Mrs Green’s 3 recycling stories
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Mrs Green has a rant about 'best before' labels
Welcome to this week’s roundup of zero waste stories.
Each one focuses on reducing, reusing or recycling and will help us keep our planet healthy and beautiful!
Best Before dates ‘hold back healthy cooking’
Did I really say that? It would appear I did according to Candis online magazine.
I remember being interviewed a while ago by a journalist about my thoughts on food waste. The call came while we were driving home from a waste presentation. I was feeling a little erm, passionate at the time, and even Mr Green looked at me after the interview and said “Wow, Mrs G, you were totally fired up; that stuff just rolled off your toungue like you’ve been saying it all your life”
Well indeed. Have a read of the interview; I’m even refered to as an ‘expert’ – go me!
World record eco nappy (diaper) changing attempt
Yep, you read that right! In honour of earth day over 10000 babies across the world will have their cloth nappies (diapers) changed at the same time to raise awareness of real nappies.
Using disposable nappies for a child not only adds to landfill waste, but costs around £600 for the two and a half years babies need them.
Cloth nappies cost around £250 to buy and even taking into account the washing, the total cost of reusable nappies is around £330. If you can manage to get second hand nappies then you’re laughing all the way to the bank…
Bottoms up!
Join the Earth Day Carnival!
If you have a blog and want to join in one of the greenest carnivals of the world, then get writing before the deadline tomorrow!
Child of the Nature Isle from Dominica and Monkey Butt Junction in Wisconsin are hosting the Earth Day Carnival and everyone is invited to celebrate!
You can write about any aspect of your own eco friendly lifestyle to help inspire others. If you’re joining in, let me know – I’d love to read what you have to say…
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Mrs Green, I can’t tell you how much I agree with you about best before dates. It is one of the reasons I make so much of my food from scratch -yogurt, bread, preserves. When I was buying my ham and cheese from the deli in my tubs I realised that I had also purchased ‘date-free’ food -hooray. If it hasn’t got a packet it can’t have a date on it and I can decide for myself when it is no longer fit to eat. I have met people who throw out food the minute it goes past its use-by date be it a yogurt or an apple.
So have you read that they are changing labels now to only have use by dates on. They hope that this will tackle the amount of food waste that happens. Good idea if you ask me. I think Sainsbury’s are already doing this in my area as the houmous I got today had a different packaging on it and only a use by date on.
Remember a use by date was developed as a means of stopping shops from hoarding products for years and years (and charging you the full amount of it), The best you can do is to use your senses. If the product looks Okay, smells Okay and tastes Okay, then it will not kill you. I have eaten yogurts 1 month out of date and have not suffered. If a fruit is only partially bad cut it out and eat the rest, that way you do not waste much. Remember you only live once.
Hi Mrs Green,
We are from Brazil, a Amazon River country and we need to do a lot for our rivers. We need more ideas how to save our rivers. Do you have any? Our Rio Pinheiros have about 80% of cities dejects.
We are going to be grandmother, so how the greener way to solve the diaper/ nappy problems? Many thanks!
@Sue: Gosh, I’d never thought about the impact of buying food in containers means I no longer have a ‘use by’ date – fantastic; thanks!
@Julie Day: That’s news to me Julie – thanks for sharing!
@Antonio Pachowko: I too have eaten many out of date products and not suffered any ill effects 😉
@Ana Lucia: Hi Ana, welcome to the site. I’m not sure about river health but I think the thing to remember is that everything is connected, so not contaminating the earth means we lessen the impact of polluting water and air too. For nappies I would suggest washable ones so there is no landfill waste. Do you have those?
I would say get rid of both “best before” and “use by” and educate people into what real food should look/feel/smell like! But on the other hand, it would mean I’d not be able to get food cheaper when it reaches it’s “use by” date! 😛
@Tracey: I agree with you, but yes on the bargains too – it’s a double edged sword, eh 😉