How can we get rid of plastic waste?

Fair enough Monica- but I don't get it I have to say. If I wear a t-shirt a day or 2, or socks for 1 day, or trousers for a few days, etc- are you sure I will be covered in nasty germs?
For pants, I always wear cotton liners- no worry as they go into the bin and all is incinerated here.

Anything like dishcloths, towels, tea-towels, etc- are washed at 50C and sheets at 40C. I can assure you germs to not seem to be any bother at all round here- and I don't smell for sure ;) - so a bit of flexibility with temps depending on the kind of wash, as well as the amounts of liquid or powder (I add OxyClean for whites) - just common sense no?

When I go to France I buy large bottles of soap based washing machine liquid, plus refills. I am just not prepared to wash at 30 degrees, it isn't hygienic as it isn't hot enough to kill germs and, as another Poster said, it causes mould growth in the machine, which is another source of human toxicity.

If you shop at 30 degrees it is necessary to buy other chemicals to add to your wash to counter the drop in hygiene levels and get the wash clean. If you balance the energy consumption of sourcing the raw materials and manufacturing, packaging and transporting these product s against the extra energy used to heat the water up to 60 degrees, I doubt if there is much reduction in energy use.

I only use non-bio laundry products due to a skin condition in the family. I think I've tried all the non-bio brands!

I've never bought the pods, I'd probably never get rid of the foam, in our soft water.

jura2 sorry just saw yoour question. The tabs are sold in cardboard boxes so recyclable.

which why I do regular washes at 50C for white cottons, as said above. So 30C mostly with a good hot wash every week or two - works. And white vinegar too.

My washing machine repair genius man told me that washing at 30 degrees all the time causes mould problems in washing machines. As mould has toxic properties that creates a bit of a problem, doesn't it? Be environmentally friendly and wash at low temperatures and possibly endanger the health of the people whose clothes are washed in the machine.

It's always a payoff/balance situation, isn't it?

I saw something on twitter this morning about a guy in India who got an award for making good, durable roads from recycled plastic. That's a good idea, isn't it? Until one thinks of all the micro plastic that it's going to create . Plastic is just indestructible...

perhaps try another brand SD?

jura2
ive just refilled all the soap dispencers
How about not buying plastic soap dispensers and instead buying a bar of paraban free soap instead.

Are the tabs sold in plastic or cardboard boxes?

Using powder is really not difficult, at all- and you can choose the dose yourself- I use less for light wash, a bit more if doing teatowels and dishcloths, etc. Easy peasy, honest.

Sue I had the opposite problem: using sachets of liquid detergent resulted in smears over the washing, so now I only use Persil (powder) tabs, and no problem so far, at least at 40 degrees.

We went back to ordinary washing powder, just because it was a bargain. It wasn't a huge success, though, as the low temperatures and water-saving aspects of the machine meant that powder was still on the clothes after the final rinse and spin and we had to do another rinse and spin.

We can't reduce the amount used any more as we already live in a soft water area so put in a minimal amount anyway. In fact, maybe the soft water is why it isn't dissolving properly?

don't beat yourself up about it - you have a good excuse for now- so keep that washing mahine running- when it goes, buy the one with best energy and water saving. BTW, I use short cycles and have lowered temp to 30C for every day washes- better for clothes too. Only use 40 for very dirty clothes and 50C for whites, towels, etc. with a bit of OxyClean (yes - also sold in a plastic tub )

for anything to work, it needs collective action.

Crumbs! I hadn't thought of washing liquids / pouches. I use the latter as my powder dispenser in the washing machine hasn't worked for ages yet the machines which is donkey's years old is going a treat. Oh dear. I could get rid of the washing machine but that's waste too!

Still yesterday I took cloth bags for shopping and noted that loads of other people had them too so that seems to be catching on OK.

I wonder how many of us would be prepared to switch back to washing powder instead of liquids or pouches (also sold in plastic containers). Was it really THAT more difficult to use?

I am glad I have- and it really has not cause much inconvenience either, for sure.

I've just refilled all the soap dispensers (hand wash) from the 2 plastic pouches I bought yesterday, took me about 2 minutes - so not only the hard plastic container, but the push top, tube and spring have been used for a couple of years now. Some things are so simple and so quick- and yet the effect, cumulated, is massive.

Thanks for the Flash tip. Looking round the house I am shocked by the amount of plastic we use so am starting to mend my ways.

I believe it also depends how long you keep the bottle. If you refull a few times whilst on holiday, no problem- but not a good idea to re-use for months as it will begin to break down.

Mind you, one person I know who thinks he is going to die if he refills one bottle- smokes 20+ a day and drinks far in excess of reason and eats tons of bacon and cured meats- so it just does not make sense. I always find it weird when people focus on one health issue- and totally ignore the others.

It depends what it is made of, Tegan The number inside the recycling triangle on the base tells you that. There are many websites which list the numbers and what they mean, and whether those particular chemicals are likely to leach into the contents. This is one site www.lifewithoutplastic.com/store/common_plastics_no_1_to_no_7#.WmrpmOfLg2w

We've always been told not to refill plastic water bottles as it's carcinogenic. Is there any proof that that is the case of is it because the companies that sell them don't want people to just top them up with tap water?

I spent a week recently in Malta and on arriving on my hotel room the tray had two bottles of water. They were the only bottles we used. By the hotel lobby there were water dispensers to refill bottles. I felt the benefit on my pocket and happy to limit my use of plastic.

There are several networks here on line or Facebook for sale or second hand modern shaped re-usable nappies and overpants- and it works really well.

yes, and it is ridiculous. YES refills for sure.

Toothbrushes are also a massive source of pollution. Bamboo ones are becoming very popular here- but also plastic ones with a replaceable head- same for washing up brushes - keep the handle, snap new head on from time to time. So so simple.

In our French supermarket, I also buy refills for bleach, conditioner, hand washing liquids, dishwash liquid, etc- still plastic but much much less- and as they go into super modern incineration plants that produce energy- and not landfill, no problem.

And there is just no need for all those bottles of washing liquid - why not go back to powder in cardboard box- works just as well.

One of the main disasters though, is disposable nappies. Here towns and local GVT give grants for families to get started with modern shaped re-usable nappies- and for people to start small businesses for collection and delivery of such for those who would prefer. Originally, washable nappies of the old type, with old front loaders- used too much water and energy- but modern washing machines make modern shaped re-usable a real and simple alternative.

As we pay by weight here for refuse- it is a huge incentive.

I had an idea a few years ago that we should all be issued with one biro which would be replaced [or refilled] when it ran out. Is anyone else as guilty as me of having drawers full of biros ...?

Supermarket shelves are groaning with wet wipes and plastic spray bottles for cleaning umpteen different things. I used to buy a packet of Flash add hot water and use it for floors, paintwork work tops, the lot.
Bring Back Flash! You know it makes sense!

www.change.org/p/un-secretary-general-ant%C3%B3nio-guterres-accept-the-trash-isles-as-an-official-country-help-protect-our-oceans

Good idea, M0nica - I re-use our re-cyclable bags too, but only once or twice eg instead of clingfilm etc. But we could take them with us and use when next shopping for fruit and veg.