Of course water in many countries the water is actually safe to drink – you can find out where here.
Sterilise Your Own Water
When it’s not we don’t buy water in plastic bottles. NO its just wrong. Instead we sterilize our own water using a Steripen ….
When a bottle refill service is offered we will use that instead.
The U.K. is one country lucky enough to have safe drinking water BUT sometimes when you are out and about it can be hard to access tap. These worthy schemes aim make safe, free, tap water available.
When travelling in far flung places we will not buy water in plastic bottles. NO its just wrong. Instead we sterilize our own using a Steripen …. but when a bottle refill service is offered we will use that instead. We want to support and encourage such fine ventures.
Clean water machines?
One great scheme is these water machines that are popping up in Thailand, Malaysia and maybe other places.
You put your money in, hold your bottle under the tap, fill it up with nice clean water.
It’s safe – and cheaper than bottled water.
Malaysia
The Islands
Perhentians
Coral Bay
In Amelia’s restaurant (next to Mamas place – first restaurant on the right of the pier) is a water machine. Put your money in, position your reusable water bottle, press the button and out comes the clean water.
If you diving with these guys you can fill your reusable water bottle with their filtered water.
Mainland
Georgetown (Penang)
There are 3 on Lebuh Chulia (off Love Lane) one next the Reggae Bar another further up on the right, just near the Crystal Guest house and a third opposite the Air Asia Office.
Tanah Rata Cameron Highlands
There is one on the main road which is called the Main Road next to the KFC style fried chicken outlet opposite the bus station.
There is another one at the other end of the street near the clothes shops.
Thailand
Bangkok
Khosan Road – hidden away behind the t shirts and hair braiders there is a clean water machine – its roughly opposite MacDonald’s (catering for the teenage crowd)
There is another near Khosan on a road I don’t know the name of but next to SEX Tattoo (no, I don’t know who that is catering for).
Chang Mai
One machine on a street I don’t know the name of – can anyone help here – but it is down from the pub that does Guinness, pies and football (guessing they are catering for the ex pat crowd), kind of opposite the book shop.
Chang Rai
There are clean water machines in the night market close to the stalls – sorry I cant be more specific but you might be able to tell from the picture.
Jetyod road – look out for the launderette.
If you stay at Jansom House see tripadvisor for more– you can fill your bottle for free from their machine.
Nan
There is a water machine on Pha Kong Road on the right hand side just after you cross Mahawong Road – with the Shell Garage behind you walking towards the night market.
At Nan Guest house you can fill your water bottle for free- if you are staying there and you could do worse.
Plastic rubbish in India is a real problem. Plastic lasts for centuries, doesn’t rot and is inedible. Burning it at best smells bad and adds to the green house effect, at worst is lethal. In short plastic cannot be easily disposed of. Plastic waste requires special disposal facilities which much of India does not have. A lot of plastic trash ends up dumped.
Steralised Water Machines
So it is really good to see water bottle refill kiosks appearing at train and bus stations. As they sound, they refill your bottle with cool, safe water for a few rupees.
Water Refill Places
Here is some specific information for towns I have visited. Some of it is rather old now and may be out of date.
Please add any refill schemes you know of in the comments below.
Arambol
Go to Double Dutch Restaurant and get your water bottle refilled with safe, clean filtered water for a fraction of the cost – saving money and the environment.
Kaza
The good folk atecosphere Kaza will refill your water bottle with steralised water for free though they would like you to leave a donation.
Leh
Boiled, filtered water refills can be got from the Woman’s Alliance, Ladakh Ecological Development Group LEDeG, Dzomsa and some other places. You can pick up a map from LEDeG showing all of them or download it here.
Dzomsa. This shop refills your water bottle with boiled filtered water. They have shops on Old Fort Road and Main Street and maybe one more (though they are not all open out of season).
Rajasthan Jhodpur
Refill your water bottle from the water cooler in the square by the clock tower. It tastes good, is indeed cool and there is no charge. We treated ours with our steripen water treatment system – see the end of the post for details.
Udaipur
Has refill kiosks at the train and bus station.
Varanasi
There is a water refill kiosk at the Train station. In the streets, shops will refill your bottle from water dispensers. Tastes fine but those of you with suspicious natures might want to steripen it too.
MORE
No refill place? Sterilise your own water.
When travelling in far flung places we will not buy water in plastic bottles. NO its just wrong. Instead we sterilize our own using a Steripen. The easiest way to make safe pleasant tasting water.
Tricky but not impossible. Did you know they did loose pistachios in Lidles? At least they did last time I looked. Surprisingly, Lidles have quite a few good plastic free options. You can read about them HERE
You can get loose chestnuts in Tescos at Christmas time.
The Nut Shop Leeds Market also offers a wide range of nuts and dried fruit, even loose sprinkles for cakes. By weight. Details HERE
If you cannot get to Leeds you can try
Wholefood Market a supermarket chain
Weigh & Save shops a UK franchise
And other loose food outlets as listed below
Loose Food A to Z
Find out if a shop near you sells bulk food loose. This is stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt. And yes these shops do exist in the U.K. There’s just not many of them.
Heres alist of towns with shops selling loose food.
Packaging
While these shops provide bags and they are almost always plastic ones. You will need to take your own plastic-free /reusable bags.
Long time ago when I was young we used to visit the Weigh & Save shop in the precinct down the road. In it were a number of big bins containing everything from beans to corn flakes. You scooped what you needed into the bags provided, in the quantities you wanted then weighed and paid at the till. I loved it. But then I grew up and moved away and never thought of it until I tried to go plastic free. I realized that this was exactly the kind of shop I needed right now. Of course I would have to provide my own plastic free bags but….enough said. I eagerly returned to the precinct of my youth, Stretford it was, only to find the shop had shut up and gone.
So began the research quest…. and in conclusion, yes such shops still exist but they are bloody hard to track down. They go under a variety of names including Weigh & Save Scoop & Save Weigh House Weigh Inn. The company that supplies the products does not have a list of outlets they deliver to (!) but can help you set up a shop if you are interested. As far as I can tell, these shops operate as individuals. They are extremely idiosyncratic and vary greatly in presentation and range. Some go the whole hog with corperate green and yellow displays and a whole lot of stuff to choose from, others a are little more than a few dusty bins at the back of the shop.
Just a passing thought; I feel that this for want of a better word franchise are marketing themselves all wrong. They are presenting themselves as a way to save money and the whole shop screams budget from the ugly cardboard bins to the scrappy signage. I think they should look at attracting the eco customer by installing better dispensers, promoting waste free shopping and using funkier imagary (see Wholefoods Market for inspiration).
Loose Food Fill lists all the shops (not just the above) that sell loose, food of the kind that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, pasta and salt.
We are always on the look out for new and greener plastics and these PLA bottles caught our eye. Personally I think bottled water is a scam. Why pay good money for that you can get for free? But if you should choose to go down that route, it seems a shame that such a decision should also result in a landfill site of non-biodegradable, plastic bottles.
There are of course compostable, biodegradable plastics – one such is PLA. But for years PLA was not considered up to the job of beverage bottle. You can read more about PLA plastic here.
The following would seem to disprove that theory….
From the website… Eco for life bottles are made from Polylactic acid, PLA for short.
During the production process, we produce 60% less greenhouse gases and use 50% less fossil fuels.
Will bio-degrade
✘ No, takes up to 1000 years
Yes, in an industrial composter
Made from
✘ Oil
Annually renewable plants
Leaches harmful chemicals into water
✘ Yes
No
Can be recycled
✘ Yes, but down-cycled and always ends up in landfill
Yes, and can be re-cycled into a whole new bottle, never ending in landfill
Releases harmful toxins when incinerated
✘ Yes
No
Greenhouse gases savings during production
✘–
Approx. 60%
Oil saved
✘–
Approx. 1 litre for every 24 bottles
N.B. I still don’t know if the screw top lids are PLA plastic.
Composting PLA Plastic
Back to me…. While most agree that PLA plastic is indeed compostable, many say that it can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. As we don’t have many large scale municipal schemes this they say is a pointless advantage.
I say the days of large scale municipal schemes is fast approaching as governments aim to divert biodegradable rubbish from landfill sites.
Moreover I have been composting my PLA plastic for years.
But why create any waste at all if you can avoid it? Get yourself a refillable bottle, use the tap, save money all round. Find bottles, refill places and other water related information here….
Make your own oilskin using white spirit also known and mineral spirits in the U.S and linseed oil.
White Spirit is “also known as mineral turpentine, turpentine substitute, petroleum spirits, solvent naphtha (petroleum), varsol, Stoddard solvent,[4][5] or, generically, “paint thinner“, is a petroleum-derived clear liquid used as a common organic solvent in painting and decorating.”
“Owing to the volatility and low bioavailability of its constituents, white spirit, although it is moderately toxic to aquatic organisms, is unlikely to present significant hazards to the environment. It should not however, be purposely poured down the sink or freshwater drain.”
2.2 Environmental levels and human exposure There are few data on white spirit in air, water or soil. Monitoring at a site contaminated with spilt white spirit (Stoddard solvent) revealed soil levels of up to 3600 mg/kg and deep soil water levels of up to 500 mg/litre. Biodegradation led to a 90% reduction in soil concentration over a 4-month period following remediation.
Next you need to mix some simple chemicals. You will need one quart of mineral spirits (You are not wanting mineral oil. Mineral oil will not work), which is available as paint thinner at Lowes, Home Depot or any paint store. You will also need a quart of boiled linseed oil. It is available at the same place. If you go to Sherin Williams or Porter paints you can get tarp and chemicals at the same stop.
Mix the mineral spirits and linseed oil 50/50. Shake it up good. You need the combination of chemicals. The linseed oil waterproofs the fabric and the mineral spirits allow the oil to dry. If you use straight linseed oil the fabric will never dry and will remain oily and sticky forever. (At this point you can also add pigmint if you want color in the tarp.)
Hang your prepared tarp from a clothesline or the back yard fince and paint it with the solution. Make sure it is saturated well. Leave the tarp hanging untill it dries. With the 50/50 mixture it will take about 48 hours. It will take the smell about a week to disperse.
Want to catch up on the gossip round the water cooler but don’t want to drink BPA laced water from a plastic bottle? Then get your boss to buy one of these bottle free models from Quench. Basically it takes your tap water, cleans it and cools it. Keen to seen as green, they list some impressive statistics for resources saved by using one of these and also contribute to a tree planting scheme for each filter sold.
Here’s some highlights their press release…………………
Bottleless water coolersbottleless drinking water systems also save money, energy and oil. Gone are the days when a bottled water delivery service is the only option for providing drinking water to businesses and corporations.
Did you know that only roughly ten percent of plastic water bottles ever make it to the recycling bin? Not only does going bottleless save oil and energy, but it also cuts down on the massive waste that all those 5-gallon water jugs creates.
We have accounted for the planting of just over four million trees, saved over 200 million gallons of water and prevented over three thousand tons of waste.
By making use of a structure’s built-in water supply, bottleless drinking water systems maximize preexisting resources. The closed-filtration system and ultraviolet sanitization option assures that only the cleanest most hygienic water flows. And our dispensers produce hot, room temperature and cold water with the option of making ice, too.
You can find out more at their website
You can find more plastic free office supplies here
So I gave up margerine in plastic tubs and scoured the shelves for an alternative. Back in my more innocent days I used to think that marge wrapped in foil was plastic free. But that foil is lined with plastic.You can find out more about plastic lined foil here
You can get cheap Marge wrapped in what looks like greaseproof paper. Even that may not be what it seems. It could be plastic lined or chemically treated rather than natural greaseproof paper.You can read about that here.
But taking all of the above into account, paper wrapped margarine is the best we can do.
Buying Paper Wrapped Margerine
I have found myself falling out with margarine – it is slithery, weird and synthetic so I only use it very occasionally. This information may well be out of date. Last time I looked Sainsburys & Tescos do paper wrapped.
and then of course there is butter. 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? Isn’t that an instant heart attack? 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.”
“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
ANd some more research revealed that margerine is Hydrogenated Oil and these are not so nice.
Hydrogenated oil is made by forcing reactive hydrogen gas gas into oil at high pressure in the presence of a palladium catalyst.
Hydrogenated oil is more stable, does not go rancid as quickly
It has a higher melting point, so can be used for frying.
It is used to make liquid oils more solid. Margarine is oil solidified.
Concerns
Hydrogenating oil modifies the chemistry significantly.
The fatty acids in oils are unsaturated fats. They are unstable.
Hydrogenating oil turns these unstable fatty acids into new more stable fats known as trans fats acids.
There are concerns that trans fatty acids may increase LDL, or bad cholesterol, and decrease HDL cholesterol, the good cholesterol.
Because they are not natural the digestive system does not know what to do with them. They may actually bioaccumulate in the body. Read more here
Living plasticfree means going alternative. Trying different things. There are many different kinds ofalternatives talked about out there in Google land, some credited with the most fantastic attributes. But before you reach for the bicarbonate of soda and depend only on vinegar to sanitize your kitchen, it might be worth investigating a little further.
This series of posts looks beyond the claims and tries to assess if these alternatives are indeed that great or even that greener in the long run,
Borax occurs naturally in evaporite deposits produced by the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes. The most commercially important deposits are ... Read More
Living plasticfree means going alternative. Trying different things. There are many different kinds ofalternatives talked about out there in Google ... Read More
Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash and soda crystals) is the water-soluble sodium salt of carbonic acid. It is alkaline. Pure sodium carbonate is a ... Read More
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
The following information is for guidance only. None of the following recipes or tips have not been tested on anyone other than me. I strongly advise you do your own research and proceed very carefully.
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.
If you want a better informed opinion I suggest you head on over to the Aromantics website. They will sell you everything you need to make sun tan lotion including recipes you can download as a PDF. They have been in this game for years and are far more qualified then I am. The following is an account of my own experiences which may help you in your own research.
Fats and oils are used to keep the skin supple and prevent moisture evaporation. Many oils and waxes can be used neat such as coconut oil. Or they can be mixed with water as a cream or lotion. They can be harvested from plants and animals. Read more about fatty acids HERE
The oils used in creams/balms are usually vegetable derived though I suppose you could use lard if you wished (!)
Types Of Oil, Wax Or Butter They come in a variety of forms under the following headings – but it is a rough guide only. Liquid Oil – never solidifies Solid Oil – firm when cool but has very low melting point so sometimes it may be counted as an oil i.e. Coconut oil Butters – a solid oil. Has a high melting point. Rather confusing. Milk butter for example acts more like a solid oil, while Cocoa butter is more like a wax. Waxes – very hard-of a candle (wax), like consistency. Bees wax for example.
Which One?
There are hundreds of vegetable oils. Different skins like different oils and you will have to experiment to find what is best for you. You don’t need that many. I can make everything I need with a few oils.
I have listed them in order of hardness. However some liquid oils can be more oily than solid oils. Castor oil (liquid) is the thickest oil i know and can only be used mixed with others where’s coconut oil (semi solid) is very light
Almond oil – a lighter oil. Can be bought in big supermarkets, Asian shops and online Rapeseed oil – a lighter oil with quite a strong scent but U.K. sourced. Read More Olive oil – a richer oil can sometimes be bought on tap in the U.K. Used for cooking and cosmetics.read more Castor oil – a very thick oil – add it to lip balm. Can often be bought in chemists. Coconut oil– a semi solid light oil which has a very low melting point. Use neat as for everything from hair care to make up removal or add to creams and balms. Can also be used for cooking. Read more Shea butter – a rich creamy butter with a surprisingly low melting point. Good for making cream and lotions. There’s an introduction to shea butter here Cocoa butter – a hard wax which has a high melting point. Use neat as a lip balm or add to creams and balms. Bees wax – a very hard oil wax has a very high melting point add to creams and balms to make them firmer.
Cosmetics & Eating I love a multi tasking product and you cant do better than a moisturiser you cook chips in. Rapeseed oil – a lighter oil with quite a strong scent but U.K. sourced. Read More Olive oil – a richer oil can sometimes be bought on tap in the U.K. Used for cooking and cosmetics.read more Rice Bran Oil less “oily” than olive oil and rapeseed oil and not as malodorous as the latter. I used it to make suntan lotion and mosquito repellent.
CSometimes a wax is just too hard and an oil too liquid. Oils and waxes can be combined to create a more usable product. Examples would be combining a hard wax like cocoa butter with a softer oil like coconut. these are my favourites: Body Butter Lip Balm
Cream & Lotions
But still there are times when oils are are just too… oily. In this case you need to dilute them using water. As Water and oil don’t mix you will also need to add an emulsifier. The end result is cream or lotion. To make cream you will need the following Fatty acids of your choice- oil, butters & waxes. Water Emulsifiers: Water and fat do not naturally mix, you need to use an emulsifier. Preservatives Pots to put your cream in.
The cream or oil can be used as a carrier medium for active ingredients such as… Suntan Lotion– add Microfine Titanium Dioxide OR Zinc Oxide to make a suntan lotion Self Tan– Add DHA to make a fake bake that really works . Magic, age defying, cellulite busting potions- scour the internet for all the gubbins, the AHAs, enzymes and crushed pearls that are supposed to grant instant beauty and add them too. I can’t promise results, but it’s fun experimenting.
Containers
Once you have made your creams and balms you will need to store them. You can find a range of pots, bottles and closures here.
More
For the last 5 years now I have been I have been using home-made cream on face and body with no side effects. The plastic pots from the original kit have been reused a number of times. In fact they are still in use. They are great for traveling.
PLASTIC SPOILER Some of the above will come plastic packaged. As I get huge amounts out of one small bag of ingredients so I consider it a worthwhile compromise. It still represents a huge decrease in plastic consumption.
Making Other Personal Care Products
Its quicker then trying to choose between a hundred different shampoos and it’s really simple, fun to do, so much cheaper and I get to control what goes on my body, where it comes from and what environmental impact it has.
The following information is for guidance only. None of the following recipes or tips have not been tested on anyone other than me. I strongly advise you do your own research and proceed very carefully.
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.
If you want a better informed opinion I suggest you head on over to the Aromantics website. They will sell you everything you need to make sun tan lotion including recipes you can download as a PDF. They have been in this game for years and are far more qualified then I am. The following is an account of my own experiences which may help you in your own research.
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
