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[Jari]

Hi all,
Just wondered how others are reducing their plastics?
I've noticed over the last year or two, quite a few stores offering refill. I'm now refilling shampoo/conditioner/body wash, washing up liquid, laundry detergent, muesli, pasta, rice, nuts, coffee...

I'm finding for one, so much cheaper, but very satisfying to see my recycling go down massively.

I've written to big supermarkets to encourage them to start with refill stations, but until they do, I will keep using my local stores for refill.

[Perinowpost]

I'd love to do this Jari but don't know of anywhere locally offering refills.  Whereabouts are you?x

[CLKD]

Waitrose suggest buyers take clean plastic tubs back for refilling of olives etc..  I have problems enough remembering the bags for Life  but in the 1970s it was normal - we went to the health food shop with clean 1lb jam jars to fill with peanut butter, sunflower oil etc..

[sheila99]

Jari, many of the ecover products seem to come in large plastic containers. Do you buy them like this or do you refill your own bottles? My closest one is 6 miles away so may not be so good for environment. We need the supermarkets to change but no sign of that here.

[CLKD]

If you read each Supermarket web-site you will find out which are rolling out re-cycling in this way ;-)

[Perinowpost]

Will definitely look into it. As an animal lover I find it very upsetting (and unacceptable) when I see pictures of them choking on plastic x

[Taz2]

It's so important to reduce our plastics. My nearest refill station is 18 miles away at the moment. I've tried Ecover products before but they didn't seem to work.

Taz x

[CLKD]

I can't get on with 'ecover' either nor procducts that claim to clean at 30 ...... nope. 

[Shadyglade]

I try to use Method products. Not quite as green as some others but a good middle ground option.

[Two hoots]

Can I be controversial and say unless other countries are forced to cut down on plastic waste and greenhouse gasses, what the UK does won't make a difference.

I agree we live in a throw away society and don't understand why every cucumber is wrapped in plastic in the supermarket  But take your own box to collect deli items, sounds like a publicity stunt to me  when supermarkets started charging for carrier bags they had signs saying that the 20p would be given to charity, where are the signs now, and is the 20p going into the till instead ?

I'd prefer if we were not penalised and taxed but rewarded for recycling, more carrot and less stick would be a nice change. 

[Shadyglade]

I see where you are coming from. I have always said industry has to pull its weight more.

[CLKD]

Yep, I use supermarket bags, why shouldn't I - I've paid 10p for each one!  Waitrose now, after years++ of my nagging  , put whole paper bags for bread etc..  Which I put onto our home compost.  Many 'plastic' bags can be composted, including most of those around magazines, made of starch apparently.  Waitrose have local green discs to put into charities promoted by locals.  I rarely need to buy another bag for Life these days.

I won't stop using supermarkets nor will I stop bulk buying at cash and carry.  Our local shop doesn't have everything that I need although they do a Very Good Job.  Farm shops - my nearest is an 8-mile round trip: on a bike with spuds, I think not  .  When I was young everything was delivered weekly by van: bread, fish, veg., meat and milk from the float every morning.  Sat. we went to the main town 7 miles away to stock up on clothing, meat, veg from the local stalls.  My Grandad was a baker who delivered every day after baking the bread. 

I was warned that the 'method' way wasn't safe   

Cucumbers keep better when wrapped in plastic, it was shown on a programme recently.  Can't remember the reasons, you're listening to a menopausal woman here  and quite honestly, I won't be here by the end of the Century ;-). 

[Taz2]

Your last sentence comes across as extremely selfish CLKD 

Taz x

[CLKD]

I do my best but it goes un-seen.  I have recycled since God was a Lass, our family have made compost heaps for over 100 years ......... water was saved, it had to be, Gran wasn't on the mains until the late 1980s.  Clothes were bought in jumble sales, passed through the family; toys were mended, repainted, passed through the family.  Mum bought 'cut out and ready to sew'  - anyone remember those  .  Jumpers were knitted, pulled undone, washed, spun and re-knitted ......... rag rugs, ends of wool balls crocheted into blankets.  Buttons were cut off clothes etc. and kept for the next home made garment.


According to those 'in the know' none of us will be here to worry about it 

[CLKD]

I am doing my best.  See above.  I remember years ago in the US, beef prices were high so the housewife stopped buying it.  Came down eventually.  So group pressure does work and Supermarkets are doing their best, on the back of people like Hugh Fearnley-W.. 

It also has to start at source, in the manufacturing industries but Greg Wallaces has done programmes about that too.  Some brown paper bags have been coated inside which means that they can't be recycled