Catching up - Life gets in the way

It seems that every time I get chance to post on here lately I'm apologising for not posting iyswim.

Anyhow we are coming to the end of the halfterm week and we all go back to school or work on Monday.

This week Dave has had the week off as well and we have just spent time relaxing and not doing much.

It has been nice not to get up to an alarm clock.

Cooking has been casual using things up or what we fancy from our stores.

We have spent some time in the garden clearing a few things away and doing some general tidying so there is less to do another day. Also doing a bit of planning ready for next year so hopefully we can grow more veggies ourselves.

Our waste management seems to have evened out and although some weeks is a little more than my target others it is under; I'm not going to be fastidious in trying to achieve the target every week we are averaging 185g per week for the last 42 weeks so not a major amount in real terms for a family of 4.

Dave is hopefully starting a new phase in his work when he goes back on Monday, he will be doing some courses but also will possibly be working different hours and days which should mean an increase in income for us; this is obviously not to be sniffed at in the current economic climate.
So I will be holding the fort more, but also will be looking at what we can still do to maximise our income and growing potential.
I know I want an apple tree and that will be sorted for next year, we have made a note of the types of veggies which grew well and which we all also liked, and will grow more of these utilising the most space available.

Catch Up

Well things have been very hectic the last few weeks.

We've had end of school items, extra work hours for me, the garden going into overdrive, plus all the usual goings on in a family with 2 teenage boys.

I have still been logging the waste we have put into the landfill bin and can reveal that over the last 4 weeks we have only put out 966g; which considering what has been going on is brilliant.

We have been eating cucumbers and lettuce galore, and now the green beans and carrots have come into there own and I am freezing down the surplus. The first tomatoes have now started to turn orangey red so won't be long before we are getting a surplus of those as well.

I also found the time (don't ask how) to make a batch of Elderflower Champagne and a batch of Pink Rhubarb Champagne; these are more like a fizzy wine but sounds better if you say champers.

Hopefully now that we are into the school hols things can settle down for a few weeks; we are however having a major declutter and doing at least one carboot sale per week, (think loft full of baby items- boys are 15 & 12).

My next plan on the cooking front is to find some brambles to be able to make some blackberry jam.

Weekly Weigh In 24 & 25

I'm afraid this is a two week combined post as life just got in the way of blogging.

I am spending as much time as possible in the garden , weeding and sorting spaces ready for next year.

I have also made my first bact of Elderflower Cordial and will be getting another underway today.

So anyways the landfill bags weighed in at

weeks 24 192g

week 25 161g

As the weather improves I can only hope that there will be less going into the bin as alot of our meals will be based around the salad and veggies from the garden.

Weekly Weigh In 23

The landfill bag this week has crept back up but is still just under my target weight so it came to 192g.

The main thing seemed to be the outer bags from a couple of multipacks of crisps.

Add to that some chicken bones, and there we have it.

Weekly Weigh In 22

The landfill bag weighed in at 175g this week.

David had had a friend to stay on Saturday, which added to the non recyclable plastics as sweets were bought and consumed.

All in all though still a good total, as it is below the 200g threshhold I have set us.

Weekly Weigh In 21

The landfill bag was an earth shatteringly low 121g this week.

I really do not know how we have achieved this.

Weekly Weigh In 20

We seem to have hit that plateau as the landfill bag again weighed in at 194g, so although under my target weight, it is not getting any smaller.

I think that as nice as it would be to be zero waste, our day to day living etc is just getting in the way.

I buy as much as I possibly can either naked or in returnable or recyclable packaging we have a doorstep collection for type 1 & type 2 plastics, paper and cans. Glass I take to the bottle bank as I pass it regularly.

I take a trip every approx 3 months to the local HWRC with items which aren't collected but can be recycled there. The amount I take seems to have reduced over the last year so something is going right. Theses are usually hard plastics (bottle tops), tetrapaks and any odd batteries or lightbulbs. They also take used cooking oil which I drain from the deepfat fryer and store in old plastic bottles.

I have a box for crisp packets and toothpaste tubes, which will be sent off once full. All the type 4 polythene bags etc are taken to the local supermarket and recycled in their bag drop.

Weekly Weigh In 18

Well despite being out and about all week again, and the extra packaging that comes from eating things on the go; we have still managed to stay under the 200g target, maybe only just but the landfill bag weighed in at 196g.

My veggie/salad seedlings are coming along nicely so hopefully soon I can get these planted out and then wait to enjoy the fruits of my labours.

Weekly Weigh In 16 & 17

Life is been a bit hectic the last couple of weeks.

I had been drafted in to help out as a substitute TA in school as they were short staffed.

The boys have been doing alot after school and at weekends and things generally have taken over the time I get to come on here.

Anyhow, this morning I have some free time so I will catch up.

Week 16 the bag weighed in at 197g, and week 17 it was 173g.

So considering the above that is very good.

Weekly Weigh In 15

This weeks landfill bag weighed in at 177g.

Considering we had the extra bits and pieces from the BBQ/campout/sleepover for Tom's birthday Friday night this is very good.

I set up 2 plastic boxes, one for glass bottles and one for cans and pop bottles; the lads were very good and used them correctly, we also had a carrier bag for any sweet wrappers etc so they could go straight into the landfill bag this time.

I just had to empty the boxes into the correct areas which was easier than things being put into wrong places.

Weekly Weigh In 14

The amount of waste sent to landfill this week weighed in at 167g.

Again considering the boys and Dave were all at home most days this is very good.

Weekly Weigh In 13

The landfill bag has weighed in at 156g so something has gone right this last week.

I don't know how to account for this, but maybe there have been a few subtle changes which have made a difference.

Weekly Weigh In 12

This weeks landfill bag weighed in at 198g.

We seem to have stuck in that area , and I am quite happy considering, with that at the moment as it is a big reduction on the couple of kitchen bin liners per week we were throwing out a couple of years ago.

It is difficult with having 2 teenage boys and all the things they want.

If it were just myself and Dave I feel I could reduce this weight quite easily, but as they are here for a few more years yet I will have to suck it up and carry on as best I can.

The next 2 weeks will be interesting as not only are the boys on school holidays for both but Dave is also on holiday from work the first week, and the boys have friends visiting in the second.

Weekly Weigh In 11

The landfill bag weighed in this week at 224g; so a little over my target of 200g.

In the grand scheme of things this is not too disasterous, as usage of products does fluctuate. We have all had new toothbrushes this week which have had some non-recylable packaging.

The bin although no where near full will be put out for collection next week as we reach 3 months since it was last emptied.

I will also in couple of weeks time be taking a trip to HWRC to empty my recycling boxes of the items which can only be dealt with there. It is 6 months since these were last emptied so that shows a reduction in that type of packaging as well.

Weekly Weigh In 10

This week we see the landfill bag weighing in at 164g, and that is allowing for a styrofoam box which some chips came in from the takeaway we had on Sunday.

Dave and the boys decided to treat me to a takeaway instead of me cooking Sunday dinner as it was Mothers Day. The rest came in either re-usable plastic containers or paper bags; it was all delivered in a returnable cardboard box (claimed to keep the food hotter) rather than carrier bags.

So we are not doing too badly at all considering.

I have changed my shopping habits recently as well and now shop fortnightly at the supermarket with an organic veg box weekly, and doorstep milk, butter and fruit juice. Meat I am still buying from the local PO from a local butchers.

I have told Dave and the boys that as far as crisps and choc bars go "once its gone its gone" until the next shop, as I felt too many were getting eaten and I was buying loads weekly.

I still bake lots of cakes etc but obviously these are better than shop bought processed ones.

Weekly Weigh In 9

Things have been looking fairly good this week on the landfill front; the bag this week weighed in at a very skinny 143g.

I feel as though something has not been put in the right place, as we have never been this low.

We have been as usual eating home cooked meals, although this weeks sausages came from a butcher who wraps in a single sheet of plastic film and paper so no annoying packaging there.

There are still some bits of plastic which have to go into the landfill bin, although the majority now either goes to HWRC or to carrier bag recycling at my local Sainsburys, I have noticed that alot more of there own label products now state that the plastic/polythene can be added to this facility, so obviously I am making use of it as we don't want to lose it.

Weekly Weigh In 8

The landfill bag this week weighs in at 194g, so a little up on last week but still within my target of 200g.

There don't seem to have benn any anomolies this week from our normal landfill rubbish, so i will just keep looking at reducing the amount we have.

Weekly Weigh In 7

This weeks bag weighed in at 184g, we are at least being consistent with this figure.

There were a couple of extra bits of non-recyclable plastic due to the boys being off school.

Weekly Weigh In 6

The landfill bag weighs in at 184g.

Again just under my 200g target so I am pleased.

Even though the crisp packets are now going into a box in readiness for sending to PCF there doesn't seem to be a reduction in total weight.

I do know that again we have a polystyrene tray as I had asked Dave to pick up some bacon and he got the one on the tray rather than just the plastic wrap.

So I will have to take a better look again at what exactly is coming into the house foodwise.

Weekly Weigh In 5

This weeks landfill bag contains 192g of non-recyclable rubbish, including 2 polystyrene trays.

These were the packaging for the chicken bought from the PO for lunch yesterday, which there wasn't an alternative to.

I order my meat each week for a Friday delivery to the PO from a butchers in the town, but obviously it has to come prepackaged, usually it is just polythene but this time had a tray as well.