Oh joy – just sourced some plastic free sponge cloths. I love these things. Sponge cloths are extremely porous and great for wiping up water. Plus they dry really quickly. I love my cotton dish cloth – but it can get a bit whiffy in damp weather. Especially living in the van when it doesn’t ever really dry out.
But up until now sponge cloths have been made from synthetic fibres and packed in plastic. Which we won’t use.
Not these from If You Care. They are made from 70% Cellulose and 30% unbleached non-GMO cotton. Cellulose and cotton are both biodegradable so when you are done they can go straight on the compost heap.
Better still the packaging is made from 100% compostable PLA-biopolymer derived from corn starch. Tis is fully compostable plastic. On the pack it says that this is certified compostable by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) and compostable in commercial composting facilities. Just to let you know I compost a wide range of PLA products in my own compost bin.
They are machine washable up to 300 times. And of course being biodegradable, they don’t shed nasty plastic microfibres like synthetic cloths do. (Washing synthetic fabrics and clothing releases millions of microscopic plastic fibers. These are then discharged into sewage system and ultimately out to sea. Some are ingested by sea creatures).
Washing synthetic fabrics and clothing also releases millions of microscopic plastic fibers. These are then discharge into sewage system and ultimately out to sea.
Vegware is the UK’s first and only completely compostable packaging company. Vegware is forging and leading its own new sector – combining environmental products and sustainable waste management for a zero waste foodservice sector
What we do to combat the problems presented by plastic over use:
You can’t recycle food with plastic in it, and you can’t recycle plastic with food on it. Vegware’s comprehensive range of eco packaging is made from renewable or recycled plant based material and is completely compostable. So unlike most foodservice packaging, Vegware can be simply recycled after use.
All Vegware has independent compostability certification to prove it can break down in under 12 weeks. Once food waste and disposables share one bin, the little that’s left is cleaner and easier to recycle. That’s why in foodservice; compostable packaging is the key to recycling everything!
Vegware’s range of over 200 completely compostable products include many award-winning innovations resulting from Vegware’s active R&D programme, such as hot cup lids, double wall cups, high-heat cutlery, soup containers and the gourmet box.
Vegware’s in-house Recycling Consultant offers clients full recycling support and tailored Eco-Audits supporting CSR by quantifying carbon savings by the kilo for every order. In 2013, Vegware’s UK customers saved 925 tonnes of carbon – that’s like cancelling out the carbon from 578 flights from London to New York! And Vegware’s free service www.foodwastenetwork.org.uk helps any UK business find local food waste recycling. Let Vegware help you go zero waste!
This post was written by the contributor. and is a PfU.K. Directory submission.
And the Pf U.K. Directory is…?
…a directory of UK-based groups, organisations businesses and individuals who are responding to the problems presented by the misuse of plastic. That does not mean anti-plastic necessarily but certainly plastic-problem aware.
The DIRECTORY is to promote their fantastic work. Read more here…
Got a project?
It is very easy to get a project featured. Each contributor submits a short synopsis of their project, focussing on the plastic aware element and I post it. You can read the submission guidelines here.
For the plastic free pooch in your life, a biodegradable plastic food bowl!
“Eco-friendly and functional, Becothings are tough and durable. The Becobowl is dishwasher safe and will last for years in the home – when you are done, simply drill a few holes in the bottom and bury it in a flowerbed! Because Becothings are made from waste waste rice husks and sustainably grown bamboo, land is not being taken away from food production to make them (phew!). They are made from 80% plant material and the rest is amino-acid resin – they will break down in a few years once they are underground”
So you find what looks like a cardboard container full of yummy ice cream or you see that your favourite coffee shop does paper cups. You remember something about waxed paper. Hooray.
STOP
To make paper or cardboard water proof, they are laminated with polyethylene, a plastic resin. These products are in effect very thin plastic containers reinforced.
Other Issues
cardboard containers are made from virgin wood because there are major problems using recycled paper. Regulations are strict about what materials you can use to package food and drink and recycled paper isn’t strong enough.
Recycling
Because these cups are made from paper and plastic they are difficult to recycle. The parts have to separated. Though this can be done it is a complex procedure which adds to the cost of the recycled product.
many recyclers say that they don’t recycle paper cups. Though some claim to. It’s a murkey scenario at best.
Compostable Alternatives
There are compostable cardboard products for food on the market. They are lined with a clear, certified-compostable, cornstarch plastic (PLA). Vegware for example do a full range.
But there would need to be far more, large scale municipal composting schemes for this to be a properly effective answer but can check out this rather sweet cup to compost scheme here.
Biodegradable, Compostable 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.
Composting Plastic At Home
FYI While most agree that some plastics are indeed compostable, many say that they can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. I have used and composted a numberof compostable plastic products
This is something I really hate …. plastic bags of dog @*%! hanging from the bushes.
But then plastic bags of dog poop anywhere are a bad idea and a big problem!
According to PFMA (Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association) the dog population of the U.K., in 2014, stood at 9 million. The average dog according to Streetkleen produces 340g of fecal matter per day x 9,000,000 dog population = 3,060 tonnes of poo per day x 365 days per year =1,111,900 tonnes of dog poo annually.
Why Not Landfill?
Putting plastic bags of poop in landfill is problematic for the following reasons
Biodegradable waste does not do well in the unnatural conditions of landfill. It bubbles away producing methane another more potent greenhouse gas.
The non biodegradable waste, plastic, is there for ever.
But how do you dispose of dog poop responsibly and environmentally?
Seems there are two options:
Flushing:
Composting.
Flushing
Here’s what the United States Environmental Protection Agency has to say about cleaning up pet waste.
“Pet waste can be a major source of bacteria and excess nutrients in local waters. . . Flushing pet waste is the best disposal method. Leaving pet waste on the ground increases public health risks by allowing harmful bacteria and nutrients to wash into the storm drain and eventually into local waterbodies.”
If you don’t fancy using your own toilet you can get an attachment for your outside drain. The doggybog.
The Doggybog™ unit fits onto your existing outdoor soil pipe and can be DIY fitted in less than 30 minutes. Simple removal of the cap means that you can throw the dog waste down the pipe, then with the cap replaced you can flush it away. Your dog poo goes into the sewage system never to be seen or smelled again.
There are flushable bags out there on the market like these
“Fsh Puppies™ doodie bags are Certified Compostable in industrial compost facilities that accept pet waste, where they will disintegrate and biodegrade swiftly.* (Sorry, home composters, they’re not suitable for backyard composting!)
Flush Puppies™ are flushable, too. Yes, really… flushable. Made from Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) – a water soluble alternative to regular plastic – Flush Puppies™ are specifically made to be flushed down the toilet along with your pet’s waste. (It’s science – not voodoo!) Unlike regular plastic bags or other so-called “biodegradable” poop bags, Flush Puppies™ actually break down in water.”
Read more HERE.
You can buy them from Amazon U.K.
Pet poop composter
Use compostable plastic bags such as BioBag dog bags and get a pet poop composter. You can read more about compostable plastics here and you can find cheaper than Biobags by Googling.
Use them in conjunction with a pet poop composter. I believe that composting is the future. A household that can turn its own waste into food for the plants is truly sustainable and delightfully green. And who wouldn’t want to be any of those? I have a number of compost bins BUT I don’t have a pet so cannot try this. I thought of getting a puppy but apparently they are for life, not just for composting.
How they work…
A pet waste composter is a bin set in the ground. Chuck the pop in and nature will deal with it naturally. It will compost away. Just to reiterate, the resulting material is left in place. It is not meant to be used as compost, rather that the composting process is used to naturally dispose of dog poop!
Have a look at these ready made dog waste composters. You bury it in the back garden and drop in the poop.
Here is an Australian product called Yard Art in action
Here is a home made one
And an article, you can read on the subject. Using the Compost…nooooooooo
MATT SULLIVAN writes a thoughtful and informative piece about the joys and perils of pet poop composting. As he says “several writers discourage pet owners from the practice at all. Others gave specific warnings of not using the final composted product in any edible gardens. A handful wrote that the compost from domestic animals was safe and could be used in vegetable crops.”
But, despite doom laden warnings, he goes ahead and uses worms to compost his dog dirt. It’s a success and he concludes that “even if you have no desire to add compost to your garden, I believe it makes sense to be a good steward of your animals. You feel good, help out the environment, and have an excuse to spend time outside.”
Wise words.
A worm composting bin. Worms are eating the newspaper bedding and producing compost. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Disposable cups are made from plastic lined paper, polystyrene or plastic.
To make paper cups water proof they are laminated with polyethylene, a plastic resin.
Sustainability is Sexy claim that paper cups are made from virgin wood because there are major problems making paper coffee cups from recycled paper. Regulations are strict about what materials you can use to package food and drink and recycled paper isn’t strong enough.
We use a lot of disposable cups.
Here are some figures. As you can see, cup waste is huge!
Stats
The 2.5 billion synthetic cups thrown away in Britain every year are made from a mixture of materials which prevents them from being recycled alongside paper and cardboard. Daily Mail
A report conducted jointly by the Alliance for Environmental Innovation and Starbucks found that 1.9 billion cups were used by Starbucks in 2000.[5] In 2006, Starbucks reported that this figure had grown to 2.3 billion cups for use at their stores.[6]
According to the paper industry, Americans will consume an estimated 23 billion paper coffee cups in 2010. Rob Martin, the Vice President of Merchandising and Production for Tully’s Coffee, estimated the 2006 use usage at 16 billion paper cups.[4]
Some Solutions
Polystyrene & Plastic
Why anyone would want to drink out of a polystyrene cup is beyond me. The drinks taste horrid which many be due to the nasty chemicals that go into polystyrene. Plastic cups too are awful. Flimsy and tacky.
Polystyrene is difficult to recycle. Difficult but not impossible …
Save a Cup was established by the vending, foodservice and plastics industries as a not for profit company. It was set up to collect and recycle used polystyrene (plastic) vending cups. Today the service has been extended and now includes cans, pods, plastic and paper cups.
Paper/plastic Cups
Because these cups are made from paper and plastic they are difficult to recycle. The parts have to separated. Though this can be done it is a complex procedure which adds to the cost of the recycled product.
Leading many recyclers to say that they don’t recycle paper cups. Though some do. It’s a murkey scenario at best.
Compostable Cups
There are compostable products on the market. they are made from clear certified-compostable, cornstarch plastic (PLA) or paper cups lined with the same. Vegware for example do a full range. But there would need to be far more, large scale municipal composting schemes for this to be a properly effective answer for the above amounts of waste. You can check out a rather sweet cup to compost scheme here.
Take Your Own Cup
Of course none of the above address the issue of creating massive and unsustainable amounts of trash by using disposables. Don’t be part of the problem – take your own reusable cup and use that instead. You can find a great range of cups here.
If you must have disposable straws, (and none of these great reusable options suit), then why not try these compostable ones made from cornstarch. They look and act just like plastic straws… but they are made from PLA cornstarch and are certified compostable.
I have seen paper straws on ebay but (as far as I know), they are not certified compostable and may be plastic lined. They certainly are plastic packed.
Snacks… so good when trekking, so hard to source plastic free. The best we have is loose nuts as sold at Lidles, Until now!
Take a look at Snact. Fighting food waste and plastic pollution and making some fine tasty vegan goodness while they are at it.
They “make snacks from surplus produce. That’s produce that would otherwise be thrown away for being too big, too small, too ugly, or simply too abundant. Tonnes of perfectly good fruit and vegetables get rejected before reaching shop shelves in the UK. We turn that surplus into healthy snacks that contribute to one of your five a day.
Already like them but here’s the really good stuff. “fruit jerky will now be available in 100% home compostable packaging – the first of its kind in the UK!”
Our new innovative packaging, developed by Israeli start-up TIPA, is just as durable and impermeable as ordinary plastic – but it biologically decomposes within just 180 days and becomes a fertiliser for soil, behaving similarly to an orange peel.
Currently they do 3 flavours
Apple & Mango
A full and juicy flavour combining the natural sweetness of mango and tartness of apples.
Apple, Blueberry & Banana
A guaranteed crowd-pleaser with the deep flavour of blueberry and a subtle hint of banana sweetness.
Apple & Raspberry
Naturally sweet, tangy & punchy, just like you’d expect raspberries to be.
All are
100% fruit
Vegan & gluten free
No additives or preservatives
Less than 65kcal per bag
Made in the UK
In home compostable packaging. That means you can compost the wrapper at home!
Hand made on a family farm in Kent with whole fresh fruit sourced predominantly from British surplus produce, it is vegan, gluten free, low calorie, and counts towards your five a day. We don’t use any concentrates, additives, or preservatives, just 100% fruit.
Until they went BANANAS
Their new banana based bar will be out soon. Congratulations on raising the money to do this “Bananas are the most popular fruit in the world, but also one of the most wasted. We want to stop 1.4m bananas going to waste every day by turning them into awesome food waste-fighting delicious banana bars – or if we may: the best bars on and for the planet!”
More About The Packaging
Tipa have developed a a bio- plastic which I take to mean made with plants. It is compostable and meets composting standards. “Tipa’s products, compounds and films comply with EU 13432 and ASTM D6400 standards and are certified for both home and industrial composting through the OK Compost mark by the Vincotte institute. Tipa’s materials also meet food contact regulation requirements in Europe and the US.” And they say it can be composted at home.
Composting Plastic At Home
FYI While most agree that some plastics are indeed compostable, many say that they can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. I have used and composted a numberof compostable plastic products
Biodegradable, Compostable 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. Read more about compostable plastics here
A while ago a company called Greencane sent me some tissues through the post. Not just tissues but toilet paper and kitchen roll too. A great big cardboard box full. Since then I have been busy mopping, wiping and sneezing. I now feel qualified to comment.
To conclude, the tissue was as soft and absorbent as any I have used.
But it was the packaging that thrilled.
I received a Mixed Box
Neatly packed in a box, a cardboard box, were
32 Rolls of Toilet Paper
(8 packs of 4 rolls)
6 Rolls of Paper Towels
(3 packs of 2 rolls)
3 Boxes Facial Tissues
The products were individually wrapped packs.
All the packaging was paper, card and or cellophone.
The cellophane is certified as commercially compostable.
Anyone trying to live a plastic free life will know what good news this is!
About
Tissues
Personally I prefer reusable handkerchiefs or loo roll but there are times when a box of tissues come in handy and then there are problems. Buy what you think is a cardboard box of paper tissues and you may find the hole, the one you pull the tissue through, has been reinforced with a plastic collar.
Well these are cardboard all the way. Yay!
I don’t use kitchen roll. I have cotton dishcloths that can be used to wipe up spills, loo roll for sticky fingers and cotton napkins for fine dining… but if this is your thing you can now get it plastic free.
THIRSTY & STRONG!
Our 100% biodegradable paper towels comes in a convenient 2 roll pack with each roll having 80 sheets.
Toilet Rolls
You can buy loo rolls in PLA compostable plastic packaging but buy in bulk and the packs come packed in normal plastic!?!
These guys will deliver, in a cardboard box a
total of 48 rolls thats 12 packs of 4 rolls.
Each roll 300 sheets, 2 ply.
UK £23.80 per carton
There is a sticky label which peels off at the packet and looks just like plastic but I have been assured that this too is compostable cellophane. I quote: “This is a biodegrable water based coating to protect the core paper of the sticker but over the last few shipments has got thicker and thicker to the stage , I agree ,it seems like plastic.plus is proving hard to compost. So over the last 3 months have been working hard on minimizing this coating.But proved too hard so have made the decision to do away with coating altogether and next week i get first shipment with new label.”
The Paper
From the website: “Up to 70% of our paper is made from a mix of recycled sugarcane and bamboo fibre (bagasse), a byproduct of the sugar refining process. (Bagasse supplies are virtually unlimited worldwide). To obtain both strength and softness we need to then add 30% certified wood pulp = Sustainable.”
In a letter:
Real United Nations thing with our sourcing.
Timber from Canada.
Sugarcane from Thailand .
Bamboo from China.
Bags are supplied by Australia Company.not sure exactly where made .
Then all made in a very modern factory in Southern China.
All these suppliers carry environmental accreditation .
Including no GMO and Bpa.
I have over the years done a lot of work with our supply chain and with over 200 plus organic type stores we have had a lot of questions asked of us.
Delivery
They offer a home delivery service for the UK from their Brighton warehouse which is proving increasingly popular.
Composting Plastic At Home
While most agree that some plastics are indeed compostable, many say that they 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.
ANDI have been composting my PLA plastic for years. We have used and composted a numberPLA plastic products(includingBiobags , Deli pots and disposable Cutlery)
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.
Biodegradable, Compostable 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.
Took this form a very interesting article here. I will be looking into them more closely in the future
Low-‘e’
Regarding energy use and carbon footprints, the lowest ‘footprint’ container by Jiffy is the CarbonLite. It is made primarily from low-e bio-based plant starches, and uses less total energy than either plastic pots or pots made to be compostable. Roelof Drost from Jiffy talks about how this low energy pot came to be: “Instead of focusing on the end of the life cycle of a product (recycled, composted) here we focused on the beginning of the life cycle of the product and asked ourselves how much energy is used to get to the desired result. Taking that route, we have created a container with an extremely low carbon footprint. This is what it should be all about — using as little input material as possible to get to the desired result. These pots are usually less expensive to make than other bio-based pots. That’s real sustainability.”
The CarbonLite pot is Vinçotte OK biobased certified. On a basis of the formulated percentage of renewable raw materials the pot is rated two-star bio-based. This means that more than 60 percent of the raw materials are renewable and in the case of CarbonLite pots are renewable plant starch based. The pots are recyclable.
Though it’s not the greenest option there are times when disposable partyware is the only choice. For our last big bash, some years ago now, we bought disposable cutlery made from PLA compostable plastic. It is just like normal plastic cutlery, tough and hard wearing. So much so it can be washed and reused – at least we do… and are still doing so.
The cutlery is really useful for picnics and outdoor parties. We always leave stuff behind and we don’t feel too bad about loosing this.
We got ours from Denny’s. They also do compostable straws, plates and glasses. In fact everything you need for entertaining.
Since we bought, a lot more companies have started to offer compostable party ware and new products are appearing all the time. It would be worth looking around.
Composting
There are those who say you cannot compost PLA plastic in home composters. We did. The knives did biodegrade. It took some time but it happened. However we do have a Green Joanna, the queen of compost bins.
Renting
We rented the extra stuff we needed for the party from a catering company . We probably could have hired cutlery too but we were curious to try the cornstarch stuff.
Chuck the pop in and nature will deal with it naturally. It will compost away. Just to reiterate, the resulting material is left in place. It is not meant to be used as compost, rather that the composting process is used to naturally dispose of dog poop!
