After the shocking revelation that we are killing marine life by polluting the oceans with plastic I have been spurred into action. I do recycle as a matter of routine but wondered if I am letting some things slip into the normal bin by mistake. As I have said in the past, we have a communal recycling and refuse area and I have lost count of the number of times I have retrieved glass and plastics from the bin (other people's) and placed it into the proper recycling bin. I have been spending a little extra time each day checking everything before I put it into the proper receptacle. I keep a carrier bag (plastic, unfortunately, but I will use it until it falls apart) by the back door in the kitchen for recycling and a pedal bin for everything else. I rinse out containers in the last of the washing up water before putting them in the recycling too. Since being more diligent I have noticed that I can fill the recycling bag in just a day, which is more than scary. There are just two of us most days so where does it all come from? 75% of the recycling seems to be plastic of one sort or another. I know that it's a faff but we desperately need to do something to reduce our use of plastics. We can't carry on regardless and hope that someone else sorts it out! Canvas bags are used for our shopping so I need to try to buy less stuff encased in plastic. A lot of plastic wrapping cannot be recycled and I do use cling film...another issue for me to address I think.
I know some bloggers began to do without plastic completely but I've lost them in blogger ether so don't know if they managed to do it. Are you cutting back on plastic? Have you managed to cut out cling film? What changes are you making?
On a lighter note, we bought raffle tickets at the church when we went to the Art & Craft exhibition and today we had a visit from 2 lovely ladies from the church as we have won a prize. Anyone remember this?.....
In my youth I was introduced to the delights of a drink called Snowball. Advocaat with ice, topped up with lemonade and a cherry on a cocktail stick. Happy days! :) It will be passed on to DD as a treat.
The craft fair on Saturday was a bit of a flop :( If we had a dozen people through the door we were lucky. After the cost of the table I was £4 in profit. I really need to find another venue as my challenge is really not working for me :/
Ah well, it's a beautiful warm, sunny day today so I refuse to be downhearted. Onwards and upwards!
Take care everyone xx
Stash to Cash so far £59.18
I purchased silicon stretch lids, plastic but reusable, which we use instead of stretch and seal, since we got them we hardly use anything else. I now carry in my cloth bag, paper bags and a couple plastic bags, which I reuse again and again, the plastic ones are for plants I purchase. Our fruit stall now stopped loads of plastic, so I use him when I can. But I can’t stop plastic comming into the house, but it’s much reduced.
ReplyDeleteLeave the plastic in the shop where you bought it they will see the message, thats what is needed totally unnecessary packaging bought in by the shop.
ReplyDeleteI have made cloth bags for shopping and use plastic containers (that are reusable instead of cling film). Like you I still have loads of plastic despite all my efforts. So sorry about the craft fair.
ReplyDeleteHow sophisticated we felt with a snowball or a babycham and a cherry on a cocktail stick!
ReplyDeleteI have a bottle of that very stuff out in my store cupboard. I used to love a snowball when I was younger but obviously my tastes have changed as I found it quite revolting the last time I tried it.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the poor turn out at the craft fair.
Hugs-x-
Many moons ago I loved a snowball, haven't had one for years. Sorry about the craft fair, sounds like you need to find another venue. I haven't used cling film for years. I use reusable containers, some glass and some plastic. We see very few bottles etc. strewn around here as we have a paid recycling program. Any bought container that had a beverage in it, we pay a deposit on it when we purchase it. We have bottle recycling depots where you can return the empty bottles etc. and get your deposit back. I just keep all the empties in a big garbage bag and when it's full I take it to the depot and usually get between $12-$15 back!! A lot of homeless people go around searching for bottles etc. so if one is discarded in a park or on the street it is picked up fairly quickly by someone!!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a brilliant way of doing things, Janice, and I'm sure we will need to go down the route of charging deposits on bottles in the same way we did when I was a child. My brother used to pick up abandoned empty bottles for the few pennies he could get back on them too.
DeleteI was shocked by the 'Blue Planet' programme which showed the terrible harm being done to marine life. Since then, I have taken a bag every time I go to the beach so that I can pick up any plastic I find (sooo much!) and I also am trying to cut right down on the plastic that comes into my home.
ReplyDeleteWhy do supermarkets offer plastic-wrapped broccol as well as unwrapped?
I was plesed to see today that Morrisons now encourage their customers to take along containers for fish and meat purchases, another elimination of plastic waste.
Rambler, it IS shocking. Thank you for the info regarding Morrisons. I do my main shop there and didn't know you can take your own container. I now buy everything I can unwrapped. Well done for picking up plastic from the beach, that is wonderful!
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