There’s a man sitting on my kitchen floor

Filed in Blog by on December 11, 2009 15 Comments
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Who is this man photographing the contents of my 'fridge?

Who is this man photographing the contents of my 'fridge?

This week’s Food waste Friday is a bit different. There’s nothing like a motivator to ensure success.

This week I found a man in my kitchen. Not good; the kitchen is my domain – unless of course, he’s popped in to wash and clean up after one of my creative sessions.

No, this man was cavorting through my cupboards, delving into my drawers, foraging through my ‘fridge and combing through my compost caddy. He left no packet unturned in his mission and even went bounding to my bin to salvage a week’s waste. Holding that tiny packet in his hand did emit a shocked silence I’m pleased to say.

It’s true! I caught him on camera as he was catching my life on camera.

lee1

lee2

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Here’s the scoop: This weekend I want you all to rush to the shops on Sunday morning, to pick up a copy of the Sunday Mirror. Inside the “Homes and Holidays” magazine; which is read by 4 million people no less, you’ll find my boxes, bags, bottles and bins in all their technicolour glory. You might even see a couple of smiley shots of us.

Yes, my bin with her wobbly bottom and extended stomach has carved a name for herself and grabbed media attention once again. She’s appearing in a newspaper near you. So don’t forget, Sunday morning, you need to be up with the lark and heading to your newsagent before the press sells out! You will have to buy a copy – as far as I’m aware the article will not appear online …

Zena Alli, homes editor at the Sunday Mirror, told me she was intrigued by our ‘1 bin challenge’. She wanted all the nitty gritty details about how we have achieved this, how the family got on board, what sparked our interest and exactly how we produce so little landfill waste. As she pointed out, there is a general heightened awareness of ‘green issues’ and people are interested in other people lives.

On to this week’s food waste and naturally, there is nothing. I mean, I couldn’t let the Green’s down this week could I? We’ve had plenty ‘you’ll find it in your soup’ meals to ensure success and the birds ended up with a few cake crumbs from the bottom of the tin.

This week’s landfill looks like this:

  • 2 crisp bags
  • dried fruit bag
  • unmarked plastic lid from gravy carton
  • shrink wrap from DVDs
  • cereal bar wrapper
  • rice cakes bag
  • plastic cork and seal from bottle of wine
  • cellophane from front of magazine

All in all it weighs a feather weight 28 gms.

How did you get on this week? Any dustbin demons creeping into your life in the run up to Christmas? Don’t forget, if you’re a bit of a ‘fridge tart, then head over to Kristen’s Frugal Girl site to see how much food waste her readers have created this week.

About the Author ()

I am a long time supporter of the Green and Sustainable lifestyle. After being caught in the Boscastle floods in 2004, our family begun a journey to respect and promote the importance of Earth's fragile ecosystem, that focussed on reducing waste. Inspired by the beauty and resourcefulness of this wonderful planet, I have published numerous magazine articles on green issues and the author of four books.

Comments (15)

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  1. John Costigane says:

    Hi Mrs Green,

    Another fine total with the year’s end ever closer. With all the Christmas/New Year plans for food set up there is every chance of minimal waste, sellotape for the Auld’s Black Forest Gateau probably the biggest item. After the panic of previous years there is certainly a relaxed feeling with family cooperating fully.

    Fantastic to see your challenge covered in a national paper, and hopefully the Sunday Mail up here. I have always said your family effort was of prime importance for the trend and the grand finale should be an item as well.

  2. what a fantastic story – be sure to post up the article for forgetful folk like me who will be deep in the throes of baking and tidying on Sunday

  3. Sarah says:

    Fantastic! Well done you.

  4. Sooz says:

    Yes – I second Nic, please post the article up here, I’d love to see it! How exciting!

  5. That’s fantastic news Mrs G. Well done – I’m so proud of how far things have come. Who would have guessed it eh. I hope it’ll be online too, so do share the link as soon as it’s up. 🙂 x

  6. Mrs Green says:

    Thanks lovelies – I’ve just amended the article; as it’s in the magazine supplement, I don’t think the article will appear online; so you will have to go out and buy a copy 😉

  7. Oooh, he has the camera body that is an upgrade from mine. I’m jealous. lol

    Is that your entire fridge?? That is SO small…like the size of my dishwasher. My fridge is 19 cubic feet (including the freezer).

  8. Congrats on all fronts! How exciting to be in a big publication!

    This is my first time to your site. I can’t wait to take a peek!

  9. Jane says:

    Congratulations!

    Interesting to see you have such a small fridge. I refused to get a bigger one when I realised it would make it more difficult to manage the contents. You know – feeling that I would have to eat all the cherry yoghurts that nobody wlse would etc etc – not at all good for me or my figure.

    I don’t think the answer is to just start keeping the bulk bought fruit in the fridge to keep it fresh as households everywhere will be buying huge fridges and people will get even bigger to match.

    I think the answer is to buy less more often, eat it fresher and manage it better (and that does not necessarily mean that it can’t go in the fridge).

  10. sandy says:

    brillant well done, you deserve it, congratulations

  11. Wow … Congratulations! It is so well deserved … and now the world can see what an Eco-Hero you are! Your waste reduction is truly awe-inspiring!

    I wish they were putting the article on-line as I don’t imagine I’ll be able to find that particular paper. Darn!

    Wonderful, wonderful and wonderful! You are truly an inspiration!

    Small Footprints

  12. Ben says:

    Good for you!!! That is awesome and you deserve it.

  13. Mrs Green says:

    @Kristen@The Frugal Girl: Hi Kristen – I’m sure we’ve had the ‘tiny fridge; conversation before LOL! That is a standard ‘under the counter’ fridge over here. We also have a full size one; not sure how big it is, but probably half your size and that’s HUGE for us!

    @Sarah @ The Monkey Times: Hi Sarah; welcome to the site and thanks for taking time to leave a comment.

    @Jane: Hi Jane, I understand what you say about a larger fridge. We do have another because Mr G likes to eat high raw in the summer plus we grow our own food and it’s more challenging to keep fresh without a large fridge. But you’re right; sometimes more space simply means you fill it with more food, which is more to keep on top of before it goes off!

    Sandy, small footprints and Ben – thank you for your thoughtful and supportive comments – I want the other two to get up so we can get to the shop LOL!

  14. Poppy says:

    Mr P went out first thing 🙂

    As a long term follower of your mission, I’m not sure why I’m encouraging him to line the pockets of one of the red tops, but there you go …. done now!! Great to see you in print Mrs G and your hair looked fine!! 😉

    …… as did your bin 😀 Not long to go now and I’m sure they’ll all be back for more photos. It must be a bit like selling your house. You have to be on best behaviour all the time, with smiley faces ready to go 🙂 🙂

  15. Mrs Green says:

    @Poppy: Thanks for your support, poppy! Good job about the hair LOL! and yes, I’m keeping the house extra tidy at the moment as you never know 😉

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