Seeds

It is hard to find plastic free seeds. They are usually sold in waterproof plastic lined foil or plastic lined paper sachets. It’s not much but it is there. If you want to be a real purist you can try these.

Plastic free heritage seed

But if you do want a whole packet here are some seeds that are plastic free AND you can harvest the seed to use over and over again. As I’m sure you know many hybrid seeds are good for one year only – you can read more about that here. Not these

Vital Seeds

“As all of our seeds are open-pollinated you can save your own seed from them year after year.”

And more

Organic seeds: vegetables, herbs and flowers
Plastic-free and compostable packaging
Free delivery on orders over £35
Open-pollinated varieties
Based in Devon
Absolutely no GMOs
Proud members of the Open Source Seed Initiative

see the range here

More Seeds Here

“Here at The Heritage Organic Seed Company sustainability is at the heart of what we do and it is so important to us to offer our products in eco friendly, plastic free packaging.

Our seeds are lovingly hand packed in manilla seed envelopes which, along with our mailing envelopes are made from recycled materials and can be recycled or composted after use.

You may find some of your seed packets also contain glassine envelopes, we use those for our tiniest seeds to help you to handle them more easily but these are also completely biodegradable

see the range here.

Seedcell

These look interesting. For when you don’t need a whole packet of seeds but dont want any more plastic seed trays . The tomato mix for example consists of 12 X SEEDCELL PODS biodegradable, plastic free seed pods. (4 varieties) that you pop into your reusable plant pot.

See the full range here –

“Where possible we will ensure all products across the entire range are waste free, biodegradable and compostable, using as little plastic as possible. Grow Sow Simple™ only use plastic when necessary and even when we must use plastic, we ensure it is fully recyclable, we focus our design to encourage the reuse of any plastic products and the safe and proper disposal after use.”https://growsowsimple.com/products/tomato-selection

Seeds In Tins

You can get seeds in tins though the tins will almost certainly be lined with epoxy resin.

Wildflower Seed Grenades

“Flower Grenades throw a seed bomb for an explosion of flowers in derelict places

Take action in the green revolution and throw one of these fun Flower Grenades. Each ‘grenade’ is an air-dried clay shell containing a selection of wild flower seeds, and soil to get them started.”

Got to love that idea. Get them here

Or make your own! Instructions here

You can harvest your own seed. You can find out more here.

The Plastic Free Garden

You can find other plastic free garden 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

Join our Facebook group here

How To make Tea, Tea pots, & strainers

4 March 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Food & Drink, 3.2 How To...plastic-free Tagged 3.1.3 drinks, 3.2.2 Kitchen, 3.2.3 Buy On Line, 5 Content Veiw 5 Comments

These days most of us automatically reach for the teabags but is that really the best choice? Certainly not from a plastic free zero waste point of veiw.

Nasty Bags

Whats in your tea bag? Paper and tea you wish but actually no. Most do in fact contain plastic and so are only between 70-80% biodegradable. And chlorine bleached. Read more HERE.
There are plastic / chlorine free bags out there but they are very expensive and often come packed in plastic read about them here.

How To Use Loose Tea

In short, loose tea is a better option. But it may seem daunting. It’s not. Here is a guide on how to make the perfect cuppa.

Buy

First you will need to source some loose tea. Not as hard ad you think thanks to PG Tips. Find out more HERE

Pots, Strainers & Balls to you Mrs!

Next you will need a teapot and, unless you fancy taking up fortune telling, something to stop the leaves getting in your cup. You can get great teapots from charity shops. I favor the stainless steel 70s version, good for traveling in the van with. You can get all metal tea strainers if you look. Try the market, Ebay or Amazon. I am not a big fan of tea strainers. They dribble and you need a saucer to put them on. And you have the icky job of removing the tea leaves from the pot afterwards, a soggy business at the best of times. No, I like these mesh balls. You put the tea in them then put them in the pot. At the end you empty them in the compost bin without worrying about nasty plastic mesh. Easy as! You can even get some teapots that have integrated diffusers built in.

Just One Cup?

If you are brewing up for the WI, a teapot is fine but what when you want a quick cuppa for one?
You can get cotton bags that you can fill to make your own reusable teabags but really who can be bothered with that kind of faff.

I have found that a steel mesh single cup infuser works perfectly. It sits on your mug, you fill it with loose tea, let the brew, brew then remove. Really no effort at all and very easy to empty into the compost bin after. Mine was given as a gift but I have found something similar on Amazon

Brewing Up

So now we are good to go. Put the leaves in the pot (or the mesh ball first) add boiling water and let it brew.

and again…

Don’t be so quick to empty the pot. You ca muse those leaves again to make a fresh pot. Even keep them in the fridge and reuse the next day.

When the tea gets a bit weak you can ad a pinch more.

Honestly. I learnt this from the Chinese tea shop where they sell 50 year old tea for a hundreds of dollars a gram. Yes apparently tea, like wine, does improve with age. Who knew?

Milk?

If you take milk, you will need to get yourself a milk man who delivers milk in glass bottles and possibly a milk jug!

Find other sneaky plastics here….

Buy Teapots & Strainers

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, please do check the links in the posts. They link direct to the suppliers. Do consider buying from them and support their online businesses.

If you can’t do that then I have put together and Amazon catalogue. Yes I know…

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 these links are for 3rd party sellers, we have always found the Amazon service to be good and their packaging usually compostable. In the absence of anything else we feel we can recommend them.

Kitchen Craft Stainless Steel Double Handled Tea Strainer- boxed

Tea Ball Infuser 2" 18/8 Stainless Steel.

VonShef Satin Polish Stainless Steel Tea Pot with Infuser. Available in sizes Small, Medium & Large

Designer White Ceramic Tumbler Brewing System

.

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

SaveSaveSaveSave

Join our Facebook group here

Flowers to collect

1 March 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade, 3.1 Special days & Parties Tagged 3.1.4 flowers 2 Comments

Because they are grown locally and packed on site, I bet you could get these UK grown flowers plastic free if you asked! Why would you want to buy UK flowers? Read more…

Organic Blooms If you love cut flowers, and care about where they come from and how they are grown, then a stunning bouquet of British cut flowers from Organic Blooms could be just what you’ve been looking for!
Organic Blooms is a Social Enterprise based just outside of Bristol. CLICK AND COLLECT Bouquets Available now

Champernhayes Flowers & Foliage is based in rural West Dorset where I grow and sell cut flowers and foliage. I love to forage from local hedgerows. I arrange flowers for weddings and events, as well as selling wholesale and to local businesses. My speciality is in scented woody ornamentals and foliage stems. I have an established perennial cutting garden and a newly fenced field which will be planted up in the autumn of 2014.

Or

These don’t have web pages but are up on twitter.

Yorkshire Petals @Yorkshirepetals

Glorious home grown English country flowers offering varieties of bunches that are not available in most florists or supermarkets.

Elaine Parkinson @FelicityFarm

Growing and designing beautiful seasonal blooms for weddings, events and gift bouquets on our farm in Chorley

composting as one…

25 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Composting, 3.6 Good to know Tagged 4.8 The Rest 8 Comments

Disposing Of Biodegradable Waste

Composting accelerates the natural process of biodegrading or rotting down organic waste material into a rich soil or compost. Its the only sustainable way to deal with our waste… we love it.

It sounds complex, and many treat it as some kind of arcane science, but basically you pile your biological waste into a compost bin, keep it warm and it rots down naturally into a rich soil or compost. I do it without much effort. If it took much effort I wouldn’t! With the right bins you can turn all your scraps into plant food, or, if you don’t need plant food, dispose of your waste ecologically.

Great Reasons to Compost

You can use your compost bin for garden litter which saves on boring trips to the tip.
You can dispose of your own kitchen waste which it gobbles up by the bucket load.
You can keep biodegradable waste out of landfill. Why? Well, biodegradable waste does not do well in the unnatural conditions of landfill. It bubbles away producing methane which adds to the greenhouse effect.
And so, composting reduces your carbon footprint by diverting biodegradable waste from landfill.
It is a practical investment for the future. The Uk government is committed to reducing the amount of biodegradable waste in landfill by 50%, by the year 2020. As 30% of UK domestic waste is organic this will affect us all. Setting up a home composting system is just getting ahead of the game.
Cuts our dependance on waste collection services by taking responsibility for our own waste.
Cut bin liners. No need to wrap my mushy waste as it all goes straight in the compost bin. Read living without bin liners for more information.

How It Works

All natural (as oppose to synthetic) materials do eventually biodegrade or rot. Here’s how long it takes for some commonly used products to biodegrade, when they are scattered about as litter:

Paper ~ 2-5 months
Cotton rags ~ 1-5 month
Natural fiber rope ~ 3-14 months
Orange peel ~6 months
Wool socks ~1 to 5 years
Leather shoes ~25 to 40 years
Tin cans ~ 50 to 100 years
Composting speeds up that process and results in a lovely rich soil additive that can be spread on the garden to feed the plants and micro beasties.
It is also a way of managing your own waste. If every bit of trash was compostable you could get out of that destructive relationship with your landfill bin.

Useful composting information

Biodegradable –Biodegradable products break down through a naturally occurring microorganism, such as fungi or bacteria over a period of time. More about biodegrading here

Compostable – To be classed compostable, items must biodegrade within a certain amount of time, the resulting biomass must be free of toxins, able to sustain plant life and be used as an organic fertilizer or soil additive.

Composting Standards For a man-made product to be legally sold as compostable, it has to meet rigorous composting standards

How to Compost?

So you are now hot to rot but which bin to go with?

A heap…
You can compost in a heap which is just as it sounds. You heap your compostables up and leave them to rot down. However composting works quicker when there is heat. To create heat you need to contain your heap. It needs enclosing.

Build a wooden bin…
These bins are not fully sealed. Animals (rats and mice) can get in so you need to be careful what you put on them. No meat dairy or cooked food. You can quickly and cheaply build a compost bin out of scrap wood or pallets. Or you can buy wooden frames ready made.

Here are some instructions on how to build a compost bin
Here is a ready made wooden bins

Plastic Ready Made Bins
The next option is to buy a ready made plastic bin.
Basic Bin I got my first bin from the council. It didn’t work for me.. rats invaded my bin and refused to leave. Other people manage though. Rats can get in these bins because they are not fully sealed.

Enclosed Systems I use an enclosed system called the Green Johanna to compost everything. Yes its plastic but you can compost meat, dairy, cooked food and NO RATS. Highly Reccomended!

Underground Systems If you just want to get rid of your waste rather than use the resulting compost, you could try an underground composting system. You put your rubbish in and the ground eats it. One such is the green cone that just eats your biodegradable rubbish. Underground bins can also be used to compost your pet poop .

Composting Indoors

Electrical Units
This is a nifty little electric composting unit that you can keep indoors in a kitchen cupboard

Other Ways

Bokashi Bins are not strictly composting but pickling. Great to use in conjunction with worm bins.

Worm bins – a bin of worms that eat your rubbish.

Read all about these bins here……

Bokashi Bins

Because I love all things compost, I invested in a Bokashi kit - two bins with taps and bokashi bran ...
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Carpark composting

It's a compost bin... in a car park.... next to the other rubbish bins. How cool. How French! ...
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Compost Bin – underground

You can put ALL your food waste into your Green Cone including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, vegetables and fruit. There ...
Read More

Compost Bin basic – cheap but rats!

I’ve had my compost bin for 14 months now and I am very pleased with it. I use it for ...
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Compost bin in a kitchen cupboard

I am lucky enough to have a garden where I can keep my compost bin. However if you don't have ...
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Compost Bin the Green Johanna

I started composting with a simple black bin, the economy discounted version from the council. I chucked the food in ...
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Dog poop disposal

This is something I really hate …. plastic bags of dog @*%! hanging from the bushes. But then plastic bags ...
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Worm Bins

Composting is a great way to dispose of kitchen waste and reduce your carbon footprint, but what if you don’t ...
Read More

Plastic and Composting

Buy

There are plenty of links in the posts links above to the suppliers

If you can’t do that then I have put together and Amazon catalogue. Yes I know..


Biard Eco Recycled Platic Environmentally F… £27.99	Blackwall Twin Pack Bokashi Bin £36.00	Bokashi Bran 3kg £16.50

Green Johanna Hot Composter £104.00	Hatch for Blackwall Compost Converter £7.50	Wooden Composter Large £34.99

Wooden Compost Bin 328L in BeeHive Style 337 £54.95	FSC Classic Single Wooden Compost Bin £84.99	FSC Classic Triple Wooden Compost Bin £209.99

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 do get an affiliation fee for this. This is not why we do it.

https://wp.me/s4gI1n-9595

Sung to the tune of… can you guess…. on the count of three

Imagine no incineration
No chimneys towering high
no clouds of toxic ashes
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Composting today…

Imagine there’s no black bins – it isn’t hard to do
Nothing to burn or landfill
so no methane too
Imagine all the people
composting in peace

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will compost as one

Imagine no recycling
I wonder if you can
No more single use dipsosables
only products with a long lifespan
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will compost as one

See our composting posts here

Ribbons & Ties

22 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade Tagged 3.1.7 Personal hair care, 3.2.3 Buy On Line, 5 Content Veiw 1 Comment

Of course one way to get the most out of your wrapping paper is to reuse it. In which case you done want it torn off. Walk away from the sticky tape and tie your brown paper packages up with string which can also be reused.

Or real silk ribbons hand hand died in Scotland using natural dies made from plants grown in the garden WANT SOME!!!!!! Not bought any myself but I bet you could get them in plastic free packaging if you asked. They seems a very nice business.

A bit from the website

I have started to produce hand dyed ribbon using the plants and flowers grown at Mill Pond Flower Farm. We are very fortunate in having a wide variety of mostly native trees and plants with the addition of flowers grown for sale. This gives a great store of material that can be used in dying fabrics and can give a range of colours. The effect of using natural dyes is to give a softness and depth of colour that changes with the light, blending effortlessly with other fabrics and hues.

Buy here

More Ties

Other kinds of decorative, non synthetic, ties can be found on Amazon. Amazon is a very dirty word at the moment and I thought long and hard before I did it. Heres why I went ahead…..


Daffodil Yellow 100% Cotton Twine – 10 metr… £2.95	Jute Ribbon 2”X10yd-Red £30.05	Linen Ribbon, 1 in. x 5 yd., Rustic Wedding… £62.12

Burlap Ribbon, 2 inches x 10 yards, Rustic,… £35.77	Jute Ribbon Toffee 7/8 Inch by 10 Yard Roll… £3.59	Jute Ribbon Brown 7/8 Inch by 10 Yard Roll … £3.59

38mm Brown Self Adhesive Picture Frame Back…	Luxury 5 Metre French Grey White Heart 100%… £1.50	Silk ribbon Shibori Katrina x10cm

Mothers Day

18 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade, 3.1 Special days & Parties Tagged 5 Content Veiw, hidays

Flowers and chocolates are a traditional choice for such days and always welcome. Especially when you choose a few plastic free, more eco options.

Sweets

Sweets or chocolate in a paper bag
Home made truffles

Flowers

The greener way to give flowers.

Gifts
What mum doesn’t love a garden? Or Monty Don? Or Waitrose? Then check this… while looking for some plastic free secateurs I came across these from Japan. At 80.00 they are outside my price range but they look lovely, are recommended by Monty Don, come in a box (less plastic packaging) and are sold by Waitrose.

“Rated one of the best performing secateurs by BBC Gardeners’ World Magazine, with a score of 17/20 (January 2015).These slim-handled secateurs, forged from a single piece of high carbon steel, are a popular choice for female gardeners as they fit smaller hands perfectly.”
What can I say!
If you cant afford that there are some other (cheaper) options here, recommended by me.
And a lot more garden related gifts here.

But what if …
I am stereotyping your mum? what if she hates the gardening, has hands the size of shovel, wants to wipe the grin off that smug buggers face and only shops in Lidles? You could try these plastic free delights that can double as gifts.

Argh last minute Valentine day fixes….

Forgot !?! Quick, go get this free down load and print out the coupon book. Serve with a deep soulful look ...
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Knickers

Time to buy new panties, knickers, bloomers, draws, step-ins – call them what you will. I am a simple woman ...
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Body Butter

One of the joys of living plastic free is that you have all kinds of useful base ingredients in the ...
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Secateurs

The cutters of I use are from Joseph Bently I bought this set from TK Max– steel and wood tools with minimal ...
Read More

Wrappings & Cards
Gift got you need to wrap it. You can find plastic free gift wrapping options and cards here.

Compost Bin – underground

15 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Composting Tagged 5 Content Veiw 2 Comments

You can put ALL your food waste into your Green Cone including meat, fish, bones, dairy products, vegetables and fruit. There are so many good reasons to compost not least because you can dispense with bin liners.

“The waste is digested rather than composted and is primarily reduced to water. This nutrient rich water enters the soil under the base of the digestion unit. There is no need to turn waste over like in a traditional composter.

For anyone who does not have the time to compost, the Green Cone is the ultimate waste food disposal solution. Most Green Cones produce so little residue that they will need cleaning only once every few years.

Features
Composts ALL food waste
Completely natural process
No need to turn waste over”

Composting at it’s easiest, though perhaps not it’s most attractive!

You can buy them from Even Greener who claim that

4. CREDENTIALS Most of our products are made in the UK in our own factory.
5. GREEN MANUFACTURE Most of our compost bins and water butts are made from recycled plastic using renewable energy.
6. PRICE GUARANTEE Find it cheaper elsewhere and we will refund the difference.*
7. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Not 100% delighted? Return your goods within 30 days for a full refund.**

See more composting posts here

Mosquito Repellent

15 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade, 3.1 Personal Tagged 3.1 Backpack, 3.1.7 Health, 3.2.4 make, 3.2.4 make makeup, 5 Content Veiw

It’s that time of night when sitting on the balcony becomes a feat of endurance rather than a pleasure and it’s down to those vile biting mosquitos. Time to take action… but what kind. I could of course slather myself in DEET…

DEET Was developed by the American Army and remains the most effective form of bug repellent known to man. It is a great weapon in the fight against malaria. But it can irritate my skin and has had other negative press. Plus it comes in plastic.

So what of the alternativee? Needless to say the internet offer everything from wristbands to essential oils. Lots of testing has been done which conclude that these range from considerably less effective to completely useless. “Two devices in particular came under harsh criticism from the scientists: bracelets containing herbal extracts and sonic mosquito repellers, which claim to use high-frequency sound to drive away mosquitoes.” And dont bother with citronella candles. You can read the rest here.
That said there is some evidence that certain essential oils (including citronella) might work.SO let’s discuss the options.

Why DEET
Just to reiterate N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet) DEET is the most effective insect repellent ever.
Then (2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-piperidinecarboxylic acid 1-methyl ester (icaridin), p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD), and ethyl butylacetylaminopropionate (IR3535)-based repellents also provide protection against biting arthropods,
Malaria & Other Nasty Deseases
Malaria is extremely dangerous and kills masses of people each year. DEET Will protect you from mosquitoes and many other disease bearing blood suckers. If you are in a malarial prone area then it is an essential means of protection and I advise you consider it. Medical plastic is exempt from the boycott. To quote DEET must be the “first choice for those visiting areas where malaria or other arthropod-borne diseases are endemic remains formulations with higher concentrations (20–50%) of deet.
Higher concentration icaridin and PMD preparations are the most useful alternatives to deet where they are available”
Read more here

How Strong?
What do these concentrations mean? A higher concentration of DEET means it will last longer. 20% DEET offers up to 6 hours of protection. 50% DEET which offers 12 hours of protection. If you sweat heavily you’ll need to re-apply it more often, obvs.
According to the British Medical Journal anything with over a concentration of 50% DEET will not be any more effective. Read this very good write up that discusses all the issues and gives clear advice on how DEET should be used. Access it here.

Bad DEET
But if you are not at risk from malaria you might want to limit your exposure to DEET. While DEET is generally thought to be safe there are reports of possible reactions. On a personal level I find it irritates my skin but then again so do most perfumes and some soaps. However it is not just me. Reactions to DEET have been documented. And they can include Hives or mild skin redness and irritation. The more you use the worse it gets. People using products containing a large amount of DEET over a long period of time may have more severe skin reactions that include blistering, burning, and permanent scars of the skin.
Wikipedia are even more worrying and report that
In the DEET Reregistration Eligibility Decision (RED) in 1998, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported 14 to 46 cases of potential DEET-associated seizures, including 4 deaths. The EPA states: “… it does appear that some cases are likely related to DEET toxicity,” which may underreport the risk as physicians may fail to check for history of DEET use or fail to report cases of seizure subsequent to DEET use.[21]
The Pesticide Information Project of Cooperative Extension Offices of Cornell University states that “Everglades National Park employees having extensive DEET exposure were more likely to have insomnia, mood disturbances and impaired cognitive function than were lesser exposed co-workers”.[22].
Read it here

Which Alternatives Work
So for those munchy twilight hours when the biting, but non-malarial carrying beasts are out DEET seems rather a chemical sledge hammer. In these cases I have been using Cintronella essential oil mixed with Rice Bran oil as a mosquito repellent. Based on nothing more than a quick skim of alternative bug sprays on the internet and the fact I have some Citronella oil. The internets claims all kinds of wonderful qualities for Citronella but I tend not to believe them. So consequently I didnt know if my homemade repellent really worked i.e.if it actually repels Mosquitos. But I felt it did and it certainly seems to soothe bites and reduce irritation. So I decided it was time to do some research.

Citronella
Citronella is obtained from the leaves and stems of different species of Cymbopogon grasses. And it might just work. This is a quote from some research that seems reputable. “From the available literature and information, we can conclude that the complete protection time for citronella-based repellents is less than 2 hours”
Read more here

But 2 hours is all I need. I can live with the occasional bite at other times it’s the twilight feeding frenzy I object to.

Using Essential OIls
Essential oils are concentrated and so should be used with some care.
Do not apply neat to the skin.
It is good practice to do an allergy test
Do some further research into the oil you plan to use

Disclaimer
Be aware of the risks of listening to someone who
a) doesn’t have any training in this field,
b) most of what they know comes from Google,
That’s me I mean.

Making Mosquito Repellent
You should never use essential oils neat so the Citronella has to be blended with a base oil. And there is very little data avaialable on what kind of percentages to use for the oil to be effective against biting beasts.

Generally Most essential oil/ aromatherapy sites say that mixes of essential oil to base oil should not exceed 5%.
A good rule of thumb when seeking to make a 2% dilution is to add 12 drops of essential oil to each fl. ounce (30 ml) of cold pressed carrier oil, lotion, vegetable butter or other natural lipid/moisturizer.
There is a useful dilutions chart here

And then there is this:
For adults:
Sensitive skin: .5 to 1 percent dilution = 3 to 6 drops per ounce
Normal, healthy skin: 1 to 2.5 percent dilution = 6 to 15 drops per ounce
There is lots of useful information here

My Mosquito Oil
So I added Citronella to a base oil at a 5% ration. I have used coconut oil, rice bran oil and rapeseed oil as bases. All work well.
I spread this on all exposed flesh when the sun begins to set. I only apply it once.

Obviously we are not talking about huge percentage of active ingredient here. Certainly not the 30% of DEET creams. How effective this oil is I have no way of knowing. I can only say it seems to work for a limited period of time.
AND PLEASE NOTE
These blends have not been tested for skin reactions or allergies. It is worth remembering that DEET lotions have been used for years and have been well tested.
I am telling you of my own experiences for your information only. You should do a lot more research before proceeding. And proceed with caution.
None of the above have been tested on anyone other than me. All I can say Is that I have used essential oils for a long time with no ill effects…..
Also
Essential oils are resource hungry, have a large environmental footprint and should only be used on special occasions. You can read more about essentials oils, what they are and how they are obtained here.

Buy

Plastic Alert
Vegetatable oil will nearly always have a plastic element unless you are lucky enough to find a refill service. Even if you buy in glass the lid will be plastic lined. But even so this represents a huge reduction in you plastic consumption. Read more and links on where to buy, here.

Same goes for essential oils.

There is an interesting breakdown of mosquito myths here. Plus some useful advice on how to avoid them.
And this is an interesting article on using plants to deter insects
And I am looking into this.
“PMD: Lemon Eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora) Extract
The principal repellent component of lemon eucalyptus extract is PMD, which is the main by-product of lemon eucalyptus hydrodistillation.
The active component is prepared through acid modified extraction of leaves or a synthetic version of PMD is used in the majority of commercially available preparations.”
Read about it here.

Argh last minute Valentine day fixes….

14 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade, 3.1 Special days & Parties Tagged 3.1.5 gift, 3.1.5. Valentines 1 Comment

Forgot !?! Quick, go get this free down load and print out the coupon book. Serve with a deep soulful look and “Experiences mean so much more than things, baby”.

I just saved your ass!

Bokashi Bins

14 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 Composting Tagged 5 Content Veiw 4 Comments

Because I love all things compost, I invested in a Bokashi kit – two bins with taps and bokashi bran.

Lots of articles you read will say that you can use a bokashi bin to make compost. NO YOU CAN NOT. At least not in the sense that word is usually used. You can use it to make pickled, partially-dehydrated, fermented waste. However the resulting material still needs to be aged in soil or a compost bin before it can be used on the garden.

This is a two stage process.

BUT you can use the bokashi process to store a lot of food waste for weeks in a small bucket before further composting it. So what’s is the point of that?

It makes a green waste collection service viable.
Bokashi juice it is claimed makes a great house plant feed though some dispute that.
Reduces trips to the compost bin if your bin is on your allottment say.
It is a good way to start the decomposition process

How it works

The bokashi bin is a Japanese system that pickles your waste.

You put the waste in a bin ( can be anything including meat)
press it down hard and sprinkle with bacteria (bokashi) laced bran.
The bacteria begin to pickle your waste.
As it does so the waste begins to ooze juice. This you drain off. This juice can be used as a liquid feed.
Once the bucket is full you leave it to stand.
You can fit two weeks waste of two people (who cook fresh everyday) into one bucket.

What to do with your pickled waste?

You can feed it to the worms in your worm bin. Bokashi is claimed to help in a limited space worm composting system. Compressing food waste means you can fit so much more in your worm bin and because it is part broken down, they deal with it more quickly.
You can put it on the compost heap again benefitting from reduced space requirements and increased composting times
You can dig it into the soil but you need to bury it deep to avoid attracting hungry animals who will dig it back up again. Personally I cannot see the point in that!

Not tried this you can also bury your fermented food waste in an enclosed bin or box. Best to use a bin that has at least a 20 gal capacity. Start by adding 1″ of soil to bottom of bin. Next, add your fermented food waste. Add some more soil on top of that and mix it in with the food waste. Pour 3″-4″ inches of soil on top of food waste, soil mixture and pack it down. Cover the bin. Food waste should be completely broken down and ready to plant in 4-5 weeks. You can continue to stack additional fermented waste on top until your bin is full. Plant your favorite veggies directly in bin when food waste has been completely broken down.
here are links to people who do this in the U.K. “You add the pickled veg to the bottom of a pot or mix it in with the compost. You then need to let it settle for a couple of weeks, but then you can grow in it. The pickled veg rots down very quickly once in the soil. Basically, bokashi vastly accelerates the decomposition process – so although you don’t get ready made compost out of it, it is well on its way. Personally I prefer to use worm compost, but bokashi is a useful alternative.”

I can testify that bokashi bins work really well for storing waste but because my compost bin is so great,(it can compost anything and is rat proof), and is close by ( just at the end of our very small garden) I don’t really have much use for my Bokashi bin.

I do use it very cold winters when the daily trip to the bin is just too horrid.

I thought I was getting a good deal with the liquid feed but this article suggest otherwise. “The majority of nutrients in food scraps is contained in large molecules like protein, DNA, carbohydrates, fats, oils etc. Since bokashi does not break down the food scraps these nutrients are still bound up in large molecules at the end of the bokashi process. That is why an apple still looks like an apple at the end of the process. The nutrients will not get released until the future composting process is completed.”

Interesting stuff as is this. Bokashi in way more detail

Buy

You can buy bokashi bins from Even Greener who claim that

4. CREDENTIALS Most of our products are made in the UK in our own factory. Including these bins.
5. GREEN MANUFACTURE Most of our compost bins and water butts are made from recycled plastic using renewable energy.
6. PRICE GUARANTEE Find it cheaper elsewhere and we will refund the difference.*
7. SATISFACTION GUARANTEED Not 100% delighted? Return your goods within 30 days for a full refund.**

Make

If you are handy you can apparently make everything yourself including bokashi bran. I have never tried but seen online links.

Candles

10 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade Tagged 3.1 general, 3.1.5 Christmas, 3.1.5 Halloween, 3.1.5. Valentines, 3.2.3 Buy On Line, 5 Content Veiw 2 Comments

Nothing sets the mood quite as well as candles but it is hard to find plastic free candles. Most come in a protective plastic wrap or bag. However we tracked down a few.

Which Candle?

Parrafin, soy or beeswax.

In the olden days candles were made from a by-product of beef-fat rendering(tallow) which stank and smoked or beeswax which didn’t smell or smoke but was very expensive.Then in the 1820s, French chemist Michel Eugene Chevreul discovered how to extract stearic acid from animal fatty acids. This could be used to make a wax that was harder and burnt far more cleanly.

However the most luxurious and brightest of all candles were made from crystallized spermaceti an oil obtained from the sperm whale. Like beeswax, spermaceti wax had a pleasing odour but also produced a far brighter light. Again it was a harder was so didn’t soften when the atmosphere got hot. Lucky for the sperm whale who was being hunted into extinction for his light shedding wax, rock oil and its many by-products burst onto the scene. One such by-product was paraffin which could be used to make super-hard, super-bright and, best of all, cheap candles.

Recently, a huge surge in the popularity of candles has led to new waxes being developed including soy bean wax.

Soy candles are made from a processed form of soybean oil called soy wax. It is very soft so most candles are made in tins or containers. However additives including beeswax, paraffin, or palm wax can be used to make it harder. Additives include: stearic acid, Vybar (a trademarked polymer), mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin wax, ultraviolet absorbers, and bht crystals.

Most candles today are made from one of the following

paraffin (a product of petroleum refining);
stearin (now produced almost exclusively from palm waxes though initially manufactured from animal fats);
beeswax
Gel Candles produced from gelled mineral oils or synthetic hydrocarbons. They are made in containers.though some are rigid enough to keep their own shape.
some plant waxes (generally palm, carnauba, bayberry, or soybean wax);

The size of the flame rate at which the candle burns is determined mostly by the size of the candle wick.

You can find out more about candles here and here.

Candle Types

Taper, Dinner or household candles. The traditional round candles that have to be set in candlesticks or empty wine bottles. Used for dinner parties and power cuts.

Pillar Candles are the modern version. Big and chunky, they are solid and self standing in a variety of sizes.

Floating Candles are designed to float on water.

Tealights are low round candles in a metal container. Much loved by the Ikea crowd. They are used in food warmers or tealight holders

Container or Filled Candles are non-flammable, heat resistant containers which are filled with wax and wick. They come in heat-resistant glass jars, tins and less often, pottery.

Votive Candles are come heat-resistant containers often with religious imagery.

Specialty or Novelty Candles come in a wide array of shapes either molded or sculpted by hand.

Scented candles – can be used to create a pleasant ambience or mask other odours such as cooking or cigarette smoke. They can also be used to keep insects at bay though personally I don’t think they are very effective.

BUY

Basic white unscented candles

Parafin Candles

Prices do a practical range of plain white unscented candles both household & tealight. Last time I looked, so did Bolsius. I have bought both of the above packaged in cardboard from a number of local shops. If you can’t buy them locally you can of course get them on line.

I found some pillar candles on Amazon which look to be plastic free – please check

BULK PACK of 14 – Ivory Church Candles (60m…

Vegetable Wax

If you don’t fancy paraffin candles,these organic, vegetable wax candles look plastic free. they are available from Nigels Ecostore www.nigelsecostore.com and Amazon.

Grehom Organic Dinner Candles (Set of 4) – … from Amazon also look to be plastic free!

NB be aware they contain palm oil but sustainably sourced Scented Candles

Paraffin Based

Prices do a wide range scented tealights and candles in a tins and glass jars with fragrances to suit all moods and occasions. They also do some odour eaters great for eliminating or rather masking odours which work pretty well. These come as tealights, in tins or glass jars and include

HOUSEKEEPER~ Contains extracts of Beeswax, Mandarin & Lemon
CHEF’S CANDLE~ Contains extracts of Basil, Patchouli & Geranium
OPEN WINDOW~ Contains Lily, Violet & Orange Flower

I have bought all the above packaged in cardboard. Please be aware that tins ike this are almost always epoxy resin lined which is (yes you guessed), a plastic.

They can be bought pretty much everywhere.

Soy Candles

You could try Foundry Candles from Oldham Manchester

“The scents of these delightful hand poured soy candles have been captured perfectly in a tin. Aprox 40 hours burning time. All natural ingredients. Check out all the amazing scents!”

Please be aware that tins are almost always epoxy resin lined which is a plastic.

There are plenty more up on Etsy but they are eye wateringly pricey. You might be better off making your own. How hard can it be?

You can get soy flakes in a reusable cotton bag

Only supplied in the re-usable cotton storage sack if purchased from Amazon or Aura
Container blend – NO soot or smoke.
Achieves a longer burn than paraffin Wax.
Easy to clean up any spills with soap and water.
Finest quality American SOY WAX flakes.

Aura’s Eco Soy Wax Flakes. A greener way to make quality candles…. These flakes are the finest quality Eco Soy flakes imported from the United States. Superior to paraffin Wax, candles made with Eco Soy will burn longer and be free of soot & smoke……. BASIC DIRECTIONS: Melt like chocolate. Gradually add your chosen fragrance. Add your colour a little at a time. Secure your wick into the desired container. Pour the melted Eco Soy into your container & leave to harden…..Once set – Enjoy your candle!!

Beeswax

Try these from Etsy, they are made in London and you should be able to discuss packaging with them.

Buy

One of the real joys of buying #plasticfree is sourcing the stuff in local shops. The excitement when you see milk in glass bottle in the newsagents is beyond words.

However sometime you have to buy on line. If so please see if there are links to sellers direct in the post above.

If you can’t do that then I have put together and Amazon catalogue. Yes I know.

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 do get an affiliation fee for this. This is not why we do it.


Bolsius Pack of 6 Household Candles £3.98	PRICE’S HOUSEHOLD CANDLES 5PK – 5 CANDLES £2.44 4	Sentinel Nightlights X6 £3.40

BULK PACK of 14 – Ivory Church Candles (60m… £29.99 These look like they might be unwrapped. Please double check before you buy – then tell me!	Grehom Organic Dinner Candles (Set of 4) – …look to be plastic free!	Heaven Scent 24 Organic Unscented Tea Lights £5.81

Candles Naturally Plant Wax Unfragranced Te…	Heaven Scent Natural Organic Jumbo Tea Ligh…	Prices Pack of 10 Tealights £5.24


Price Candle PXT011028 Winter Jasmine Scent… £3.13	Prices Patent Candles Open Window Jar £5.49	Scented Candle In Tin – (Housekeeper) £6.95

Housekeeper Tealights – (FR441016) £4.95	Prices Housekeeper Scented Candle in Tin El… £10.99	Prices open window candle – FR510316x1 £13.44

Prices Household Scented Candle in Tin – FR… £15.33	Prices Candles FR541016 Open Window Tealigh… £2.48	Prices Candles FR341016 6-Piece Chef’s Teal… £2.83


WASIWAX Handcrafted Wedding Carved Candles … £34.90 As these are made in Britain you might be able to ask about plastic-free packaging	Magical Floating Candles – 50 Reusable Floa… £20.50	Clever & Unique Magical Floating Water … £20.50

2.5 KILO Eco Soya / Eco Soy Container Candl… £19.99	5metre Wedo LX8 (50mm) Candle Making Wick +… £3.09	5 Metres Wedo ECO Candle Making Wick. High … £2.50

ECO 8 Pre-tabbed Candle Wick – pack of 20 £3.99	20 Pre Waxed Wicks For Candle Making Teacup… £2.60	Jute Ribbon Brown 7/8 Inch by 10 Yard Roll … £3.59


Prices Candles Tealights Winter Walk 6 Pack	Prices Fragrance Tealights x 6 Garden Laven… £3.12	Prices Fragrance Tealights x 6 Tea Rose £3.01

Price Candle PXT011005 Pomegranate and Waln… £3.12	Price Candle PXT011012 Fresh Fig Scented Te… £3.13	Price Candle PXT011010 Cinnamon Sticks Scen… £3.13

Price Candle PXT011020 Apple Spice Scented … £2.69	Prices Fragrance Tealights x 6 Peach Blossom £2.99	Soft Geranium Scented Tealights 6 Pack £3.13

Easter

7 February 2015 by Plastic Is Rubbish Posted in 3.1 General & Homemade, 3.1 Special days & Parties Tagged 3.1.2 reusables, 5 Content Veiw, hidays 2 Comments

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

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

They are doing other plastic free eggs though.

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

Eggs

Easter egg makers are far more environmentally aware than they used to be and it is now easily possible to buy plastic free eggs if you look for them.

If you cant find anything on your local shops these people supply plastic free food on line. Bet they have something…

Online Plasticfree food
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

Refillable Eggs

An even greener option is to have a reusable, refillable egg. For example…

You can buy papier-mâché eggs like these… online from here

If your decorating skills leave something to be desired you could try these Beatrix Potter tins can be bought here

There are lots more on eBay and Amazon

Obviously the packaging might be plasticky but contact the supplier and see what they can do. If nothing then console yourself with the thought of all the future plastic you will be saving by going for a reusable.

Then you fill them with sweets and chocolates….

Sweets & Chocolate

You can still buy sweets loose in shops and even some supermarkets. I have seen those pastel chocolate eggs available which are of course ideal.
you can find loose sweets and ethical chocolate here

Or if you are feeling ambitious you try your hand at #plasticfree truffles – egg shaped of course. Find the recipe here.

Don’t Like Sweets?

But one of my favourites has to be the M&S Cheese Eggs! yes. M&S has launched a pack of six wax-covered Mini Cheesy Eggs, with Barber’s Farmhouse Cheddar as whites and a vintage 18-month matured Red Leicester yolk hand-dipped in a duck egg blue wax ‘shell’ and sold in what looks like a cardboard box. For obvious reasons I can’t get out to check.

Don’t like Cheese? Gasp! Flowers are always nice….

Flowers are always a lovely way to celebrate Easter for older or less chocolate orientated people. But gettting them plastic free can be tricky…..

More Special Days, Gifting & Parties

How to special celebrations like Halloween and Christmas. Also those general chocolates/ flowers kind of days.

Plus gifting plastic free. Tips on cards, wrapping, sticky tape and others.

And of course how to party plastic free. The booze, the cocktail shaker the disposable cutlery. Then, when everyone goes home – finally, how to wash up.

See all our posts HERE

Join our Facebook group here


Kitchen Craft Stainless Steel Double Handle… £5.50	Tea Ball Infuser 2″ 18/8 Stainless Steel. £0.71	Tea Ball/Strainer Mesh Tea Infuser Tea filt… £1.52 – £2.19

Kitchen Craft Le’Xpress Tea Strainer, Stai… £1.65	Stainless Steel Spoon Tea Leaves Herb Mesh … £1.60	2 Cup Glass Tea Pot with Infuser £21.63

Glass Stainless Steel Loose Tea Leaf Teapot…	VonShef Modern Stainless Steel 600ml Glass … £4.99	Sabichi 750 ml Glass Teapot with Infuser


VonShef Satin Polish Stainless Steel Tea Po… £6.99	Designer White Ceramic Tumbler Brewing System £15.00

Plastic free heritage seed

Vital Seeds

Seedcell

Seeds In Tins

Wildflower Seed Grenades

The Plastic Free Garden

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Nasty Bags

How To Use Loose Tea

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Pots, Strainers & Balls to you Mrs!

Just One Cup?

Brewing Up

Milk?

More

Buy Teapots & Strainers

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And before you go…

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How It Works

Useful composting information

How to Compost?

Composting Indoors

Other Ways

Plastic and Composting

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Which Candle?

Candle Types

BUY

Basic white unscented candles

Soy Candles

Beeswax

Buy

If you can’t do that then I have put together and Amazon catalogue. Yes I know.

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Eggs

Refillable Eggs

Sweets & Chocolate

More Special Days, Gifting & Parties

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