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Two eco-surprises at the shops today

(61 Posts)
Witzend Mon 21-Oct-19 12:58:46

Was running out of stuffing for sundry Christmas things I'm making. Last lot of stuffing was 100% polyester from John Lewis.
They no longer have it - instead it's 100% biodegradable wool.

Thence to Sainsbury's for a few bits. From next week they will no longer supply single use plastic bags for loose fruit and veg. You can buy reusable ones at 30p a pop - or bring your own.
Would seem that retailers are really getting on board now.

annemac101 Tue 22-Oct-19 18:21:47

I buy cheap pillows from B&M or Bargain Stores and use the stuffing inside to make cushions etc... It also leaves me with the material from the pillow which I also use.

4allweknow Tue 22-Oct-19 20:07:18

I will be taking my reusable carrier bags as usual. My fruit and veg will go in the basket and if using a trolley basket will go in there. At checkout the operator will just need to decide how to scan. It's ridiculous the public is being asked to pay for a bag when nearly everything else is packed, wrapped or bottled in some kind of plastic in the stores.

Callistemon Tue 22-Oct-19 20:45:43

Our fresh meat counter in Tesco has just closed and the deli bar is only open on certain days.
That forces shoppers to buy pre-packed as there is little choice of retailer around here.

DD was using waxed cloths to cover food in the fridge in place of clingfilm, biodegradable sandwich bags and cotton net bags for vegetables.

Barmeyoldbat Tue 22-Oct-19 22:29:50

Me as well, I first thought this thread was all about stuffing for a Christmas Dinner.

HettyMaud Tue 22-Oct-19 23:13:19

People under the age of about 50 won't ever have known a time without all this plastic. We used to live without it and we can do again. Once everyone gets on board with the changes things should improve considerably.
Goodness me, when I was young in the 50s we didn't even have a fridge let alone vegetables wrapped in plastic. We ate seasonal veg and there was none of this wrapping everything in sight. Meat hung outside the butchers shop in the fresh air and our bread from the baker was wrapped in a flimsy bit of paper which didn't even cover the loaf. Our fish and chips were wrapped in newspaper ... amazing how so many of us survived it all!

Duvetdiva Tue 22-Oct-19 23:22:16

I’ve bought a couple of the mesh bags from Sainsbugs but loved them so much I’m keeping my socks in them! I had already made some myself for fruit and veg so all good

Taptan Wed 23-Oct-19 09:49:37

Not every town has a local market, where I live we have a Farmers market once a month.

LadyO Thu 24-Oct-19 09:49:54

I am also a fan of Veggio bags and many supermarket cashiers have commented on them as being a good idea. They are washable and seem very strong so should last for ages. I wrote to Waitrose ages ago to suggest they sold them next to the fruit and veg but did not receive any reply. The Sainsbury ones are very similar to the Veggio ones - good to see them there. If ever I forget to take them with me I use the brown paper mushroom bags for loose fruit/veg.

JackyB Thu 24-Oct-19 10:00:13

I bought some veg from the market when DS2 and family were staying back in August as DiL2 is rather fussy about not using packed goods from the supermarket.

Our market consists of one veg stall and a couple of vans selling meat and dairy, once a week on Tuesdays.

As it was a really hot day, the lettuce was limp and tasteless. So it's back to the supermarket for me, where the veg are cooled and protected from the sun, and probably have a quicker turnover. We are in a very small town and only have a couple of supermarkets and a Lidl.

JackyB Thu 24-Oct-19 10:01:57

The supermarkets all claim to have alternative net bags to the plastic ones for the fruit and vegetables but I've never seen them.