Tag Archives: landfill

Sustainable Living ideas

Repurpose and reuse – Clear tape plastic core

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Have you got things around your home that no longer has a purpose? Do you really need to throw them out or can you repurpose it to use them elsewhere in your home?

Since I’ve been more aware of the things I buy and more importantly, the things I throw in the bin. I can’t help but look what what I’m just about to throw away and ask myself “Can I reuse this somehow?”. I’ve recently noticed that it seems to be automatic.

I’ve repurposed these items into things I actually needed around the house rather than hoarding them and I’m all for sharing my ideas.

Repurposing is all about being creative – use your imagination

Repurpose plastic core

We’re going to look at the plastic core you’re left over when you’ve finished a roll of clear tape (some are cardboard cores which can be easily recycled, but not all)

Years ago, I bought a bunch of small clear tape refills and I’ve still got quite a few left. Rather than throwing away unused clear tape (which makes no sense at all) I’m using up what I have before I move towards an eco-friendly alternative.

When the sellotape is finished, what do you do with the plastic core?

Repurpose and Reuse - Clear Tape Plastic Core

They’re quite strong, maybe I could give these to a school for their junk modelling?

Well, I have found a fantastic way to reuse these.

In an effort to reduce my waste, I wanted an alternative to using tin foil or baking paper when I put something in the oven. The answer to this wasteful problem? silicone sheets. The only problem was that these sheets were far too flimsy to store. I needed to find a way to stand them up and take up less space.

And voila!!

My silicone sheets are nice and neat and I found a great use for these plastic cores. Another use for these can be napkin rings. Either way, they won’t be going to landfill! Hooray!

Notice I put them in a big Cadbury’s Hot Chocolate tin? These tins are mixed materials so wouldn’t have been easy to recycle.

When you’re about to throw something away, look at it and ask yourself ‘Can I repurpose this?’

If you repurposed anything and saved it from landfill, we would love to see them

If you’re interested in reducing your household waste, grab my free download

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Sustainable Living ideas

Reduce Your Household Waste Consumption

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The amount of waste us Brits throw away is eye-watering and I wasn’t aware of how much household waste is created.

In March 2020, The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) produced a report which shows how much household waste is currently being produced in the UK each year.

  • It is estimated that the UK generated 41.1 million tonnes of commercial and industrial (C&I) waste in 2016, of which 33.1 million tonnes (around four-fifths) was generated in England. The latest estimates for England only indicate that C&I waste generation was around 36.1 million tonnes in 2017 and 37.2 million tonnes in 2018.
  • The UK generated 221.0 million tonnes of total waste in 2016, with England responsible for 85% of the UK total.

221 million tonnes!

What does this household waste mean?

Let’s put that into context. I’ve got a Seat Leon car which weighs about 1.2 tonnes. That’s about 184 million Seat Leons. That’s a whole lot of household waste and it’s not sustainable at all!

We have become a throw away society. Things can be bought so cheaply now which means the quality isn’t high and certain products don’t last long anymore or they aren’t made to last.

I just want to add that I’m sure there are those who would love to have the money to buy good quality products that last longer but finances dictate your purchases.

In order to reduce what we throw away, we need to be smarter when buying products and looking at the packaging and the quality of the product. WE are the ones who spend the money and WE have a lot more power than we realise.

Companies will create and sell products based on demand, if the demand is dropping off, the product will eventually become obsolete.

The amount of packaging that comes with products is astonishing and it’s these choices we have to adapt.

I’ve been careful about what I buy so my bin isn’t overflowing every week. I’ve been actively reducing my household waste but that isn’t possible for everyone. So, I created a download to help you do just that.

I’ve written how how I’m trying to reduce my consumption you may want to check out

How I became greener in 2020

Ditching tea bags

My Local zero-waste shop

Make your own draught excluder with things you’ve already got at home

Here’s what I’ve come up with

Here’s my Household Waste Analysis. Each day has its own page covering 10 – 14 days (whichever you choose) and separated into four sections

  • Recycling
  • Composting/Food Waste
  • Donating/Selling online
  • Landfill

Plus, it’s an editable form so you don’t even have to print it off! Last thing I want to do is add to your household waste!

Oh yeah, and it’s FREE! Who doesn’t like a freebie?! Get yours here

Household waste analysis download

Each day you can record what is in your rubbish and save the document. Once you get to the end of the 10 days (or 14 days), you will have a full analysis of what you are throwing away.

When you see it in black and white, it may shock you!

The last page will give you ideas on how you can reduce your waste.

If you’re ready to start reducing your household waste, get your free download

I genuinely believe we have a serious consumption issue that we can’t recycle our way out of.

Please do let me know how you get on 💚 💚 💚

Sustainable Living ideas

Can Shopping Receipts Be Recycled

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I recently came across an article published on Wired about the 11 billion receipts printed every year in the UK being an environmental nightmare. For someone who makes sure the recycling is separated, this caught my attention.

Whenever I make a purchase in a supermarket, I always request a receipt and I’m sure I’m not the only one. There are quite a few stores that ask whether you would like a receipt and even giving you the option of having your receipt emailed to you. These options make the consumer ask the question; do I really need a receipt?

Recycling to a better world

I’ve never had to refer back to receipt after I’ve checked to ensure my points have been added on and they end up all crumpled in the receipt graveyard that is my handbag. Every few months or so, I have a clear out. I scribble out the bank and loyalty card details and discard them in the recycling bin. Something else that didn’t go to landfill, little tick for me.

But it’s not a tick at all. Apparently, they can’t be recycled!

It turns out the vast majority of supermarket receipts and some small shops are printed on a special kind of paper called thermal paper, they are anything but environmentally friendly and the best place for them is landfill. Thermal paper, just like coffee cups, can’t be recycled because they contain more than one material.

These coffee cups can't be recycled

They’re coated in a substance which reacts with the printer head leaving our shopping list, card details, date, time etc on the paper. These substances are called BPA and BPS and after some research, they have been banned from other products such as toddler cups because they are dangerous when ingested in large amounts and can even be absorbed through the skin. Which begs the question, why are stores still using this paper?

With alternatives like having the receipt emailed to you is a great option but giving away your information, even if it’s an email address, can make us nervous because we have no idea if we’re going to get bombarded with junk email from the company or what they’ll do with our information. Having a receipt is protection for the consumer. If your purchase is faulty or damaged, there’s more chance of the store exchanging the item or refunding your money with a valid receipt. With no receipt, you’ll be lucky if you get store credit.

If the use of this paper for this purpose is to cease, the change will need to come from top. Once legislation is been passed, only then will this force processes and mindsets to change, until then it will keep happening.

This has really made me think how much I really need a receipt. In most places, you don’t get a choice as to whether you get a receipt or not but some businesses do give you the choice.

The question to ask yourself; do I really need that receipt?

Sustainable Living ideas

Have we forgotten the fight against single-use plastics due to the coronavirus?

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A single-use plastics problem – since the outbreak of this pandemic, there have been some environmental benefits. I read an article on the BBC website about the canals in Venice starting to clear and fish are visible for the first time in years thanks to the massive drop in water traffic, the drop in air travel and the only people using their cars are essential workers so the traffic will be significantly reduced which means pollution has been reduced too. NASA reported that airborne nitrogen dioxide had sharply declined over China and this was partly due to the slowdown of the economy.

Shopping habits have drastically changed recently and we may have to buy a product because that’s the only one available on the shelves, not really taking into account the extra packaging this products comes in. We need food, we need produce, we will buy what we can get. Households have been encouraged to wash their hands frequently, leading to millions of extra hand wash containers headed for recycling or landfill.

PPE Plastics problem

People have started wearing face masks and rubber gloves when they are out in public, we are all taking precautions to ensure we do whatever we can not to catch this virus and not pass it on to someone else. However, I noticed the other day at the supermarket someone had left a discarded purple latex glove in the trolley. Over the last few days, I’ve noticed discarded gloves by drains, stuck in a bush or left on the pavement.

single use plastics latex gloves

I appreciate people feel the need to use this protective equipment but there are some people who are taking no care in disposing them properly. These will all end up on landfill, I can’t see where else they will end up but it heartbreaking to see that someone would wear this to protect themselves but just don’t care about how they dispose of them.

Yes, we are in the grips of a pandemic and thousands of people are dying worldwide daily but we need to think about what we are still doing to our planet and how single-use plastics have an impact on our society and the planet.

single use plastics bottles

The single-use plastic problem hasn’t gone away, we still need to fight that fight.

If you’re interested in reading about what I’m doing to be greener, check out my blog and if you’re interested in signing up to my newsletter, click here, I promise not to spam you.