We started 2018 being avid purchasers of water in plastic bottles. Our water is quite chalky – our kettle was testament to that fact. I was invited to join an Facebook group living in france without plastic which I did. I was keen to see what others were doing, as I was beginning to get a bit peeved at having a bag for life dedicated to plastic bottle use! We ummed and ahhed and in the end we agreed that having a Brita water filter would be a better solution for us. The filters are quite expensive but we shop around and look for good offers. The cost of these is negligible when we look at the massive reduction of plastic water bottle use – a big fat zero!! Hubby now drinks out of a 1.5litre stainless water bottle which gets topped up from the Brita. Our kettle can boil away without squealing because it's too calcified.
My indoor poubelle awaits all the glorious wastes of the week: vegetable peelings, copious amounts of tea leaves and a whole manner of other stuffs that the composter takes. The way I prepare the waste – cutting up greens in to small chunks – anyone would think I am making a cake!
On reflection we have been quite good at thinking and acting on waste reduction.
- Old holey socks get used as dusters.
- Clean brown cardboard, used for the fire or composter
- T-shirts cut up and used as dusters/cleaning rags
- Old towels cut up and used instead of kitchen roll
- Old pillowcases get stuffed with jumpers, t shirts for the dog beds
- Old furniture – reuse/re-purpose [greenhouse – bird table – composter]
- Printed stuff gets chopped up and used as notepads
- Have just sourced a local scheme to take ink cartridges to
Useful FB groups and links
Ark79 where I will be taking ink cartridges to - perhaps there is a local secheme near you.
French site about zero waste
The Bootique des Ateliers du Bocage - reconditioned mobile phones, computers, laptops.
Have you reduced the use of plastic in your working home?
What tips would you share?