Selfsufficientish.com

the.fee.fairy wrote:Degradable bags ar preferable to the ones that are non-degradable, but not as good as biodegradable.

The problem with the bags is that once they're thrown away (either into landfill, or out of car windows...) they become a hazard for the local...and global wildlife.

Degradable bags are just as lethal inside the stomach of a whale as non-degradable.

Medical bags will still be available, but personally, i'd rather see all medical waste incinerated in sharps-style bins. At least that way they will definitely not leak, and there is less risk of contaminating either the person that picks them up, or the nearest wildlife.

I worked in TSSU in the uk and yes there's a lot of waste, huge amounts each night. I used to fill up and throw in the skips heaps of bags and yes probably the sollution is to just have solid but light bins that you can then transfer to the skips to go to incineration.
Lots of stuff I did seemed quite enviro kind though, all the sets were wrapped in linen .... granted finished off with a paper wrap but not too bad.
Eventually we changed over to mainly metal boxes (kits) for the surgical sets with just filters for the autoclave process and that cut back on huge amounts of laundering and paper.
Also it cut down on dust in the department, which can't be good for the lungs can it.

as many of you probably know, a plastic bag 'tax' was introduced into the republic of Ireland years ago. They say it has cut plastic bag use by 90%. I have a friend who lives in Ireland and she says it is juts second nature to carry fabric shopping bags now, they don't see it as a big deal and it has been a success over there.
I just don't understand why we are so slow to implement anything in the UK.
I can't bear to see people wheeling trolleys out of supermarkets, laden with carrier bags.
Nobody used them years ago, my Gran has been using a shopping basket for years and years.
Supermarkets need to stop giving away free plastic bags, asap!

argh, I'm gonna get jumped on, but in my quest to become an isher and more enviro friendly I feel I must be honest.

I have TONS of the things. I use them for rubbish. I shop in bulk and forget to take my small number of fabric bags with me (not that they would be up to the job anyway). I shop at T***o too.

In my defence, I stopped ordering online because of the amount of bags they would give you......individually wrapped items and all that.

There are six of us, and we easily fill our wheelie bin every week. I forget to put the recycle bin out too (which isn't so bad as it only takes newspapers etc, no glass or certain types of plastic) and I don't buy newspapers.


I started with good intentions, but as we were in the floods they all went to pot again, and I need to get restarted

I also need to stop shopping at supermarkets. The amount of packaging in general is shocking, even without the plastic bag issue.

ahhh don't throw them out go to these sites.
I've made bath mats and decerative things with mine. If you have enough they make great sun block out screens when macrameyed together

http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2007/ ... rafts.html

http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/cr_needle ... 65,00.html

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/category/ ... ag-crafts/

They'e great sites. Thanks for the links!