Two eco-surprises at the shops today

I'll be 'stuffed' if polyester stuffing is replaced by wool in cushion pads, because at the moment, they are my go- to source of (cheap) soft toy stuffing!

I wonder what the cheapest, washable, environmentally-friendly alternative is.

I thought you meant sage and onion stuffing was going polyester free ???

Barclays Bank no longer give away pens made of plastic.

I got a biodegradable bag from the co-op last week.
It fell apart and I almost lost my shopping in the road on the way home.

I think supermarkets ditching bags is a bit of a greenwash, myself. Everything in supermarkets with few exceptions is in plastic from cucumbers to smoked mackerel.

I always find plenty of uses to reuse my plastic carrier bags...what I wonder is what to do when my supply runs out?

How do I send friends and family home with items if I don't have a bag to give them?

I use reusable for my shopping but I am not going to want to spend 30p for bags to give away all the time.
What do other people do?

re the stuffing can you use cut up old clothes?

Well Sainsbury's bags are okay but if you want a selection and you do not have a bag with you you could spend a fortune at 30p a bag. I buy loads of fruit and veg.

Old tights are good for stuffing cushions.

I frequently want 2 or maybe three tomatoes, not a pack of six or more. I live on my own and want the food fresh when I use it and not so much I end up throwing some away.

Biodegradable toy stuffing doesn’t seem a good idea ! What if it disintegrates inside the toy !

Support your nearest market! No plastic on cucumbers, pick up as many tomatoes as you want and everything’s half the price of the same in a supermarket. I ask for paper bags, not plastic but most fruit and veg goes straight into my shopping trolley.
I cook my pet food in bulk then freeze in reused frozen veg bags and any other plastic bags which are washed and reused.

Wouldn't wool stuffing attract moths? There was that story about a couple who thought they were doing the right thing by installing woollen bats when insulating their home. Yes, it all had to come out poor things.

Barclays Bank are also pulling out of cash points in rural post offices, Calendargirl so the withdrawal of plastic biros pales into insignificance when everyone has to drive miles to the nearest town, even assuming there is a branch there anyway. Hollow gesture which saves them money but costs their clients and the planet.

MamaCaz, quite often, duvets are given away on Freecycle and the filling would be great for stuffing toys. Nil cost to you!

I was pleased to see the reusable bags for sale today.But I generally just put any loose veg straight into my basket /trolley anyway.Pop them on the conveyor grouped together by type -so today some large carrots,some satsumas,peppers and broccoli - and the cashier never quibbles about them being loose.Then straight into my cloth bag.Which I wash regularly.But I will buy the odd 30p bag if I'm getting a lot of smaller veg.

My local bakery and M&S both package their bread of all types, in quite strong paper bags which have a cellophane window on one side.
When I've used the bread, I empty the crumbs out, fold and reuse when I buy soft skinned fruit and loose veg. Oranges apples lemons and thick skinned fruit go straight in a drawstring cloth bag.
The paper bags can also be used to hold food waste in the caddy,

Bluebelle Me too - it gave me a laff when I saw what it was really about.

Our local supermarkets, whilst making a HUGE shout about going 'no plastic' with their bags, still have them but now you have to pay for them and they are stmped with the comany logo.
Still thousands of those flimsy plastic bags on rolls for all the veg, fruit and bakety good of course.

pinkquartz what will you do when they run out? You will buy one of the many dozens of commercial bags still sold all over the place, including the 'no plastic' supermarkets, for rubbish bins and other uses.

'Greenwash' is right LondonGranny but I think most of us knew all along that it was a scam.

The penny will eventually drop with the rest of the population - we will never get rid of plastic, it is far too versatile and useful.

Good on those companies who are at least trying.

Thumbs down to the crotchety old grans who moan because it upsets their plasticky little lives and are so negatively.

Although I do sometimes wonder if my individual effort of not using plastic makes any appreciable difference - I always make the effort. Every little bit must help.

There are 66 million people in the UK. If everyone just used one less plastic bottle or bag every day ....

Good for you wildswan our house never uses plastic bags either.

Lakeland sell bags for using for loose fruit & vegetables. they are made of cloth which can be washed, are very light and have drawstrings. You get 5 in a pack and there are several sizes. I use them in Tescos and the till operators have commented favourably on them several times.

watermeadow, you are right about using markets, but sadly they are not as common in Scotland as they are in England, so it's not an option for many of us.

Me too, wheniwasyourage - they're see-through so are no trouble to the cashier. They're Veggio bags if anyone wants to research them.

Went to Morrisons last week and was surprised to find loose apples you can put into paper bags and local eggs, 20p each, I can select any amount and put into biodegradable egg boxes. Well done Morrisons, keep it up.
I have reusable shopping bags and look for as little plastic packaging as possible.

WhenIwasyourage the 30p veg bags in sainsburys seem to be well made and pretty comparable with my much more expensive ones I got from an eco shop!