Get off your arse Thursday – week 4
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Welcome to the fourth “Get Off your Arse Thursday”. This is rapidly coming one of my favourite parts of the week. It’s lovely to think that you’re all out there, doing your bit with me and reducing your ‘pending jobs’ lists whilst reducing your landfill waste.
Inspired by Mrsdirtyboots from a Self Sufficient life, I’ll be sorting through my fridges today, taking an inventory, tossing anything scary into the compost heap and planning meals from my leftovers. Food waste is something that creeps up if I don’t keep it in check. I might be really good about it for a couple of weeks, but then I slip back into old habits and I find furry things cowering at the back of the shelves.
During last weeks ‘Get off your arse Thursday’ Mrs J was baking cakes and checking out her local freecycle site.
Compostwoman was out collecting another compost bin (she just can’t get enough of them!), was planting seeds and sorting out her recycling.
Doormouse was doing her bit to clean mother nature’s face by picking up other people’s litter and recycling it.
Meanwhile Poppy was having a bit of a conundrum over what to do with some wallpaper that needed stripping off her walls. What is the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of such a thing?
Deb in Boston was tackling the recycling, flattening cardboard and generally having a tidy up, which always feels good.
Carole Blake had a very busy day, but was still thinking about the landfill. She managed to rescue some old metal catches and screws from her windows for recycling.
Greenlady, despite her procrastinating arse went and refilled her Ecover bottles (one of them she has had for FOUR years now!)
I packed up my black plastic meat trays (PET) and sent them off to GHS for recycling.
So who’s in this week and what will you be doing? It can be anything you like as long as it contributes to you
producing less landfill waste.
It was a difficult challenge to choose last week’s winner, as so many people were doing some fabulous things. But in the end I awarded it to Doormouse. Not only did you think of your own impact on the environment Doormouse, but you’re thinking about the bigger picture and making a great altruistic move. Your prize is this stunning litter picker, to prevent you getting your hands dirty. I hope it comes in useful!
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My 7 year old son had the most fabulous family homework this week – to bring in odds and ends from home for some future project. So all week (ok mostly last night) we went on a scavenger hunt for odd bits of string and ribbon, feathers, pipe cleaner bits, old CDs – (really old, install free AOL discs), bottle caps, egg cartons etc. The box got carried off to school today.
Hi Mrs Green,
Ditching plastic sponges is my latest Zero Waste effort. They are very handy but 100% waste, including the packaging. The Ecover cloths, won last year from the site, will be Zero Waste replacements.
I’m gonna do the same thing as you! After a couple of weeks with increasing food waste it’s time to get back on track and get back to zero food waste! I’ve done it before I can do it again!
ok this is unrelated to today’s post, but I think you will find it interesting – plastic bag on remote mt in Hawaii @ 1300ft http://reusablebags.typepad.com/newsroom/2009/04/our-scoop-plastic-bag-climbs-remote-mountain.html
Hi!
Been still slightly-avoiding the ‘do it’ issue, though I agree more needs to be done.. Been talking to a few people here & researching stuff some more.. I don’t dare to pledge anything cause then I’ll just avoid it, but I do have a few things in mind.. 🙂
Someone at the Slovenian forum is interested in buying cheese in a reusable container – but afraid that organic cheese would go bad in a plastic box..? Any tips?
Have any of you bought organic cheese with a plastic box & what was the experience like?
He says ‘ordinary’ cheeses are probably okay to buy & is afraid eco cheese would go moldy soon?
This goes into ‘spread awareness locally & in Slovenia’ 🙂
Sorting out my fridge is also on my list for later this evening Mrs G, I think I’m a bit like you, I can be good for weeks, then all of a sudden, (specially when the boys are at their dads and not eating me out of house and home) I have stuff sitting there waiting to be made into soup!!
I have a pile of flat sale related paperwork to sort out tonight for my conveyancer, but tomorrow I have earmarked for sorting out some of my clothes into: possible charity shop donations, the textile recycling bag, or cut up into bits for dusters. I aim to cut my wardrobe down drastically!!
Carole
Had my run to the HWRC today. Batteries from school, cardboard clear out so we’re ready for the kerbside collections in 2 weeks time 🙂 , broken old childs scooter and toddlers bike with more rust than metal.
Also did some freecycling and re-homed some of Master P’s left over toddler toys. Well he is 8 years old now 😉
well done everyone – I love hearing about what you have been up to.
@Deb from Boston: Thanks for the link, Deb. What did your son have to make with all the things he took to school?
@John Costigane: Great one, John. This is the kind of thing that can make such a difference to our landfill waste!
@Di: Di, did you find anything scarey in your fridge? It’s funny how it can be something we’re really good at for a while and then things slip again. Good luck with tackling this again!
@Layla: Hi layla, I don’t find any difference in the types of cheeses and how quickly they go off. But your friend could keep half at room temperature and half in the fridge or even freeze some.
A stainless steel or glass container would be good – no risk of leaching and it is kept cooler in the fridge, so the cheese should remain fresher.
@Carole Blake: It must be quite hard to keep a fridge inventory when your household changes so often carole. well done on sorting out your clothes too – it feels good to minimise. And I’ll bet you’ll find you have more to wear.
@Poppy: well done on the toys, Poppy. Sometimes it’s hard to get rid of these things. We have quite a bit for LMGs own babies kept in the attic!
Not sure what the class is going to do with all of the items that are brought in – I’m sure some “master piece” that will not be parted with for a long time. He did comment that some of the girls where excited about the plastic jewels and feathers.
Thank you Mrs G!! 🙂
So you do buy organic cheese too, & it’s okay.. Good to know!!
I passed it on, hopefully people will be inspired.. 🙂
@Deb from Boston: plastic jewels and feathers 😀 love that!
@Layla: Good, Layla. Let’s hope things turn out ok for your friends 🙂
Being the first “proper” day of my two week Easter break from school, I was up at 6am (to deliver “otherhalf” to train station, I am not an early riser by choice!) and have spent most of the day going through all my clothes sorting them into three piles, “dusters” “textile recycling by local council” and “charity shop”. Luckily the charity shop seems to have done the best.
This is all sort of being forced on me as if I’m going to sell up and move in with “otherhalf” 40 miles away, I’ve just got to knuckle down and de-clutter. At least the charity shop is doing well out of it, and I can open and close my dressing table drawers ever so easily now!!
Carole
@Carole Blake: Hi Carole, we too have sorted out LMG’s wardrobe this morning. A new stash of prize High School Musical t-shirts arrived in the post from a friend and virtually everything else has now been consigned to the charity shop. I think she will eat, sleep and breathe these new tops LOL!
An enforced delcutter is good 😉
Lol, I should add, there is another pile of clothes/rags that I’ve decided I’d better keep or I’ll have nowt to wear!!
Carole
Okay, so it’s taken a while, but all being well, tomorrow is d-day for the wallpaper! It’s sadly still looking as though landfill is our only option though 🙁 Unless someone comes up with a brilliant answer in the next few hours 😉
@Poppy: Awww, well you tried your best, Poppy, we all end up with things we can’t do anything with 🙁 Enjoy the wall papering; I’m sure it will look great!