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.
Busy Tagging
Cruising round what’s left of the high street, (use it or loose it), documenting my plastic free finds. Tagging them and posting them on Facebook & Twitter.
So far I’ve used the following
2023
#plasticfreeproducts2023 – for all the plastic free products I’ve source this for this year
Type of products include
#2023plasticfreereusables
#plasticfreesupermarket2023 – type of venue #plasticfree xxxx 2023 – xxxx being the name of the store. So far there’s
(Love to see they still do the loose nuts.) See them here on FB or check out my twitter feed.
To Do
Late to the party but still plenty of time to get involved. Once again Keep Britain Tidy are organising The Great British Spring Clean, a massive litter pick of the U.K.
Back for its eighth year, the Great British Spring Clean is the nation’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign.
The Great British Spring Clean and Great Big School Clean 2023 will take place from 17 March to 2 April, and you can pledge to pick up a bag of litter – or more – from today.
“Automation has killed off much of the UK’s industrial heritage, but at MYB Textiles it may just be its saviour. Based in Ayrshire, Scotland, the 100-year-old lacemaker is the only place left in the world working with traditional looms” Read more here
They do the most wonderful but expensive lace made from wool & cotton. Some are 100% natural some have 5% polyester added. The prices are …. well here are some examples
CAMPBELL Material 100% Cotton £104.28 inc VAT
KERRY In the sale Width 152cm Material 95% Cotton/5% Polyester Oat Sky Maize Straw Earth £28.40 inc VAT
RHONA Not in the sale Width 150cm Material 95% Cotton / 5% Polyester £44.30 inc VAT
Hooray for cakes but increase your chances of a lovely light cake with this plastic-free baking powder.
Ingredients Baking Powder ingredients: Wheat Flour, Raising Agents (sodium pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate). About Baking Powder Classic raising agent for adding to plain flours when making cakes, scones and puddings.
Buy online from Real Plastic Free. They sell almost everything your greedy heart could desire.
As they say ….Why shop with us?
We don’t sell product packed in plastic We sell Real Foods brand packed in biodegradable cellulose bags
We will pack your order using only paper-based materials We are committed to reducing all waste
We partner with Real Foods who have been selling natural, organic wholefoods (packed in cellulose) in Edinburgh for over 40 years
Real Foods brand is fully accredited by the Soil Association so you can buy our organic products with confidence
We only charge fair rates for postage & packing
We really appreciate your custom and work hard to offer you the best prices we can on your plastic free products”
Plus they have a great product range. I use them all the time and they are great.
Packaging – Inner bag: Compostable Recyclable Outer carton: Recyclable. Made from bio-film from renewable sources.Comprises cellulose from wood-pulp, produced in carefully managed plantations Compostable certified by the EU and the USA
You can buy it and lots more here….
Real Plastic Free
We sell Real Foods brand packed in biodegradable cellulose bags We will pack your order using only paper-based materials We are committed to reducing all waste We partner with Real Foods who have been selling natural, organic wholefoods (packed in cellulose) in Edinburgh for over 40 years Real Foods brand is fully accredited by the Soil Association so you can buy our organic products with confidence
Biodegradable products break down through a naturally occurring microorganism into simple, stable compounds which can be absorbed into the ecosystem.More about biodegrading here
What is compostable?
To be classed compostable, items must biodegrade within a certain time (around the rate at which paper biodegrades), and the resulting biomass must be free of toxins, able to sustain plant life and be used as an organic fertilizer or soil additive. For a man-made product to be sold as compostable, it has to meet certain standards. One such is the European Norm EN13432. You can find out more here.
Talking of composting, theres a new logo on the block. “The Home Compostable verification logo clearly identifies and differentiates packaging materials as biodegradable and home compostable. This means that the biodegradable packaging will break down under specific home composting conditions back into water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass.”
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
Welcome to our monthly round-up of news and products.
Yes I know its Summer but this month I am busy buying jumpers. There’s no trusting the British weather.
We update it as we go along so do check back for our latest finds. and you can subscribe to get our monthly updates delivered to your virtual door. There’s a subscription form at the bottom of the page.
My Woolovers cardigan has turned up. Hooray. A kitted hoodie. the best of all worlds.
I ordered from them because the garment is made from natural fibres and they send their cardigans out in almost plastic free packaging.
The sealing strip and some thread reinforcement on the top were the only plastic to be found on the outer paper bag.
This was exciting enough but I opened it to see the cardigan itself packed in a degradable compostable cornstarch back. People will tell you that you cannot compose them in your garden composter. They are wrong I have composed of many of these bags.
The label was cardboard and attached with string
The receipt, sadly, had a plastic liner attached. I don’t really know why.
But on the whole a fantastic effort.
They also make a range of other environmental claims including
We will ensure at least 95% of our collections are made from natural fibres.
We will use more recycled yarns.
We will replace our garment care labels & tickets with a natural alternative.
They sell other plastic free products. I got these tea lights in cardboard a box.
About
Langholm CapitalWoolOvers is a UK based direct-to-customer retailer of own-brand knitwear and jersey apparel. It was founded in 1989 and acquired by Langholm Capital in 2015.
One of the much touted benefits of plastic is that it reduces pressure on natural resources. Nowhere is this more true than in fabric and fibres.Producing natural fibres is certainly resource intensive. And synthetic fabrics have moved on since the early days of crimpolene and can now convincingly replace anything from wool to silk. They used to make the sheerest of stockings to the thickest and woolliest of fleece jackets. Dirty old fishing nets can be recycled into saucy bikinis.
And at a fraction of the price. So much so that synthetics now make up 60% of the market.
While using synthetic fibres means that less space is needed to grow cotton or flax, less pesticides are used and vegans can be pleased that less sheep need shearing and silk worms dont need to die for us.
But of course synthetics come with their own very real and severe environmental costs.
Synthetic fibres have the same qualities as plastic. The problems with a polyester sock are the same as with a PET bottle. Though you get more wear out of a sock eventually it gets thrown away and because it is now non-biodegradable rubbish it needs to be specialy disposed of. Cheap clothes and fabrics go on to pollute the environment in the same way a bottle may.
Plus all the other problems attendant with plastic products (you can read more about the problems with plastic here).
Micro Pollution
And it’s not just end of life disposal that is difficult, synthetic fabrics pollute through out their life time. Everytime they are washed they shed thousands of non biodegradable micro plastic fibres that wash down the drains and into the oceans where they are now affecting the ecosystem, (see micro plastics for more)
The more I sew the more I realise all fabrics are not the same – even if they go under the same name! The following are my ongoing notes on the subject. I have a lot to learn!
Cotton
Lawn is a very fine cotton though as with everything in life it seems you can get different grades of fabric that have, predictably, slightly different qualities. The Ebay lawn I used to make my wrap around top creases far more than the Thai lawn from Japan I used to make the back packers bloomers. I am not complaining about the Ebay lawn. It is still good and at that price, a real bargain. But if you don’t like ironing but do mind looking crumpled than it might be better to try and source a higher grade fabric.
I though I had when I bought some grey lawn from the Button Box in Huddersfield to make the Choir Boy Top. This is more like a muslin more crumply than the Japanese lawn but nots as creased as the Ebay stuff.
Printed Cotton ROse and Hubble for loon pants. Seems to be indestructible.
Batting
Looks like a kind of cotton wool used for quilting and stuffing things. Can be bought HERE
Wool
Reading up on wool. How eco is it? This wonderful blog is my go to for this stuff. Heres their introduction to wool.
Silk
And while we are on the subject did you know about peace silk?
“When it comes to peace silk, the moth has been allowed to complete it’s full transformation, emerging from the cocoon alive and able to continue with mating. Additionally, the eggs are raised every year from one strain, assisting in the conservation of the species. ”
Silk is measured in mom’s. the more moms the thicker the silk. One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter; 8 mommes is approximately 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter.
Hot-water powder dyes, producing vibrant colours on protein fibres including silk, wool, feathers and most nylons. The “acid” is the vinegar that you add for fixing. Dye in an old saucepan, in the microwave, or paint or print and steam-fix. Ideal for dyeing silk scarves a constant colour, silk fibres for silk-papermaking, or wool for feltmaking.
Chiffon is a translucent fabric, or gauze, it is a lightweight, balanced plain-woven sheer fabric, or gauze, woven of alternate S- and Z- Twist crepe (high-twist) yarns. Chiffon is smoother and more lustrous than the similar fabric, Georgette.
Early chiffon was made purely from silk Under a magnifying glass, chiffon resembles a fine net or mesh, which gives it some transparency.
Chiffon is most commonly used in evening wear, especially as an overlay, for giving an elegant and floating appearance to the gown. It is also a popular fabric used in blouses, ribbons, scarves and lingerie.
Habotai is a soft, glossy, medium weight Chinese silk in ivory. It is popular for silk painting. It can also be used for making scarves or cushions, although other silks are preferable for the more hard-wearing uses.
Habutai or habotai is normally a lining silk
It comes in a variety of weights (thicknesses) which is measured in mommes (abbreviated mm). A lightweight and sheer habutai silk might be 8 mommes (“8mm”); a 16mm habutai is considered quite thick.
I bought this
good quality silk habotai, 10 momme, 140 cm wide, ivory, suitable for lining and craft
N.B. lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
Was in Wilcos the other day and was delighted to see these snack packs of nuts and other tasty treats in biodegradable recyclable yet sealed packaging. Just like plastic but better. Recyclable or compostable paper that should it end up on the streets will not go on to choke wildlife.
Yay.
From U.K. companyEvolution Foods based in Telford.
They are a dried fruit, nuts and seeds producer and have introduced the paper packs as part of its new Natural Selection snacking range,
available at Wilko stores across the UK but they also supplya range of other retailers in the UK.
the breakthrough innovation could potentially save over 1,350 tonnes of plastic in the dried fruit, nuts and seeds market in the UK.
There are 25 products in its ‘Natural Selection’ snacking range. All packed in paper.
This includes such delights as yoghurt covered peanuts.
The range also includes snacking trays and shot packs which have been redeveloped to ensure that the packaging can be widely recycled.
You can visit their website here though honestly it is not that good and fails to explain clearly their innovative packaging. Better to read about them here.
There’s the old school stuff – paper, cardboard, leaves and other plant based materials. And then there is the new. The biodegradable plastics.
What is biodegradable?
Biodegradable products break down through a naturally occurring microorganism into simple, stable compounds which can be absorbed into the ecosystem.More about biodegrading here
What is compostable?
To be classed compostable, items must biodegrade within a certain time (around the rate at which paper biodegrades), and the resulting biomass must be free of toxins, able to sustain plant life and be used as an organic fertilizer or soil additive. For a man-made product to be sold as compostable, it has to meet certain standards. One such is the European Norm EN13432. You can find out more here.
Talking of composting, theres a new logo on the block. “The Home Compostable verification logo clearly identifies and differentiates packaging materials as biodegradable and home compostable. This means that the biodegradable packaging will break down under specific home composting conditions back into water, carbon dioxide (CO2) and biomass.”
I’m so excited by this… organic, biodegradable plasticfree elastic!! I haven’t used it yet as I’ve only just found it, but drawstring trousers are a thing of the past. The following is taken from Offset Warehouse website.
What’s so great about this elastic?
Not only is it made using certified organic cotton, it also uses natural instead of synthetic rubber to make it stretch and recover. Both of these materials provide a more stable income for farmers, allowing the local economy to grow. Generally, groves where natural rubber is tapped, is also a protected conservation area. At the end of its life, or at the end of your garment’s life, this elastic can biodegrade unlike its synthetic counterpart. Read more about this elastic, and why we’re so thrilled to be stocking it, over on our shop.
N.B. lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
And before you go…
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
When I first started my boycott, the only way to get plasticfree coffee was to buy the beans loose and grind them. Now theres all kinds of options from instant in your own bag to compostable pods
Finally managed to score some plastic free instant coffee! Its back to the wonderful Leeds Market. I love it. Its a fantastic place to buy local, #plasticfree almost everything. Read a review here
The JarTree is where I got my coffee. Its a great stall where you can take your own packaging and buy just about everything you might ever need, plastic free. Address: Leeds Kirkgate Market, Unit BS1, Leeds LS2 7HY Phone: 07470 033404 https://www.facebook.com/thejartree/ You can see a picture diary here of all the products stocked including NOODLES!!!! Or visit the website for more. They are continually updating the product list here: http://www.thejartree.co.uk/store-product-list.html
Don’t Live In Leeds? More Plastic Free Food Shops Here.
This is an interesting option that allows you to buy basic foods on line plastic free. You can even use your own produce bags. Read more HERE
Want more???? YES!
N.B. lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
When I first started my boycott, the only way to get plasticfree coffee was to buy the beans loose and grind them. Now theres all kinds of options from instant in your own bag to compostable pods
“Peter Sylvan and John Dragone in the early 1990s started building prototypes of a coffee maker that would brew one cup at a time, using a throwaway package that would hold the grounds and the filter. The result was the Keurig single-cup brewing system, which uses disposable plastic K-Cups that look like supersize creamer containers.”
“When the company began selling its single-serve coffee systems to offices, the price was too high to envision a similar product living on kitchen countertops: $795. But by 2004, the company had created a consumer version that sold for $149. (Keurig’s least expensive machine, the B30 Mini, currently sells for $89.)” Read more
By 2017….
coffee pods made up a nearly 5 billion dollar industry.
at least 16 million U.S. households currently have a single-serve brewer on their countertop.
coffee pods, or K-cups, that go in them… and make up a third of all coffee sold.
if you took the coffee pods that the coffee giant Nespresso produced over the years (nearly 30 billion of them), you could circle the globe over two dozen times!
That’s a lot of pods, a lot of plastic, and a lot of aluminium.
Sources for the above facts and a very good article can be found here.
So what to do if you have one of these machines?
Compostable Pods
You could try compostable pods. Such as these from Novelle Coffee
“Our dedication to provide premium coffee is matched only by our commitment to the environment, which is why our coffee is now available in compostable Nespresso compatible capsules.
Available in Intenso and Decaffeinato, it’s the same great ethically-sourced Novell coffee with added peace of mind.
Our capsules are made from 100% compostable materials that decompose over 12 weeks, meaning you can look after the planet as well as your conscience.” Read more
Reportedly the North American brands Purpods and G-Pak have also been certified 100% compostable.
I dont have a coffee making machine so cannot compare taste… but Which have done a survey that you can access here.
Compostable Plastics
What is compostable? To be classed compostable, items must biodegrade within a certain time (around the rate at which paper biodegrades), and the resulting biomass must be free of toxins, able to sustain plant life and be used as an organic fertilizer or soil additive. For a man-made product to be sold as compostable, it has to meet certain standards.
While most agree that some plastics are indeed compostable, many say that it can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. As we don’t have many large scale municipal schemes this they say is a pointless advantage. I say the days of large scale municipal schemes is fast approaching as governments aim to divert biodegradable rubbish from landfill sites.
But more to the point, I have been composting my compostable plastic at home for years now, including Biobags, deli pots and disposable cutlery. Read more about that HERE.
It does take longer than other products and sometimes I have found shreds of it in my compost but I dig it into the soil where it quickly disappears.
Greenwashing
And never forget that bio-degradable plastic bags do not biodegrade where as compostable plastic bags do compost. Not all bio-plastics (plant derived plastics) are compostable. Read more here.
Tea, coffee, cocoa and drinking chocolate all bought #plasticfree and made with milk from a returnable glass bottle. Details here
N.B.
Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
And before you go…
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide with many industrial uses, including as a common food additive. It is an effective thickening agent and stabilizer to prevent ingredients from separating. It can be produced from simple sugars using a fermentation process, and derives its name from the species of bacteria used, Xanthomonas campestris.
Wikipedia
It can be used in lieu of gelatine. Measure out half the amount of xanthan gum. ie for i 2 tbsp. of gelatin, use 1 tbsp. of xanthan gum. For baked products, add around 1 tsp. for every cup of flour added.
Hyaluronate Acid
Sodium hyaluronate is the sodium salt of hyaluronic acid, a glycosaminoglycan found in various connective tissue of humans.Wikipedia
Hyaluronate Acid is
A white powder with no aroma. Commercially, much of it is sourced from poultry (rooster combs) which we refuse to stock. The type we have sourced is made by producing enzymes from a bacteria based biofermentation process. It is guaranteed to be animal free.
1 gr Sodium Hyaluronate 98,4 gr Distilled Water If you have an air conditioning system or an electric dehumidifier, you can use the water which accumulates during their use as well. The dehumidifier usually has a container the water is collected in. Household air conditioners have an external compressor water tends to fall under, so place a bucket underneath and collect the water that way. https://thewatergeeks.com/how-to-distill-water/
She suggests adding a preservative but I don’t as preservatives react with my skin.
weigh the Sodium Hyaluronate and the water Pour the Sodium Hyaluronate on top of the water
“At this point some people like to mix it and some people like to let it be. I have actually tried both ways and here is my experience: if you try to mix it at this stage, part of the SH will stick to the spoon. This means that a precious part of your gel will get lost (and SH is not exactly cheap, so you’d want to mind this). IMO it is better to let the SH hydrate by itself on top of the water for a while, and stir later.
4) Cover the glass with plastic film and let it rest in the fridge for few hours.
5) After few hours the SH will be hydrated. Now you can stir it with a spoon so to make the gel more smooth (there will be harder parts and softer parts).
6) Add your preservative, stir again and put in a bottle 🙂
You can use this Gel by itself, for its great hydrating properties! If you have a very dry skin you could like to use it before applying your cream 🙂 You could also make a more luxurious gel by substituting part of the water (or the entire water) with Rose water!
As you might have noticed in the market we can find creams or serums that say “40% Hyaluronic Acid”. Well, as you can see I am using 1% of Sodium Hyaluronate and this is the highest concentration I can use.
This post talks about Microbes Antiseptics Disinfectants Alcohol Bicarbonate Of Soda Vinegar Hydrogen peroxide Soap Essential oils This is an area ... Read More
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N.B.
Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
And before you go…
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
Yes I know many of us consider tap to be the only option but for those of you who love bottled water there are choices. But before we begin lets remind ourselves why water in plastic bottles is an abomination
But what to do if you don’t like tap? You can of course get water in glass bottles from shops and supermarkets. Buts its heavy and glass comes with its own environmental impact. Really glass bottles are only sustainable when they can be refilled. Read more here
So this is very good news… water in returnable, refillable bottles!
Returnable Bottles
“Crag water are the only bottled spring water company in the North of England that reuses its glass bottles. By that we mean that we will deliver and collect then send back to be washed, sanitised and refill the bottles. The only part of what we supply that isn’t reused is the aluminium cap. This is a security thing. Each cap has a use once only breakable seal.
We sell both still and sparkling spring water in 330ml and 750ml bottles. The sparkling water has a natural soft taste and is carbonated lightly.”
You can get them delivered to your doorstep along with your milk in bottles!
To find out more visit the website.
Compostable Bottles
We are always on the look out for new and greener plastics and these PLA bottles caught our eye. Personally I think bottled water is a scam. Why pay good money for that you can get for free? But if you should choose to go down that route, it seems a shame that such a decision should also result in a landfill site of non-biodegradable, plastic bottles.
There are of course compostable, biodegradable plastics – one such is PLA. But for years PLA was not considered up to the job of beverage bottle. You can read more about PLA plastic here.
The following would seem to disprove that theory….
From the website… Eco for life bottles are made from Polylactic acid, PLA for short.
During the production process, we produce 60% less greenhouse gases and use 50% less fossil fuels.
Will bio-degrade
✘ No, takes up to 1000 years
Yes, in an industrial composter
Made from
✘ Oil
Annually renewable plants
Leaches harmful chemicals into water
✘ Yes
No
Can be recycled
✘ Yes, but down-cycled and always ends up in landfill
Yes, and can be re-cycled into a whole new bottle, never ending in landfill
Releases harmful toxins when incinerated
✘ Yes
No
Greenhouse gases savings during production
✘–
Approx. 60%
Oil saved
✘–
Approx. 1 litre for every 24 bottles
N.B. I still don’t know if the screw top lids are PLA plastic.
Composting PLA Plastic
Back to me…. While most agree that PLA plastic is indeed compostable, many say that it can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. As we don’t have many large scale municipal schemes this they say is a pointless advantage.
I say the days of large scale municipal schemes is fast approaching as governments aim to divert biodegradable rubbish from landfill sites.
Moreover I have been composting my PLA plastic for years.
But why create any waste at all if you can avoid it? Get yourself a refillable bottle, use the tap, save money all round. Find bottles, refill places and other water related information here….
Lines changes, products get removed. For more information why not ask the Plastic Is Rubbish FB group for updates. They are a great source of tidbits, personal experience and the latest news. Why not join them and share the plastic free love x
And before you go…
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
So where and how to buy your plastic free products? I try to apply as many of the following criteria as possible
Obviously first and foremost they have to be plastic free
Support independant shops.
Realistically I sometimes have to shop in supermarkets and chains. Then I have to consider which is the most ethical choice
Buy British made products
Support British companies
Online and plastic free
I also like to buy British made when ever possible and cut those air miles – read more here.
Here are somethings you can still buy made in Britain.Find them HERE.
And if I can’t buy British made or from local shops, I at least like to buy from British owned companies.
Nothing more irritating then ordering a #plasticfree item to have it arrive swathed in plastic packaging.
These shops sell plastic free products and send them out in plasticless packages. Find them HERE
good shops Latest news
Found a company that makes all kinds of biodegradable things and send them a packaging free and less whether all night making themThe company is based in Sweden the product I made all over the world that have been carefully thought out and about incredible. They sell compostable mobile phone covers which is what I’m interested in but they also have pens and vegan dental floss.
And the self drying clay that comes plastic free. They also do a non-toxic stick in a recycled plastic tube so well obviously not entirely plastic free it might be an improvement.
They have cut a lot of the plastic out of the warehouse and transport so you know when you’re buying from them they really are trying to reduce the plastic behind the scenes as well as the stuff on the shelf.
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