Last week, ahead of Zero Waste Week, I set some challenges of my own. As promised, here is an update of how I am getting on so far!
Weak Spots and Improvements
I explained in my preparations post that just prior to Zero Waste Week I had already made some observations, noticed what my weak spots were/ are and started to make preparations to tackle them. I have mentioned some of these in various other posts, but here they are in more detail anyway…
Take Away Containers
We literally never eat out because Squiggle cannot cope with it. To make up for this, we probably get more than our fair share of take aways (we do usually opt for the same type of restaurants that most families would go to eat out though, and just order food to go, rather than actual fast food places!)
We would drastically reduce our waste if we took reusable containers with us. But we forget! So one of the things I have done to prepare for this week is to get some containers, and a reusable bag to put them in, to make a dedicated kit just for this purpose – in the hope that we will then remember to use them! But one of my challenges for this week (that I haven’t done yet!) is also to find out where will actually allow us to use them too, so I will see how I get on with that task!
Snacks in Packets and Wrappers
The issue of packet snacks, such as crisps, has come up alot in discussions throughout this week and is one of the main things I noticed in our rubbish to. My first thought for such items that currently have no alternative was to send them back to the manufacturer. It certainly helps to get the point across.
But if I sent them back what would they do with them… dump them in landfill anyway? So I have since had some other ideas; I could email the companies and ask what they will do with them beforehand. If they won’t recycle them I could get a Terra Cycle bin then send them the bill?! It is time the responsibility is put back to the manufacturers in some way I feel. Especially as these types of items are a common issue that keep cropping up.
I wonder what alternatives could be used? How could they be kept fresh? Could they be sold in zero waste shops?! This definitely needs more thought and further research!
Fruit and Veg
This was what inspired my shop thoughtfully, aka plastic-free packaging challenge. We used to be better at this one to be honest, but we have let it slide too much recently and it is a time we got back on track. Unfortunately, even the best laid plans sometimes go awry.
As I shared in my post yesterday, rather than reorder a fruit and veg box delivery from past companies I have used, which are usually low waste and plastic-free, I tried somewhere new. Big mistake! I have discovered a fab local place to visit with my reusable bags for next time we need more though, so I will do better next time. And if I need to order, I will stick to ones I can trust!
Bathroom Supplies
I wrote a long time ago about buying huge Faith in Nature containers for shampoo and conditioner because we don’t personally get on too well with bars. But buying in bulk – having the funds up front and space to store – isn’t very practical and consequently we didn’t really manage it. We always recycled our bathroom plastics but that is not the point. When I observed our rubbish throughout the house, all that plastic jumped out at me – and I felt guilty as it was very much on my ‘I know I need to tackle this but not got round to it’ list – you know the ones!
However, as I wrote about in my Zero Waste Week Bathroom post, we were able to finally switch our shampoo, conditioner, handwash and shower gel to plastic-free versions thanks to our new local zero waste shop. So that is brilliant news! Happy about that!
So that is where I currently am with my personal challenges. Some have turned out to be bigger tasks than perhaps I thought, or maybe it is more the case that once I got thinking about them fully I decided I would rather do it properly, to make lasting changes and impact, rather than just focus on getting it ‘done’ this week. Either way, implementing the changes may go beyond Zero Waste Week, but it will happen. And I shall keep you updated!