Sunday Roundup
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No rest for the wicked; if all goes according to plan we’ll be up at the crack of dawn, filming with ITV while you’re lounging around in your PJs reading our weekly roundup.
For those of you who haven’t had chance to keep up with the site this week, here’s a round up, complete with an ‘out takes’ video for your entertainment.
Zero Waste rubber gloves
We began the week with finding a solution to zero waste rubber gloves. We’ve found some that are fully biodegradable and come in a cardboard sleeve rather than unmarked plastic. Read more about the “Green Tips” brand.
Cardboard paint trays?
On Tuesday we put a cardboard paint tray to the test! I have to admit I was sceptical; we all know what happens to cardboard when it gets wet. How did my Ecoezee paint tray fair? Have a read and see whether I was left holding a mess of damp cardboard.
Recycling shredded paper
On Wednesday we tackled the thorny subject of shredded paper. It can be a pain for some people if their local council won’t accept it for recycling. Do your local authority recycle shredded paper? If not what do you do with it? We have some suggestions and would love to hear yours.
Reducing take out waste
On Thursday, Rian from EcoMovement shared his thoughts and experiences about helping restaurants and take out business reduce waste. He asked us to close the loop one small step at a time.
Dustbin Demon
On Friday night, Mr Green was caught red handed with his hand in the chocolate stash. Not only that, but there was some very dubious looking packaging too. See what we found and how we are going to deal with it.
Crisp packet recycling
We launched crisp packet recycling and toothpaste tube recycling in aid of the Philippine Community Fund this week. See how we got on at our local Tesco store and take a look at the photos – you might recognise some of our readers!
That’s all folks…
Next week we’ll be celebrating Fair Trade fortnight, and we’ll be entertaining you with usual trials and tribulations of our zero waste life.
Speaking of entertainment I found this gem in my collection of videos. You remember we were on BBC breakfast the other week? Well after we’d finished, my nerves had calmed down and I was back to my balshy self I invited myself into the BBC satellite van to have a nose. I’d never seen one before and it was an amazing experience – all those pushy, pully, twiddly, knobby things. And all those screens. Man, it felt like every edition of “Stuff” magazine crammed into the back of one mobile unit.
You can watch me making a nuisance of myself with all the controls and having a shout at long-suffering Mark, the camera man, who was supposed to be on board for a photo instead of filming me.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8DYeMGOPn4
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Great to see even more media coverage for the trend. It could be a busy year for the Green family, and well deserved after all their efforts.
After many recent days sunshine here, not forgetting the ensuing cold nights, there is new growth in the remaining, active Sweet Basil plant. This is particularly welcome after a persistent spell of cold months which tested the herb’s resilience. The other younger plant is still absorbing water and Miracle-Gro but showing no green buds. This was the best grower last year so deserves every chance to recover.
@John Costigane: Hi John, I think it is indeed going to be an exceptionally busy year! Amazing that you still have basil growth after this harsh winter!
@Mrs Green: After the run of sunny days, the snow finally arrived this week. This was inevitable due to the cold local conditions meeting the warm front from the south. Cold and Easter Eggs are usually not associated but who’s betting against a white Easter.
Your new campaigns, crisp packs etc recycling and Return to Sender for waste packaging, are worthy efforts which show the trend’s leading position in challenging current practices. One limiting factor is logistics where getting recyclables to central processors is often difficult. Tinfoil is a prime example as many people collect it but no system exists for countrywide collection. Used Battery collections are a welcome recent supermarket addition but much more needs to be done.
Grow Your Own is likely to be big again this year and it will be ace to compare new plants from seed and from cuttings of the over-wintered plant, using the propagator. Compost is a challenge and your worm bin may provide the total supply and avoid the packaging problem. If if does, I would use one to cater for all my potted plants.
@John Costigane: More snow!? I hope we don’t have more – today has been positively spring like – I sat in the garden to project manage Mr Green digging out the weeds 😀
I’ll keep you posted on the worms; I’m not expecting much this year, but by next year we should be gathering enough of the brown stuff to fill seedling pots and the like.
@Mrs Green: It has been great to see 5+ hours of sunshine per day since the snow ended but the night chill is still a threat to the plants, with no end in sight. Just my luck to pick the worst winter here since 1962 for the attempt. Bloody mindedness has value is such situations.
In Lidls, there were plastic wrapped compost bags on sale again. This year I intend to avoid this type of bag by finding unpackaged sources or using my own soil/compost. April is a likely start for outdoor planting but the propagator can be used beforehand. After Snowmageddon (President Obama’s witty comment), I forecast Slugmageddon, using coffee grounds, alcohol baths, jagged plant guards, salt, skewers etc. This would make a great competition for enthusiasts for best weapon, highest body count, biggest slug, best use for the remains (best recipe?). It would be ace to solve the problem for all our gardens.
@John Costigane: Hi John, well I’ll be busy making my slug collars again this year, they were really successful, I’d like to try coffee grounds too as I’ve never used those. Good luck and may the best slugger win 😀