Savoury Snacks

This was one of the hardest cravings to satisfy, without employing single-use plastics. Crisps are delicious, but try finding some that don’t come in a plastic bag – and we drew the line at purchasing a deep fat fryer to make our own. So what alternatives could we find? First up, we discovered seeds. We […]

Shampoo & Conditioner

Take two bottles into the shower? Not me. Now I just take my trusty tin. Toiletries can be one of the biggest offenders when it comes to unnecessary plastic containers – we used to have a bathroom cabinet that was fairly crammed with various body washes, cleansers and other unguents. These days, there are no […]

Diary 3/7/19 – Cigarette Butts

It might seem unusual to have a diary entry on this subject. After all, people have the right to smoke cigarettes if they want to, don’t they? And anyway, what does it have to do with reducing single-use plastics? Well, as it turns out, a whole lot. I’m not a smoker, but I certainly used […]

Tights

Tights = nylon = plastic .˙. tights = bad. Nevertheless, I wear tights. I’m not prepared to give ’em up, because that would mean not wearing dresses. And, as that would rule out three-quarters of my wardrobe, it’s just not feasible. I’m sticking with tights. So the least I can do is buy them without […]

Beeswax Food Wraps

Beeswax food wraps are ace: they take the place of clingfilm or foil, and can be reused time and again to wrap your sandwiches, to cover leftover food in the fridge, or to freeze small batches of muffins or flapjacks if you’ve made too many to eat in one go. I love them, but they […]

Diary 1/7/19 – Plastic Challenge

Can we go completely plastic-free for a whole month? That’s the challenge set by the Marine Conservation Society (mcsuk.org/plastic-challenge), and we’re determined to give it a go. By ‘plastic-free,’ we (and they) mean ‘single-use-plastic-free.’ We’re not going to stop using the myriad plastic objects that fill our home: the chopping boards, the sunglasses, the toilet […]

Zero Waste Shopping

There’s no doubt about it: avoiding single-use plastic is well-nigh impossible if you don’t have access to a zero waste store. We’re really lucky to live a mere ten minute walk from Edinburgh’s The Eco Larder. This shop has made all the difference. Run by the lovely Stephanie and Matt, The Eco Larder is a not-for-profit business, […]

Three Quick Fixes

There are three essential items that every would-be Zero Wastrel needs to acquire for everyday use. A Keepie-Cup– most of us know by now that the ‘cardboard’ cups we get from Costa or Starbucks aren’t recyclable. They’re lined with plastic (otherwise hot liquid would just cause them to collapse in your hand, and you’d be […]

Laundry

We haven’t bought laundry detergent or fabric conditioner for nearly two years. Don’t worry, we haven’t been stinking the place up – we have been washing our clothes. But when we read about an Ecoegg, it seemed a no-brainer. Okay, so the ‘egg’ itself is plastic, but it’s designed to last for years, and the […]

Fruit & Veg

Like most people, we used to buy our fruit and vegetables at the supermarket. For years we were Tesco shoppers and then we defected to Aldi, because well, better value and all that. But unpacking a large shop always resulted in a huge pile of single-use plastic. We started to ask ourselves simple questions. Why […]