One bin, one year, one family. Hooray.

[Millymollymandy]

MMM - when did you get your tastebuds removed Angel delight tastes like soap and makes me

I suspect they died when I got into those Vesta dried chinese meals with the crispy noodles that you put in hot oil and watch them puff up. I was addicted to them as a teenager and when I first moved to France we discovered our local British food store stocked them so I started eating them again! Yum! Unfortunately I haven't had one for years now.

Must buy me some Angel Delight when I'm next in England for old times sake.

But, to my credit I have never liked Pot Noodles.

[Green Aura]

Rather you than me.

However, I'm having my own blast from the past this evening. I've just been to the Spar and found Arctic Roll in the freezer!!!!!wooohooo It even says "it's back!" on the box.

Can you believe OH has never had it before - obviously too posh for him

[Millymollymandy]

Now, see that doesn't do anything for me! However I always have to eat Mr Kipling's cherry bakewells when I'm back in England.

Now who was it said Britain didn't have haute cuisine?

[Flo]

Excuse me - but where goes this topic? Waste depends on your circumstances. Not all of us can compost, not all of us can burn confidential waste, not all of us can get to the local household recycling amenity to separate out more of our waste, not all of us can travel half way round the county to find products that involve nothing to recycle, not all of us have tetrapak recycling facilities.

I'd say that you also have to watch your CO2 emissions when shopping for your waste free food - will these even out your lack of rubbish?

Just as an example. I live in a downstairs flat with a concrete yard. So - as most garden recycling schemes will not take fruit and vegetable peelings when I give up the allotment I shan't be able to take those down to the household recycling amenity and put them in the garden waste area. Not that I would be very welcome on the local bus with a smelly bag of fruit and veg peelings (well I don't drive) Same goes for my tea bags. That will double the amount of waste I have then. So do I go for prepacked ready meals because these will produce less waste packaging that I can't recycle?

It's a minefield.

[starchild]

Mmmm, it seems you're all talking about my husband's penchant for curry sauce from a jar. And the fact that I have to be 'ish' all the way or not at all

Anyway, glad some of you liked the story. I think the key here is that we can preach to the converted all we like; that won't change anything because they are already aware of the waste they produce and the potential effects of their lifestyle choices on the earth, air, water, wildlife and our health.

What MIGHT change things is to appeal to the people who like to buy curry in a plastic tray - if we can encourage them to try a curry sauce in a jar which is then used again, Freecycled or recycled, then we might start to see changes in the UK.

Through being on BBC Breakfast, we reach the 'masses' not the 'green' genre; so we talk about things that 'the masses' might be able to relate to, which, to my observation, is convenience food; not standing in the kitchen chopping onions - sad as that might be. As one of you said, it's all about one small change at a time; and we remember that when we share our story.

And I do have a freezer full of home made curry sauces too

[bonniethomas06]

Well done Starchild, I think it was a really good piece.

As you say, there are just some people in this country who will never make their own, so better to settle for second best (i.e. glass jars) than no change at all.

[Green Aura]

Good stuff starchild. Now beat your OH (gently) round the head and tell him you've got a freezerful of curry and no he can't have Uncle Ben's (Just joking)

[Annpan]

yay for starchild

Didn't realise it was an isher

Like you say, getting the message to the masses is important. As for the curry sauce, well.... my bin has several empty haribo wrappers in it we get through a bin bag a month, room for improvement I know but I have already had a doorstep discussion with the bin man
him 'have you not got a wheelie bin'
me 'yes, but there is no rubbish in it'
him 'have you got black bags, I'll give you black bags'
me 'no, you gave me some before, I just don't have any rubbish'
him 'none'
me 'nope'
then he walked up to my wheelie bin and looked in.... it was empty.... as he walked away he gave me a very strange look.

[yvette]

I saw the BBC piece about one bag of rubbish in a year and it really inspired me - I have been talking about it to everyone I know, especially the advice to reduce waste by changing the way we shop. I've been doing obvious things like refusing plastic bags in shops for some time, but had never thought about taking my own containers to the butchers. I think the point about starting with something that seems easy and possible is an excellent one - we all have to start somewhere. And then, hopefully, we will want to take things further.
Well done that family!

[brett53]

yea well just DON'T tell our council it can be done or they will only want to empty the bins once a year at the end of the day this is a very credible achievement -BUT not practical to emulate by the vast majority of us - and any ways so long as i have to pay over 50 quid a month poll tax ( council tax ) even when i do get a small reduction - i want my bins emptied - its a matter of principle - and i want "best value " so they getting filled up - ( though the green recycling one is always full when put out ) - problem is WHERE does it end up ?????????? - i still don't know

[starchild]

t the end of the day this is a very credible achievement -BUT not practical to emulate by the vast majority of us

I completely agree. The message of our site is always that if everyone does just a little bit, the collective impact can be huge. We never expect people to do as drastic as we have done, unless they want to of course.

and any ways so long as i have to pay over 50 quid a month poll tax ( council tax ) even when i do get a small reduction - i want my bins emptied - its a matter of principle

Are you aware how much of your council tax goes towards emptying your bin? I don't ask this to be arsey, but it might be worth you contacting your council to ask - you might be surprised just how little it is ;)

[brett53]

no ,no offence taken - the point i was making is that as a disabled - single - non parent - non car driver - unable to play sport - been to the museum - non library using - local who has to pay council tax ,( unlike the hordes of students down here who cause a load of mess and rubbish and pay ZILCH - yet can run cars - party - etc and still moan about how hard done by they are ) - i may as well get some value for my buck

- as i don't ask much of local services - use my bus pass a couple of times a year to go to the dentist 10 mile away - and don't ( cant ) afford to go out much - well except for essentials actually - so don't cause any mess or require facilities provided by the council a lot of the time - and basically get zip for my money - other than the bits allocated to the police - fire dept etc - but of course get charged as if i used ALL services provided - which is wrong as WHY should i have to pay for education for instance - when i don't have kids - and again cant afford or able to use any higher education facilities as i don't feel safe running around town on a mobility scooter at night - and taxis are way too expensive

OK i know that each individual cant be charged for what they DO USE - so you see my point i hope - may as well get SOMETHING for my money -( well i suppose some one has to pay for the new 46.5 million life center being built in our local park , which i will never use and no doubt end up helping to pay for this monstrosity when it gets into financial stook - as most things do here when the council has grand schemes )

ah well - no point complaining - no one ever listens

[Millymollymandy]

I'm listening Brett and I agree with you as my husband is always really narked that part of his hard earned cash goes towards maternity benefits - which aren't ever going to benefit him. I can't remember how much we pay for rubbish collection but it is listed on our property tax bill and we don't even have a collection from the house! We have to take it up the road to a communal bin.

[Green Rosie]

We have about a half bin bag a week (not counting the stuff the gite/barn renovation is creating) - the main reason it is not less is that other really ungreen thing we have - children. They seem to collect plastic wrapped tutt even if we don't buy it for them. Also a biggie in our bin is yoghurt pots which we can't recycle and there are only so many you can use for plant pots etc.

[Keaniebean]

no ,no offence taken - the point i was making is that as a disabled - single - non parent - non car driver - unable to play sport - been to the museum - non library using - local who has to pay council tax ,( unlike the hordes of students down here who cause a load of mess and rubbish and pay ZILCH - yet can run cars - party - etc and still moan about how hard done by they are ) - i may as well get some value for my buck

Totally understand your point there Brett, but lets say there was some scheme in place that meant you had to pay for what went in your rubbish bin and the section of the council tax that was used towards rubbish collection was scrapped (sorry for the pun). Do you think that this would be a fairer system, and would it make you cut your rubbish.

I can't actually beleive I've lain awake at night thinking about this!!!!!!!!!!