Tag Archives: #Plastic Free July 2021

Plastic Free July…the last day…a recap!

Plastic Free July…Be the Change…

Who joined me for Plastic Free July…? (Sign up for the challenge here) It’s never too late even though we are on the last day of July…every little helps and there are some great ideas on the website..small changes combined DO make a difference.

Have you been the change in July?

Personally, Plastic Free July has been a stepping stone for me and will not stop on the 31st of July…If you have been looking at the figures and watched the video on the biggest garbage dumps around the world I hope that has encouraged you to think about your waste and how you can reduce it… I know many of you are already aware but we can all do more…

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”
—Jane Goodall

Let’s have a look at what good ideas I have seen throughout July…

I have now received my first pack of bamboo toilet paper…I have NO plastic waste packaging to dispose of and the only downside is it isn’t wound on a roll so we can’t attach it but the paper itself is very light beige not unpleasant in colour.. feels strong and soft not really any noticeable difference in texture apart from the middle bit is missing …I await the comments from the boys…

Bamboo is far more sustainable than trees and grows at a rate of knots…lol..it wasn’t overly expensive as some alternative products are but this is Thailand and it grows here…I can’t speak for anywhere else…The name of my product was Panda very apt…

Plastic Free July in Action has seen many great changes people have implemented

I have concentrated…Cleaning Products…

Cleaning products…so many plastic bottles on each shop to me to start there was a no brainer…

White Vinegar with water is brilliant for cleaning glass…If you watch this video you will get easy recipes and tips for drastically reducing your cleaning and it has a double whammy because what you are replacing it with doesn’t harm the environment when it enters the water systems…

I now have on order Castille soap to make my cleaners and hair soap which I will test and roll out to the family it is called Reef Safe and does not harm the environment and is not tested on animals…

I remember my grandmother using castile soap and her house was spotless…admittedly maybe she used a bit more elbow grease as my mum and nan used to tell us but it was the worse day when these time-saving cleaning products appeared…Just saying…

And then we had “Surf”

That was the start of all the worlds problems…

Overall just concentrating on those few products has reduced my plastic footprint…

My next step as July has just made me more conscious and determined to reduce our plastic footprint… is to address all the non-recyclable wrappers…I don’t think that will be quite so easy maybe I will have to make homemade sweeties for the little and the big kids or cook more popcorn as a snack…

I now have all my produce bags and once I go out shopping again I will be using them…sigh this covid is not getting any better here…They are easy to make and washable…

I changed my soap washing power at the beginning of Plastic Free July and the consensus is good which means another plastic wrapper bites the dust and there is no difference in the cleaning…

Elsewhere…

The action of the Month...worth a read as there are some interesting ideas.

Ye Olde Greengocer...Some delicious foods here…

Personally, I think this plastic bottle debate about leaching and harmful chemicals has gone on long enough…it’s our health and our families health for god’s sake I wrote about all this a couple years ago and I am going to revisit those posts and just see if any of the companies I mentioned have actually taken their promises forward …at a guess, I would bet my money on it…

This article just confirms it for me...Many of the world’s plastic containers and bottles are contaminated with toxic PFAS, and new data suggests that it’s probably leaching into food, drinks, personal care products, pharmaceuticals, cleaning products and other items at potentially high levels.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/09/toxic-forever-chemicals-plastic-food-containers?

Time for us to talk in the only language manufacturers understand…we have the power over what goes in our shopping trolleys…

How did you do for Plastic Free July..are you going forward? What changes did you make?

Thank you for popping in see you tomorrow for my weekly roundup…it is also the first day of August…where does the time go..it scary, isn’t it?

 

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…July18th-24th July 2021…#Plastic Free July, Music, Gingerbread Fruit Tree …

Plastic Free July, Be the Change, Music, Environment A-Z, Whitstable Bay Oysters and Gingerbread Fruit Tree.

Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly roundup of posts…Especially for you just in case you missed a few posts during this last week…Time is marching on…It is now officially rainy season here so there will definitely be some dancing in the rain…

July…for my English family and readers it is wall to wall sunshine…enjoy while it lasts…tomorrow 25th of July is St. James Day he is the Patron Saint of Pilgrims and St. Christophers Day who is the patron Saint of Travellers also Whitstable Bay Oyster Festival from 27th-30th July…next weeks Saturday Snippets will be on the 31st and then the following day we will be in August…

Whitstable Bay Oysters…Some History…

Whitstable Bay Oysters go back in history to the Romans who it is said absolutely loved this defined the history of the town oysters where nearly the entire population was involved in the oyster business.

The Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company whose company history began when The Company of Free Fishers and Dredgers of Whitstable was formed in 1793, becoming the Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company in 1895. This company still owns the beds on which our oysters are now produced. The plaque commemorating the firm’s establishment can be seen on the Royal Native Oyster Stores Building, which now houses the renowned Whitstable Oyster Company Fishery restaurant.

The first post last week was…Plastic Free July 2021…Takeaway Food Containers…

Did you know?

The yearly production of plastic stands at more than 380 million tonnes globally. To put that into perspective, we’re talking about the same weight as 2,700,000 blue whales!

Of that huge amount, only 16% is recycled to make new plastics. Some 40% is sent to landfill, 25% is incinerated, and the other 16% is, to be frank about it, dumped…

Plastic Free July 2021…Takeaway Food Containers…

Chicken Pox and Shingles...As children begin school for the first time or return after the long summer break, there is likely to be an outbreak of one of the common childhood infections including chickenpox.

A very contagious childhood disease that can be dangerous for babies and someone like me…generally at my age it manifests as shingles which I haven’t had but I know first-hand some who have and it is not nice…painful and debilitating…Please head over to Smorgasbord as Sally has some good advice on how we can boost our immune systems..and what common sense actions we can take to avoid getting contaminated.#recommended read

Smorgasbord Health Column – Family Health – Chicken Pox and Shingles- The lurking opportunists by Sally Cronin

Wednesday…I was back on my soapbox again with my A-Z of the Environment…

It was the letter L…Landfill, Latex and Lead…I don’t need to tell you how incensed I was to discover that not only is Lead STILL found in leading baby food brands but also Cadium and Mercury…If you buy baby food or know someone who does please think about those precious little brains as very little lead ingested has a detrimental effect…Please alert them.

The Environmental A-Z…the letter L…

This took me nicely into Thursdays post…How easy it is to make your own baby food at home…no special ingredients required you can even use some of your home-cooked food if it is suitable and puree it for the baby just be aware of salt and sugar levels…

In my Kitchen…Starting at the beginning…Feeding Baby…

Tropical Friday’s…The Gingerbread Fruit Tree…

Yes, there really is a fruit that tastes like Gingerbread…kids love it…it makes a lovely refreshing cold drink and has numerous health benefits…

It is the fruit of the Doum Palm which grows in hot arid climates where not much else grows…

Tropical Friday…The Gingerbread Fruit Tree…Doum Palm …

Saturday Snippets…Potluck…

Potluck…Some of you grew up with potluck parties or family gatherings..others of us if we asked what was for dinner were given the answer Potluck…someone mentioned the dishes could be awesome or best avoided…HOWEVER…I have extended an invitation to one and all to join me once a month for a virtual potluck where you can showcase your blog and a recipe…even if you can only cook one dish you are welcome …send me an acceptance in comments or on my contact me page…They will be themed which included all diets, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and carnivores…something for everyone…I will provide the main course unless anyone else has a dying need to do so in the form of a recipe they love…I am easy and the plus side is there is no washing up and dirty plates…

Saturday Snippets… 24th July 2021…Potluck and an Invitation…

Thank you so much for dropping by I always look forward to your visits and comments…Hope to see you here next week xx

Plastic Free July 2021…Takeaway Food Containers…

Plastic Free July…Be the Change…

Who is going to join me for Plastic Free July…? (Sign up for the challenge here) It’s never too late even though we are halfway through the month…every little helps and there are some great ideas on the website..small changes combined DO make a difference.

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of a difference you want to make.”
—Jane Goodall

Today I am looking at Takeaway food containers…

Scientists say more should be done to tackle the growing environmental impact of takeaway food containers. A new study estimates there are 2025 million takeaway containers per year being used in the European Union (EU) alone. It also says finding a way to recycle disposable takeaway containers could help reduce equivalent greenhouse gas emissions generated annually by 55,000 cars.

Covid-19 has not only caused an unprecedented impact on the health and economies of the world… the sheer amount of takeaways/take-out has caused a huge environmental impact…

About 29% of greenhouse emissions come from packaging…just think about your last takeout and how much of that packaging was unwanted or not recyclable?

Plastic is great for its malleability and its durability, but it is notoriously difficult to recycle. In fact, only 9% of all plastic ever made has been recycled into new plastics.

All those packages of ketchup when you have ketchup at home… it’s very easy to refuse them…Why don’t you?

Dirty Pizza Boxes…

Anything with food residue; dirty containers cannot be recycled. Napkins and paper towels. They are already made from recycled products, so the paper fibres are too short to be recycled again; also, they are usually contaminated with food.

Foil Containers:

Many kinds of foil can be recycled, such as kitchen foil, takeaway containers, pie trays, chocolate wrapping (including coins) and coloured foil. … If it stays ‘scrunched’ then it’s aluminium foil and can be recycled. If it springs back, it’s metallised plastic film and cannot currently be recycled.

Polystyrene Food Boxes:

Polystyrene is a type of plastic that is not commonly recycled. … Expanded polystyrene should be placed in the waste bin. Polystyrene is also sometimes used for other food packaging like multi-pack yoghurts. Some local authorities accept it in recycling collections although it is unlikely to actually be recycled…Landfill here I come then?

Only a third of the UK’s Plastic Food food containers recycled by their constituents are actually able to be processed in recycling facilities..my guess is around the world the story is much the same…

I still am an advocate for plastic manufacturers to step up OR be made to find alternatives…TAX them on any products produced which cannot easily be recycled they have a responsibility of care…

In the meantime, IT is down to us as the consumer to be more aware and don’t just assume that everything that goes into your recycling is recycled because it ain’t…

Unfortunately, we have to do some work ourselves I know many of you do…BUT we can all do more …

This is one example…https://goboxpdx.com/find-go-box/

If we do a search locally we hopefully can find one near us…if not it’s down to us…

FoodPrint: https://foodprint.org/blog/reusable-takeout-containers-aim-to-take-out-trash/

Did you know?

The yearly production of plastic stands at more than 380 million tonnes globally. To put that into perspective, we’re talking about the same weight as 2,700,000 blue whales!

Of that huge amount, only 16% is recycled to make new plastics. Some 40% is sent to landfill, 25% is incinerated, and the other 16% is, to be frank about it, dumped.

That’s all from me for today…Can your take out go to zero waste?

See you tomorrow for my A-Z on the environment…

 

 

 

 

CarolCooks2 weekly roundup…July 4th-10th July 2021…#Plastic Free July, Whimsy, Music,#Peanut Butter Fruit…

Plastic Free July, Be the Change, Music, A-Z and Peanut Butter Fruit(#Bunchosia)

Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly roundup of posts…Especially for you just in case you missed a few posts during this last week…Time is marching on…It is now officially rainy season here so there will definitely be some dancing in the rain…

July…No month ends on the same day of the week as July unless it is a leap year when January does so. Both Canada and the United States celebrate their Independence Days in July. Seven US presidents have died in July- that’s more than any other month…on a brighter note, the Anglo-Saxons had multiple names for the month of July, including Maed-monath and Hey-monath. Respectively, these translated into “the flowering of meadows” and “hay month.”

It was National Fried Chicken Day in the US last week and who doesn’t love the crunch of fried chicken…

There are numerous recipes for fried chicken around the world and everyone has their favourite…Just for you, here are some of my favourite fried chicken recipes…Enjoy!

National Fried Chicken Day (US) ..Delicious and Crispy.

The A-Z of environmental terms…This week it was the letter K…

 

Just in case you were not aware the environment is very important to me…I want to leave this world happy that I have left it in the best health for my family and my grandchildren I can only do this by being aware of what is going on and how I can make small changes which if everyone did just one thing or make one change think how many changes that would be when multiplied by millions of households around the world..we can do this…We can be the change…

The Environmental A-Z…the letter K…

This month in my Green Kitchen there are recipes for Stuffed Mushrooms and Soda Bread plus articles on conservation, A Bison Bridge, growing your own vegetables in hanging baskets…How to make Apple Cider Vinegar which I can report is going well…it has a lovely golden colour which only lovely ACV has… it’s not long now before I strain the apple peels and then let it brew for another 1-2 weeks…

Smorgasbord Food Column – Carol Taylor’s Green Kitchen – July 2021 – Plastic Free, Buttermilk Bread, Buying Bulk, Stuffed Mushrooms, Grow Your Own, Conservation.

Tropical Friday and it is the beautiful and rare Peanut Butter Fruit…

Grown around the world where there is a tropical climate and no frost it can be found in backyard gardens and speciality fruit farms..commercially it spoils too quickly to transport and must be eaten as soon as it is ripe…

Tropical Friday…#Peanut Butter Fruit…

Saturday Snippets…

As you can see from the header image plastic isn’t always the villain…WE just need to eliminate the bad plastic the unrecyclable plastic,  the single-use plastic from our homes and our lives…Be the Change…

Saturday Snippets…The world of Plastic…

Thank you so much for dropping by I always look forward to your visits and comments…Hope to see you here next week xx

Saturday Snippets…The world of Plastic…

 

Welcome to Saturday Snippets where I indulge my whimsy and my passions… maybe a tune or two…something which has caught my eye this last week…just anything out of the ordinary or extraordinary…

For the last few weeks, I have taken inspiration from something I have read or watched… this week and also because it just happens to be “Plastic Free July” are you going to be the Change?

My chosen word is “Plastic” inspired by Jemina Pett...I was impressed at how Jemima conducted her plastic project and am going to do the same myself…Please head over and read the start and conclusion it is in 2 posts (Part 2) I defy you not to be impressed I hope it inspires changes in you and how you deal with plastic in your home…

I think, on a personal level, everybody, when you go through the checkout line after you get your groceries and they say, ‘Paper or plastic?’ We should be saying, ‘Neither one.’ We should have our own cloth bags.

– Woody Harrelson.

BUT…Plastic comes in many forms and NOT all bad in fact some are life-saving and life-changing…we just need to sort out the wheat from the chaff as the saying goes.

Some plastics nurture and are essential for everyday life and survival…Take plastic reconstructive surgery, Plastic instruments in your dental work, we cannot and don’t need to eliminate all plastic from our lives as one day it might save our lives HOWEVER we do need to eliminate unnecessary plastic that we DON’T NEED…it is not essential to our lives and Mother Earth’s life it clogs our waterways, spoils our beautiful beaches, it leaches chemicals into our bodies and foods…We need to think smart…

Time for a tune methinks…

Quote: We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly. – Anne Marie Bonneau aka The Zero-Waste Chef

I am currently reading this book it is brilliant..practical and down to earth…things we can do easily in our own homes and when we shop…

Pop culture’s silliest superhero, Plastic Man is as much a humour icon as a heroic one.  During a heist gone wrong, petty crook Patrick “Eel” O’Brian was doused in chemicals, allowing him to stretch his body into any shape he desires. Nursed back to health by altruistic monks, he was inspired to embrace life’s brighter side.

Plastic Eating Bacteria…

Makes me squirm somewhat at the thought…it does seem though that some experts are on my wavelength…be careful what you for springs to mind…

Experts caution that large-scale commercial use of plastic-eating microorganisms is still years away, while their potential release in the environment, even if practical, could create more issues than it solves…amen to that I say…

I have watched many videos on how to craft many things from plastic bottles and I applaud them all for their creativity HOWEVER at some point that plastic has to be thrown away as it has outlived its life…

To my mind, we just must be more aware…I have been replacing some of my cookware over the last few months normally packaged beautifully in cardboard the one I received yesterday however was beautifully packed in cardboard which would have been quite adequate for the postal system it was however then put in a larger box and the gaps were filled with these swimming type armband size pouches filled with air…

Judging by the type of plastic… totally unrecyclable and my question was WHY?…

It also begs the question that it is a proven fact that online shopping has increased and I appreciate that goods require adequate packaging but this needs to be addressed as there are no surprises when I say I know where all this plastic is going to end up …it doesn’t bode well in my book…

Last tune of the day…

That’s all for Saturday Snippets thank you for joining me…I hope you have a great weekend…See you tomorrow for my weekly roundup…xx

 

 

 

 

 

Smorgasbord Food Column – Carol Taylor’s Green Kitchen – July 2021 – Plastic Free, Buttermilk Bread, Buying Bulk, Stuffed Mushrooms, Grow Your Own, Conservation.

Welcome to July’s edition of Carol’s Green Kitchen…

This monthly post will cover sustainability, news on food production…changes for the better and maybe a villain or three…haha, a recipe or two including some plant-based recipes some lovely stuffed button mushrooms are on the menu this month, hints and tips on making my household a little greener…aka recycling and composting.

Today I am looking at bulk buying..it is also Plastic Free July…How to make Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV)..so far so good I am excited to try it… it easy and cost-effective .. normally I would compost the apple scraps and eat the apple skins…which means compared to buying ACV it’s a great saving… lots going on so please head over to Smorgasbord and say hello…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2021/07/07/smorgasbord-food-column-carol-taylors-green-kitchen-july-2021-plastic-free-buttermilk-bread-buying-bulk-stuffed-mushrooms-grow-your-own-conservation/