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We are the Zero Wastrels…

We all know we need to use less single-use plastic. But it’s easier said than done. Here we’ll chronicle the experiences we’ve had so far: the triumphs and the setbacks. If it’s useful to others, that’s great – and if you have any advice or hacks, let us know. Together we can achieve great things. […]

The Greenhouse: A Zero-Waste Fringe Venue

The Greenhouse is a pop-up theatre, located under Edinburgh’s Salisbury Crags in the grounds of Our Dynamic Earth. Made entirely from found and recycled materials, it resembles nothing so much as an attractively ramshackle allotment shed – but it represents a whole lot more. The brainchild of BoxedIn Theatre and supported by The Pleasance, The […]

Drinking at the Fringe

As Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall said on a recent visit to the Fringe: ‘It’s a plastic nightmare!’ We take his point. A stroll around the various beer gardens lays bare the terrifying reality: thousands of single-use plastic drinking vessels and food containers are used for ten minutes and then casually thrown away. Sure, some venues are trying […]

Diary 31/7/19 – Reflections on a Plastic-Free July

Well, July is at an end, and so is the Marine Conservation Society’s Plastic Challenge. Did we get through the month avoiding single-use plastic? The answer is: pretty much. There were a few exceptions: I failed to find an eco-friendly hair-dye, and I’m not ready to embrace the grey just yet. I’ll keep looking, but […]

Deodorant

Smelling nice seems to be a major preoccupation with the general public, particularly in the summer months – indeed, in 2019, the global anti-perspirant market will amount to an estimated 75 billion US dollars. We haven’t used anti-perspirants in years, but we do want to smell nice, so deodorants are clearly the answer. They tend […]

Breakfast cereal and granola

Breakfast cereal hadn’t been a problem until this week. We both really enjoy it, but it’s an occasional pleasure, not a regular go-to. A box of corn flakes bought in June saw us through to mid-July, and then – because we’d signed up for a plastic-free month – we filled a container with bran flakes, […]

Handkerchiefs

In the process of trying to eliminate single-use plastics from our lives, we’re becoming more aware of packaging in general, and of the disposable culture we’re living in. As a hayfever sufferer who’s also prone to sinus infections, I used to get through a lot of tissues. And, usually, I bought the handy little plastic-wrapped […]

Food Waste 2: Pesto

One of our favourite food waste hacks is ‘sort-of’ pesto. Admittedly, the traditional recipe comprises basil, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan, while our ‘sort-ofs’ often include… um… none of these. The first time we made it, we were looking to use up what was left of a dying basil plant, and made substitutions for […]