Posted: Tue Jan 13, 26 4:09 pm Post subject: The Big Plastic Count
I've had an email poke to remind me that I took part in the Big Plastic Count at least in 2022 and would I like to join in again this year?.
The actual website for the big plastic count is giving me all sorts of 404 you aren't allowed in here results. Not exactly conducive to joining in. The Facebook page hasn't been used since the last count in 2024. My first reaction is why bother for a bi-annual event where there's little enough productive feedback in between. And do I want to join in with something that is a bi-product of Greenpeace? Not the best memories of this group but it's publicity is better than the group involved in the count.....
Plastic is a complicated subject anyway. I am currently looking into a semi-natural fabric called Tencal, which it is claimed is compostable and a nice 'green' alternative to artificial fibres. I have unearthed some rather interesting facts and my own experience of a tee shirt made of it mixed with cotton and elastane (a form of elastic) isn't what they claim for it as 'breathable' etc.
Some plastics can be remoulded and reused, some can't, some will stand a lot of wear and may go on for years, some will break up easily. The worst are the single use plastics made from composites which are extremely hard to recycle at all.
At least this gives some background as to what is being looked at. Not sure that it really addresses why the plastic is bought in the first place. And doesn't touch on the usefulness of some plastic - my false teeth for instance. It's more a sort of all plastic bad.
I see that the Big Plastic Count website is down for maintenance!!!
I'm not sure what I expect of the big plastic count. It doesn't touch on my use of plastic tubs in the garden (choice of cost and movability there) or whether the vegan will use a plastic handbag rather than a leather one (neither at the moment, expensive material one from long back). And the shopping bag (large) is recycled plastic bottles while the small was a choice of William Morris original or recycled sari (chose the first as more hard wearing and liked the pattern better).
Last edited by Florence on Thu Jan 15, 26 6:34 pm; edited 1 time in total
I think it is looking at the sort of plastic that we throw away, mainly wrappings from food. I regret to say that we had rather more plastic than I would have liked from boxes of biscuits as the biscuits are separated by formed plastic. If it was economic, it is probably thermoplastic that can be remoulded. Some ice cream tubs can be as I donated some to our son's school for them to mould into cases for electronic assemblies when he was there.
Incinerating plastic may not produce much in the way of pollution if it is a material such as polythene that doesn't contain much except carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but some do contain other things, so may do.
I wouldn't worry about your false teeth Florence, and of course if you are avoiding leather, then plastic or cloth are the only alternatives.
On one of the recent wet days I looked at what is in my general waste kitchen bin and decided that most of it is stuff that failed the test the last time round. Ho hum, that was useful then wasn't it?
Without going to a refill shop in a completely different direction to the one I usually shop in (no buses either way) I can't avoid some plastic. I tend to buy fairly basic things, but even they often come in plastic bags. Good thing is that porridge oats and flour are in paper.
It's been an interesting 5 days counting. By choosing to buy in larger containers (5 litres of shampoo, hair conditioner, laundry conditioner) and decanting into older bottles) the plastic use is a lot less. It's a bit of a time consuming occupation decanting shampoo but as I don't work it's not the end of the world.
Soap has replaced shower bottles. Cheaper, longer lasting. Some of the shampoo/conditioner bottles are coming to the end of their days. But the years come to us all.
We have always used soap. Trouble is, the ones we like are no longer. We used to use Lux, now try to get Nivea, but we had to get that mail order, and the scent isn't the same. Nothing like the range of soaps there used to be.
gz
Joined: 23 Jan 2009 Posts: 9604 Location: Ayrshire, Scotland
Posted: Sat Mar 14, 26 6:47 am Post subject:
Even household soaps are reducing...I've stocked up on Sunlight soap each visit to NZ..as it stopped being sold here. There it carried on being made in Oz and sold in a cardboard box ( 3 tablets ). Last time it was no more
It is annoying isn't it Gz. Have great difficulty finding toothpaste for husband and he is rather particular. Most of the ones he liked have now disappeared. It is even difficult to find 'ordinary' toothpaste; most of them are for whitening or sensitive teeth or something equally odd.
My goodness, there's a hark back to childhood with household soap. I use soda crystals for a lot of general cleaning but that comes in plastic for 3 kg.
I used to use soda for scouring cloth when I wove tweed wool, but haven't used it for ages. I do use sodium bicarbonate though; good for getting rid of tea stains, cleaning fridges and worktops. I also use soap to clean worktops as I have a rough one, which was all that was available at the time. I rub in over then rub with my hand in a rubber glove.
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