Hi, just a thought, but many local towns and villages often have recycling centers where you can drop of your items. Worth checking out to see your nearest!

Good point Janice. We’ll be providing contact numbers, online information and address for readers to find these recycling places in future posts.
In the meantime, why not check out June’s monthly challenge, where you’ll find out how to locate your local recycling facilities, your kerbside collections and details on how to contact your local council for further recycling info

Congratulations folks…This is a fantastic site and I can’t wait to see how you get on…xx

Hello sweet pea, good to see you! We couldn’t have done it without you and all that………

Mrs G x

Well done in looking at your waste and trying to reduce it as much as possible. But I think the term Zero Waste is misleading as you are not aiming to achieve zero waste but just reduce your waste you send to landfill. Recyclable waste is still waste, it still has to be collected, sorted, stored and processed, all of which takes energy, resources and money.

Good point Sarah. However, we are very close to zero waste for our household waste collection! The one area that we are still struggling with is non-recyclable plastics. Everything else can be recycled, with a little bit of thought and effort on our part. I agree about your next point about the cost of recycling and this is a deeper more provoking subject. However, it can be shown that the overall energy costs of reusing old materials is still less than producing something from scratch, plus it lessens the burden on using raw resources. It’s not a perfect solution, but better than nothing.

Hi Sarah, thanks for taking the time to comment - we love hearing what people think.
I think you make an excellent point. The term Zero waste is a bit misleading; maybe Zero landfill waste would have been more appropriate at this stage.

To me, the idea of zero waste has two stages. There is the beginner’s stage, which is where we are now. For us this involves, as you rightly say, reducing the amount of LANDFILL waste we produce to zero.

But then I see a kind of ideal evolving where we don’t create any waste in the first place. I feel that this is pretty impossible with our current lifestyles, but maybe there are some things we can do to strive towards this.

I don’t pretend it would be simple, but I’d like to give it my best shot. I’m aware it will take huge lifestyle changes and a complete change in shopping habits, but I think it’s fun to look at the possibilities and see what we can do.

Watch this space as they say

Mrs G x

Hi Sarah,

Zero Waste refers to landfill bound waste. Everything which can be composted, recycled, reused has value and would be part of a virtuous cycle of sustainability. Recycling will always have a useful role eg packaging, bottles, paper.
Landfill is one of the worst factors in the current system, along with misuse of resources and harmful processing.

Do you think recycling is bad?

Regards,

John.

I’ve just ordered some washable cleansing pads (not sure of their exact name) from Natural collection to use instead of cotton wool. I’ll let you know how i get on …

Ah cool, Queenie. I’d always wondered about these. If you think about the amount we throw away if we use cotton wool to cleanse every day - it doesn’t bear thinking about really.

You can write a review on them when you’ve tried them if you like! I’ve only got two reviews in the section so far

I hope you get on well with them.

Mrs G x

OOOOO I’d be honoured thanks Mrs G. I’ll be back in touch once they’ve arrived and I’ve tried them out

Hello Mrs. Green Great work on your rubbish reduction this week!!
Here’s a question for you - what are your suggestions for those of us who are the only ones willing/ready to try something like this in their family?
My husband has many, many fine qualities - but he’s a consumer in the truest sense, as many of us North Americans are. I am too in a sense, but feel ready to make a change for so many reasons. Unfortunately, he’s just not in a place yet where he’s on board with anything that’s going to cost us more money in the short term, nor is he ready to give up his spending ways. I know in time he’ll get there, but he’s always enjoyed shopping and buying things. I’ve been trying to introduce ideas gradually - not using plastic carrier bags or disposable coffee cups, baking soda for cleaning - but now i feel any next step is going to require more commitment from the whole family. Any thoughts?

Hey Melissa,

This is a brilliant question. I love it - thank you for sharing your dilemma here.

I think the important thing to remember is that ‘zero waste ’ is really an ideal. It’s not a place of reality for many people and we really understand that.

We can think of a hundred reasons why zero waste is unattainable for many, but it’s the reasons we DON’T know about that are just as important.

Everyone has their unique lives and set of circumstances. Say, for example, you need daily medication for a serious health condition. You’ll be left with the blister packs that medication comes in and there is nothing at present you can do with them. It would be totally unacceptable for us to preach about a zero waste lifestyle for somebody in that situation.

We also appreciate that it is very hard for those who live in flats, have no garden, or have physical difficulties with managing their waste. It’s difficult too, for those without cars to get to recycling centres and those on a limited budget or for those families where both partners are out at work 12 hours a day.

I think our key message is along the lines of the WRAP’s campaign this year - they asked people to focus on ‘just one more thing’.
Personally, reading about your achievements (no carrier bags, reusable cups and home made cleaning products) you have done brilliantly - especially without the full on support of your husband.

As you may be aware, I began this challenge a few months ago, before Mr Green was on board with it and I totally failed; so I applaud you for the things you have done and kept up with.

I really can’t provide you with a magic answer. For me it happened unexpectedly when I shared a story with Mr Green about marine life and how it had been affected by plastic. I didn’t show him to persuade or manipulate, I was literally sharing a horrible story I had read and how it touched me.

I never, for one minute, thought it would affect him so strongly!

So I guess you never know when that moment of awareness is going to strike.

In the meantime, I guess you just keep on adding one more thing to the great list of things you are already doing. And you keep sharing with your husband what it is you are doing, and why. I think the ‘whys’ of what you are doing is vital to share with your husband, because then he can grasp your reasons and desires.

You don’t need to stop him doing the things he enjoys - marriage is about tolerance and compassion as we both know, but it sounds like you have a strong enough relationship to be able to share the things that matter to you.

Maybe tell him that you would like to achieve xxx goal this year. It can be simple such as ‘I’d like to look at one product that I buy, which is overly packaged, and find an alternative to it.’ or ‘I’d like to start a compost heap’ or ‘I’m going to reduce our food waste by a quarter’ or ‘I’m going to set up a functional recycling system at home’ and ask your husband to come up with some solutions to that.

Ask for his support. Don’t ask him to change, just ask for his support with the changes you would like to put in place. Maybe come up with a list of 5 things and ask him which he feels is the most attainable at this stage.

I don’t want to sound condescending or get involved with gender stereotyping, but generally, men are very solution based. They like the left brained stuff; so let him figure some things out because that might get him thinking more into the whole issue of recycling and the environment. If you want to step up your recycling, he might like to come on board with building some shelving for you. If you want a compost heap, he might like to help you build one. I don’t know if he is a practical hands-on kind of guy, but it will all help your cause.

Our mantra has to be ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day!’ There is a sense of urgency that threatens to overwhelm us at times, especially when you have a child, but I always hold on to the vision of a million people all recycling just one more tin can.

What happens is that once you start, with a baby step that doesn’t overwhelm you, it becomes easier to add more. Soon we are taking huge strides as a global collective.

I don’t think you need to stop your husband enjoying spending his money for one moment. You talk of changes that will cost you money in the short term and of the next steps that will require more commitment as a family. Can you share what some of those commitments are? Maybe then we can figure something out.

For now, I have a good feeling about your husband gradually joining you in your ways. It might not be instant, but I think it’s coming from what you have already said about him. You never know when he will read something, see something or take part in a conversation that changes his life for ever.

In the meantime, you’re doing great and I would encourage you to keep on keeping on. I’ve been known to take things out of the bin in the past, after Mr Green has put them in but it’s all changed now.

Old habits die hard and all that…………

I love your answer here Mrs G and find I agree with everything you’ve said. No surprises there then ;-D

I’d like to add one other message of encouragement for Melissa…My husband, wonderful as he is, really has been my very own waste saboteur. On one hand he’s supportive, then on the other he’s prone to dumping things in landfill if he gets half the chance!

Oh yes, even now I have to defend the bin from coffee cups and all sorts of trash that comes through his hands. The way I’ve managed so far is to allow him free access to the bin, but I then sort through the stuff that can be saved. it’s not a time-consuming task by any means.

As time has progressed, he’s got better and he even allowed me to present him with a set of rules for Zero Waste Week. One good thing is at least these days, he can be found turning down the odd plastic bag, something that six months ago would never have occurred to him.

He is now pretty much on board (at least in theory)despite the odd disagreement (in practice).

So I hope this offers some hope and err…good luck.

Speaking from the male preserve, the one thing I would add is that it really helps to see and experience something first hand before it ‘really bites’ about reducing waste. As Mrs.G said, for me it was the article about marine life and how they are suffering and dying through plastic pollution. It may be something very different for you, or even a gradual realisation about what we are doing. My only advice would be to meet your husband on his level of interest and perhaps allow him ito make ‘his own’ discoveries about how waste is polluting the environment.

Mrs and Mrs. Green and Almost Mrs. Average

Thank you for all your lovely suggestions! I will say, the decision to embark on any journey such as this really -does- need to come from oneself, and so I guess I was thinking of how since we are in different places I might be able to make things work on my own journey. I think meeting him on his level of interest is a terrific idea - and we’ll just carry on until we all feel it’s not so bad after all.

I think so far my resident consumer has made some positive changes, and I have seen him refuse carrier bags and remember to take them on a trip when I myself would have forgotten. I think I sometimes scare him with radical ideas - like “if we get rid of cable, we won’t watch so much TV and therefore save on electricity AND have more time to write etc” or “I want to not buy anything new this month, and only buy things from yard sales or secondhand!”. I’m beginning to see how I might be scaring him! So maybe I should go easy on the poor guy.

Mrs Green: In terms of the extra costs I was talking about - things like purchasing goods for our home that are made from more friendly materials. Also, we are building a deck next year and I wanted to research better choices than the typical pressure-treated wood for our variable climate. These are the options that cost more out of pocket, when we don’t have a budget for much excess. Also,buying organic food is a lovely idea until you look at the cost difference (and I know you can’t put a price on the health benefits, but in fairness it is a huge price difference) We are slowly finding ways to compromise - for instance we have joined an organic food co-op that’s working wonderfully for us.

So in short, I just think the whole process needs to eventually be a family commitment, and an interesting idea would be to ruminate on how to bring around some of the skeptics among us without scaring them off. But I think you’re all correct in saying it might be best to lead by example.

Hey Melissa,

I’m so glad there was something of use for you in there. Sometimes I think I waffle away without actually saying anything constructive

It sounds like you have some really great plans in place, and you’re coming up with some creative ways in which you can compromise. I really admire that.

I know what you mean about the expense. One of my ‘things’ is trying to help people find financially viable solutions to some of these issues. There *are* ways that a greener lifestyle can SAVE us money, but as you point out, eco friendly options and organic products can be more expensive too.

I would just carry on doing as you are doing; sharing what you are doing in a non-confrontational way with your husband. He’s already making great strides with remember to take the bags. Just go ahead and have your personal ‘buy nothing new for a month’ challenge and let him do as he does.

Some of the things you do will intrigue or move him in such a way that he puts his own changes into place, and some of them won’t.

Do keep sharing your progress with us here; you know you can rely on us for a cheer and some moral support!
I think you’re doing really well

Mrs G x

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Message for Kristal Jones from Ribston Hall High School Studying textiles, making a dress from rubbish products. You contacted us recently but your email address kept bouncing back when we replied. Contact us again, we’re happy to help!

Another problem hit me today - Bank cards!

I had a new one through the post today and went through the usual process of cutting the old one to pieces to throw away, but then I stopped! I weighed it - 5 grams; and wondered what Mr and Mrs G would do with it to avoid adding to their already very slim bin. I went back to the letter that came with the new card to see if there was anything about recycling, but sadly not.

Is this a problem you have either faced or tackled yet? Obviously there is a security issue here, so leaving them lying around isn’t a very good idea, so what do we do with them?

Oh gawd woman, credit cards are this month’s Dustbin demon
That’s the page on the site where I’m allowed to rant without being helpful, constructive or come up with any suggestions LOL! There are a couple of there, one thanks to Diz But as for what to do, I really don’t know. Now you have me thinking and perhaps it’s time for a return to the issuing company for disposal; a bit like the WEEE directive.
Anyone else? Answers on a postcard please!

Ooops! Sorry Miss, I hadn’t read that bit
I will whizz over there right now for a studious read

You’ve inspired me, Poppy. On my ‘to do’ list is to write to my bank and ask if they have any suggestions….. I’ll let you know.

Well, first off I LOVE this site. I’ve been away visiting family a lot this summer, and so I haven’t seen it in awhile. The progress you’ve made is amazing. Good job!
We’re plugging along on our journey over here. Though I haven’t popped by, each week as I’m taking the trash out to the curb I cringe and think of all the hard work you’re doing wondering if I could do the same. Baby steps though, yeah?
At any rate, I just wanted to let you know how great everything’s looking and wish you luck on your challenge!
Cheers,
Melissa

Hello Melissa, thanks for your comment here. When we started looking at our kerbside waste, it amazed us how much in terms of volume, we were throwing out. Then when we looked more carefully at the individual items, we noticed that many of them were packages, just full of air. Things like tins, small boxes, bottles and tetra paks. We simply started by crushing many of these things, so at least we were not throwing away air!.

Yes, you are right, just little steps is the way to go. Staying in your comfort zone and doing things that are meaningfull. The initial stages are quite easy, but it seems to get more challenging as it goes on. Mainly because you run out of options in disposing of those pesky plastics.

Anyway, thanks for your encouragement, we’re going to log as much as we can here on the site this week.

Melissa! You’re right - baby steps it is. I really never thought we would be in the space we are in right now, producing as little rubbish as we do. I tentatively made a guess at 50% reduction back in June, but a series of baby steps has led us to where we are today.
You’re doing fab with your own challenges and the fact you are stopping to think about your actions is a step in itself. Keep it up!

Hi Mrs Green,

I have just successfully started my 1 Jar 1 Lid campaign. At ASDA this morning, I purchased a Kenco Rapport 300g jar along with 4 loose Pink Lady apples and a tin of Ambrosia Low Fat custard.

When I spoke to the customer service lady, who was friendly at all times, explaining that I already had such a lid at home and that the removed lid could be sent back to Kenco as it was unused. She accepted this with good grace.

Would you like to start a topic called Campaign News where one and all could put their contributions to the various efforts, in one place for easy access.

John, well done on the first day of your campaign. A page for such news might be an idea. Do you think there would be interest from other readers to contribute their own news? I could certainly set that up easily enough.

Hi Mrs Green,

Maisie and Gai both have had ideas, sending stuff to the HQ. That is a campaign in itself. Having all such details, and the results achieved, under one topic will let others read through and see what fits their attitude. New ideas can emerge following earlier experiences. Poppy has also emailed about biscuit packaging. This could be linked to container use and practice.

I would inform Maisie and Gai about this campaign focus and they might feel it would suit their interests. Possibly it would be better to ask them first. A central location makes sense. There should be plenty of activities with the possible Ruby visit a good post as well.

ARG!!! I’m gathering all my ingrediences for holiday baking when I notice my flour is WAY OUT OF DATE! What is the best way to recycle my flour without doing any CRAFTS!!

Flour is a natural product, so if you have a garden, you could easily dig it into the soil without any side effects. Just make sure it’s well dispersed in the ground.

Hi Kali,
Welcome to the site. Dare I say this on a public forum? I would use the flour. Not for bread, but certainly for cakes, biscuits and crumble topping. Oh, and Christmas pudding and mince pies LOL!
I wouldn’t waste it unless it had weevils in it.
Probably not the answer you are looking for, but it’s my honest one

Slice of cake anyone?

I appreciate you don’t want to do crafts, but something genuinely useful to do with it might be to make glue? Depends on how much you have I guess!