Posted: Fri Jun 06, 25 8:49 am Post subject: Another (at lest third) look at the home plastic
Every so often (lets talk years here) I go for a peer round the house plastic usage. To see if any old bad habits are back or if there are ways to cure them.
Anyway am on the equivalent of house clearing and budgeting to see where things can change for the better and if it costs less good.
Great fun having another read round internet on "I'm going to live plastic free". Which is always entertaining if not practical.
When I moved in to this abode (mid May 2013) there was a pile of 44 charity collection bags behind the front door - useful for lining kitchen bin and putting stuff in the general rubbish bin. With the addition over the years I still have 6 or so even though charity clothes collections have gone mostly out of fashion. Very little room for improvement there.
Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 9967 Location: Devon, uk
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 25 2:15 pm Post subject:
it seems so hard to live a plastic free life - particularly if they keep posting it through the door! At least you are reusing it, if only once.
Plastic plant pots anyone if you buy plants to bring on or long term shrubs.
And all these bedding plants on sale for filling your hanging baskets. Not to mention strips of veg plants and tomato plants. Many of which you can do for yourself and friends from a packet of seeds and reuse the pots, seed trays.
There speaks the gardener. Used to help at an allotment association trading hut. In times long past plot holders were encouraged to donate their used, clean pots for other people to use free. In the change of committee a generous range rover type vehicle made numerous trips to the tip to dispose of what became an eyesore that no-one wanted.
On the old allotment there was a long hardstanding (had been used for car repairs in the past - don't ask). I inherited a variety of tubs, filled them with perennials and made full use of the space I was paying for. Next tenant reduced the number and did a tip run as no-one wanted them. Mind a good number were second hand to me, previous tenant had done the same.
And to make full use of a difficult length of present garden under a hedge belonging to another housing association which can't be moved, I have to use tubs. Some of which came from said allotment.
gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009 Posts: 9249 Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 25 8:40 pm Post subject:
Quite a few garden centres will now take clean plastic pots for recycling along with their own.
Nicky cigreen
Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 9967 Location: Devon, uk
Posted: Fri Jun 06, 25 9:10 pm Post subject:
I seem to get rid of seedling trays quite easily by giving plants away - just offered a grateful neighbour some spare sweetcorn plants. Another tray I wont see again
The weather forecast early on was dismal - seems that the rain is ignoring the forecast in favour of sun at present.
Any old how, decided it was time to batch cook now that the cooker is replaced and working. I am just getting to the bottom of allotment produce in the deep freezer. All sorts of veg neatly frozen by variety in plastic. And all having been reused from previous seasons so well on in life. Trouble is that frozen veg from the supermarket comes in plastic too.
Having found that veg boxes and crop shares don't exactly work for a single person, I'm open to suggestions as veg is seasonal. To buy fresh in season and preserve will involve plastic.
I spent yesterday looking round various sources of cleaning (for the bungalow and me) items that I can buy in bulk.
At present I'm in a home buying group where a small number of us buy in bulk to save money, be a bit more green and get what we consider to be better standard at a lower cost. I've used it to stockpile cleaning stuff which reduces plastic use as it comes in 5 litre sizes that I can decant into smaller sizes so a great plastic saver. The smaller sizes have lasted years.
Such groups change, disintegrate, split. I have a feeling that the present group may disintegrate in the near future and I'm an outlier who relies on a generous member to bring me my "share" now that the family has moved away.
I don't think I can manage the minimum order by myself so alternatives are a matter of consideration.
Don't think you can freeze things without plastic bags or boxes and keep them for any length of time. I used to recycle my plastic punnets that fruit often come in, not only from supermarkets but from veg shops too. Sadly the farm shop that would take them has shut down, so now I am afraid, after I have used them as seed boxes, they have to be thrown.
Don't think you can freeze things without plastic bags or boxes and keep them for any length of time. ....
I'm switching to glass - its a slow process. Pyrex make rectangular dishes that come with a plastic lid that fits on top. So the lid is plastic but doesn't touch the food. I use these for batch cooking, and the dishes (not the lids) can go in oven, microwave etc.
or even metal 
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