Selfsufficientish.com

It's that time of the year again. All sorts of wonderful ideas about how to avoid plastic.

I nodded as I bought in the plastic recycling waste bins after the bin man had been. And then watered the greenhouse and village flower tubs with a plastic watering can. I know, I know - there are metal watering cans but the weight on the fragile knees is not good and the watering can has done many years of service.

I nodded as yet another clothing collection bag came through the letter box. That'll be a bin liner and live for ever in the wherever the rubbish wagon takes the general waste bin contents. I have so many of these my family should be able to dispose of a lot of my household belongings easily when they come to clear the bungalow.

I nodded at the advice to use loose leaf tea as 99% of tea bags use plastic to seal the bags (remember the Yorkshire teabags with no plastic that fell apart when used?). Being a consumer of herbal teas - well that just adds to the fun.

I nodded at the advice about buying compost in bags from the garden centre but the daughter does a tip run every so often in her little car and the bags go in the skip that is transported to the place where the bags are burned as part of a heating scheme. Mind you - lots of other things are recycled at the same time!

It's not easy being plastic free is it?

Not easy at all. Bought a new vacuum cleaner (mostly plastic) a few days ago, it came in a cardboard box that was shrink wrapped in plastic, the item protected by formed cardboard inside (rather than the usual polystyrene) but the cleaner was again wrapped in plastic. Why were two additional plastic layers needed (neither of which are recyclable here)?

It's those single use, no possible reuse, plastics such as wrapped your vacuum cleaner that really rile me, not the long term plastic. We've got several of those plastic watering cans, Flo, and at least one of them is nearly as old as our daughter!

I try hard to avoid them but have to weigh the environmental cost of me driving 200 miles, alone, to shop more responsibly or accept the deliveries clad in these single use plastics. Even my organic veg box scheme uses it for some things. I feel quite sorry for them really. They have tried using cellophane and paper bags as alternatives but always go seem to back to plastic. The only explanations I can think of is either cost, poor supply chains or complaints from other customers.

I sincerely hope reusable plastic is OK to have, not only have I several plastic watering cans, I also have one and a half gazillion plastic flower pots, plus seed trays, propagators, wheel barrow, water tanks, buckets, hose pipes, strimmer, mowers, plastic handled tools and two polytunnels.

Flo, if you drink mint tea, Aldi sell plastic free mint tea bags that don't disintegrate, even when you press them against the side of your mug/cup with a teaspoon.

Flo
I am not a fan of teabags mainly because of the tea in them, eg "Russian caravan" in a tea bag is NOT Russian caravan; I drink a variety of different teas depending on the mood etc. I found a small (350ml - a neat mug size) ceramic teapot to replace teabags. It has a deep removable stainless strainer to put the tea in and removable stainless lid. Made by Zero Japan, not cheap at $A40 but works really well.

I have loads of teabags in store. I don't live near enough an Aldi to go investigate teabags for just one item. But when it comes to the New Year this could be something to consider. Surely it must be possible to buy a teapot in a charity shop that isn't too stained. But it does mean that I perhaps won't be buying organic tea. See - solve one problem and start another.

It's a horrendously expensive way to buy tea, but Whittards will fill your loose leaf caddies up if you want now.

That's the trouble with not using plastic Viper - it can get expensive.

I remember tea arriving in one pound wooden boxes (still have a couple of the boxes somewhere) It was normal for the more "remote" rural residents to order this through the stock agents and either they would bring it out when doing their rounds or it would come via the mail car. Surely someone could re-visit the wooden box?

I buy my coffee (and some tea) from a very old and wonderful shop in Dundee, where they'll re-fill their own bags when you bring them back. So not 100% waste free, but I can use a bag at least 10 times rather than once!