A Silly Mistake... Week 3
15th February
Pretty much any shop bought pizza is off the menu when you play by the plastic free rules. So on those days you really fancy one you are left with a couple of options:
1) Order from a takeaway - though these are often overpriced and not actually that enjoyable
2) Visit a restaurant - however it is cold outside and it is not a Tuesday (special offer night at the local pizzeria)
3) Make your own - which is exactly what we did!
The salad isn't even from a shop. With the aid of a poly-tunnel at work we are able to grow salad pretty much all year round, and you can do pretty much the same using a normal greenhouse.
Again these products are a little more expensive than their supermarket alternatives, but considering they are plastic free, organic and supporting a local business we can certainly live with that.
Pretty much any shop bought pizza is off the menu when you play by the plastic free rules. So on those days you really fancy one you are left with a couple of options:
1) Order from a takeaway - though these are often overpriced and not actually that enjoyable
2) Visit a restaurant - however it is cold outside and it is not a Tuesday (special offer night at the local pizzeria)
3) Make your own - which is exactly what we did!
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| Homemade pizzas and freshly picked salad |
The salad isn't even from a shop. With the aid of a poly-tunnel at work we are able to grow salad pretty much all year round, and you can do pretty much the same using a normal greenhouse.
16th February
Just come back from an evening trip out to buy a birthday card. About 15 minutes after leaving the shop I have a sudden realisation - the card was wrapped in plastic. Doh! Having spent the last couple of weeks meticulously avoiding all plastic wrapping I cannot believe that I didn't even think about it at the time. Hey ho, too late to do anything about it now though...
17th February
At work all day, and left overs for dinner this evening. Easy peasy!
18th February
Like most Sundays I am at work and not able to go to the shops even if I wanted to. It's definitely an effective tactic!
19th February
We now have very little in the way of food left in the cupboards that was there at the start of the month. Foods like rice and pasta, that we had already bought in January are running out and it's time to start replacing them. Not an easy feat in the plastic free world.
However one of our local shops "Froots of the Earth" have a solution. All of their products are wrapped in cellophane. Now, while many people use the term cellophane when referring to thin see through plastic wrapping, genuine cellophane is made from plant materials and does not actually contain plastic.
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| This cellophane packaging looks like plastic, and has many of it's good properties, but will break down in our compost much much quicker! |
Again these products are a little more expensive than their supermarket alternatives, but considering they are plastic free, organic and supporting a local business we can certainly live with that.
Our usual visits to the greengrocer, bakers and the health food shop for the milk see us restocked and ready for the week ahead!
20th February
A beautiful sunny day, and we are out and about walking and wildlife spotting. We stop in at a local cafe for a cup of coffee and a bite of lunch. I nearly make the mistake of ordering some food that I would enjoy with a nice squirt of ketchup, but I am stopped in my tracks when I spot that they only have ketchup that comes in little plastic packets. I even head down to the little supermarket on the high street to try and buy some in a glass bottle, however on this occasion all 7 varieties of ketchup they sell all come in plastic bottles. Thwarted by this issue I order a cream tea instead.
In the evening we head to the cinema, where I am pleased to be able to have some popcorn out of a cardboard tub. On this occasion it is Vicky's turn to be disappointed as the sweets (including the pick and mix) all involve plastic packaging. I guess I'll be sharing that popcorn then...
21st February
Time to top up our supply of toilet rolls. Not normally an exciting job, but considering we have been plastic free on our toilet rolls for about 6 months now I thought I would share it with you anyway!
The lovely people at "Who Gives a Crap" provide 100% recycled toilet rolls and kitchen paper without using inks or dyes either. They use no plastic packaging, and give 50% of their profit to help build toilets in developing countries. Everyone's a winner!
20th February
A beautiful sunny day, and we are out and about walking and wildlife spotting. We stop in at a local cafe for a cup of coffee and a bite of lunch. I nearly make the mistake of ordering some food that I would enjoy with a nice squirt of ketchup, but I am stopped in my tracks when I spot that they only have ketchup that comes in little plastic packets. I even head down to the little supermarket on the high street to try and buy some in a glass bottle, however on this occasion all 7 varieties of ketchup they sell all come in plastic bottles. Thwarted by this issue I order a cream tea instead.
In the evening we head to the cinema, where I am pleased to be able to have some popcorn out of a cardboard tub. On this occasion it is Vicky's turn to be disappointed as the sweets (including the pick and mix) all involve plastic packaging. I guess I'll be sharing that popcorn then...
21st February
Time to top up our supply of toilet rolls. Not normally an exciting job, but considering we have been plastic free on our toilet rolls for about 6 months now I thought I would share it with you anyway!
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| Delivered in a cardboard box, and each roll is wrapped in paper |
The lovely people at "Who Gives a Crap" provide 100% recycled toilet rolls and kitchen paper without using inks or dyes either. They use no plastic packaging, and give 50% of their profit to help build toilets in developing countries. Everyone's a winner!
You can check out their website here: https://uk.whogivesacrap.org/
Week 3 conclusion
Having found somewhere to source many different products in cellophane packaging, and following on our purchasing patterns from previous weeks, things have actually seemed a little easier this week.
There are still the little frustrations, and at times your willpower has to stay strong, but on the whole we are doing a pretty good job in my estimation. Next week is the final week in the month, and this experiment, so I'm desperate for a clean sweep to finish up!
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