Years ago I was teaching craft in an area that had a lot of poverty. We had funding through the Workers Education Authority to deliver classes that would improve mental health. The class before mine was about saving money on food. I didn’t go to the class but I was told everyone walked out because the first thing the teacher …
How boycotting a brand can make life easier
Cutting down the amount of choice you have when you go shopping can make life much easier. This is not a judgmental or campaigning post, it is about choices and picking your own battle. Why I boycott Nestle When I was in my 20’s I was lucky enough to travel around South East Asia. I had the most extraordinary time …
Random acts of zero waste kindness
I’ve been feeling a bit flat recently. I’m working hard and getting nowhere, and the car is about to snuff it. I was unrealistically hoping my most recent book would hit the best sellers list and I could give up the day job. Keeping control of clutter is easy enough but supporting hundreds of others to do it takes energy …
Remember to use up food before it goes off with these free printable food waste stickers
This little freebie has 3 different signs you can use in your fridge or cupboards to tell people when food needs using up. There are variations in colour and black and white in case you don’t have a colour printer. Get your free Food-Waste-Stickers here the PDF will open in a new window.
Zero Waste Week 2017 – budget ways to be zero waste
At the end of just 5 days of Zero Waste Week I have 2 bags of rubbish. One is a plastic bag full of wet newspaper from the cats litter trays. The other is a smaller bag of stuff I cannot recycle. The main problem I have is the thinner type of plastic, cellophane and the packaging that spinach comes …
Zero Waste Week 17 Day 5 – Making useful stuff out of the useless
In a nutshell – it is Zero Waste Week 2017 and I’m trying out ways of extending the life of old things. This week I turned a useless duvet into 16 useful things. I’ve been making Morsbags for a while now but the bag of clean rags going into the recycling was bothering me a bit. Zero Waste Week was …
Zero Waste Week 17 Day 4 – wins and fails
A demoralising amount of plastic Sods law dictated that this week, Zero Waste Week, would be that week that things run out. So I’m left with loads of plastic bags that used to contain loo roll, pasta, spinach and peppers. More than usual! I had heard that you can fuse plastic together by ironing but then I found this tutorial …
How to make cosy slippers from an old wool jumper
This was originally an extra large lambswool jumper that got into the washing machine by accident. I’m not sad about it, it originally came from a second hand market stall so it has had plenty of use. If you don’t have a shrunk jumper to hand this would work with fleece too. The important thing is that the cuff is …
5 Easy Zero Waste Life Hacks
This quick list has some ideas for making zero waste part of life. There are all easy, minor hassle options that can save you money too. Save stale bread I love sourdough bread but it gets pretty hard after a couple of days. Whizzed up in a blender it makes the most amazing breadcrumbs to sprinkle on top of baked …
Zero Waste Week 17 Day 3 – Bloody cat food pouches
This attempt at upcycling has put me into a VILE mood. I’ve got 2 cats. I was going to rescue just the one cat but when we went to pick him up we were told he hated children. So do I sometimes but I tend not to bite them or jump at their faces with my claws out. So, in …
5 ways to stop waste paper getting into your house
1) Stop the junk mail. Other than put a sign on your door there are a few strategies you can take to stop the junk mail at source. If you are in the UK you can register with the Mail Preference Service. This is free and will remove your name and address from industry mailing lists. Royal Mail have a …
Zero Waste Week 17 Day 2 – Not so #TrashfreeTuesday
I started off Tuesday thinking that trashfree wouldn’t be too difficult. I had no plans to leave the house other than to get some bread. Our local bakery uses brown paper bags as packaging, no danger there…… What I didn’t plan for is the incidental waste that happens through the day. Cat food pouches, empty bags from spinach and pasta. …