Ditch The Disposable Items
Did you know that batteries are among the most non-biodegradable and toxic items we dispose of?
Did you know that almost 5% of all waste that local authorities deal with is made up of disposable nappies?
So why not make a start on disposing less stuff by switching to rechargeable batteries or washable nappies wherever you can?
Whether it’s batteries (which we can all do) or nappies (which is not relevant to all of us), please consider the origins and destinations of the stuff we use.
Read about how to dispose of your non-rechargeable batteries.
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Maidenhead, GB , 21 Aug 2005
Once you’ve recharged those batteries, though, don’t forget to unplug the charger!
Worcester, GB , 24 Aug 2005
After collecting used batteries at home for over 6 months, I finally found a recycling bin for them at my local recycling centre in Malvern. This was sourced from one of the companies advertising on the internet ( see www.envirogreen.co.uk). So, try asking your local recycling centre to provide a battery recycling bin. They may be able to help…
My next challenge is to avoid the temptation to rely on disposible nappies following the birth of my daughter 2 weeks ago…..
Cambridge, GB , 30 Sep 2005
Just started by purchasing and trying a mooncup – thus meaning no more disposing of a couple of packs of feminine hygene products each month.
Leicester, GB , 03 Oct 2005
Would like to agree with rubyfruit22, mooncups are great. I’ve been using mine for about 8 months and it’s superb!
07 Oct 2005
Thanks for the tip, have just gone and bought a mooncup!
01 Nov 2005
Our local council recycling scheme includes batteries, so it’s easy just to put them in with the papers and put the lot in the box.
As for rechargeables, hubby already uses them a certain amount, but we could look at using more. We have a vast collection of old ones, but don’t know which are still workable and which aren’t. I will encourage him to go through them! (he has a tester, as well as two rechargers, so we ‘have the technology’!
Please don’t ask me to give up the baby wipes, though, as this is the only way we can get our son to use the loo. He hates toilet paper. It’s hard enough having a son who isn’t 100% toilet trained at age 11.
Leicester, GB , 05 Nov 2005
I use handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues. They last indefinitely. Cling film use has been massively cut by using plastic containers (including old margarine tubs) or re-using clean plastic bags from other food. I don’t buy any paper towel. I keep some decrepit tea towels for draining fried food or put on a wire rack. The tea towels are put through the washing up water to loosen the grease and then laundered. The moon cup is great. Having your milk delivered in glass bottles saves a lot of plastic bottles. The milk is fresh and they deliver other good things too.
Nottingham, GB , 06 Nov 2005
Old terry nappies are great for mopping up spills on the kitchen and bathroom floors – mine are still in use after 16 years!! (I guess the new shaped ones won’t have this extended life!)
11 Nov 2005
Just ordered a Mooncup – it better be good!
11 Nov 2005
Just ordered a Mooncup – it better be good!
27 Nov 2005
So far, so good! No more guilt about disposable sanitary items adding to the landfill – hurray!
Reading, GB , 06 Dec 2005
Anyone of you moon cup users got any tips about how much to trim the stalk, or did you not at all? I ended up having to go to A&E to have one removed a year and a half ago and have been too scared to try again!
17 Jan 2006
I try to use rechargeable batteries where possible, along with having used a mooncup for about 6 months (which I am so pleased to have discovered!), and using/ recycling plastic containers instead of cling film where ever possible. Also use plastic bottles as cloches on my allotment instead of buying the real (expensive) thing..
25 Jan 2006
Lucrezia – poor you! I trimmed a fair bit off mine and then got really scared that I’d never get it out again. Relaxing is the technique that works, but very hard to do if you are panicking that it is stuck!!
On another subject – I just bought ecoballs for my washing machine. They apparently last for 750 washes and can then be refilled for a further 250. No more washing powder – yippee!
26 Feb 2006
I’ve just bought the ecoballs too, I like the lack of perfume as most washing powders smell. I bought a couple of folding crates for shopping two for the car and two which attatch to my bike carrier for local trips so no more plastic carrier bags. I’m also not going to buy kitchen roll, its so easy to use yards of it without thinking when I could just as easily use a washable cloth!
14 Mar 2006
Hurrah for the Mooncup – wish I’d discovered it years ago! We’ve bought some huge bags for shopping and are trying to remember to take them with us! Next step to consider is the ecoball.
06 Apr 2006
I’ve made a start by loading up a kitchen drawer with lots of washable cleaning cloths (to avoid needing kitchen roll).
Does anyone have any good suggestions for avoiding the need to line oven trays and grill pans (to prevent nasty cleaning jobs). I’m experimenting with not using kitchen foil for this (aluminium extraction is a hugely polluting process) but using non stick baking paper (don’t know the environmental impact of this).
Does anyone know what is in ecoballs? Are they really better than ecover/bio D laundry liquid?
07 Apr 2006
Ladies—Please what is a mooncup? Please enlighten me. The comments I,ve read above are causing my mind to boggle!! On the actions side, I wash & re-use freezer bags many times,their last job being sandwich bags when they are no longer seal-proof.I also use breadbags to store food in the fridge thus never buy clingfilm. I reuse carrier bags several times until they end up as my kitchen bin.Old clothes are used as dusters,window cleaners etc.& end up as floor clothes.—Just make sure your husband doesn’t put one in his pocket while cleaning windows & forget its there & pull it out to catch a sneeze in company.Embarrasing? or a conversation starter about recycling?
Reading, GB , 16 Apr 2006
Try www.mooncup.co.uk It’s described on the website as around two inches long and made from soft silicone rubber (it’s wine glass shaped minus the base). It’s an eco friendly alternative to tampons and because it can be sterilised and reused.
04 May 2006
Ive got my self a milk man with real glass bottles I use the milk and return the bottle. For those of you in the Huddersfield he is called Daniel Mullin and his number is 01484 845 043.
Aberdeen, GB , 06 Jun 2006
This is something I have been trying to do for some time. We have used reusables on DD since she was born, and rechargeable batteries for as long as I can remember. I also bought a mooncup about 2 years ago, and could never imagine using disposable san-pro now. I do draw the line at reusable toilet paper though lol
05 Jul 2006
Hubby got me a mooncup for my birthday (I had requested this lol) they are great. I try and avoid disposable items when ever possiable, bring back the hanky I say!
23 Jul 2006
I also panicked the first time I used a mooncup. Relaxing didn’t help, but pushing down with pelvic floor muscles did. I found it much more comfortable once I’d snipped quite a lot off. They’re particularly terrific for travelling: one good product made out of plastic.
24 Jul 2006
... Rubber, of course. Apologies
Plaistow, GB , 27 Nov 2006
Thanks to Generous for bringing Mooncup to my attention, a great idea, and it really works.
03 Feb 2007
If you buy fat balls, to feed the birds, in those buckets why not use the bucket around the garden afterwards for compost kitchen collection, or to catch extra water etc.
London, GB , 10 Feb 2007
Just bought a mooncup!
Aberystwyth, GB , 03 Mar 2007
Used cloth nappies on my daughter since the day she was born! Peachy! Waiting for my mooncup to arrive…
Pierrefonds, CA , 08 Jun 2007
One way to reduce your battery usage: if you have kids, tell your friends & relatives around birthdays/holidays not to buy any gifts that require batteries. Side benefits: Your kids will likely get more books, and you’ll find the house isn’t as noisy.
Pierrefonds, CA , 08 Jun 2007
More on batteries: if you use non-rechargeable batteries, don’t recycle them right away. Most electronic devices stop working after the batteries fall below a certain power level, but there’s still some juice left. Save them (making sure to keep paired batteries together) for use in your TV/VCR/DVD remote controls, which use very little power. I have “dead” batteries that I’ve been using in my DVD remote for well over a year.