Banish Plastic

[rockchick]

- cashier tried to put in a bag, i said no thanks, she told me she wasn't allowed to sell them and not put in a bag because they might get dirty and then the recipient would think JL were selling dirty gift cards

>>>Snipped,

I'd have said "well the sexy underwear and rope they will be buying with these vouchers will certainly be dirty........"

Gawd, I must be a cashiers nightmare, no wonder Mrs Big Al won't go shopping with me much....

LOL If only i could think that quick when put on the spot!

[Moonwaves]

One thing I'm not sure has been mentioned yet and which I am now able to take for granted again is the glass bottle/deposit idea. I vaguely remember this from when I was a kid but think I was still fairly young when "No deposit, no return" was introduced. It never faded out in Germany though and although there are now far more plastic bottles than I remember here, most of them also have a deposit and are returned to the supermarket for recycling or reuse as well as the glass bottles. I remember speaking to the enivronmental contact on the local council a few years ago in Ireland and she said that it would be such a logistical nightmare for supermarkets and shops to reintroduce (considering many of them don't even have enough storage for more than a few days worth of goods and just get new stuff delivered every few days).

[bodrighy]

All pop bottles hada deposit on them. My childhood was spent forraging the beach for them and returning them for pocketmoney. I also remember butter being in a great big slab on the counter and being cut up and weighed in greaseproof paper. Sweets, biscuits etc were sold in paper bags ( something I can't seem to get my hands on) as was sugaar , flour etc. I admit that we can't really eradicate platic overnight but we could stop shrink wrapping swedes just so that there is somewhere to stick a barcode. It's got ******* ridiculous

Pete

P.S. I'm talking of the 50's and early 60's

[starchild]

we're producing less than 100gms of rubbish per week now - all of that is non recyclable plastic or mixed materials such as crisp packets.

We use containers in the deli and butcher, use reusable shopping bags, I HAVE left wrapping in the store, but I don't always feel courageous enough for this! I make cleaning products and toiletries where possible and buy plastic-free packaging where I can.

I'm sure that if I lived alone I could get it down further; but as any parent will testify, you have to compromise on not making your kids the freaky one in the community by refusing all 21st century delights. Plus we all have our vices; i prefer shop bought yogurt to my home made and hubby likes the occasional convenience curry in a plastic tray.

We're quite excited that our butcher was very attentive to our concerns the other week and will look into bringing back paper instead of sheets of plastic film.
It got me to thinking about modbury and whether i have the energy to start such a campaign in my local village.

I keep writing to manufacturers asking them what they pack things in and offering alternative suggestions and I continue to spread the word on my blog so that others can reduce their plastic waste.

I saw a programme the other night about supermarkets in Germany - you buy your stuff and you unwrap it all in the store where you'll find a whole host of receptacles for recycling. It looked brilliant and because the retailers have to deal with all the 'waste' they are more thoughtful about how they package things.
not rocket science it is, but it takes a Govt will balls to get the idea to run smoothly...

I fear for us Brits, incinerators may be the only way

[Thomzo]

[quote="Andy Hamilton"]
Do we lobby MP's and ask them to make a new law making companies liable for the amount that ends up in landfil or on our streets? [\quote]

This law already exists in the EU. Manufacturers are responsible for the disposal of their packaging. Unfortunately, all that has happened in the UK, is that they have banded together in groups and just pay an amount to cover the landfill tax. They then pass this fee on to us in the cost of the goods.

I have reduced the amount of plastic that I buy. I have a milkman and an organic veg box delivered (although even they occasionally send 'plastic' containers but they are supposed to be biodegradable). I do store yogurt and margarine tubs to reuse but I end up with far more of them than I can use so they fill up the cupboard and jump out at you when you open the door

I have given back surplus packaging at the tills and recycle bottles.

The largest element of the content of my bin? Litter dropped by other people in my front garden and the remains of fireworks that land in my back garden

Cheers
Zoe

p.s. perhaps we could start by lobbying fireworks manufacturers to make their fireworks biodegradable?

[justbabyskincare]

My husband was in Germany with work last week and while in the supermarket noticed there was a special area set aside where you could remove any packaging you though excessive and leave it there. The Supermarket then gets charged for the amount of waste it produces so it really works. We are so far behind. My council does not recycle plastic and that accounts for a lot of our waste.

[Green Aura]

Please don't think I'm defending plastic packaging for one minute.

But, as a small producer, I'm completely stumped to find a viable alternative.

When I set up my business I was full of plans for no plastic. I use glass bottles for cosmetics, and don't wrap my wheatbags, knitted/crocheted items or any of my other products. I use organza bags for single purchases and jute mini bags for multiple purchases.

The problem is soap. The atmosphere here is very moist, being so close to the sea. In addition the shop and workshop haven't been insulated or dry-lined and I can't afford it yet.

So, unless shrink-wrapped, all my soaps weep and look so unsightly that no-one would want to buy them. It also holds the statutory labelling.

I did try wrapping them in tissue paper when I first started but it was such a wet summer they got damp and stuck to the soaps, even with a dehumidifier running 24/7. It wasn't so bad last summer because we had really long, hot and dry periods but any hint of rain does the damage.

A shrink-wrapping system was the only option I could afford and I'm now stuck with it.

[Big Al]

Please don't think I'm defending plastic packaging for one minute.

But, as a small producer, I'm completely stumped to find a viable alternative.

When I set up my business I was full of plans for no plastic. I use glass bottles for cosmetics, and don't wrap my wheatbags, knitted/crocheted items or any of my other products. I use organza bags for single purchases and jute mini bags for multiple purchases.

The problem is soap. The atmosphere here is very moist, being so close to the sea. In addition the shop and workshop haven't been insulated or dry-lined and I can't afford it yet.

So, unless shrink-wrapped, all my soaps weep and look so unsightly that no-one would want to buy them. It also holds the statutory labelling.

I did try wrapping them in tissue paper when I first started but it was such a wet summer they got damp and stuck to the soaps, even with a dehumidifier running 24/7. It wasn't so bad last summer because we had really long, hot and dry periods but any hint of rain does the damage.

A shrink-wrapping system was the only option I could afford and I'm now stuck with it.

don't for one instance bash yourself up for this GA. I had the same problem when I was making my candles. I could make the room scenters for very posh hotels and multi posh house, appartments but they had to be shrink wrapped so guests / owners / visitors knew they were "new" like you can't tell by the burnt wax and wick that a candle has been used but no amount of persuasion could get over this problem.

I too have a good shrink wrap system now but not being used....

[justbabyskincare]

I totally understand the problem too. Particularly with soap. It does something to the wrapping causing it to split and look a bit battered doesnt it? I have had black soap in the past that has had this problem. Its just a shame there isnt a reasonable alternative for us small businesses to use.

[Big Al]

I totally understand the problem too. Particularly with soap. It does something to the wrapping causing it to split and look a bit battered doesnt it? I have had black soap in the past that has had this problem. Its just a shame there isnt a reasonable alternative for us small businesses to use.

It all comes down to money in the end. I'm sure you could wrap each bar of soap individually in angora tied with a lovely bow from organic silk etc to let the soap breathe but how much would it all cost ?

[Flo]

I wonder how many gardeners would be devastated to loose the plastic that they use on their allotments and the plastic bags containing compost that they purchase.

[chrissie]

If I go to a supermarket, then I take my permanent bags to put the shopping in and my degradeable bags to put the grapes or apples etc in as I`m going round.

I also use degradeable black bin liners at home, recycle as much as possible and use the organic waste either to make compost or feed the birds.

I heard recently that the UK were adopting the german plan of having areas in our supermarkets where we can leave packaging, so hope that comes in soon.

But, when I read as in the Daily Mail this week, that the stuff we recycle in our council bins is often sent to landfill sites anyway as they cannot either afford to pay for recycling or that its been contaminated in some way by non degradeable stuff, I feel we are sometimes fighting a losing battle.

chrissie

[Flo]

The reason for recycling items going to landfill is often because the users leave food in packaging that can otherwise be recycled (pizza in the pizza box for instance, a half finished Indian in the tin foil takeaway, milk in the plastic milk container). Sometimes this is caused by people reading in the Daily Mail that recycling items are going to landfill so adopt the can't be bothered attitude and other times people throw things in their bin without the slightest thought about what they are doing.

[Flo]

This makes thought provoking reading - there was a full length interview in the Saturday Telegraph magazine last week that commented that there are more plastic granules than sand granules on our beaches.This article is a brief summary of what the full interview with young De Rothschild said.

[Gem]

I used to use the 'biodegradable' bin bags but stopped since watching a programme about it (forget which one) where chemical and endurance testing showed that they are slightly more biodegradable than regular bin bags but still take many years (in the 100s) to degrade.

I used to use plastic supermarket bags instead of bin bags but obviously have none of those left now so its back to black bin liners..

This whole plastics discussion has left me feeling guilty. We recycle everything we can and reuse any potentially useful tubs but there are certain things that i am not sure how to get rid off. eg I regularly use life jackets at work and not only are the gas canisters not recyclable, neither are the plastic trigger mechanisms. As an organisation we must get through 100s but no way to recycle them and no pressure on the suppliers due to lack of competition. Other things like shrink wrap/packaging for equipement and chemicals are used abundantly..

It can be just as bad at home though.. My mum has recently bought a small holding to live happily ever after on but the amount of plastic cr*p they are pulling out of the earth is astounding. Its like the farmer used 100ms of black tarp to cover the whole property then forgot about it whilst it rotted and became buried by soil during flooding. They literally have filled their barn with the stuff and are stumped as to what can be done with it (none of it sound enough to be useful as tarp..)

I think plastic packaging definately needs to be reduced at the supermarket level. Whats the point in scrimping, skip diving and scrumping when the supermarkets are producing enough plastic packaging to bubble wrap the moon. Shame the few MPs I have met do truely seem to be on another planet when you try and ask them to become active in something like this.. Otherwise that would be my first suggestion for moving forward..