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I need my space
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selfsufficientish



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 11:41 am    Post subject: I need my space Reply with quote
    

At present I live in a tiny one bedroom flat with no garden, but as of next week myself and my girlfriend will be moving to a two bedroom house.

A subject that I like to talk about is that anyone can grow there own produce in a small space,it just takes a bit more imagination. For example there is a bucket in our living room that has a tomato plant growing out of it.

Bit how much space do you need to keep stuff out of landfill? Some examples of how I have to utilise my little space are; I have a spare matress that I have to put underneath my own matress in order to store it. I have a broken chest of draws that I keep for wood in bits behind the sofa, in my wardrobe and in the airing cupboard. I have empty bottles ready for home brew stashed along with my food in the kitchen cupboards. I also have a small cupboard for all the recycling and if I miss the collection this spreads out onto the floor and has to be walked around.

In short a big reason for moving somewhere bigger is to live more comforatbly and be environmentaly friendly. So how could a someone in a bedsit cope? - In the UK more people live in less space than we have done for decades, could lack of space be filling our landfill sites?

judith



Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 11:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

It is an immutable law of nature that stuff expands to overfill the space available.

Mrs Fiddlesticks



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 11:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

A timely point as I've just spent the morning clearing the store of so called Things that might come in Handy.. well they haven't so the pile of cardboard which we'd aimed to burn on the plot ( or put on the compost) had got too big so thats gone out the door. It is a problem, how to reuse things without drowning under a sea of clutter. I have to have periodic throw outs of margarine tubs (there are only so many uses for them, despite my best intentions.) glass jars (don't make that much in the way of preserves) etc, etc..

I wish I knew the answer...

Mrs Fiddlesticks



Joined: 02 Nov 2004
Posts: 10460

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 11:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Judith wrote:
It is an immutable law of nature that stuff expands to overfill the space available.


and that the stuff I chuck out today I will think of a use for next week...

Nanny



Joined: 17 Feb 2005
Posts: 4520
Location: carms in wales
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

thus is life

we save to recycle and there are stacks of "just in case" stuff and frankly you get hacked off with it after a time and just long to be shot of it

maybe the answer in fact is the minimal life style so if you don't actually feel you "need" the stuff, you won't have so much to recycle anyway

wish i could start to live a bit more like that but my husband is a "Just in case" and "When you're at sea you can't just pop to the corner shop" type person

ele



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I remember watching a tv programme where a woman had kept everything in case of reuse, all carefully sorted in little drawers and boxes around her house, the report was focused on how green she was being, all I could think of how hellish living in her house would be.

I guess it's a personal preference but I prefer to focus on the reduce and the recycle aspects of being green and reuse has to be pretty immediate or I just drown in a sea of stuff, which ends up in me being so disorganised I can't find the thing to reuse anyway.

giraffe



Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 272
Location: Nottingham
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

having a large garage and shed helps with the clutter I find!

selfsufficientish



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 364
Location: Bristol
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I even tried freecycle in an attempt to shift some stuff, the mushroom and soft fruit cartons. I have heard of some mushroom growers taking these and reusing them.

Do schools still make stuff out of washing up bottles and margrine tubs or is there some law forbidding it as it is branding to kids or some such leglislative nonesense. Perhaps local schools would be glad of some clutter?

sunpuppy



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 169
Location: Exeter, Devon
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Yeah, I'm of the minimalist school of thought - in my dreams that it is! The reality is that I end up with bits of string and second-hand wrapping paper all over the place, cos' a) I think I'll find a use for it and b) can't stand the thought of useful things going to landfill.

Have started to overcome this, and free my inner minimalist by having periodic ruthless clear-outs. Anything vaguely useful/usable goes to charity, friends or Freecycle. Have still got the string and wrapping paper though.....

giraffe



Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 272
Location: Nottingham
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

primary schools and nurserys will readily accept with thanks stuff like that - give your local one a ring.

giraffe



Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 272
Location: Nottingham
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

I love freecycle - am picking up some demijohns tonight I got off them - sadly I'm very excited!

ele



Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Posts: 814
Location: Derby
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 12:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

selfsufficientish wrote:
I even tried freecycle in an attempt to shift some stuff, the mushroom and soft fruit cartons. I have heard of some mushroom growers taking these and reusing them.

Do schools still make stuff out of washing up bottles and margrine tubs or is there some law forbidding it as it is branding to kids or some such leglislative nonesense. Perhaps local schools would be glad of some clutter?


Not quite answering your question but I've managed to reduce most of them (mushrooms bought loose, soft fruit cartons are taken back by the box scheme I use for reuse), washing up bottles can be refilled if they're ecover ....

but margarine tubs are a pain, I don't like them as containers so I do bin them.

jamsam



Joined: 21 Oct 2005
Posts: 2560
Location: erm....i dont know, its dark.
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 2:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

try taking the draws out of the chest, laying it on its back and using it as a container in the garde, i have a few of these stacked along the back wall with mesh on the wall to encourage feelers. i have managed sweet peas and broad beans in them for 3 years.

jamsam



Joined: 21 Oct 2005
Posts: 2560
Location: erm....i dont know, its dark.
PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 2:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

Fiddlesticks Julie wrote:


I wish I knew the answer...


im inclined to answer that some more community thought could help. the lady down the road with the need for jars who will give you fire wood, etc etc. the only problem is people dont like thier neighbours or thier neighbourhoods any more.

Bugs



Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 05 3:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
    

selfsufficientish wrote:
Do schools still make stuff out of washing up bottles and margrine tubs or is there some law forbidding it as it is branding to kids or some such leglislative nonesense. Perhaps local schools would be glad of some clutter?


Some regions have a scrapscheme, which might be worth tracking down. They store it and share it out among schools/scouts/individuals etc. I haven't used one myself but they sound handy.

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