Welcome back… How is your war on waste working I have had many notes from my readers on what they are doing to combat waste and it makes me happy that so many care about the world we live in.

Every time I go to the Farmers Market now I am so impressed as more and more of the goods are wrapped in banana leaves can you see the cone those little green buds are wrapped in it so lovely to get my fruit and vegetable wrapped like that or just loose without a wrapping if vegetables are too big like carrots and things, everyone is using brown paper bags and it takes me back to when I was young and you never saw a plastic bag they were all paper… Or my mum and all her friends used to take their wicker baskets shopping …That was a few years ago now…

Today I am going to look at how we can reduce waste of single-use plastic bags in the home.

Did you know about 300 million tons of plastic is produced worldwide every year and some 8 million tons is just dumped in the Oceans how much of that is recycled…ONLY 9%… That is disgusting…

How can we help?

1. Stop using plastic straws, even in restaurants. Purchase a reusable stainless steel, glass straw or bamboo straw and take it with you…It soon becomes a habit…
2. Use a reusable shopping bag. A single plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade. Purchase or make your own reusable produce bag and be sure to wash them often!
3. Give up gum. Gum is made of synthetic rubber, aka plastic. I get so angry when I am walking and gum gets attached to the bottom of my shoe…If you have to chew wrap it and put it in a bin when you have finished… However, if you click the link you may not ever want to chew gum again.
4. Buy boxes instead of bottles or glass bottles instead of plastic as they are recyclable.
5. Cereal, pasta, and rice buy from bulk bins and fill a reusable bag or container. It saves money and unnecessary packaging.
6. Reuse containers for storing leftovers or shopping in bulk.
7. Use a reusable bottle or mug for your drinks, even when ordering from a take-out shop…All you need to do is ask or measure how much is in your takeaway cup and go and buy a suitable sized reusable cup…Sorted…

1. Use matches instead of disposable plastic lighters or invest in a refillable metal lighter.
2. Avoid buying frozen foods because their packaging is mostly plastic. Even those that appear to be cardboard are coated in a thin layer of plastic. Plus you’ll be eating fewer processed foods! 
3. Don’t use plastic cutlery at home and be sure to request restaurants do not pack them in your takeaway box.
4. Make freshly squeezed juice or eat fruit instead of buying juice in plastic bottles. It’s healthier and better for the environment.
5. Make your own cleaning products that will be less toxic and eliminate the need for multiple plastic bottles of cleaner.
6. Pack your lunch in reusable containers and bags. Also, opt for fresh fruits and veggies and bulk items instead of products that come in single serving cups.
7. Use a razor with replaceable blades instead of a disposable razor.

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Dolly from koolkoscherkitchen  is a keen supporter of reducing waste and plastic and came up with a great idea…She is having a book launch at one of her local stores soon and is going to take the advantage and ask what they are going to do to reduce waste and plastic waste…What a great idea…

Well done, Dolly please keep us updated …

♦♦♦♦♦♦

Here is a copy of a letter which you could write to your local store, council or government representative or even a manufacturer… the wording would need to be changed slightly depending on the recipient but we are bloggers and authors so that should be a doodle…

Dear …..

I support the initiative to ban single-use plastic bags in your store at …..

I hope this ban is the first step in which ……. your company shows vision and leadership in the region and perhaps in the nation by taking bold actions to reduce waste and litter and protect and improve local wildlife and marine life.

People coped before plastic bags and will do so again.

Without easy access to free bags, one quickly becomes accustomed to their own reusable bags.

Banning smoking from bars and restaurants was met with an uproar several years ago, and now it almost seems outrageous that this was ever allowed. People very quickly adapt …

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you for the steps you have taken already by having days in the store where plastic bag are not available and by using banana leaves as packaging rather than a plastic bag…I would though like to bring to your attention the piece of plastic in the sushi packaging I noticed the other day could it not be cut from a banana leaf?

I await your positive response.

Kind Regards.

My local store is responding very positively about reducing waste and plastic which given that Asia is a haven for plastic and waste  I was very pleasantly surprised and pleased…

 

The cream coloured flower buds are called Daylily ดอกไม้จีน usually used in soups and very popular with Thais and often used in herbal medicine and healing but also used in stir-fries we stir-fried ours with the Ceylon Spinach and it was very nice. The Ceylon spinach had a sort of beetroot taste. It is also used in natural medicine here and is believed to have many healing properties…

We just washed and cut and stir-fried with a little garlic and oyster sauce it made a nice vegetable side dish. It was a vegetable which none of us had seen or tried before and which I love about this market as the food is local and many of the fruits and vegetables not really grown commercially but by local people and farmers. The red Noodle snake beans were also a new variety for me very similar to the green and quite a rare bean so I will enjoy them while I can. It holds its colour when cooked and ideal for salads and stir-fries.

Notice how they are tied now with banana leaf and a bamboo tie instead of in a plastic bag and I think it is so much nicer isn’t it?

Thank you once again for indulging me in my war against waste… I have certainly opened a can of worms…xxx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

Connect to Carol

Blog: https://blondieaka.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRealCarolT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carol.taylor.1422

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/caroltaylor56/pins/

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a great week xx