Plastic Free July Week 2 – What is in the bin? #pfjuk

Week 2 of Plastic Free July

Is it only 2 weeks? It feels like a lifetime of battling to be plastic free already! This week the bag for landfill is bigger than last week. The cats needed worming, they finished a big bag of catfood, I sorted out a kitchen drawer and got rid of some rubbish and my son gave up on fixing the garden sprinkler. All normal, day-to-day living, none of which could be made less wasteful.

Changes to my shopping habits

I’m shopping less. It is a great time for the garden so I don’t need to buy any greens which helps. There have been a few times when I would have nipped into a shop but I didn’t have my reusable Morsbag, so I didn’t go in. This week I split my weekly shop into Lidl and the fruit and veg stall. It took longer and the danger with the market is the 3 for a quid bargains. We have lots of aubergines now. I’ve reconciled myself to buying things from the reduced section even if they have non recyclable black plastic. I’m saving food from landfill instead.

Changes to my lifestyle

The shampoo ran out. I did think about trying to make some but I can’t find a recipe that doesn’t need quite a big initial outlay. One day I will try to make these shampoo bars but for now I went to Lush. The last time I tried one of their shampoo bars it felt wrong because it didn’t bubble. Almost half a century of being able to sculpt my  hair into a Mohican with bubbles is a hard habit to break. I asked for the bubbliest one. It smells great, my hair looks ok but my scalp itches like hell so I need to go back and ask Lush for advice.

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Plastic free wins this week

I’m continuing to use white vinegar to clean the loo, the limescale is going from the bathroom sink thanks to citric acid and I’m experimenting with the many uses of bicarbonate of soda.

Sorting out the recycling earlier on the Sunday before collection is working well. I’m not so tired I just chuck stuff.

I went to Somali Kitchen which is a pop up run by local Somali women and was delighted to discover that all the plates and dishes were compostable! The food was delicious too!

It’s been scorching and I’m very happy that my reusable bottle keeps water cool.

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Plastic free fails this week

I went to the seaside and had ice-cream but because I don’t like the cones I asked for a small carton and spoon. Both of which are plastic and not recyclable. In future I’ll get the cone, I don’t need to eat it and it will rot down. Also in my bin for landfill is a big plastic bag that was dumped in my front garden. I had a quick look in it to see if there was anything with an address and saw a used condom so I’ve binned it all.

Plans for next week

We don’t need much food as there is loads from the market in the fridge. I’ll get a loaf of bread from the local bakery which sells amazing sourdough and it comes wrapped in a paper bag. My local butcher is used to me going with a Tupperware so if I get meat this week that is easy to keep plastic free.

I have some soda crystals I haven’t experimented with yet, we might run out of fabric conditioner so I’ll need to find a solution for that (I am expecting vinegar is involved). I want to make some citrus vinegar so we better get eating oranges. We will need milk and the only affordable way for me to get organic milk is in plastic bottles.

I’m so pleased that I found the vinegar alternative to loo cleaner early on in this challenge. It is an easy change for me to make and one that will stick.