The recycling pro’s amongst you may be thinking I’ve got muddled up with the ‘three R’s’ message, however, this is the learning curve I’m on at the moment.
We’ve gone from recycling nothing. Nothing. We literally chucked everything into (non-recycled) bin liners and heaved several loads down the four flights of stairs several times a week. Aaaah how things have changed!
We arrived at our new home to find bins strewn all over the garden in brown, green and grey. Inside, on the kitchen counter was the recycling timetable, with a colour co-ordinated calendar advising which bins would be emptied when. At first glance it seemed like a mish mash of lines and colours but it soon became clear that it basically goes blue, grey, blue, grey on alternate weeks until the summer months when the brown one is emptied every 2-3 weeks.
The blue one is for recyclables - paper, plastic (not bags), cardboard and packaging. The grey one is for other waste, the brown one is reserved for garden cuttings. There’s also an optional extra in the way of a composting bin.
I launched myself into the recycling with gusto, alloting and advising the family on the different refuse areas (a basic bin/bag system, I’m planning to purchase a three tiered refuse system very soon!) The first week was fine, this week it’s clear that we need to heavily reduce our packaging, the blue bin was full by Sunday and is not due to be emptied until Wednesday, we’re simply having to stockpile rubbish until then, when the bin will likely be filled straight away!
Time to look at reducing our packaging, here’s what I have planned, further suggestions would be greatly appreciated…
Buy in bulk - go to Costco and buy dishwasher/laundry tablets, liquid soap, shampoo etc.. in bulk.
Use our own containers - buy liquid soap, shampoo etc and decant into our own reusable containers.
Cook from scratch - pre-packaged meals are just that - packaged, and it’s taking up valuable bin space, bye bye ready meals.
Grow our own - growing our own herbs, vegetables and fruit would mean no packaging at all for a portion of our weekly food.
Buy from farm shop - purchase unpackaged ingredients from a local farm.
8 Responses to “Recycle Reduce Re-use”
Sounds like you’re well on your way! Another great thing is that you’ll save a lot of moeny doing these things as well as being more environmental.
Well, that’s looking like a great plan! Ready meals are the biggest rip off going, bet you could make much nicer stuff for half the price. And you can always make extra and freeze in tubs for a quick meal another night. Watch out with Costco - it is way too tempting to spend a King’s ransom in those places!!!!!
You may also look at tearing the sticky area off envelopes then they can go in with the paper recycling. Sounds petty but if you get a lot of junk mail it adds up.
Re-usable shopping bags give you a small corner in the bin that would otherwise be full of the nasty plastic ones that rip half way through the journey home.
Watch your food waste, it adds up ridiculously fast some days (especially with a tot in the house) A lot isn’t compostable normally but you could try a Bokashi bin which will work with all waste - it goes in teh special bin for 2 weeks then onto your normal compost after that (by which time it’s no longer interesting to your local rat colony)
Dare I mention nappies? Some eco-disposables are compostable if you can’t face washables (or look at a nappy laundry service, the cost is comparable to disps and you don’t have to mess about washing) And a Mooncup could save you a fortune as well as saving a small corner of the bin once a month.
I’m definitely hoping that I’ll save some money, especially with growing stuff.
The rate you’re going, it’ll be like Tom and Barbara in The Good Life!
I can’t even persuade Edinburgh Council to give us recycling bins.
They didn’t reply when I emailed them about it. Result: our recycling activity is… zilch.
Thank goodness some people are doing things properly. You put me to shame.
One of my dreams is to have a house with a garden and a compost heap for recycling. Maybe one day….. sigh!
YEAH!!! I’m doing a little dance for you!!! What a huge difference you’re making with this effort. We can all do something. Great work. Keep spreading the message.
You need to come and join us in the country Helen
Can’t blame you for staying in the new town with the yummy mummys though 
Thanks Sommer, it’s a real challenge to start thinking differently but when you have the support from the council providing the bins etc it’s far more manageable, I was in the same boat as Helen for years, recycling nothing.
What a great start! Recycling will someday be so automatic for your kids becasue you are making it that way for them.
Another way to save on packaging is to make your own safe and healthy cleaning products that you can put into bottles that you use again and again.
For example, vinegar and water in a spray bottle works wonders for glass, mirrors and counters.
Every little bit adds up!
Good tip for the cleaning products, might try that later on in the year.