Bright Sunny Day

This week we will be eating from menu plan 4, with possibly a couple of tweaks.

There was only a small carrier bag of landfill rubbish to go into the wheelie bin this week which I'm very pleased with. I have been trying to catch a few stray items which should be recycled but have been ending up in the landfill bag, and it seems to be working.

As Dave is still working some extra hours I need to get some more baking done as he needs extra packup and the boys both seem to be in a growth spurt as can not keep them full.

Got some cream yesterday so am making ice-cream this morning.

The weather is starting to look a bit more hopeful for getting seeds planted and into the greenhouse to germinate under bubblewrap. So I need to sort what compost etc I need i have all the seeds ready.

Week Commencing 14 March 2011

We are eating from menu plan 3 this week.

We have had very changeable weather over the last few days going from warm bright sunshine to dull overcast with showers and the temperatures have been like yo-yos as well.

The rhubarb is really coming through now, and I moved some daffodils which had grown up in the rhubabrb area; my plan is to make this a dedicated rhubarb patch which will make it easier to maintain, so this year will also see the horseradish being moved into a different separate area which can be just for it.

I have sorted out what seeds I will be growing this year and and am just waiting for the overnight frosts to cease so I can get some seeds in, I don't have a heated area so they go in trays in the greenhouse with bubblewrap as insulation over the top, this worked fairly well last year.

Today has also seen the landill bin go out for only the second time since the start of the new year, so that is a similar timespace to what we were when I was recording everything; again the weekly landfill rubbish has fitted into a carrier bag and as much as can be has been recycled or composted.

Week Commencing 7 March 2011

We are eating from menu 2 this week although there will be a couple of changes to incorporate Pancake Day on Tuesday.

We have awoken to a clear blue sky with sunshine; yipee!! It is lovely to hear the birds singing their little songs.

I had a bit of a declutter from my computer desk so quite a few papers etc which were no longer needed have gone into the recycling bin. Landfill rubbish was only a carrier bag size so all is good there.

Tom has an interview at one of his chosen colleges this week; along with all the football ,karate and snooker which both boys are doing, this just adds to the already hectic schedule for evenings.

NEW YEAR, NEW US!!

Happy New Year to everyone.

I am going to do a few things a little differently this year.

I will not be logging all our rubbish as we pretty much have it down to where we are putting the minimum we can for us into our landfill bin. We ended the year by having put out 12.67kg, so just over 1.0kg per month or for those who like to visualise the equivalent to a bag of sugar.

The garden is going to be more productive for us this year than last year as we have more time to get things planned, and we will concentrate on maximising our growing room.

Another thing I'm looking to do is to try and make more of the snacky things which the boys like to eat, not always easy I know but even though it hasn't produced much more packaging this last year, I feel I should be at least trying.

I am also going to be more stricter with my grocery budget and menu planning, especially as certain grocery items are subject to the VAT increase on 4 Jan.

Add into the above that I want to do some serious de-cluttering and get back into my card making then I think I will have a full year ahead.

General tweaking and housekeeping

I have had a play around a little with blogger and have imported the posts from my previous Green blogs to have them all under one heading.

The main reason for doing this was because it means everything is now in one place rather than over 3 or 4 blogs.

I hope this may make it easier for visitors as well.

National Zero Waste Week

Over at MZW Mrs Green has declared next week National Zero Waste Week.

So pop over and have a look at some interesting articles to inspire you to join in and have your own Zero Waste Week.

Myself I am going to not buy any biscuits/choc bars/sweets unless the packaging is totally recyclable.

So I will have to get my baking head on, and also look very carefully at my purchases.

Crisps are also gradually being replaced by pop corn done on the stove with either a little salt or a little sugar sprinkled over as soon as it comes out of the pan.
It does mean there is one plastic bag per week that the corn came in but that is preferable to 20 odd crisp packets plus outer bags.

Recycling CDs and DVDs

I am shamefully copy and pasting this from MZW, but it is easier as Mrs Green explains it so nicely.

When we did our zero waste week last year, Recycling cds sponsored one of our prizes with their best selling cd clock.
Now they are asking you for your help!
Recycling cds have teamed up with Bruce Munro; a lighting design, chandeliers and illuminated sculptures company.
Bruce Munro are are currently working on an exciting art project involving a quantity of unwanted CDs and DVDs. They need 1 million unwanted cds and dvds by September and to date have 42,649.
This is your opportunity to sift through your cupboards and drawers and find all those unwanted discs ready to be recycled into a work of art.
In order to take part, you need to fill in a short online form on the Recycling Cd’s home page telling them the amount of discs you have to recycle, your name and email address. You will then be sent details on how to send your cds and dvds to them.
Get together with friends, family, school, college, community or other groups to gather all the unwanted CDs and DVDs you can find. If you run a website, blog, twitter or facebook, then help spread the word.
Not only will you be helping to reduce landfill but you’ll be contributing to a very special art work.
Go on; you know you have some unwanted discs lying around and it feels great to declutter!

Clearing things Out

I haven't done anything anywhere near as big as The Green Family for WRAPs recycle week but I have been having abit of a sort out in my filing cabinet.

Suffice it to say the hand shredder has been on overdrive.

Also I have sorted out some more old clothes etc which are past being donated to frinds or charity shop, and luckily we have had Bag 2 School collection today at school, so these items haven't been left taking up lots of valuable room.

My aim over the next few weeks is to tackle little areas for say 1 hour at a time so that it isn't overwhelming but the job still gets done.

Any items which may have a resale value will be put with the car-boot sale items. Anything for recycling that can't go into the doorstep collection will be stored in my recycling centre, for drop off at HWRC at a later date. Anything for donation to charity will also be stored for a convenient drop off.

Followup response from my Council

I received this today via email.

Hello,

Thank you for your email, and my apologies for the delay in responding, we will be looking into the zero waste campaign however it may not be for a while yet.

We are looking to hold education stalls on the relevant markets in East Lindsey during recycle week with the 'Lets waste less' in action and educating members of the public on waste minimisation. I will also try to collect names of those who I speak to who would volunteer on the scheme in the future.

Many thanks

Terri

As part of Wraps Recycle Week they want people to pledge to do something.

My pledge has been made directly to the writer of this in that I have offered to volunteer some of my time for the scheme in the future.

War on Waste - Hilary Benn changes packaging rules

Articles in the national press today are showing that we are getting a step in the right direction regarding excess waste and packaging.

It will be amazing for the UK as a whole if this actually comes to fruision, as we have far too much waste packaging.

Launching the new strategy at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management Futuresource conference today, Mr Benn said:

“We need to rethink the way we deal with packaging, from production line to recycling bin. The plans we’ve announced today set out how we will achieve that – with the goal of making it as easy as possible for consumers to avoid needless packaging in the first place and to get rid of what they do receive in a way that doesn’t just create more landfill. I also want consumers to play their part by reporting excess packaging wherever they see it – because we’re all in this together.

“In a few years time I want people to be able to shop without having to worry about what they’re going to do with the packaging when they get home, and where it will go after they’ve disposed of it.”


DEFRA have also made some comments on this.

(I have borrowed this from MZW as Mrs Green beat me to this)

Here’s the latest from DEFRA:
“Consumers will see a major overhaul of all packaging over the next decade, under plans announced by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today.

The Government’s new packaging strategy, Making the most of packaging, looks at the packaging of the future and what our shop shelves and kitchen cupboards should look like if we cut the amount of packaging produced, used and thrown away, and increase the amount recycled.

Under the plans published today, the whole chain from production to disposal of packaging will be tackled:

Enforcement action will be made easier against manufacturers of excess and unnecessary packaging, and consumers will be encouraged to continue to report excessive packaging to Trading Standards;

The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) will work with manufacturers and retailers to reduce packaging for everyday products in line with the best on the market;

The recyclability of packaging will be improved and clear guidance will be provided for manufacturers on designing it with recyclability in mind;

The use of refillable and reusable packaging could be expanded, so in the future customers could have the option of buying anything from laundry detergent to coffee by simply taking empty containers back to shops to be refilled;

The Government will work with local authorities and packaging producers to improve household recycling services, so that in future more types of packaging are collected for recycling;

Recycling rates for plastic, glass, and aluminium will be targeted for improvement. This will mean more ‘recycling on the go’ points introduced in public places for drinks cans, and more glass collected for recycling from pubs, clubs and restaurants; and

Banning of some materials, such as aluminium and glass, from landfill altogether is also being considered.

Add to this that Mr Benn has also indicated that Best Before and Use By dates will also be removed/changed and one catch all date will be used instead which gives consumers a clearer idea of when something will be past is useful date and may infact be harmful if eaten..

Magazines through the Post

I have a weekly subscription to the Radio Times, as not only is it a tv listings guide but also a good read.

I have it on subscription which means it is delivered along with my mail, so no need to go to the shop just to get it.

Just recently I wrote asking if they could change the polythene outer wrapping to a recycled/recyclable paper wrap.

Well today it arrived in a brown paper envelope.

Great I thought they've taken my request on board; then I opened it inside was the magazine wrapped in the polythene and then placed inside the brown envelope.

Needless to say I have just sent another email asking them to sort this out as I might as well just have the polythene and put it with carrier bags at the supermarket than have both.


Below is the response I got to my email sent :

Dear Miss Maisie Clark
Thank you for your email regarding Radio Times magazines.
I can confirm that my manager requested the despatch method was changed as per your original request.
I apologise that this was not done.
I have passed the details back to him for him to make our Despatch Warehouse aware of the problem, and ask that they ensure your issues are sent by Brown Envelope.-- If you require any further assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us.

So hopefully next weeks issue will be naked inside the brown envelope.

Compacting my Recyclables

I have always crushed the cans etc which go into the kerbside recycling bin (boys jump on them usually); but papers just got tossed in there regardless, so I decided to look at a way of making it neater.

I use at least a couple of flour bags every week with baking my own bread and cakes etc; so I looked at these and decided that all small pieces of paper like labels from cans etc can be put inside one of these and then the whole bag put into the recycling bin.

I know this isn't a major thing but I thought about it when I was adding some foil the my foil ball, and thought that maybe if small bits of foil can clog the machine then probably paper will do the same; it also keeps it tidier inside the box I collect it in before putting into the recycling bin.

Getting Rid of Clutter

I have come across a website, which will pay you directly for CD's, DVD's and Games.

www.musicmagpie.com you enter the barcode of the item and it will give you a value, if you decide to go ahead then it sends you an envelope and pays a cheque on receipt. It is a secondhand online shop.

I haven't sorted out this myself but have heard from others who have sold lots of 80's CDs for decent amounts of money.

This also means that you are not having to store the items waiting for them to sell on any of the auction sites; and risk them not selling either.

It is a way of decluttering the old CD collection and making alittle cash in the process.

Mobile Phones

I have just heard of a great website which sells recycled Pay As You Go mobile phones. They do not include SIM cards.

It is www.purplegossip.com .

Thousands of perfectly good mobile phones are put into landfill each year just because they are not the latest.

These recycled ones would be very good for a child to have as a first phone when starting secondary school.

The other main positive about this system is that new phones don't have to be made to meet demand. Which in turn helps save all the precious resources which are used in the making of just one mobile phone.

I have no affiliation to this company but think it is a great idea and will be looking at it when I have to replace my phone.

Clothing

I was sorting the bag of old clean clothes which can't be passed on to someone or donated to the charity shop, or used as rags.

We have a collection a couple of times ayear in David's school through a company called www.bag2school.com , this company pays by weight and the items are then sold on to either Eastern European or Asian countires or at worst flocked to make filler for beds and the like.

Our school only has 49 families and we regularly raise £200 per year doing this.

It is a good way of keeping otherwise useless articles of clothing etc from the landfill.

This company also takes shoes, blankets, bedding, even soft toys.

The flyer which comes with the collection bags state they collect for REUSE.

If your school doesn't do this it might be good idea to put to the Parents Body.

Recycling Centre

I decided to write this as Mrs Green gave my new recycling centre a mention.

We had a major clearout last week which resulted in lots of "rubbish" but also lots of recycling. Two car journeys one with the recycling another with a combination of landfill and more recycling. David just had room each time to sit one one seat in the back with the other half dropped to make the boot bigger.

All items were taken to our HWRC, and then I made a dedicated area in one of our sheds as a recycling collection centre.

The items we can take to HWRC which is run by Lincolnshire County Council and are on their list are:

Books and CDs
Textiles
Shoes
Green Garden Waste ( although we do have a fortnightly doorstep collection of this)
Glass Bottles etc
Paper (doorstep collection)
Cardboard (doorstep collection)
Scrap Metals
Tins and Cans (doorstep collection)
Flourecent tubes including Eco bulbs for Mercury recycling
Fridges and Freezers
Tvs and Computer Monitors
Household Batteries
Small Electrical Appliances
Plastic Bottles ( doorstep collection)
Plastic Bags (type 4)
Hard plastics (types 5,6, & 7)
Tetrapak Cartons
Used Engine Oil
Lead Acid Batteries
Car tyres
Wood
Soil & Rubble
Gas Bottles
Household Chemicals

I also saw a collection point for used cooking oil.

The only thing on the list which my HWRC (Louth) doesn't accept is Printer Cartridges, but the school collects these and receives a payment for doing so. But alot of shops now collect these or you can get envelopes from Tesco etc to send them off.

Water Filter Cartridges can be taken to alot of shops or sent direct to Brita.

Brita Recycling
FREEPOST
NAT 17876
Bicester
OX26 4BR

Although our clearout day created 7 bags of landfill rubbish it was very theraputic in that I now know that all my recycling efforts can be acted upon alot easier with my recycling centre.

Bulk Purchase Mince

I always bulk purchase my mince from the butchers in 5lb bags; and then usually bag up into meal size potions.

This then creates the main bag plus the individual bags as they are used.

I have been thinking about this for a while and then hit on the idea "Why not use my margarine tubs".

So instead of individual meal portions in bags they are now frozen in the margarine tubs, which although can be recycled at the HWRC, are better being reused as much as possible first; and a 500g margarine tub just hold the right amount we need for a meal.

This also means that they can be stacked neatly in the freezer.

And the best thing only one bag to put into the bin rather than lots of little ones.