The 52 week bin bag

[johnhcrf]

In aiming for a full year's attempt, a bag for everyone in the household, several factors are assumed. Food waste is the main concern. This must be removed by council food waste collection, bokashi bin/green cone, pet consumption or any other useful means. The bin bag must be a clean place.
Where any plastic waste, previously containing food, is still in use thorough washing and drying is essential. Collecting material in small bags, also waste, will also prove a further barrier. If anything does go amiss the attempt should be discontinued. However once the problem is dealt with another attempt try can begin. The point is once 1 year is achieved, that will be the norm.

[witch way?]

Boycotting works best when the manufacturers KNOW that you're boycotting them and WHY. eg., The huge corporations probably wont notice that I dont buy their products but if I write to them and TELL them I (and everybody I speak to) will not buy their products and if everybody I know does the same then they just might notice. I think our best means of getting their attention is to be a nuisance. I think it was Anita Brodick who said if you think you are too small to be noticed, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room!

[johnhcrf]

Boycotting is a tool in the campaign, but I would like to have a positive attitude. This means rewarding the shops/stores etc, who sell produce which conforrms to ZWP. Local shopping is the main focus and when dealing with superstores ask for proper packaging (eg paper bag instead of paper/plastic front bag, for bakery produce). They say customers want the plastic type. I said I am a customer and would prefer a paper bag. That is not an unreasonable request. If that cannot be arranged, shop elsewhere. I also find that shopping staff are usually in favour of the good packaging.

[Clara]

I think it was Anita Brodick who said if you think you are too small to be noticed, try sleeping with a mosquito in the room!

I think that was the Dalai Lama , though I suspect she stuck it on a t-shirt and made a wad of cash out of it

[johnhcrf]

Clara, you point out the ruthlessness of people at the top. This has no impact on the campaign because I, as an individual, have decided no longer to accept the packaging waste that is in use everywhere. In taking responsibility for my own waste, and where others follow suit, the vicious chain of waste is broken (supplier-superstore-consumer-landfill).
From 26 bags to 1 per year (1 bag per family member) is a good first step.

[Clara]

Clara, you point out the ruthlessness of people at the top. This has no impact on the campaign because I, as an individual, have decided no longer to accept the packaging waste that is in use everywhere. In taking responsibility for my own waste, and where others follow suit, the vicious chain of waste is broken (supplier-superstore-consumer-landfill).
From 26 bags to 1 per year (1 bag per family member) is a good first step.

What? I understand what you´re up to (though whether it will change the world I doubt)....I was just being pedantic to witch way

[johnhcrf]

There are a lot of people dissatisfied with current practice. Landfill is an increasing problem, charges have recently risen and will rise further. Councils are most concerned with these charges and are taking steps to increase recycling percentages and food waste collections (requiring government funding). There are campaigns to remove plastic bags from towns (7 so far), to deal with litter on our streets and to hound flytippers. The momentum for change is building and any contribution to this effort will speed the process.

[Clara]

Yes and change is needed so it´s good that some people have a mind to tackle issues themselves rather than wait for someone else to do it for them......but.......the environment is profoundly screwed and change in the way we live needs to be much more profound if we are going to survive what happens in the next 50 years.

[johnhcrf]

This is one issue but there are others which need attention. How are things in Espana.

[Clara]

Spain is in love with the plastic bag....they put plastic bags in plastic bags if you let them. The only way round this nonsense is to have NO part of it.

I don´t mean to downplay your commitment or your cause, it´s just that environmental and social concerns tend ( I guess for the sake of making the cause coherent to those who need to be persuaded) to be disconnected. Take, for example, the coffee lid conversation. Will returning a coffee lid to the suppliers actually make any difference to the overall environmental decline that we now face? No of course not and pretending that if everyone else did so it would, is not true. Going deeper into the issue, do any of us actually have the RIGHT to drink something that is shipped halfway round the world (and if it´s LIDL´s 1.99 or any other non-fairtrade, on the back of someone elses misery), just to get our lazy western asses out of bed in the morning? NO.

Most of us are just tinkering at the edges of a HUGE problem.

[johnhcrf]

There are a million problems waiting to be dealt with, including FAIRTRADE which is a worthy cause I have largely ignored. My focus is on the current theme mainly because I am a shopper and got fed up with the waste. Other people have different experiences and interests and can find an outlet for their energies elsewhere. Dealing with one issue at a time seems the most realistic way to proceed. Involving other people in my interest will raise awareness generally.

[johnhcrf]

Today I achieved complete ZWP in my morning shopping. At McGrath's fruiterers purchases were 6lb Pentland pots, 2lb carrots, 2 onions, 1 lemon, 7 bananas, 5 Golden delicious apples and 5 Dutch tomatoes. I used 2 carrier bags and no packaging.
At Auld's bakers, puechases were 2 meringues, 2 lemon fondants and a fruit loaf (my favourite). Packaging consisted of 2 small and 1 large paper bags.
Staff at both shops showed understanding in dealing with my unusual attitude to plastic. I thank them again for their help.
Ideally, I could achieve total ZWP but this is very difficult (eg milk jugs have 1 label,1 milk top which are waste). However, it is still a joy when it happens.

[johnhcrf]

As I approach the end of week 3 of the challenge, one big issue with waste is the amount of combined waste in use. The drug industry is a prime example. I suffer from several annoying medical conditions and consequently take medication. This stuff is enclosed in a plastic/tinfoil package for ease of counting daily doses. The tinfoil part is a useful item for recycling, the only problem being separating the useful part from the waste. I contacted Novartis, the supplier, about a process to retrieve the tinfoil and have yet to hear from them. This is an example of the waste philosophy which needs to be addressed. I am determined to find a retrieval process otherwise the aluminium is landfill bound. It is a valuable material for recycling as it saves expensive extraction from minerals.

[johnhcrf]

At the end of week three, the waste was again quite a small amount. I can make estimates for the whole year:

No. Weeks Weight Volume

3 3 oz/ 85 g 1/2 pt / 700ml

52 (est) 3 1/4 lb / 1.47 kg 21.3 pt / 12.1 ltr

3 1/4 lbs seems a very small amount for a year. It just shows what can be achieved. 5 full milk jugs (volume/not weight) is an approximate figure for bin space required. The question now is - How many full jugs can fit into a bin bag? (use empties filled with water)

[MKG]

John, if you can get your annual waste down to 3.25 lbs. the world will be knocking on your door. However, three weeks is a very small statistical number. Carry on keeping the records by all means - but you need a full year's figures to take any seasonal variation into account. Having said that, it's looking good ...