Cutting plastic and living compostably
Often hard to find plastic free….
Who knew? Baking – it’s not that bad! Check out the plastic free cook book here
An introduction to some of the stuff you need to make the above
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.
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.
Want more? Try quick tips to cut your plastic trash for more ideas and of the Live Plastic Free Index for alternatives to plastic products.
Who knew? Baking – it’s not that bad! Check out the plastic free cook book 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
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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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. company Evolution 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 supply a 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.
Compostable Packaging
There’s the old school stuff – paper, cardboard, leaves and other plant based materials. And then there is the new. The biodegradable plastics.
Biodegradable products break down through a naturally occurring microorganism into simple, stable compounds which can be absorbed into the ecosystem. More about biodegrading here
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.
Want to start composting but dont know how? Find the answers 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.”
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
For other coffee posts check out our index. You will also find tea, cocoa, milk in glass bottles and something stronger.
But back to the coffee….
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.
I have been updating my list of towns with refill shops and adding new shops. Have a look and see if there is one near you.. Plus how to get your shop added to the list.
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
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
For other coffee posts check out our index. You will also find tea, cocoa, milk in glass bottles and something stronger.
But back to the coffee….
“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
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.
Halo do something similar.
I dont have a coffee making machine so cannot compare taste… but Which have done a survey that you can access 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.
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.
Read more about compostable plastics here
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.
Compost Bins
How Do I Compost?
I have a Green Joanna compost bin and I compost up in the North of England.
Hot Drinks Plastic Free
Tea, coffee, cocoa and drinking chocolate all bought #plasticfree and made with milk from a returnable glass bottle. Details 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
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
Why Not Bottled Water
Some articles on the subject
here
And here
And this about PET plastic bottles
So much so that water bottle bans are becoming more common
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 |
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.
We have used and composted the following PLA plastic products ( including Biobags , Deli pots and disposable Cutlery )
Useful stuff to know
Remember, not all bio- plastics can be composted and some are not as green as they sound
See all PLA related posts here
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….
Tap water
You can see all our tap water posts here.
And check out our drinks index 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
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
Finally managed to score some plastic free noodles!Its back to the wonderful Leeds Market. I love it. Its a great place to buy #plasticfree almost everything. Read a review here
And its been made all the better by the opening of the JarTree 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
And they welcome all suggestions in store too!
Here is a list of food types category with purchase details
Don’t Live In Leeds? More Plastic Free Food Shops Here.
There are a growing number of plasticfree/refill shops in the U.K. Here are our latest finds.
Buy On Line
None near you?. Sad face? Don’t worry. There are and increasing number of shops selling plastic free food online. And they send them out in plasticless packages.
You can find others, 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
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project (read more here) or
These are the plastic-free/reduced oils and butters I eat.
Pre-packed oils always have a plastic element – if it comes in bottles it will have a plastic lined cap and probably a plastic pouring widget in the bottle top. Buy it in cans and there will be more plastic caps plus the cans are plastic lined. Read more here.
If you are lucky you might find a place that sell oils on tap. Then you may be able to use your own refillable bottle. You can find a U.K. wide list of places that sell oil on tap here
Cold pressed oils are a better option
Buy & More
Plastic free oil details here
I have gone back to lard as the most economical plastic-free, frying option.
I also make pastry with it
It is of course an animal fat.
It is U.K sourced.
It comes in what is (possibly), plastic-free, greaseproof paper. It’s really hard to tell! Read more about that, here.
Buy & More
Plastic free lard details here
Before the boycott I ate margerine because I thought it was healthier option but you cannot get decent margarine plastic free. It all comes in plastic tubs.
So I went back to butter.
Butter
Turns out I love butter.
I use it for spreading and cooking
It is of course an animal fat.
It is U.K sourced.
It comes in what what is (possibly), plastic-free, greaseproof paper. It’s really hard to tell! Read more about that, here.
I have to buy the paper option because foil is definitely plastic lined!
Buy & More
Plastic-free butter details here.
Margarine
Ugh! Not so keen on marge any more now I know it is a hydrogenated fat. But I do use it occasionally for cakes. I buy the stuff in (possibly), plastic-free, greaseproof paper. It’s really hard to tell! Read more about that, here.
I have to buy the paper option because foil is definitely plastic lined!
Buy & More
Plastic-free margarine details here.
Lots more plastic-free food here.
What are oils, waxes and butters?
Look out for these other sneaky plastics
Oil we don’t eat
Oil we don’t eat…. palm oil
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
For other coffee posts check out our index. You will also find tea, cocoa, milk in glass bottles and something stronger.
I love my morning coffee,
Can’t do with out my brew,
But Lavazzas wrapped in plastic!
So whats a girl to do?
Done got myself a bean grinder and I buy my coffee beans loose in my own plastic-free packaging
I am extremely lucky in that I can buy (fair trade), coffee beans from the superlative Coffeevolution, Huddersfield, an independent coffee shop, run by the owner. They import their own fair trade beans and roast them themselves. I give them my own bag they give me fresh, loose beans. Happy days.
There are many other good reasons to go to the café. It is not a chain the ambiance is great, and they have home made biscuits stored in glass jars. There are murals on the walls. and they have a great notice board. Smashing.
If you cant get to Huddersfield there’s a list of
Whittards are. U.K. wide chain that will sell you tea loose.this from twitter
“Hi there, yes if you visit our store with your own container, we can fill it with either tea or coffee.”
They have over 50 shops. You can find one one here.
NB you will have to take your own plastic free or , better still, reusable packaging. See below for links.
“The company was founded in 1886 by Walter Whittard. It expanded in the 1980s and 1990s, and was bought by the Icelandic Baugur Group in 2005 for around £21 million.”
Ground Coffee In Compostable Packaging
Percol do ground coffee in home compostable plastic free packaging. I bought some in Waitrose. The coffee was acceptable. I composted the packaging in my home bin. Read more about this, below.
From their website
“You’ll start to notice the Plastic-Free logo on our new home compostable Ground, Beans and Coffee Bag packaging from November 2018. Like many, we want to do more to reduce the amount of packaging (particularly plastic) we’re using, and as a UK retail brand which sells more than 4 million products a year, we have an important role to play in reducing the impact we are making on our planet”
Read more here
Just got a doorstep of delivery of ground coffee in a reusable/returnable tin. Not one bit of plastic. from the @ModernMilkman_
We’re a micro coffee roastery based in Nottingham. We roast all of our coffee in very small batches to order. Our environmental and ethical values guide us in how we run our business. We have a zero waste to landfill policy informs our purchasing decisions and use only 100% recycled and recyclable paper packaging and labels for our coffee. At events when serving hot coffee, we use both ceramic reusable cups and fully compostable takeaway cups.
Website: roastinghouse.co.uk
Onward Packaging
Would also like to add that when I contacted on twitter they confirmed that you can order online and they send out in a cardboard envelope.
For other coffee posts check out our index. You will also find tea, cocoa, milk in glass bottles and something stronger.
There’s the old school stuff – paper, cardboard, leaves and other plant based materials. And then there is the new. The biodegradable plastics.
Biodegradable products break down through a naturally occurring microorganism into stable compounds which can be absorbed into the ecosystem.More about biodegrading here
To be classed compostable, items must biodegrade within a certain time and the resulting biomass must be able to sustain plant life For a man-made product to be sold as compostable, it has to meet certain standards. You can find out more here.
While most agree that some plastics are compostable, they also say it can only composted in large scale municipal schemes. 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.
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.”
An essential in our house. Quick and easy but hard to get plastic free.
Apparently you can make your own pasta. I even bought the machine. Still not made any!
Dried pasta
An essential in our house. Quick and easy but hard to get plastic free.
Good news is that the Jar Tree in Leeds Market sells wholewheat spaghettis and pasta twirls both brown and white loose. And I think the Nut House (also Leeds Market) might sell white pasta tubes.
I love Leeds Market. I love it. Its a great place to buy #plasticfree almost everything. Read a review here
As the plastic movement grows more shops are selling naked food; stuff that that normally comes plastic packaged ie rice, Some sell pasta. Heres a list of towns with shops selling loose food.
But loose food shops are still few and far between, Don’t despair. It is possible to buy food online loose and plasticfree. You can even use your own cotton produce bags for some things. READ MORE HERE.
Better Plastic
Cant be denied that all the above options are expensive and if you really can’t do without it (who can), and you have a choice of plasticless and plastic wrapped products.
Almost Plastic Free Barilla
Barilla sells all sorts os pasta in a cardboard box with a small plastic window. Lots of supermarkets sell it.
Pasta Polythene Bags
Many products like dried pasta come packaged in lovely looking, printed, laminated plastic film. Or to put it more simply several layers of plastic each with different properties stuck together. Because they consist of different plastics bonded together it is difficult to know what they are and how to treat them and separating the films is tricky and so very expensive. Films therefore often don’t get recycled but burnt or landfilled.
Simple polythene bags are easy to recycle. You can read more about that here.
Check the recycling info on the package to find out more.
Tescos
Sell pasta in bulk in polythene bags. Sadly they don’t do whole wheat or organic pasta like this so you will have to make do white white pasta twirls. Possibly other supermarkets also do this.
Supermarkets & Chainstores
Because sometimes we have to shop there and yes you can get plastic free and zero waste stuff. Read our supermarket reviews here.
If you want to buy loose, you will need to take your own reusable packaging – produce bags, tupperware even compostable disposables. You can find them here.
Feel guilty buying plastic packed food? So do we but sometimes you have to so we apply the special treats rule. read more about the three levels of plastic free food
See all our food posts via the food index
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
If you have found the #plasticfree information useful, please consider supporting us. It all goes to financing the project.
Did you know that simply by steeping herbs, peel and fruit in alcohol you can make extracts? I discovered this quite by accident when researching what to do with an excess of leggy lavender from a rampant bush. I found a post about lavender vodka and because I refuse to follow recipes, I used far too much lavender. Rather than a delicately flavoured beverage I ended up with a murkey liquid which, lucky for me, turns out to be an extract.
Extracts are strongly flavoured plant extracts. They used to flavour drinks and food. They are a great way of using up a glut of something and preserving it for use later in the year. They are incredibly easy to make and have to be the easiest way of preserving.
The alcohol used is usually vodka and the general rule of thumb seems to be to buy mid range. Too cheap and the nasty flavour intrudes, too expensive and it is a waste of good vodka. Some recipes also suggest rum.
The method is the same.
Take the herb put it in a jar cover it with vodka and leave in a cool dark place remembering to shake occasionally. Time steeping varies with the herb and the recipe.
Once done you strain off the liquid through a sieve and them some fine cotton.
Here are some steeping guidelines.
Apparently extracts will keep for 3-5 years.
Interesting articles
Three main reasons for using alcohol
I have long wanted a Soda Stream to make my own fizzy water for soft drinks and, more importantly, mixers for gin -the best of all spirits. For now I am buying tonic in tins (but they of course come plastic lined), or bottle (plastic-lined, metal cap and very expensive!).
But it has to be a SodaStream Crystal Sparkling Water Machine ( see one here) because these take glass bottles rather than plastic.
Until now there have been 2 drawbacks to this scheme. Recently I have been traveling… a lot. No fixed abode means no large kitchen appliances. Extended travel also results in limited income and those things cost around £110.00 pounds. Yes I am sure I would make the money back in the long run but in the short term I simply don’t have the cash.
Recently however the planets have aligned. I now have a kitchen and I got a bargain on Ebay. A new Soda Stream machine in original packaging for less than half price. Given my gin drinking habits, I will soon make that back!
Yes the machine is plastic but I consider this to be plastic that ultimately cuts my plastic consumption. And of course it is cutting my consumption of disposable plastics while it is a reusable item.
The Soda Stream itself was well packaged. The box is shiny cardboard (maybe plastic coated) with one little plastic carry handle. Inside it was all brown card protective units. Yay!
The Ebayer I bought it off sent it wrapped in bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard and plastic tape.
If I had got it from a shop it would have been almost plastic free… but when you are skint you often have to compromise. Sigh.
Bottles & Gas
It was so cheap because it came without a bottle. At least that is what I understood the blurb to say. So I bought some gas and a glass bottle from Amazon. I know it was wrong of me and I wont do it again but they too were bargains.
The Amazon packaging was cardboard with plastic tape and the original soda stream gas and bottle packaging were (plastic coated?), shiny cardboard.
The gas bottle itself had a plastic cap and a seal. And a plastic sleeve with information printed on. I see no reason why this could not be paper.
The tape had to go on my monthly plastic tally but the boxes I free-cycled. There’s always Ebayers who need packaging.
To make fizzy drinks you need to mix the carbonated water with concentrated cordial. You can buy a range of Soda Stream mixers to make all manner of beverages from cola to tonic. They come in plastic bottles and while this represent a massive cut in overall plastic consumption, I think it is avoidable.
You can buy cordial in glass bottles from most supermarkets but it is really easy to make your own and you get to control how much sugar and other nasty additives go into them. I find commercial soft drinks, even tonic, to be way too sweet.
To date I have made raspberry fizz and ginger and lemon sparkle. Both taste great with gin!
Raspberry Fizz
Go to Bently Grange PYO fruit farm and get some raspberries. Boil them up with some sugar. Strain. Add fizzy water. Yay!
Ginger & Lemon Sparkle
Boil ginger pieces, lemon juice and sugar. Strain. Add fizzy water. You can save the ginger to flavor other stuff with. Goes great with melon!
Grapefruit & Lavender Blush
Juice of the grapefruit, few heads of lavender the last dollop of jam. Add some sugar, boil.
If you put enough sugar in I guess these cordials would last a long time. I don’t use much sugar so I make small batches and keep them in the fridge for a few days. If I make a lot I freeze the cordial as cubes of icy flavour.
Find more recipes in the plastic free cookbook
