fee. That’s not why we do it. Good job as we never have made enough to get paid. We do it to show what is available

post

Oil Vegetable

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged , 2 Comments

Pre-packed oils always have a plastic element – if it comes in bottles it will have a plastic lined cap and probably a plastic pouring widget in the bottle top. Buy it in cans and there will be more plastic caps plus the cans are plastic lined. Read more here.

If you are lucky you might find a place that sell oils on tap. Then you may be able to use your own refillable bottle.

Glass Bottles
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
You can buy these oils from every supermarket in the UK. They can be expensive though.

In Cans
And who can afford to use such expensive treats for making chips? Not me. I need a plastic free source of cheap  veg oil. Thought cans might be the answer. sadly not. The cans have a plastic lid and handle and are almost certainly lined with plastic. Nearly all cans are to prevent the cans corroding. You can read more here
On the plus side the can has a high recycle value.
Buy
If I need vegetable oil in quantities I go with the can which I buy from . Khadims the  Asian Supermarket on Blacker Road Huddersfield. Many supermarkets also do oil in cans.

On Tap
If you are lucky you might find a place that sell oils on tap. Then you may be able to use your own refillable bottle.
Buy
You can find a U.K. wide list of places that sell oil on tap here

Where From & Made How?

Other things to consider when choosing which oil to buy are product miles and how your oil was extracted.

Product Miles

Product miles  are of course how far a product has to travel and the environmental costs attached. The carbon cost of importing heavy glass bottles full of olive oil is high. If choosing an imported oil you might prefer to buy a can over a bottle. Cans are lighter and costs less to transport.
Or you could choose a locally sourced oil. The only oil grown in the U.K. in any quantities is rapeseed oil. You can get this in glass bottles in store or 5 liter cans online. More about  rapeseed oil here.

Petrol In My Vegetable Oil? Most commercially produced oils are solvent extracted. This involves a chemical solvent like the petroleum-derived hexane and heat up to 500 degrees. Once the oil is dissolved, the solvent is removed by distillation.
This technique is used for most of the “newer” oils such as soybean and cannola oils. Many of these products do not give up their oil easily, it has to be forced from them. Cold pressed oils are a better option. You can read more here. 

 

More 

About oils, waxes and butters

post

Butter

by Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink Tagged 7 Comments

Turns out I love butter.
I use it for spreading and cooking
It is of course an animal fat.
It is U.K sourced.
It comes in what  is (possibly), plastic-free, greaseproof paper. 


Back in my more innocent days I used to think that butter and margarine wrapped in foil was plastic free. Till the day I didn’t have a butter dish to hand (!) and butter was served, as bought, in the wrapper. Over time the foil wrapping began to crack, crack but not break.  Strange I thought …  and closer investigation showed it was  not breaking up because it was foil  lined with plastic. You can find out more about plastic lined foil here

So began the search for paper wrapped spreads.
This is what I have found. Salted butter is more likely to come wrapped in paper than unsalted. Why? I have no idea.

The paper that looks like old-fashioned greaseproof paper but is probably not. Greaseproof paper used to be just paper but the modern version is almost certainly either plastic lined with a very fine liner  or  chemically treated  You can read about that here.

But taking all of the above into account, paper wrapped butter and margarine is the best we can do.

N.B. More companies are switching to foil wrapped products. Many that used to supply paper wrapped no longer do so. Consequently this info may be out of date. The Plastic Is Rubbish Facebook group is good for updates and latest info.

Butter

this is what we got…

Good news from a FB plastic is rubbish grouper has found butter in paper wrapping. Home Bargains, Meadow Churn butter, 250g for £1.39.

I found some considerably more expensive butter in paper in out of this world health food shop Leeds http://www.outofthisworldonline.com/

The Cheese Stall in Queensgate, Huddersfield, (only salted)
Barbican in Chorlton Manchester, (only salted).
Sainsbury’s,  Huddersfield Town Centre do unsalted butter in paper but you can only find it on the cheese counter not in the self service aisles. The wrapper definitely has a paper component but is marked mixed materials which means it is probably plastic lined. See above notes.
MArks & Spencers sell some very expensive butter in paper.
Waitrose – No longer do so
Iceland – apparently still sell butter in paper – salted.

Many thanks to the Plastic Is Rubbish Facebook group for their input and updates

Disputed

Sainsbury and the Co-op used to wrap their cheap, salted, butter in paperboy no longer do so.

Morrisons – I heard they used to sell some butter in paper. There are now reports that this has been discontinued.

Waitrose – No longer do so

Online

The modern milkman delivers butter in paper

https://themodernmilkman.co.uk

Alternatives

Margarine

I have found myself falling out with margarine – it is slithery, weird and synthetic so I only use it very occasionally. Read up about Margerine HERE

Oil

You can often use vegetable oil in place of margarine or butter. Cheaper than butter healthier than margarine.  It  isn’t  entirely plastic-free either but I do what I can

Lard

And what about lard! always an option. And comes in paper.

Go back to the oil index to read about the other fatty acids we eat.
What are  oils, waxes and butters and which do we use.?

Health

Before the boycott I ate margerine because I thought it was healthier option but you cannot get decent margarine plastic free. It all comes in plastic tubs.
So I went back to butter. But what about the risks? You ask? seems butter is not so bad for you after all and some margarines are poison!
” there never was any good evidence that using margarine instead of butter cut the chances of having a heart attack or developing heart disease. Making the switch was a well-intentioned guess, given that margarine had less saturated fat than butter, but it overlooked the dangers of trans fats.”
And this
“butter is on the list of foods to use sparingly mostly because it is high in saturated fat, which aggressively increases levels of LDL. Margarines, though, aren’t so easy to classify. The older stick margarines that are still widely sold are high in trans fats, and are worse for you than butter. Some of the newer margarines that are low in saturated fat, high in unsaturated fat, and free of trans fats are fine as long as you don’t use too much (they are still rich in calories).”
From Harvard Health 

More

Go back to the oil index to read about the other fatty acids we eat.
What are  oils, waxes and butters and which do we use.?

Lots more plastic-free food here.

Find more sneaky plastics here….

N.B.

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

And before you go…

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

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com
post

Jars & Pots

by Posted in 3.1 Personal Tagged 2 Comments

After you have made your own home- made creams and lotions you need to store them in something. If you have
nothing else, you can use your PLA deli pots – they seem to last just fine, and then you can compost them.

Old glass jam jars are fine for storing the excess but you  want to think twice before using glass in the bathroom what the hard tiles, slippery hands, bare feet and  shattering  potential.

Nope this is a case for an unbreakable product. Plastic bottles  are good in the bathroom. You can see what you have and they are totally safe. The greenest way  is to reuse the pots and bottles you  already have – my old shampoo bottle is still going after  5 years of refills

Pretty Bottles

bottles jars

But when it comes to bottles that can be seen,  I  am shallow and I like the bathroom to look good. So I recycled all my old bottles and  bought some  funky  plastic that look nice. Also some rather swish  aluminium  bottles.   Please note – all the suppliers I use line their products  with a resin ( plastic) liner.

In the boudoir (a marginally less  dangerous environment), you can  use glass, by far the nicest product. Once again the uber green amongst can reuse jam jars  however I went out and bought simple  glass jars which I matched with aluminium lids.

Closures
You can get all sorts of closures for bottles from simple screw caps to flip lids,  pumps and sprays. It really depends on the nature of your product. You can get plastic lids but I use aluminium caps and  lids because they look the best and can be easily recycledt.

Please note that all closures  almost always have a small plasticised paper disc inside.

I have been using my bottles jars and lids for years now and they are still looking good and working well.

Buy

You can buy all the above from naturally thinking

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Labelling

Believe me you will forget what is in your bottles and you will have to label them. You can write on the bottle with a waterproof pen though in my experience the writing does eventually wash off. You can buy plastic labels from the supplier below for a very reasonable rate. Apparently they last for five years so you might think that this is fair trade off. Or you can use wooden or aluminium  labels ( try garden stores or craft stores), or even cardboard tags and tie them onto your bottles.

More

For more on home made beauty products check out keep pretty plastic free

 

post

Hydrogen Peroxide

by Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade Tagged , , ,

Bought a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from Big C Supermarket in Thailand. The bottle is glass the cap is metal. Plastic free you might think?  well, apart from the plastic lid liner and plasticised paper label. However it is  massively plastic reduced. You can also buy it Boots in a plastic bottle.

It is my choice of  antiseptic for my travel medical kit. I use it to clean cuts and grazes.

But, as I hardly ever cut myself I also use it as mouth wash to help whiten the teeth. But only occasionally because there are lots of conflicting reports on the healthiness of such activities. This is a useful read 

Mouthwash Mix: 1 part hydrogen peroxide mixed with 1 part water. Rinse mouth, then spit out. Discard and left over solution or use it as extra solution.

For another great mouthwash recipe try this blog

or this one for lots more

And don’t stop at the mouthwash, there are lots of wonderful sounding things in there.

Bleach Hair

Use a 3% solution to bleach your hair

Ear Wax

Soften and loosen the earwax with warm mineral oil or a mixture of hydrogen peroxide mixed with an equal amount of room-temperature water. Place 2 drops of the fluid, warmed to body temperature, in the ear twice a day for up to 5 days. Be sure to warm the fluid because cold fluid can cause pain and dizziness. Web MD

And there are lots more things you can with hydrogen peroxide here.

 

Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide 3% - 500ml Care 200ml Hydrogen Peroxide 6 Percent Solution
Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide 3% – 500ml
£13.45		 Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide 3% – 500ml
£13.45

You can buy Hydrogen Peroxide on line from Amazon and other places. You can find more online products and read our Amazon policy here,

NB may come in a plastic bottle – you will have to decide if this represents a plastic free saving. I think so  because I get to do so much with it.

Other plastic free beauty products can be found right here.

Want to find more travel related plastic free tips? Check out the travel category

 

post

Silicone

by Posted in 1.3 Plastic Types - Fact Sheets, 4 About The Alternatives, 4.9 Useful to know Tagged , , 18 Comments

Plastic? Rubber? Just plain weird? Used for everything  from ice-cube trays to adult toys to cake tins it certainly gets around. So what is silicone??

Silicon is a natural chemical element. Silicone polymers are derived from silicon and so silicone is a  man-made product derived from silicon a natural element.
Silicon the natural chemical element, is generally found in solid crystalline form like sand.
Silicone, the product, may be a liquid lubricant, a semi-solid adhesive or a rubber-like plastic polymer

Uses
Liquid silicone is often used as a lubricant.
An example of a thicker form of rubberized silicone  would waterproof sealant used in bathrooms and window fitting.
Solid silicone rubber – is used for everything from cake baking cases to internal sanitary protection.

Silicone Rubber
Silicone rubber a manmade product  derived from natural products – silicon and rubber. It is made by curing or vulcanizing natural rubber. Silicon is injected into the long hydrocarbon chains of natural rubber under high heat and pressure. The result is silicone rubber.
Silicone rubber is a  silicon polymer with rubberized qualities.
It was  first produced under the chemical name of polydimethlysiloxane.
Silicone rubber is heat resistant so can be used to make cookware including oven mitts, tongs, pot holders and pan handles.
Silicone rubber also possesses non-stick qualities, so it can be formed into flexible cookware such as muffin and cake pans.

Silicone Generally
All silicone is inert, it does not react with other elements or compounds.
There are (as yet) no known health hazards of silicone.
Silicone is not biodegradable,  but it can be recycled easily – where facilities exist.
Silicone comes in two grades, food and medical grade silicone.

Do I boycott silicone?

Silicone, is  a man-made polymer which does not biodegrade, and so has to specially disposed of. Like other plastics  I try to avoid using it. Like other plastics, there are some silicone products I use,  because they help me reduce the amount of plastic, throw-away trash I would otherwise create.
silicone products I use or at least think might be useful

silicone products I use or at least think might be useful 

unbreakable reusable cups
I am not a paper cup – a pottery cup with reusable silicone lid.
plastic free menstruation silicone mooncups

Check out other synthetic polymers and plastics right here