Those empty laundry detergent containers, empty shampoo containers, do not throw away, take to a zero waste shop and have them refilled.
That is what I did last week, laundry liquid from ecoleaf, the shampoo coconut from Faith in Nature (which matched the previous contents).
But please never put wrong liquid in mismatched container, it is not only the labelling, we have iconic shapes, ketchup bottles, coke bottles.
Classic, weed killer in a Coke bottle on the shelf in the garden shed.
A zero waste shop recently received a lot of stick when a foolish employee bragged she had found a use for an empty ketchup bottle, filling with cleaner.
If have an Nespresso machine do not not buy the disgusting coffee from Nespresso, and if thinking of buying choose an Opal One a superior machine, the capsules buy from reputable coffee roasteries.
Kiss the Hippo — compostable
Colonna — compostable and aluminium
April — compostable
Compostable, throw on the compost heap.
Aluminium, obtain a gadget from Colonna, Lakeland or Hotel Chocolat and use to extract the spent coffee grounds, scatter the extracted coffee on compost heap or garden, the emptied aluminium capsules, stack to increase their bulk, drop in a recycling bin.
If order from Riverford, veg box or recipe box, delivered in a card box which can be reused, recycled or composted, inside tins, maybe little plastic boxes, fruit and vegetables loose, strong paper bags or compostable plastic bags. The boxes are collected next delivery.
When we recycle, reuse, compost, we are not only reducing waste and closing the loop, we are also saving on embedded energy used to produce the products, thus helping to cut carbon emissions.
We face several global crisis
global warming
mass species extinction
pandemics
plastic pollution
When out and about, wishing for a coffee, never takeaway or offer a reusable cup, relax and enjoy coffee served in glass or ceramic. The only exception a kiosk or cart.
Food rescued and stored in the garden, which at least kept viable for a couple of days.
To repair, quoted a price of £175, or £50 if no repair, therefore decided to buy a new fridge freezer.
Last Friday paid a visit to Curry’s, a large shed on an inner city bypass, a large superstore of household appliances.
Settled on a Grundig fridge freezer, in the Curry’s Sale, £200 down from £300.
Price of many ridiculously high, for what is little more than an insulated box with a coolant system.
Grundig fridge freezer displayed on the door available in white or brushed metal.
When asked for white, an extra £20 was demanded. This was illegal, something Trading Standards should investigate, as there was nothing displayed to say white was extra. The model on display was brushed metal, a dull gun metal grey.
A moot point white, as not in stock, earliest the following Friday, with delivery some time after that.
The performance of the fridge freezer not prominently displayed. Displayed at the bottom of the lower door. Ideal for a dog to read. What were customers expected to do, get down on their hands and knees to read?
Grundig Fridge Freezer ordered. Free delivery not available until Wednesday of the following week, could arrive any time during the day.
Paid an extra £20 for removal and disposal of the old fridge freezer.
Wednesday morning, ie yesterday, delivery arrived at eight in the morning. A call fifteen minutes earlier to warn of imminent arrival.
Delivery said they could not take the old fridge freezer, a service paid for, as no room on their van, but would return within the next hour to collect.
Old fridge freeze dumped on the back lawn. Why, when hard standing where it could have been placed?
This caused a problem, as lawn maintenance service arrived in the afternoon, and had to work around the dumped fridge freezer.
Day turned to evening, no collection of fridge freezer.
Curry’s not only failed to take away the old fridge freezer for which they were paid £20, they also dumped the packaging for the new fridge freezer in the garden.
On checking today to ensure Curry’s had actually delivered the correct model as ordered, to my surprise, or maybe I should not be surprised, I discovered the delivery was actually intended for someone else.
Curry’s were called this morning. They refused to accept any responsibility. Said the earliest they could collect would be some time next week. They are in clear breach of contract. They were told, payment would be cancelled, and they could collect the delivered fridge freezer.
Curry’s then backed down said the earliest would be Friday, ie tomorrow, two days after the fridge freezer was delivered and old one should have been collected.
At minimum will expect refund of £20 paid for collection, as Curry’s in breach of contract.
Note: Curry’s turned up 9-30 Friday morning, 48 hours after old fridge freezer should have been collected. Two guys and a van. They had not a clue what it was they were to collect. Yet another example of Curry’s poor service.
Fridge freezer turned on after leaving to rest for five hours.
Had not reached temperature after one hour, had after two hours.
A slight adjustment of thermostat, and now with food returned from garden to fridge, has stabilised at correct temperature.
Freezer is still empty.
A bad design feature, no digital readout of fridge or freezer temperature. These days would expect as a standard feature.
Another bad design feature, bottom of fridge curves upwards towards the door. This makes very difficult pulling out the drawer for vegetables and salad and for gaining access to contents.
To compare with Amazon. A book ordered Saturday evening was delivered Sunday morning.
High Street chains are collapsing. Latest casualty HMV, which is no great loss.
High Street chains are failing because of their poor service. They compete with online by cutting service. Thus enter a death spiral.
Latest results show failing retailers M&S and Waitrose did not do well over Christmas. This comes as no surprise when their service is so bad. Premium prices, fresh produce wrapped in plastic, bananas rotting on the shelves, and yet cannot man the tills at checkouts.
You may not know, I did not know, I only know because it came up as I was typing a hashtag, it is Plastic Free July.
It’s finally here! Welcome to Plastic Free July.
Today is the day more than 2 million people across 150+ countries around the globe begin the challenge to #choosetorefuse single-use plastic. Here are our 5 top tips to help you this July. Thanks @catfishcreative for the drawing! pic.twitter.com/aqkBr4YZE5
— Plastic Free July (@PlasticFreeJuly) July 1, 2018
The place to begin is your local coffee shop.
Are those takeaway coffee cups compostable, do they sell reusable coffee cups, for example KeepCup, do they offer discount if bring a clean, barista friendly reusable coffee cup?
It needs to be easy for people to reduce and refuse single-use plastic. This ‘mug library’ for people to borrow and return cups for takeaway coffees is a great solution for people without their own reusable cup. pic.twitter.com/VDJctAE809
— Plastic Free July (@PlasticFreeJuly) June 23, 2018
Not that compostable coffee cups or reusable coffee cups are the answer, they are not, they are addressing symptoms, but at least they are a small step in the right direction.
Why are you still drinking coffee in a chain, it is not drinkable coffee, they opposed the latte levy, many dodge tax, they drain money out of local economies?
As always it is indie coffee shops leading the way.
Support your local indie coffee shop. Relax with speciality coffee served in glass or ceramic. Ditch your bad takeaway habit, not unless you bring your own cup.
Question over packaging in supermarkets. Worst offenders Waitrose and M&S.
Buy fresh produce off your local market or farmers market. It will be fresher, cheaper, pick what you want and pop into a brown paper bag.
It will be interesting to see what Guildford farmers market, Winchester street food market and Godalming street food market are doing. The environmental standards on these markets appalling.
Compostable coffee cups are a step in the right direction, but addressing symptoms not the underlying problems of takeaway grab it and go throw away culture, which is part of a larger problem of pointless consumption.
If I pick up a coffee cup then wander down the street what to do with the cup? If thrown in a bin it will join the general waste stream.
Do the cups compost, do they compost on a compost heap? Some cups claim to be biodegradable, a few compostable, some make no claim at all. For example a coffee cup from Morrisons, the outer is card, can be recycled, but what of the inner core, a composite structure forming an integral whole?
Always need a control. Added a cup from Starbucks which helpful staff did not believe to be biodegradeable.
Starbucks have on sale at £1 ugly reusable cups. Bring own reusable coffee cup a small discount of 25p.
As always it is indie coffee shops leading the way. One small chain Boston Tea Party has banned takeaway cups. More need to follow their excellent example, encourage relax in an indie coffee shop with speciality coffee served in glass or plastic.
I’d stop tomorrow but I think it’s only fair to give our loyal customers and fantastic team a month to get used to the idea. — Sam Roberts, Boston Tea Party
As always, it is the independents leading the way, not the corporate coffee chains, the same corporate coffee chains that lobbied the government not to introduce a latte levy.
Independents are already moving in the right direction, introducing KeepCup or clones thereof reusable cups, introducing compostable cups.
Reusable cups have to be clean and barista friendly. Too many are neither.
An example would be ecoffee cup on sale in Oxfam. Too large.
Reusable coffee cups are of limited utility, expensive, bulky, inconvenient to carry around. Which explains their limited take up. I have yet to be in a coffee shop and witness a reusable coffee sold or in use.
Boston Tea Party had offered a 25p discount on drinks if customers brought their own cup. Less than 3% of their customers took up the offer.
This is in line with research. Take up is minimal if only a discount offered, it has to be coupled with reusable cups on sale. But even then the best that has been recorded is around 30% take up.
The target demographics, office workers popping out for a coffee.
Boston Tea Party are to discontinue their discount if bring own cup.
Compostable cups raise a number of issues, a compost heap on which to deposit the cup, do the cups compost as claimed?
The only way forward is to introduce a latte levy, discourage takeaway coffee, encourage sit down and relax in an indie coffee shop with a cup of speciality coffee served in glass or ceramic.
Plastic-lined disposable coffee cups, 2.5 billion a year in the UK, are not the only waste generated by coffee shops. What of the food waste, the waste milk, the coffee grounds?
Small Batch in Brighton, with the help of Espresso Mushroom Company, recycle their coffee grounds as a growing medium for oyster mushrooms, the growing kits are on sale in their coffee shops.
The Boston Tea Party has a similar scheme with Dartmoor Prison, Green Shoots, coffee grounds used for oyster mushrooms, kits on sale and the mushrooms served.
Happy #EarthDay. The focus this year is to 'End Plastic Pollution', and we're proud to be working with @frankwater who only use glass bottles. Find out more about their work here https://t.co/EPKHrDhG7Y
Boston Tea Party are sourcing water from Frank Water, who supply water in glass bottles not plastic. This though is questionable. Why not follow the practice of indie coffee shops in Athens, and what is increasingly becoming the practice in indie coffee shops in England, bring a carafe or bottle of ice cold water to the table or less often help yourself to water from a jug or a large jar with a tap?
Water as a human right. Without asking, a glass and a matt black bottle of ice cold water brought to the table at Tailor Made in Athens.
Boston Tea Party is a small chain of 21 coffee shops in the south west and midlands. Very odd for a coffee chain, no mention of the coffee on their website.
The UK’s throwaway culture is having a devastating impact on our streets, beaches and seas. Our report recommended practical solutions to the disposable packaging crisis. The government’s response shows that despite warm words they plan no real action. — Mary Creagh, chair Environmental Audit Committee
In an act of crass stupidity the UK government has rejected out of hand the latte levy.
This is to reject out of hand the evidence and proposals from the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee.
It is a kick in the teeth to the many indie coffee shops that have done the right thing, introduced KeepCup, compostable cups, offered a discount to those who bring in a clean KeepCup for a refill, and above all, encourage people to sit and relax with speciality coffee served in glass or ceramic.
It is a kick in the teeth to coffee drinkers who have bought a KeepCup, or better still relax in an indie coffee shop with speciality coffee served in glass or ceramic.
What the government has shown is that it is craven to Big Business. It has caved in to lobbying by the corporate coffee chains. The same chains, Starbucks and Caffe Nero that dodge tax, to which the government turns a blind eye.
2.5 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away every year. Coffee cups that cannot be recycled, as what at first glance appears to be paper, is plastic-lined paper, and therein lies the problem, these plastic-lined cups cannot be recycled.
Specialist photographer Caroline Power aims to bring attention to the damage of plastic waste in the world's oceans in the hope industries and people will change production and lifestyle (image showing a sea of plastic, Caribbean) #womensartpic.twitter.com/XDzMj3Nz2y
Waste is a problem, and yet there is no reason why it should be, other than poor design. We should have closed loops, the output of one process the input to the another, natural materials or man made which emulate these natural cycles.
In the natural world there is no such thing as waste, in ancient woodlands, we see not the accumulation of waste neither in time nor space.
Specialist photographer Caroline Power aims to bring attention to the damage of plastic waste in the world's oceans in the hope industries and people will change production and lifestyle (image showing a sea of plastic, Caribbean) #womensartpic.twitter.com/XDzMj3Nz2y
Plastic is a modern day curse, unlike glass or steel or aluminium, it cannot be recycled, it is down-cycled, which at best delays its one way trip to landfill or incineration, or finds it way into the oceans.
We have beaches covered in plastic, we have ocean vortexes that concentrate plastic, one such being the Sargasso Sea.
Plastic eventually breaks down in the sea, the action of the sea and sunlight, to tiny bits of plastic the size of plankton. Small fish eat the plastic mistaking it for plankton, big fish eat the small fish, bigger fish eat the big fish, we eat the fish.
Toxic chemicals leach off the land, attach to the plastic. These too find their way into our diet.
The weight of plastic in the oceans now equals that of plankton.
Plastic is eaten by sea birds and sea turtles. They die with their stomach full of plastic.
By 2050 the weight of plastic in the sea will be equal to the weight of fish.
Domestic waste accounts for less than 5% of total waste. The majority of waste is generated by businesses and industry. We could eliminate domestic waste entirely we would still be left with in excess of 95% of waste. That is not an argument for not dealing with domestic waste, it is an argument for dealing with the other 95%.
Hypocrisy by councils who do nothing themselves to eliminate waste whilst at the same time hectoring the rest of us.
Guildford runs a farmers market, Winchester a street food market. The standard on these markets abysmally low.
County Restaurant in Lincoln is the staff restaurant for employees of Lincolnshire County Council. Once again abysmally low environmental standards. Plastic cups for water, staff using disposable coffee cups, food served in polystyrene burger-style boxes, plastic cutlery.
These councils, in areas which are their responsibility, should be setting high standards for everyone else to follow.
In the UK every year we throw away an estimated 2.5 billion coffee cups. The cups appear to be paper, they are not, they are plastic lined, and therein lies the problem, the complexity of construction means they are not recycled.
Yes, these cups can be segregated and aggregated and Chiltern Railways is running a pilot scheme, but all this does is legitimises a system that should not exist. It also relies on the passengers segregating the coffee cups into three separate bins, liquids, lids and cups. The recovered plastic will be down-cycled into branded pens for Chiltern Railways, the loop has not been closed, a delay in the one way trip has been introduced, nothing more.
These takeaway cups may be a tiny percentage of total waste, but it is plastic waste and plastic waste is harmful to the planet.
We should consider whole life cycle costs, which is energy, including embedded energy, material used, environmental damage.
Reusable cups, for example KeepCup, can be refilled, coupled with a substantial discount, yes will be used. The best so far is 30% reuse, better than 1%, but nowhere near good enough.
KeepCup has become the industry standard, elegant and meets what can be described as barista friendly. Downside expensive, heavy and a pain to carry around. The target demographic office workers popping out for a coffee.
Compostable cups, ok if I have been shopping, have fresh produce, pop in with my fresh produce, then drop off on a compost heap. But what if not, what then with the compostable cup, throw in the bushes, it is after all compostable? And that assumes it actually composts when thrown on the compost heap, a moot point for the cups claimed to be compostable. At the very least we need honesty, compostable on a compostable heap within a reasonable time, otherwise coffee shops and their clientele trying to do the right thing are being conned, greenwash at best.
Paper composts on a compost heap, it improves the quality of the compost by adding fibre, it also helps to rot down quicker by opening up the compost heap to flow of air.
Reusable cups, compostable cups, address symptoms, not the underlying problems of grab it and go take away consumerist culture.
Which is part of a wider problem of society, the purchase of worthless consumer crap, from extraction, production, six months in our hands, then on to landfill or incineration.
Why do we disrespect coffee? How many hands does coffee pass through from the picker until it finds its way to Square Mile, to then be roasted, then on to a barista at Madame Waffle? We would not dream of pouring a good wine in a plastic cup, swigging it as we walk down the street, why therefore do we treat coffee in this way? Is it not to insult everyone from farm to cup?
Latte levy will not add any extra costs onto coffee shops, apart from the actual cost of administering it. That is why it is called a levy not a tax.
It is avoidable. It is designed to change behaviour.
Starbucks has introduced a 5p levy at a handful of stores in London, and already its clientele are bleating about the cost, threatening to go to Costa. Happy to pay for overpriced undrinkable coffee, and yet bleat about a 5p levy which is avoidable.
Why does any coffee shop wish to have its logo on a something that is bad for the environment, a negative association? Is it not far better to have a branded KeepCup to send out a positive message?
Speciality coffee shops care about the environment, support local businesses, buy direct trade coffee to support the growers.
Apart from being avoidable, the latte levy is or can be cost neutral. Takeaway coffee should cost more than sitting in a coffee shop with a speciality coffee served in glass or plastic. Hike the price of the takeaway coffee by the cost of each takeaway cup, then discount by that amount if brought in a KeepCup or similar for a refill. And yes, should be barista friendly the correct size and clean.
Unless bought in bulk, takeaway coffee cups are not cheap, add the branding, 30p a cup, and that is not counting the environmental costs.
A very simple principle, the polluter shall pay.
Baristas and coffee shop owners need to engage in dialogue with their clientele on how to reduce waste, encourage to sit and relax with speciality coffee served in glass or ceramic, discourage grab it and go takeaway consumerist culture.
A latte levy is to the benefit of speciality coffee shops as it matches their philosophy of serving the best coffee, an art and a craft to be appreciated. The losers will be the High Street chains which drain money out of the local economy, many dodge tax, serving undrinkable coffee, whose business model is built on grab it and go takeaway consumerist culture which is why they are lobbying hard behind the scenes to block the 25p latte levy.
And anyone who thinks business as usual, do nothing, is an option, it is they who will have to explain to future generations why they inherited a dead planet.
Everyone needs to take responsibility; the reality is that everyone has been getting away with it for a long time. — Peter Goodwin, Simply Cups co-founder
Chiltern Railways is to introduce a scheme to recycle coffee cups at its stations.
Each station will have bins to deposit the cups, which are then taken away to be recycled, except the passengers have to segregate liquid, lids and cups, three separate bins.
What appears to be paper cups are plastic-lined cups, and there lies the problem, these cups cannot be recycled and therein lies the problem.
At first glance the scheme looks good but does not stand up to close scrutiny.
The Chiltern Railways scheme is at best a distraction, at worst legitimises our throwaway consumerist culture.
If nothing else, it makes the point, plastic is not recycled, cf steel, glass, aluminium, it is down-cycled, the plastic to be turned into branded pens for Chiltern Railways.
In the natural world output from one process is the input to another. There is no accumulation of waste either in time or space.
Ancient woodlands are the perfect example.
Specialist photographer Caroline Power aims to bring attention to the damage of plastic waste in the world's oceans in the hope industries and people will change production and lifestyle (image showing a sea of plastic, Caribbean) #womensartpic.twitter.com/XDzMj3Nz2y
Anything that forms closed loops, where waste from one system is input to another is to be welcome, but that is not the case with plastic.
The loop is not closed, all that has happened is a delay, the plastic has been down-cycled, then onward to a one way trip to landfill, incineration or the ocean.
Plastic is a modern day curse. The planet is being smothered in plastic, plastic pollution is killing our marine life.
A reasonable assumption, either on the train or a takeaway stall at a station somewhere en route.
Make it mandatory, a condition of the lease, for any of these coffee outlets that takeaway cups have to be compostable, that they have on sale reusable cups for example KeepCup and offer a substantial discount if seeking a refill.
At the station, a bin for compostable waste or at rural stations a compost heap. Though there is a question mark on whether or not these compostable cups do actually compost on a compost heap.
On a different line, an example would be Alton Station, where volunteers maintain a station garden.
The introduction of a 25p latte levy will help to focus minds.
Whilst not applicable to rail passengers, we must end the grab it and go culture, encourage relax in an indie coffee shop with speciality coffee served on glass or ceramic.
The proposed 25p latte levy appears to have focused minds.
In the UK we are throwing away 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups every single year. These cups cannot be recycled due to a plastic liner in what at first glance appears to be a simple paper cup.
Specialist photographer Caroline Power aims to bring attention to the damage of plastic waste in the world's oceans in the hope industries and people will change production and lifestyle (image showing a sea of plastic, Caribbean) #womensartpic.twitter.com/XDzMj3Nz2y
An environmental disaster, deadly for for marine life.
Something has to be done. Hence the proposed latte levy.
**LATTE LEVY RESPONSE** We now have @frankgreen_official reusable cups for sale. As mentioned in @caffeinemag the cups will cost £19 but once you've used them 8 times with us we'll give you our profit of £5 back. We don't feel the need to make money from… https://t.co/FnaYZVHExrpic.twitter.com/b7fT5G7b30
Indie coffee shops as always are taking the lead, are starting to offer on sale compostable paper cups, reusable KeepCups, discounts if bring back cups for a refill.
If I am on my way home, have picked up fruit and vegetables, I can pop my compostable cup in with my fruit and vegetables, then when home, deposit my compostable coffee cup on the compost heap.
But what if not on my way home, what if not a convenient compost heap, what then with my compostable coffee cup? And therein lies the dilemma, what to do with the compostable coffee cup? It will find its way into the general waste stream.
The underlying assumption, is that my compostable cup will do what it says, actually compost.
Only one way to find out, drop a couple of cups on the compost heap, sit back and wait. That was a few weeks ago. Nothing has happened. They are siting there. Though to be fair, it is winter.
If I am at Infinity Foods in Brighton or at the farmers market in Guildford, I will often pick up a biodegradable plastic bag, these are made of plant-based cellulose.
I will fill with kitchen waste, throw on the compost heap, or at least I used to.
What I found was, everything rotted down, the bag still there, even after several cycles through the compost heap.
For comparison, yogurt pots, those made of waxed paper, do rot down, leaving behind the plastic liner.
The plastic bag is very thin compared with the compostable paper coffee cup.
We need more people to do as I have done, deposit these compostable paper cups on their compost heaps and monitor what happens.
KeepCup and clones thereof are refillable, but from observation the take up and usage is low. Easy to see why, expensive, bulky, often heavy, a pain to carry around.
This may though change, with 25p latte levy helping to focus minds and indie coffee shops reporting an increase in interest.
In Australia, or least Melbourne, Abigail Forsyth co-founder of KeepCup reports reuse rate has risen from 1% to 30%. Still low, but 30% a lot better than 1%.
The demographics to aim KeepCup at office workers popping out for a coffee, coupled with substantial discount when used.
Compostable coffee cups, KeepCup, are addressing the symptoms, not the underlying problem of grab it and go consumerist culture, typified by the chains serving disgusting undrinkable coffee.
Do we not value good coffee? Why do we not grant coffee the respect it deserves?
We wax lyrically about the terroir. We would not dream of swigging a good wine out of a plastic-lined coffee cup. Why therefore do we not treat a good coffee with the same respect?
We have to encourage relax in an indie coffee shop with speciality coffee served from glass or ceramic, the only way to appreciate a good coffee.
We need dialogue between baristas and clientele, as to what we must do to get rid of disposable coffee cups.
What appear to be paper cups are not. They are lined-with plastic, and therein lies the problem, these plastic-lined paper cups cannot be recycled, if tossed in with paper, contaminates the paper with plastic.
8 million tonnes of plastic are discarded into the oceans every year. The plastic accumulates. By 2050 the amount of plastic in the oceans will outweigh the fish. It is hazardous to sea life.
It is thanks to chains like Costa why we have a problem, they encourage a grab it and go, throw away consumerist culture.
Why are these cups sitting on a table, why was the coffee not served in a ceramic cup?
It demonstrates why we need a 25p latte levy, to be introduced at the next budget, why we must make it socially unacceptable the grab it and go coffee culture.
Please sign the petition calling on Michael Gove to introduce the 25p levy. And boycott chains which are lobbying hard to stop introduction of the latte levy.
Keithpp's Blog 