Smart shopping

Only by letting ‘waste’ into your house- do you have to deal with the problems of getting rid of it. Cardboard, paper and wasted food make up to  35% of the rubbish we throw away. Cut out packaging and cut out food waste and gain 1/3 extra space in your bin.

 

Buy your fruit and veg loose.

Avoid pre-wrapped tomatoes, mushrooms, potatoes, etc. They may look pretty- but you are paying extra for plastic packaging that often can’t be recycled. Granny had it right when she brought her wicker shopping trolley to the fruiterers. The only wrapping  was old newspaper.

 

Use a milkman

Have your milk delivered in glass bottles

by a milkman. Milk-bottles can be reused almost endlessly. Contact the website-www.findmeamilkman.net

 

Don’t buy bottled water

The manufacture of the bottle the transportation of the bottle and and the final disposal as waste is environmentally costly. Try alternatives. A water filter can improve tap water and Brita will recycle your old filters. Send them back to Freepost  - BRITA RECYCLING, FREEPOST NAT17876, Bicester, OX26 4BR.  

 

Leave packaging at the checkout

Government Minister Ben Bradshaw declared on TV that people should leave their excess packaging at the checkout. The supermarkets reply that they would prefer customers to use the existing recycling facilities but would deal with the waste if necessary.

Shampoo without packaging

Lush supply solid shampoo in a bar- this requires no packaging.  Their website www.lush.co.uk

 

Bulk- buy breakfast cereal

Save money by bulk-buying cereal.

Use this as your ‘store’ and decant into a table size container when you need to.

Save money and save packaging.

 

Don’t buy batteries

If you have a choice between  batteries or mains supply- always choose mains. Used batteries can be a toxic waste.

More than this -the production of batteries is damaging to the environment. It takes many times as much energy to produce a battery than the energy it will  give out!

 

Buy super- concentrates

Soap- powder boxes can be bulky. Buy an eco-friendly concentrate instead.

Footprint produce a biological washing solution which uses half the amount of soap per wash. Contact footprintinternational.co.uk

The empty pack is made from chipboard and recyclable.

 

Read an online newspaper

Your daily paper is outdated as soon as it’s printed. For up- to- date news and no waste, read an online paper.

Save money too- as there is no subscription charge! If there is an article you want to keep- simply print it off.