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Halloween labels and flour paste!

Print and stick  these creepy labels onto a wine bottles to make a suitably  themed halloween gift  – but don’t use avery labels as some suggest!  Print onto plain paper, cut out and attach to bottle of choice using homemade, boiled  flour & water paste.

I have included a boiled flour and water paste from this paper mache  making web page because it is easy and clear to follow but also because  I think the rest of the site looks fascinating. And inspiring. You could use some of the techniques to make ghoulish sculptures, masks or even reusable pumpkin lanterns. That would save you some work!

Obviously adapt the choice of beverage if it’s for a child’s party!

Flour and water paste attached labels wash off easily if you are using a reusable bottle… of course you are using a reusable bottle!

More ideas for Halloween can be found here….

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Large Scale Composting Case Studies

Composting accelerates the natural process of biodegrading or rotting down organic waste material into a rich soil or compost. Its a great and  sustainable way to deal with our waste.

As I’m sure you know biodegradable waste does not do well in the unnatural conditions of landfill. It bubbles away producing methane which adds to the greenhouse effect. Composting biodegradable waste on the other hand produces a nutrient rich material that can be used to grow more food.

How It Works

All natural (as oppose to synthetic) materials do eventually biodegrade or rot. Composting speeds up that process

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.

Home Or Industrial Composting?
Industrial composting are large scale schemes.
Home composting is a bin in your back yard.
The difference is is that industrial composting is a lot hotter and can work more quickly.
Therefore, while a product might be classed as both biodegradable and compostable, it might not break down in a backyard compost bin.

Case Study – A Cafe
Cute Boscastle National Trust Cafe uses compostable disposables and “. we collect the cups, cup holders, plates and the untreated wooden cutlery that we use, and they are taken to a local farmer who shreds them. He then mixes them with his green waste and composts them into a peat free mulch substitute. This mulch is hen taken to the National Trust plant nurseries at Lanhydrock House near Bodmin, who grow, amongst all the other plant, the plants that are sold in the National Trust shop that adjoins the cafe in Boscastle. By doing it this way, we not only successfully recycle the disposables from the national Trust Cafe in Boscastle, but we contribute to saving the limited resources of peat bogs.”
Read more HERE

Community Composting

Community composting is where local community groups share the use and management of a common composting facility.
Key points
Community composting is where residents jointly share and manage a central composting facility.
Community composting allows people to compost food and garden waste who may otherwise struggle to do so.
Community composting has an added benefit of bringing the community together.
Guidance is available for overcoming practical difficulties which may arise.
Grant funding may be available to cover costs.
SourceWRAP

More help can be found at the UK community compost Organisation HERE

Municipal

The UK composting industry has experienced a period of strong growth, according to figures released today. The amount of waste composted in 2007/8 rose by nine per cent from the previous year and further growth is predicted in the annual WRAP and AFOR survey.
As demand for composted products continued to increase, the industry turned over   more than £165m in the year to April 2008. In total, 4.5 million tonnes of separately collected waste was composted in the UK in 2007/2008.
Read more here.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced a plan to increase composting of food scraps generated by the city’s eight million inhabitants. In a few years, separation of food waste from other refuse could be required of residents, the mayor said.
The administration says it will soon be looking to pay a local composting plant to process 100,000 tons of food scraps a year, or about 10 percent of the city’s residential food waste.Read more here.

How Councils Compost

How to compost on a large scale – read more HERE

Keeping Your Waste Sweet
Bokashi Bins are not strictly composting but pickling. This allows you to store compostable food waste for long periods of time. Read more HERE

The New Litter

Companies using compostable plastic.

Snact

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. Read more here.

Vegware
A while ago I got sent some Vegware stuff to review. Vegware make disposable, compostable packaging for the fast-food industry. Hooray for them …. but I am not in fast food. So what would I be using them for? For starters…

Eco For Life 
If you must drink bottled water this might interest you; water packaged in PLA compostable plastic bottles

More

Check out all our composting posts HERE
Want to know more about plastic? Read up here
See our big list of plastic types here

Why This Post Is ….

A little bit rubbish. You are reading a work in progress. Here’s why…

More Stuff

The case against incinerating rubbish and a proposed zerowaste alternative involving composting on an industrial scale – damn good stuff. Copied from  eplanning.derby.gov.uk

STATEMENT FROM DR PAUL CONNETT:
Nanoparticles from incinerators or gasifiers or gasifying incinerators use household waste as a fuel which due to its make up has the potential to contain every toxic element used in commerce – which means that it has the potential to emit nanoparticles containing those toxic elements. Diesel fuel contains far less of an array of toxic elements therefore comparisions of nanoparticle emissions from traffic with high temperature incineration or gasification is like comparing chalk and cheese.
Incineration and gasification does not destroy toxic elements- toxic elements in – toxic elements out. Gasification companies make inflated claims about what they are going to do with their products, but the char, or glassified melt, and the fly ash by-products, all contain toxic materials which are permanent in the case of metals and highly persistent in the case of dioxins and furans.
About 4 X more energy is saved reusing, recycling and composting the waste stream than burning them to create electricity so this proposal should not be considered a sustainable waste treatment process.
These proposals will directly impact on recycling and remove the drive to zero waste.
The key to sustainability (see my essay Zero Waste a key Stepping Stone to Sustainability) is Zero Waste. Everybody makes waste and as long as we do we are part of a non-sustainable way of living on this planet. But given good leadership everyone could be involved with the critical first step towards sustai
nability: source separation.

With source separation we can get out the organics clean enough to get them back to the soil, and recyclables which can be returned to industry – cutting out the huge energy demands of extraction and transport of raw materials, often half way around the planet. With the reuse of whole objects, we can create many jobs and small businesses, stimulate vital community development, and save even more energy by avoiding manufacture as well as extraction. But the single most important thing we can do is composting: composting sequesters carbon, if this material is burned it the Carbon is immediately converted into carbon
dioxide (global warming). Also by removing organics at source it makes it very much easier for cities to deal with the remainder of the materials – glass, metals, paper, cardboard, plastics, ceramic etc.
Burning ( or destroying) materials to recover energy is always second best. the number one priority is to recover materials and thereby conserve the embedded energy discussed above.
24 years ago promoters of incinerators tried to corral this issue between landfills and incinerators. you either burned it or you buried it. They scoffed at those like myself who argued that comparable reductions to incineration could be achieved by a combination of recycling and composting. But we have won that battle there are many small and large towns who are getting over 70% reduction with composting and recycling – incinerator only gets 75% reduction – you are still left with 25% as ash. You don’t get rid of landfills with incineration or gasifying incinerators. Note right mow San Francisco is getting 73% reduction without incineration, at a fraction of the cost of an incinerator and with many more jobs created.
Many of the proposals for gasification plants are coming from companies which have never operated such plants. There is a world of difference from small scale pilot plants and a fully-fledged commercial operation. here are very few
of these operations burning municipal solid waste. no one should entertain for a moment such a company coming to town unless they can establish some kind of solid track record – somewhere! A track record which can demonstrate what there emissions are and what they are doing with the byproducts. At the very least they should be required to a give a very careful written and documented response to Dr. Vyvyan Howard’s paper on nanoparticles, health and incineration. Right now they can promise anything because there are NO regulations for nanoparticles from incinerators or gasifying incinerators.
Highly exaggerated claims are being made with NO DATA to support them. When these
companies promise the earth it is probably because
they never expect these plants to run for more than a few years. The name of the game as far as I can see it is that they set themselves up as a “green & sustainable” entity promising to produce “green energy” and “fight global warming” a) to seduce local decision makers and b) to suck up any soft European money for green alternatives as well as PFI – once this is in the bank watch out for
them selling out the contract to some other company and/or go belly up with the principals walking away with a lot of the cash in their pockets.
Of course, they will argue that they agree with us that recycling and composting are important, but all they want are the residuals. But the residuals are the evidence of bad industrial design – so rather than destroy them we have to say if we can’t reuse, recycle or compost anything you shouldn’t be making it. This is how we can go from the current 70-80% diversion rates up to about 95% diversion over the next 10 years or so. this is the future.
Incineration simply burns the evidence that we are doing something wrong – and will delay by 25 years the crucial move towards sustainability. The Zero waste approach makes more sense on every front: economically, environmentally, and globally.
Paul Connett
pconnett@gmail.com
315-379-9200
Dec 9, 2009

Paul_Connett

About Dr Paul Connett

Dr Connett is a graduate of Cambridge University and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from Dartmouth College. From 1983 he taught chemistry at St. Lawrence University in Canton, NY where he specialised in Environmental Chemistry and Toxicology before retiring in May 2006. Over the past 24 years his research on waste management has taken him to 49 states in the US and 52 other countries, where he has given over 2000 pro bono public presentations. Ralph Nader said of Paul Connett, “He is the only person I know who can make waste interesting.”

A recent essay on “Zero Waste for Sustainability” which was published as a chapter in a book in Italy in 2009 (Rifiuto: Riduco e Riciclo per vivere meglio, Monanari, S. (ed)), along with several videotapes Paul has made on Zero Waste, can be accessed at www.AmericanHealthStudies.org This site is hosted by the group AESHP (American Environmental Health Studies Project) which Paul directs.

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Rubber

There are two major categories of rubber; natural and synthetic. The most popular compounds are;

Natural Rubber
Vulcanised Rubber
Synthetic

History

Thousands of years BC Indians living in Central and South America were using latex to makewaterproof clothes and shoes using latex from rubber trees.

It was unknown in Europe until 1731when French explorer Charles Marie de La Condamine sent back samples of rubber to Europe. It was put to a variety of uses In 1770 Joseph Priestley found he could use pieces of rubber to erase pencil marks.

Others used it to waterproof cloth a series of discoveries that eventually led to Charles Macintosh inventing and patenting the rubberized, waterproof coat or macintosh. But it wasnt until 1839 when American inventor Charles Goodyear discovered how to vulcanize rubber that it really came into its own.

Natural Rubber

also called Latex or Para

Natural rubber is made from latex
Latex is the white liquid that oozes from certain plants when you cut into them.There are around 200 plants in the world that produce latex including dandilions.
99 percent of natural rubber comes from a tree called Hevea brasiliensis, or the rubber tree.

  • Though it’s sometimes mistaken as the sap of the Hevea tree, latex actuality runs through ducts in a layer just outside the cambium below the tree’s bark.
  • The rubber tree originates from South America.
  • 90% of all natural rubber comes from these trees grown in rubber plantations mainly found in Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula and Sri Lanka.
  • This type of rubber is often called Para rubber.

However by itself, unprocessed natural rubber is not all that useful. It tends to be brittle when cold and smelly and sticky when it warms up.

So it is combined with a range of addatives to give it added strength and flexibility.

The tough rubber used for tyres and such like has been further processed or vulcanised.

Vulcanised Rubber

Latex is filtered, washed, and reacted with acid to make the particles of rubber stick together.
Mastication machines “chew up” raw rubber using mechanical rollers and presses to make it softer, easier to work, and more sticky.
Addatives chemical ingredients are mixed in to improve its properties (for example, to make it more hardwearing).
Next, the rubber is squashed into shape by rollers (a process called calendering) or squeezed through specially shaped holes to make hollow tubes (a process known as extrusion).

Finally, the rubber is vulcanized (cooked): sulfur is added and the rubber is heated to about 140°C (280°F).

Biodegradable?

Latex when made from rubber trees a natural sounds like it should be biodegradable. Which has led to claims that that non-vulcanised products like latex condoms and other products  are.

This is hotly debated!
Most latex products contain addatives to make them (amongst other things) stronger. It all depends on wether they are biodegradable or not.

While many people say that simple rubber products people  do eventually decompose, (not proven),  it takes such a long time as to make any claims of biodegradability  misleading.Certainly the anti-balloon camp do not consider latex balloons to be biodegradable despite what the balloon industry say.

And yet this….

  • Very thin rubber products, such as balloons and condoms, will degrade naturally especially if they are subjected to natural sunlight. As is evident from the problems which are associated with sealing rings natural rubber is capable of being biodegraded. It should be possible to compost thin rubber articles
  • In a composting environment, biodegradation rates over 24 weeks were twice that compared to the fertilized treatment in soils. Degradation of natural rubber condoms in soil was slower compared to gloves with 42% of the initial weights remaining after 48 weeks. In contrast, the manufactured polyurethane condoms were hardly biodegradable.

Read more here

It is possible to buy natural latex foam rubber. For example
100% Natural Latex, Pure Comfort, Talalay rubber not foam, offering maximum comfort and luxury, available in Soft, Medium or Firm.read more here. I

and latex sheets like these

Both of the above have been described as biodegradable.

However vulcanised rubber generally is not. Though there are some suggestions that it may eventually biodegrade more research needs to be done.

Synthetic rubber on the other hand is not biodegradable.

Synthetic Rubber

Is produced primarily from petrochemicals by a chemical process known as polymerisation. You can read about polymers and polymerisation here.

Synthetic rubbers

Including
* SBR
* Neoprene
* Hypalon
* Nitrile
* Butyl
* EPDM
* Silicone
* Viton

Polychloroprene
Polyurethane

SBR – Styrene-butadiene or styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) describe families of synthetic rubbers derived from styrene and butadiene (the version developed by Goodyear is called Neolite). These materials have good abrasion resistance and good aging stability when protected by additives.

Neoprene the brand name for polychloroprene often used for dive suits

Butyl rubber,
is gas-impermeable,
is commonly used for inner tubes.
Most modern chewing gum uses food-grade butyl rubber as the central gum base.
The raw materials for making butyl rubber are isobutylene and isoprene. These two components are polymerized at -100 °C

Poly(styrene-butadiene-styrene), or SBS, is a hard rubber that’s used for things like the soles of shoes, tire treads, and other places where durability is important. It’s a type of copolymer called a block copolymer. Its backbone chain is made up of three segments. The first is a long chain of polystyrene, the middle is a long chain of polybutadiene, and the last segment is another long section of polystyrene.

Silicone – read up here

High Quality Rubber Coated Textiles
Also known as technical coated textiles or rubber proofed fabrics, rubber coated textiles grant rubber characteristics to a wide variety of fabrics and materials.
We are able to coat fabrics with a wide variety of rubber compounds, some of the most popular compounds are;
* Natural Rubber
* SBR
* Neoprene
* Hypalon
* Nitrile
* Butyl
* EPDM
* Silicone
* Viton
* Polyurethane

More

Read more about the different types of plastic here

Why This Post Is ….

A little bit rubbish. You are reading a work in progress. Here’s how the blog is written and why we post half cocked.

 

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

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Tampons

Whats In Your Tampon

Most Tampons are made of cotton, rayon, polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene. Some of these materials are not bio-degradable. Organic cotton tampons are biodegradable, but must be composted to ensure they break down in a reasonable amount of time. Rayon was found to be more biodegradable than cotton [30].
Wikkipedia

Generally, tampons are blends of cotton and rayon, along with synthetic fibers, but each manufacturer’s products are different and considered proprietary.
In the United States manufacturers aren’t required to fully disclose what goes into a tampon or pad. That’s because they are regulated and approved as medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration
Read more here.
Tampon Components Function Material
Applicator Helps to comfortably insert the tampon Cardboard made of tightly wound paper or plastic with pigments for color
Absorbent Core Provides protection by absorbing and storing menstrual fluid Cotton and/or Rayon
Thin Fabric around Absorbent Core Helps with smooth removal; helps form the absorbent skirt on certain designs Rayon and polyester or polyethylene and polypropylene
String Used to remove the tampon; also has a braid on certain designs Cotton and/or polyester;  Polypropylene braid
Thread Used to attach the string to absorbent core Cotton-wrapped polyester or polyester
Fragrance: Only on versions labeled as scented.  All other versions do not include fragrance. Provides a fresh scent Fragrance ingredients like those found in other women’s products

From the Tampax website

Much as I love the Mooncup ( an internal, reusable, menstrual cup ) there are times when it is just a little bit, well, hands on! Occasionally you need to use disposable internal protection but the impact on the planet, and possibly your body, weighs heavy on your mind. And quite rightly so!

Step up Natracare who realising that “Most applicator tampons are made from 100% rayon or a mixture of rayon and conventional cotton, overwrapped with polypropylene, a by product of the petroleum industry. The applicator tubes of many brands are often made from plastic.”  have brought out a completely compostable, organic cotton tampon with cotton cord. It has a biodgradable cardboard applicator. The tampon comes wrapped in paper and packed in a cardboard box. “They are non-chlorine bleached and women can be reassured that they do not contain synthetic materials, such as rayon, or chemical additives such as binders or surfactants. Certified organic cotton removes the risk of direct exposure to residues from chemical pesticides and fertilisers used on traditional cotton.”

Testing

I was given some to sample which I dished out to the laydeez. I and they can confirm that they work as well as any other. But over here at PIR we test rigorously and I did the bag test. You know the one where you carry round your emergency tampon that gets jumbled up in the bottom of your bag Yes for sure some people out there have special little wallets – I don’t. So here’s a bit of news for the rest of you bag sluts: the paper wrapper lasts just as well as plastic. Weeks later a bit battered but still fine. You can see the full range of Natracare products  here ,  and stay tuned to PIR for more reviews. Coming up next – pantyliners (how I hate that word) You can find lots more plastic-free, menstrual products here

Non Applicator Tampons – massively plastic reduced

While the actual tampon is as above and plastic free, the wrapping is plastic. “Our non-applicator tampons are wrapped in polypropylene due to obligatory medical device regulations!”

BUY

You can buy these products in shops. If you want to get them on line try Ethical Superstore or Amazon 

More plastic free menstrual aids here

2017 Plastic Free July

Of course every month is plastic free for me but plastic free July is a time to make a bit of extra effort.

What is Plastic Free July

The aim is to cut your consumption of one use plastic, for one month; how much you choose to cut is up to  you – read my take.

A bit of history

Plastic Free July started in 2011 in Australia  in 2013 it went global. They have a great website and are all round good eggs.

My Plastic Free July
I try to cut all disposable plastics including the lesser known sneaky plastics

Progress Reports

1 straw obviously my mimes were not too good
lots of plastic lined cans of beer because I get so bored of water
plastic bottle of rice oil for making suntan lotion
2 plastic caps from bottles of cordial.
2 plastic seals from larger fillable water bottles

We are on a remote beach on an island. It’s easy. I carry all my own ingredients for tooth powder and suntan lotion. We wash everything with soap we buy in cardboard.

 U.K. Participants

Who is we? Every year UK based bloggers have joined in.
It’s really important to link up with U.K. based plastivists who will be sharing throughout the month. While some solutions like solid shampoo from Lush can be accessed UK wide,  many are local.

First off we have Lisa at www.less-stuff.co.uk

and Sarah at www.facebook.com/rhubarbandrunnerbeans

Pip- squeaking @Pip_Squeaking of   arefugefordaffodils.wordpress.com in her second year now. <

From Bristol it’s the Cheeky Girls of Green:
Author and TV presenter @nataliefee. Read about here in thePlastic Free U.K. Directory:
And Michelle film maker, writer of the great blog Plastic A Lot Less and tweeter @beingpall.
They are the brains behind numerous campaigns, the latest being

Get on the list

If you are tweeting or writing this year go to that post and add your details in the comment box.

You can find a list of bloggers who have contributed in the past, here.

Keeping in Touch

Join in at the Plastic Is Rubbish Support Group where people share plastic free tips. see below.
And Twitter @plasticSrubbish

Hashtags
I encourage UK participants to use the hashtag #pfjuk for British related posts. Mainly because it gets very dispiriting to hear of a fantastic bulk food store only to find it is based in Sydney.

N.B.

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

And before you go…

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

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

SaveSave

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Clothing – Specialist U.V. resistant, Sportswear & Swimwear

Cycling

Talking of stunning, look at these cycling outfits. Made not from synthetics but lovely merino wool. They do tops and cycling shorts.

As cyclists, we know that when it comes to clothing comfort is king. Jura Cycle Clothing jerseys are British designed and made of 100% fine Italian merino wool. They are both lightweight and durable, allowing maximum performance in comfort.

Did you know merino wool has fantastic wicking properties? And it’s itch free, breathable and anti-bacterial – meaning you can ride for days without washing your jersey!

Our unisex jerseys are popular for their great retro design so, whether you are out for a casual ride to the pub or powering up the Col du Galibier, you will not only be comfortable, you’ll look stylish too!

Sadly they ar a little out of my price range I haven’t actually tried one but I love the designs and of course that they are made from wool. They have some great reviews.

NB They are actually made in Turkey.
You can buy from HERE

Hats  

Research has shown that broad-brimmed hats provide protection equivalent to an SPF (sun protection factor) of approximately 5 for the nose, ears and neck. [For a discussion of the shade provided by hats, see “If You Can See the Sunlight, Seek the Best Shade”]  click here

Although nothing can guarantee 100 percent protection, the hat is an important weapon in the skin protection arsenal.

So I am currently hat hunting!

Also Sun related….

Ever Seen A Sheep With Sunburn?

So tell me buddies – is this true? I don’t want to cast nasturtiums on any ones credibility but you do hear and awful lot of nonsense out there in google land. Can anyone confirm? Does woolen fabric absorb U.V.?

“Merino wool has the property of absorbing UV radiation and thus keeping away from your skin. Merino wool fabrics have a sun protection factor of 40+. The time you can stay in the blazing sun with a Prosa merino shirt without getting a sunburn will be 40 times longer. Synthetic fibres and other natural fibres cannot offer comparable protection without having to rely on the use of questionable ingredients.

Merino wool has a UPF of 40 and more. UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor. Just like a sunscreen with the abbreviation SPF, the Sun Protection Factor. These terms indicate how much of the UV radiation is retained. Conventional cotton T-shirts have a UPF of about 10, which means that approximately 10% of UV radiation can penetrate your skin. A UPF value of 40 means that more than 97.5% of the radiation is retained. So you are well protected with your prose shirt.”

How Shady Is Your Shirt

You can buy sun resistant clothing. UPF, the ultraviolet protection factor, measures protection from UV radiation in fabrics. A shirt with a UPF of 30 indicates that just 1/30th of the sun’s UV radiation can reach the skin.
However a lot of it is made from synthetic fibres as they are better at blocking out UV. In a controlled laboratory study polyester provided more protection than cotton, linen, acetate, and rayon fabrics of similar construction (Davis, 1997).
Sigh.
another way to achieve a high UPF is to chemically treat the fabric.
If synthetic fibre, chemically treated clothes don’t appeal to you, you will have choose your natural fabric carefully.

A quick and very rough test for UPF-factor is to fabric up to the light source. The more light shines through the more UV hits your skin.
Loose weaves of fabric allow more transmission of rays thorugh than more closely woven fabrics.  So lightweight closely woven fabrics may provide higher UV protection than heavy weight but coarsely woven fabrics
Color–darker-colored fabrics transmit less UV rays, thus they block more radiation than the lighter-colored ones.

Laundry–washing fabrics increases their protectiveness because shrinkage and the loosening of fiber ends creates a tighter weave.
Further, the UV protectiveness of a fabric during use depends on overall quality of fabric, stretch, and wet versus dry condition (Curiskis, 1996).
Interesting read here https://msu.edu/~aslocum/sun/protectclothing.htm

Fabrics

You might find the following introduction to fibres and fabrics useful.

N.B.

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

And before you go…

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

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

DISCLAIMER

Absolutely no animal testing

The information in this blog is for guidance only. None of the recipes or tips in this blog have not been tested on anyone other than me and some fearless chums. I strongly advise you do your own research and proceed very carefully. 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.

Also posts may be incomplete, out of date and possibly wrong! Please read on to find out why…

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Spices including pepper

Dried and ground can be bought

Loose

The Nut Shop Leeds Market HERE

If you cannot get to Leeds you can try
health food shops
Wholefood Market a supermarket chain
Weigh & Save shops a UK franchise

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.

In Jars & Tins

Spices in tins

These guys use tins for their spices. Yes the tins are most likely plastic lined and I am sure there will be a plastic seal but it is much reduced. They also do mixes for curry so you dont have to buy hundreds of different products.

The Bart Ingredients Co. Ltd.,
Bristol,
England,
BS3 4AD.
Packed in: United Kingdom
Packaging Tin

You can buy them in Sainsbury’s.

Pepper Corns

I have yet to source and totally plastic-free, ready ground pepper so I have to buy peppercorns and grind it myself.

These can be bought  loose in Todmorden indoor market,  Todmorden. They do black, mixed and pink peppercorns.

If you  do go down this route you will need to get something to grind them in.

Many people like to use a pepper mill. There is are a huge range available in non plastic materials but I cannot really advise. I am way too impatient to use a peppermill especially for cooking so I smash the peppercorns to bits in a stone mortar and pestle. I suppose I could buy an electric grinder (definitely not plastic free), but I like smashing them to bits. You need quite a heavy one – stone is best.I got a marble mortar and pestle from the Asian Supermarket.

Check out this Pinterest page for inspiration

More

Want salt? You can get it here….

Sea salt

Can be bought from the Weigh & Save in Penzance and possibly at the other branches of this strange  store

Normal Salt

What do you call this – cooking salt? Budget and in a box from Lidles

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Water – Index

You’re in the right place for information on 

Tap Water U.K.
Refill Schemes – in the U.K.
Carbonated Water  Make your own from tap
Office water
Bottled Water – some facts and greener optionsplastic-free, refillable options here
Water Abroad
Is it safe? Find out here.
How to sterilise
Some refill schemesOther watery stuff

U.K Tap Water

If you are lucky enough to live in a country where the water is safe to drink the easiest way to access plastic free water is from a tap. You can do this at home. In which case you will need a refillable water bottle to take out with you.
Read up about U.K. Tap water here 

Refill Schemes

But what happens when you’re out and about and away from the kitchen or you’ve forgotten your Steripen

Refill Schemes in the U.K. 
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.

Carbonated Water

But I like fizzy water? Make your own from tap 

Office Water

Want plastic free water at work – try these water filters 

Bottled Water

Tap is best but what if you need bottled? Some plastic-free, refillable options here

Unsafe Tap Water/ Water Abroad

Tap water in many countries the water is actually safe to drink. In others sadly it is not. You can find out here… Can I Drink The Water?
Visit this super cool website to find out if you drink the water. Just pick the country you want and read the result.
Yes? Hooray – all you need to take is your refillable bottle. Fill it with tap water and no need to ever buy bottled.

Sterilise Your Own Water
When the tap water is not safe we still don’t buy bottled water. Instead we sterilize tap water using a Steripen. Been doing this for years all over the world.

Refill Abroad

Many countries offer a refill service where you can buy filtered purified water
Find A Refill Service
S.E.Asia Thailand & Malaysia
Phillipines
India
China

More Water Posts

Off Grid?

Make your own water from air. Have a look at this interesting machine. “Our smallest machine, the Water from Air™ AW3 makes up to 32 litres of great tasting, purified water straight from the air. Our largest, scalable machines (WFA100+) make up to 1500 litres per day, per unit – for example, if the need is 6000 litres per day, the configuration will require 4 stackable units.” Visit the web site.

Water Bottles

For both of the above you will need a refillable, reusable bottle. You can get these anywhere

Other Drinks

And if you can’t stand the filthy stuff, check out our our drinks index here

More Travel Tips

Why and how I backpack #plasticfree. Homemade suntan lotion and a steripen are 2 of my favourite on the road  #plasticlessproducts. Rummage in my pack here

N.B.

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

And before you go…

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

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

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Glue

So many glues, so many man-made polymers. Plastic? In glue? Oh don’t get me started! Yes lots of it, and not just the packaging. Find out more about plastic   HERE

Wikkipedia tells us that

Adhesives may be found naturally or produced synthetically.

Neanderthals produced tar from the dry distillation of birch bark for use in binding stone tools to wooden handles. The Greeks and Romans made great contributions to the development of adhesives. In Europe, glue was not widely used until the period 1500–1700 CE. From then until the 1900s increases in adhesive use and discovery were relatively gradual.

Only since the last century has the development of synthetic adhesives accelerated rapidly, and innovation in the field continues to the present.

You can read more  but basically most modern glues are synthetic polymers. Some are actually plastic that you melt and use to stick stuff

Glue

not easy to find plastic free. Heres an introduction to some of the greener glues

And BostiK seems to be natural rubber in solvents.

A new tin of Bostik 3851 natural rubber adhesive glue. It can be used for bonding natural rubber and latex sheeting to each other and to porous surfaces such as leather, canvas etc. Volume: 250

EVO-STIK 3851
BOSTIK 3851
CONTACT ADHESIVE
NATURAL RUBBER CONTACT ADHESIVE
Bostik 3851 Adhesive is a translucent grey, natural rubber solution in petroleum solvents.

Recommended Use:
Bostik 3851 Adhesive is used for bonding natural rubber and latex sheeting to each other and to porous surfaces such as leather, canvas etc.

Bonding Instructions:
Ensure rubber surfaces are thoroughly clean and dry, abrading the surfaces if possible. Leather surfaces should also be abraded if necessary

Apply Bostik 3851 Adhesive by brush to both surfaces to be joined and allow the adhesive to become touch dry (approximately 10 – 20 minutes) before bonding the surfaces together under pressure

read more here

Synthetic Glue
Synthetic adhesives are based on elastomers, thermoplastics, emulsions, and thermosets. Examples of thermosetting adhesives are: epoxy, polyurethane, cyanoacrylate and acrylic polymers. Wikkipedia

A quick run down on synthetic glues can be found HERE. But here are the highlights, as copied from their website.
Synthetic resin glue (one part epoxy) like multipurpose glues, are made of petrochemicals, are toxic to aquatic systems and give off solvent fumes that are irritants to humans.
Two-part epoxy glue, and some chemicals in the resin can cause developmental problems in animals and humans. Epoxy resins are largely petroleum (oil) derived.
Latex-based glue, like rubber cement. Use either synthetic or natural latex. Natural latex is biodegradable but some people have allergies to it. And synthetic latex is made by the petrochemical industry using oil derivatives.
Super glue, or cyanoacrylate glues can bind to organic material; it is made from formaldehyde and other petrochemical materials.
Heat-seal adhesives use heat to activate and are commonly used in packaging on assembly lines. They are thermoplastics and made by the petrochemical industry.

Packaging
And then there is the packaging.

Local Glues

MAPEI is an Italian company founded in 1937 by Rodolfo Squinzi in Milan, Italy.
Under Squinzi’s guidance, MAPEI expanded its manufacturing to adhesives for laying floors and floor coverings. The company’s first adhesives were for linoleum,
Rodolfo’s son, Ing. Giorgio Squinzi, an industrial chemistry graduate, now heads MAPEI, which has become a leading manufacturer of mortars, adhesives, grouts, sealants, waterproofing agents, additives for concrete and other specialty products for the building industry. MAPEI remains a family-owned and -operated business and is a privately held entity generating annual revenues of more than one billion euros.

MAPEI ULTRABOND ECO VS90 PLUS HT VINYL/RUBBER FLOORING ADHESIVE 5KG (8267H)
£19.99INC VAT
(£4.00/Kg)
Multipurpose, solvent-free, high temperature acrylic adhesive. Suitable for bonding vinyl, rubber PVC and carpet. Covers approx. 18m².

Easily Trowellable Paste
Non-Flammable
Solvent-Free
Non-Staining
Contains No Toxic Substances

interesting post on carpet adhesives

So much so bad. But what of the natural alternatives?

Meanwhile I have been Kevin Mc Cloud getting sticky in the woods. Kevin McCloud is a British designer, writer and television presenter. he’s the one that does Grand Designs…. and now he is putting up a uber shed in a bosky glade.I always thought he was a bit slick, but life in woods is having its toll.He is becoming more moleskin trousers by the minute!

He is handmaking his hut from natural ingredients And he actually used a  glue made from urine soaked rabbit skins. Here’s a bit more about last week’s episode – that of the rabbit glue. Sadly there isn’t a fact sheet for this particular product, but if you want to make your own – here’s a recipe from t’internet.

Not tried it myself having no rabbits to hand but you can buy it ready-made from DIY Tools.

And here’s the write-up:

“Liberon Rabbit Skin Glue is traditional glue which is mainly used in gesso and size preparations for gilding purposes.

Performance
– Natural animal skin glue.
– Traditional pearl used for making Gesso and for gilding.

How to use
Dissolve in warm water mixing 1 part glue to 4 parts water. Heat this solution in a double pot until all the glue has melted. If the glue is too thick add some more water to the solution. Do not allow to boil.

Precautions
The glue may be reheated two or three times. Old or dirty glue must be discarded and a fresh solution made.”

Of course it comes in plastic packet, and may well contain some plastic polymers, but it is an interesting concept worth investigating.

So there you have it … She wasn’t a psycho your honour, she was just making glue!

Why This Post Is ….

A little bit rubbish. You are reading a work in progress. Here’s how the blog is written and why we post half cocked.

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

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Exfoliate

Microbeads…. the newest way to exfoliate. These tiny particles, or microbeads, scrub away at the skin supposedly leaving it wonderfully cleansed.  These beads may well deep clean your skin but guess what? Unless otherwise stated, they are almost certainly made from plastic.

After using, they are washed off your face and down the drain and into the ocean where they become pollutants that don’t biodegrade. Truly, plastic is rubbish!

Here’s a really easy way to avoid this problem.

Reusable Products

Cotton Flannels – the old school way to clean up. Rub away the dirt and dead skin…it works, honest.

Want tougher love? try a luffa. These dried fibrous vegetables will buff up your blackheads and polish your butt.  I got mine, unwrapped, from TKMax. I cut off smaller pieces to do my face with. Gently scour.

Then there are natural bristle brushes for body brushing. This is exactly as it sounds. Brushing your body and I love this. I have had my brush for ages and I can’t remember where I got it, but these look quite nice – sustainable beech body with pig bristles – vegans and vegetarians you could try these with tampico fibres. 

Exfoliating Scrubs From the Kitchen….

All these have been recommended on the internet. I usually use the above so cannot really comment.

BE CAREFUL

it is probably good practice to do an allergy test and do some further research.

Disclaimers

If you are happy to bumble along with me and are 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,

Welcome aboard but please, proceed with caution….

Bicarbonate of soda. Before I knew as much as I did about bicarb I did use this occasionally on my face when it got really greasy and blotchy looking. Since I have found out how alkaline it is I think it is best left for the the laundry.  I do not  advise that you use it on your skin.

However if you choose to,  its particles are rough enough to scour off dead skin but not so brutal as to leave you weeping.  You can get plastic free bicarb here.

Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock ...

Pumice is a textural term for a volcanic rock that is a solidified frothy lava typically created when super-heated (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Salt is good and scratchy and makes a good  scrub. It  is not as harsh as pumice, and you can use it in a plastic bath. I like it for my oily chest but would not use it on my face. You can find  plastic free salt here.

Sugar Scrubs – use sugar mixed with coconut oil.  This one seems to work well .

Oatmeal –  described as soothing, exfoliating, soft (no scratchy edges) and known for its gentle, skin-healthy effects. It also contains vitamins B and E. Grind  up plastic free oats in a food processor. I don’t use this on my face because I have get a reaction to it. I find it too brutal.

Coffee Grounds – grab them out of the pot rub them on.  Let them cool down first! I will use these occasionally and sparingly as it is a bugger to clean the shower afterwards

Other stuff….

For truly brutal exfoliation try pumice powder…arghhhhh. Best suited to hands, feet and really grisly elbows.  Use up to 10% in a moisturising cream base (find out how to make your own right here). Do not use the pumice scrub on sensitive skin. Do not use in a plastic bath – it may take off the surface. Can be bought from Aromantics.   (NB Comes in a plastic bag)

Other plastic free health and beauty products can be found right here