Thinking about plastic use...

[2steps]

The plastic challenge thread got me thinking about how much plastic we use everyday, even if we are trying not to! yes we can avoid buying plastic wrapped foods and over packaged goods but still it is everywhere, is it avoidable? I had a look round this room and listed all the plastic items I could see

2 childs coat hangers
cup
video tape case
printer
earring stand I use for photographing ebay items
few toys
cd rom cases
speakers
pens
joypad
mouse
keyboard
little fillingbox for recipts
desk fan
baby car seat
mobile phone
hair brush
sewing machine
scissors handle
dvd cases
telephone
pc monitor
dustbin
cd cases
baby changing mat
light switch
light fitting
some packaging for parcels

really is everywhere

[Andy Hamilton]

I found the challenge much more difficult than I first thought.

To do without plastic goods, by that I mean not using plastic at all would be very difficult indeed. You would have to give up computing too.

[Stonehead]

To do without plastic goods, by that I mean not using plastic at all would be very difficult indeed. You would have to give up computing too.

Not necessarily. Organic semi-conductors have been developed, some experimental computers have been built using starch-based plastics and I read about an organic flatscreen technology a while ago.

Of course, you could always develop your own plastic-free, liquid-state quantum computer. Apply video filters in a nano-second instead of minutes and be environmentally friendly, too!

[Andy Hamilton]

Of course, you could always develop your own plastic-free, liquid-state quantum computer. Apply video filters in a nano-second instead of minutes and be environmentally friendly, too!

Good idea I will get on it imediately.

Actually I remeber an item on tommorows world (bring it back!) in the 90's that talked about organic computers, ones that you could cut in half and they would grow back. - can't remember much more than that.

[Shirley]

You can get monitors and keyboards with a bamboo surround too :)

[2steps]

used to love tomorrows world :)

If I had to lose my computer I'd lose my business too, then I'd be even less self sufficent

Rather than saying no plastic,it'd be best to weigh up the value using the plastic will have, against its actual use, if you see what I mean? and of course if there are viable alternatives use those when you can

[Andy Hamilton]

ok lets take the list that you posted 2steps and see what we can come up with

2 childs coat hangers - wooden and metal ones
cup - china or other
video tape case - download films
printer - no suggestion
earring stand I use for photographing ebay items - wood
few toys - again wood
cd rom cases - downloads again
speakers - difficult but I am sure you could minimise the amount of plastic on new speakers
pens - pencils or quils perhaps?
joypad - - no suggestion
mouse - no suggestion
keyboard - the bamboo ones shiley talked of
little fillingbox for recipts - cardboard
desk fan - open a window
baby car seat - - no suggestion
mobile phone - you can get ones that the front biodegrades
hair brush - can you get bone ones still, or pehaps wood again would be better, the bristles would be difficult.
sewing machine - - no suggestion
scissors handle - all metal scissors
dvd cases - downloads
telephone - - no suggestion
pc monitor - bamboo possibly
dustbin - metal
cd cases - downloads
baby changing mat - - no suggestion
light switch - metal
light fitting - - no suggestion
some packaging for parcels - just paper and string

Some there that I am not sure of and I guess when buying new consumerables it is worth looking out for alternatives.

[Chickpea]

Sewing machine - get a lovely old metal and wood handcrank or treadle sewing machine off ebay. Lovely.

[2steps]

I have one of those and just can't get the hang of it though just thinking about it most industrial sewing machines are metal even if they are electric. mind you I'd probably never lift it

I like you list andy, good thinking material :) we do have an entirely wooden brush and comb that came from an airline passenger pack and is designed to be thrown away used or not (I used to work at heathrow)

on the car seat - it is only the youn baby seats that are plastic. The older childs seat we have has a metal frame. wonder why this is? is it just because it's lighter and people often carry small babies in their car seats? but then you can get round that by havin gthe type that fits onto a pushchair

[Chickpea]

No, most of the seats for bigger children are polystyrene these days.

I wondered about that at first, but then I realised the car seat itself isn't what protects your child in a crash (if a lorry ran over your metal child seat it would still get mangled). It's the seat belt that stops them flying through the windscreen. But seat belts don't fit children very well, so the child safety seat pushes them up and forwards until their body is in about the same position as an adult's would be. Then the seat belt fits and does it's job of stopping them flying about in a collision. The child seat doesn't need to be strong, it just needs to be the right shape and comfortable, so polystyrene is perfectly good enough.

[Stonehead]

ok lets take the list that you posted 2steps and see what we can come up with

video tape case - download films
cd rom cases - downloads again

Or cardboard sleeves - remember vinyl LPs?

speakers - difficult but I am sure you could minimise the amount of plastic on new speakers

Wood. I have huge old Mission 732s, wood filled with sand. Just don't dry to move them.

pens - pencils or quils perhaps?

Steel or other metals, or wood. My fountain pen is steel and ebony.

mouse - no suggestion

Mainly wood.

baby car seat - - no suggestion

Get rid of the baby!

mobile phone - you can get ones that the front biodegrades

Or metal case. I used to have a motorola with an aircraft grade aluminium case.

hair brush - can you get bone ones still, or pehaps wood again would be better, the bristles would be difficult.

Pig bristle.

sewing machine - - no suggestion

Metal and wood. Remember the old Singers?

telephone - - no suggestion
light switch - metal
light fitting - - no suggestion

Bakelite? But pretty dodgy stuff to make with all that formaldehyde.

[2steps]

Mainly wood.

baby car seat - - no suggestion

Get rid of the baby!

Chickpea, I was thinking of the seats that come between the carriable baby ones and the polystreyne type. though I just did a quick online search and they all seem to have plastic bodies as well now. hehe I'm not that old really

[Wombat]

[quote="Stonehead
Bakelite? But pretty dodgy stuff to make with all that formaldehyde.[/quote]

Plus the phenol would be a petrochemical these days, although originally obtained from coal tar......

[the.fee.fairy]

For pens/pencils/stationery, you could always halve the plasticness by getting recycled plastic ones from Remarkable...and they have rubber mouse mats and pencil cases made from car tyres too.

Or, do what i did and spend time going round local country shows and picking up recycled stationery for free from just about every recycling company possible! I've got enough to last me the next year at work now!!

[Millymollymandy]

I don't think I have any plastic light fittings in my house. They are all either metal, wood or ceramic.