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Straws – reusable

by Posted in 3.1 Disposables & Reusables Tagged , , , , 10 Comments

I don’t use straws but if I did I would go for one of these.

Do note I have not used these myself  so I cannot say how well they perform or what the onward packaging is like. You will have to check with the suppliers. Any one who has tried them, can review them or can recommend some other great product please do  leave a comment.  Together we can make changes.

Bamboo

Super fun for a cocktail party – haven’t tried them myself yet but will do….. You can get them from boobalu  an ecofriendly online store

or these from Amazon

bamboo straw

  • 12 pack of bamboo straws.
  • The ecological choice for your health and the planet.
  • Washable. Reusable.
  • Made from 100% Real Whole Bamboo Stalks
  • Each straw is 10 inches in length
  • You can find a range of reusable straws on Amazon

 

steel strawsSteel Straws

Urban techno chic! I love the look of them, stainless steel straws for the classiest of drinkers.

USA -Can be bought with a whole load of other good stuff from Reusable Bags (USA based).

Or you can make your own

UK – You can find a range of reusable straws on Amazon

Glass Straws

The glass straw man?? Yes he makes reusable glass straws. Glass straws may sound like a bonkers idea, but read this and then decide

I haven’t used them myself but if you fancy giving them a go they are currently available in the UK from EBAY and from this UK based online shop A Fine Choice

Disposables

If you must have disposable straws buy these compostable ones. 

Campaigns

Join the straw wars here.

Buy

Being committed to local shopping, I prefer to buy that way whenever possible. I would encourage you to do the same. One of the joys of living plastic free is mooching round the local shops seeing what you can source. Coffee Evolution were doing take away ceramic cups for instance.

If you can’t buy local, please do check the links above. They look direct  to the suppliers.  Do consider buying from them and support their online businesses.

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

4 Straight Metal Drinking Straw Stainless Steel Reusable Straws Stylish ref.112.z90/4 4 Metal Drinking Straw Stainless Steel Reusable Straws Stylish ref.112.z89
NRS Healthcare Clear Safesip Drinks Glass a…
£5.99		 4 Straight Metal Drinking Straw Stainless S…
£5.49		 4 Metal Drinking Straw Stainless Steel Reus…
£5.49
6 Metal Drinking Straw Stainless Steel Reusable Straws Stylish ref.112.z89/6 Kitchen Craft Stainless Steel Two-in-One Drinking Straws / Stirrers- set of two Stainless Steel Zack Vitis Straw Spoon Set/4
6 Metal Drinking Straw Stainless Steel Reus…
£7.49		 Kitchen Craft Stainless Steel Two-in-One Dr…
£4.75		 Stainless Steel Zack Vitis Straw Spoon Set/4
£12.00
Sustainable Bamboo Drinking Straws - 12 Pack
Sustainable Bamboo Drinking Straws – 12 Pack
£6.00
Amazon is a very dirty word at the moment and I thought long and hard before suggesting them.  Heres why I went ahead….. No we are not entirely happy with Amazons recent history. However, we have always found their service to be good and their packaging usually compostable.

If you buy a product via this link we do get an affiliation fee for this. That’s not why we do it.

Clingfilm/ Saranwrap, foodwrap and poisons

by Posted in 1.2 Plastic The Product Tagged , , 4 Comments

Not being much of a Suzy Home maker I have hardly ever in my life bought cling film. Rather glad now I’ve found out that PVC is added to most food wrap film  to make it more clingy. Though there are some films that do not contain it such as LDPE cling film.

PVC clingfilm contains Phthalates. These are added to make the plastic stretchy.

They have also been linked to possible birth defects and asthma and other nasty things.

And it gets better. PVC is known as the “poison plastic”. Toxic chemicals are used in its creation. One of those is vinyl chloride monomer (VCM). VCM is a gas and a known carcinogen causing cancerous tumors in the brain, lungs, liver and various tissues in humans.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is  a chlorinated plastic 2011-22.7 changmai 2 (49)

Dioxins are unintentionally, but unavoidably produced during the manufacture of materials containing chlorine, this includes halogenated plastics, i.e made from chlorine or fluorine.

Burning these plastics can release dioxins.

Dioxin is a known human carcinogen and the most potent synthetic carcinogen ever tested in laboratory animals.

This means that that clingfilm is hard to recycle as it gives off nasty and dangerous fumes.

PVC cling film is not at the moment recycled – not that it cant be but that it is not as easy to recycle as LDPE clingfilm (film with out PVC)

According to some it is almost impossible to tell PVC clingfilm and polythene cling film apart.

PVC cling film is often used in the food industry.

China produces large amounts of PVC clingfilm.

Foodplast -( they make food wrap) – say sure leaching happens but the levels are completely safe.

How to cut the cling film

Am I teaching my granmother to suck eggs?

  • Keep it in a bowl with a plate on top.
  • Use a re-usable container with sealable lid.
  • Kilner jars (glass) are good and come in all sizes.
  • Get a sandwich box.
  • Don’t ever believe that wrapping your legs in plastic will burn any more calories than the energy it takes to wrap your legs in plastic.
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Dishwash Powder

by Posted in 3.1 Cleaning Up, 3.1 House, Office & Garden Tagged

I have tried to make my own dishwasher powder but with variable success. Rather sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t and it can’t be so green to wash them twice. Very glad then to hear tell of plastic free dishwasher powder on sale. Not used it yet but will be trying it very soon.

Sainsbury Supermarket

have come up trumps with this dish was powder in a cardboard box. Not used it my self but   who sourced this  assures me the packaging really is plastic free. Hooray.

Though according to Louise” they now have a small plastic attachment to the pourer that is black so non-recyclable in my area. Previously this pourer was metal and previous to that cardboard.”

Waitrose Supermarket

Vicky tells me that Waitrose essentials come like this too.

My Hand

For those of you who prefer washing up old school you can find how to do it, plastic free, right here. Everything from washing up liquid to rubber gloves!

More

While you are there you can check out these other Sainsburys plastic free products.

And see what other supermarkets do here.