Mrs Green’s sunday stories
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Nestle to ditch plastic packaging for Christmas
It’s time to share some stories from around the internet.
Stories about reducing, reusing, recycling and composting our way to a greener, zero waste future.
It’s a great way to share the link love and highlight some important issues in the manufacturing world and to keep you, as consumers, up to date with the latest packaging news.
Punched tin lanterns
These beauties certainly have the eye candy. If you fancy making a home grown present for someone, these punched tin lanterns would make a great gift. They are a little more complex than some week’s creative reuse ideas, but if you’re crafty (and patient) I think the finished product is stunning.
Hop over to read Michelle’s “How to make garden lanterns” post on Fine Gardening.
Making an item of furniture from a wooden pallet?
I love this post from Ilona over at “Life after money”
Ilona grabbed her saw, sand paper and screws and set to work transforming an old pallet into a functional something or other that we are still guessing.
I thought it was a table, but apparently not.
Go along and be inspired with her “Pallet Project” post and see if you can guess what she is up to!
Microsoft reducing waste!
Microsoft have listened to their customer’s demand for reduced waste!
For their Windows 7, they have reduced packaging by 37% in weight. The new packaging will consist of three elements: a plastic case (similar to a DVD case), a paper sleeve and a simple getting started guide.
Read all about it on their ‘Check out the new Windows 7 packaging‘ post.
Increased fines for waste crime
The Environment Agency has announced a crackdown on waste crimes from fly-tipping to the illegal export of waste.
Apparently fines have doubled in value over the past five years.
Last year, 454 waste crimes were prosecuted ranging from storing waste without a licence to large scale fly-tipping of hazardous waste, and the illegal export of waste for disposal abroad.
We read in the papers about individuals fined for putting rubbish in the wrong bins, but it’s interesting to see what happens to larger companies and organisations too.
Get the low down with “Waste crime penalties get tougher”
Nestlé ditches plastic for 100% recyclable Christmas boxes
How many zero waste parents dread the onslaught of Christmas selection boxes full of non-recyclable plastic?
Along with their reduced Easter packaging, Nestle is making this year’s Christmas selection boxes totally recyclable by replacing plastic inserts with a paper-based alternative.
Nestlé plans to remove plastic inserts from its selection boxes and replace them with a card presentation tray that is easily recyclable.
Nestlé said that the change would save it 200 tonnes of packaging compared to 2007.
Great courgette recipe
One thing about growing your own produce is that you’re prone to getting gluts of something. With potatoes it’s fine; they keep. With runner beans, it’s great, you can stock up your freezer, but with some things they are best eaten straight away.
Over on Frugal Girl this week, Kristen shared a lovely sounding recipe which also uses up breadcrumbs. So it’s the ultimate in a frugal recipe and it sounds delicious!
Go and check out her “Zucchini Patties” recipe for inspiration and if you’ve never thought about it before, grated courgettes add an awesome ingredient to cakes 😉
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Hi Mrs Green,
There has been a step toward Zero Waste with the removal of plastic content of the selection box, but the problem of plastic wrapped sweets has not been addressed. This is a more difficult challenge than the Easter Egg situation, where the Eggs are wrapped in tinfoil, which is Zero Waste Packaging. To achieve a similar outcome Nestle have to remove all plastic content, including the wrappers, which are an inevitable waste item. This is a bigger challenge, in effect ending the use of plastic for sweets.
For the Zero Waste enthusiast, unpackaged chocolates are available in specialist traders, like Thorntons.
Schogetten chocolate has been a huge success for our viewpoint. Hopefully, Aldi and Lidl can introduce a Christmas version, suitably wrapped.
@John Costigane: Hi John, there are many places which still stock the old fashioned sweets around here. But I agree, most chocolate bars that were once in paper and foil are now in plastic; it’s such a shame and it needs addressing because of the quantity eaten by people countrywide.
Hi Mrs Green,
Loose sweets are available at my Whole Foods supplied retailer as well as the other food commodities. Schogetten seems to be a success with new flavours, including future supply of coconut cream, arriving. The plastic packaged types will have lower sales to some extent. Eventually, the penny will drop and suitable home based chocolate will appear. Consumers therefore have the power to promote change, regardless of what chocolate producers think. They would be wise to join the sustainable trend.
My current favourite is White Chocolate, with a family contact preferring Strawberry Yoghurt. With a personal coconut deficit, the new Coconut Cream flavour is a much sought item. To my fellow local Aldi/Lidl shoppers, do not be surprised if they disappear from the Schogetten boxes within seconds.
Hi John; I was walking through our nearest town yesterday and I saw an old fashioned sweet shop had opened. All goods come from the huge glass jars and are weighed into small paper bags 🙂