Guest Post

For anyone who may be interested I have made a guest post on www.myzerowaste.com today to help out Mrs Green and the family due to the loss of their beloved pet.

Please take a look.

National Zero Waste Week

Over at MZW Mrs Green has declared next week National Zero Waste Week.

So pop over and have a look at some interesting articles to inspire you to join in and have your own Zero Waste Week.

Myself I am going to not buy any biscuits/choc bars/sweets unless the packaging is totally recyclable.

So I will have to get my baking head on, and also look very carefully at my purchases.

Crisps are also gradually being replaced by pop corn done on the stove with either a little salt or a little sugar sprinkled over as soon as it comes out of the pan.
It does mean there is one plastic bag per week that the corn came in but that is preferable to 20 odd crisp packets plus outer bags.

Week 2 of No Spend Food Challenge

I have decided to carry this over a second week, as I still have plenty in the freezer meat wise and loads in the cupboard. I also decided to try and plan for the week this week rather than looking in the freezer each day, as we are having a more stay at home week.

Breakfasts and Lunches will be as last week, Cereal, fruit & yogurt; and sandwiches or hm ready meals.

So dinners this next week will be:

Monday -Fish, baked with butter and lemon juice, and served with new potatoes and veggies from the veg box.

Tuesday - Lasagne with garlic bread ( found a couple of bought ones lurking in the back of the freezer the other day), will also do a side salad with fixins from the veg box. Have Mince in the freezer and loads of tins of tomatoes and tomato puree in the cupboard.

Wednesday - Not sure as yet as David has a football match and we have to be there 5.15pm. So maybe jacket potato when we get home.

Thursday - Will be a Chicken Curry this week as have some drumsticks in the freezer and still some tubs of Curry Sauce Base; this again will be served with Basmati Rice cooked through with the garlic & herb stock cube.

Friday - Will be Omelette with salad, this is an easy dinner for the boys, Dave doesn't usually have dinner Fridays as he has a chippy lunch at work.

Saturday - Weather dependant we may have a bbq as I have burgers and sausages in the freezer and will just make some buns.

Sunday - This could also be a bbq as there would still be enough burgers and sausages even if we used some on Saturday.

Saturday and Sunday will also depend on what we are doing as Dave starts his weeks holiday when he finishes work Friday night.

My Weeks No Spend Food Challenge

I joined in the challenge over on MZW at the beginning of the week.

I get my milk delivered from the milkman, eggs from the farmgate and have an organic veg box delivered weekly, so in theory I shouldn't have needed to go to the shops for any food items whatsoever.

I had also done a small grocery shop on Saturday so did have some bits in.

Breakfasts are usually cereal or fruit and yogurt.

Lunches are usually sandwiches or rolls. Unless Dave takes a hm frozen ready meal.

Here is what I cooked for dinners throughout the week:

Monday - we had Turkey Stir Fry with noodles, using all ingredients from either the freezer, pantry and veg box.

Tuesday - we had Savoury Mince Cobbler, again using some mince frozen from a previous batch of mince in gravy, adding in a scone cobbler topping and some cabbage from the veg box


Wednesday - it was Macaroni Cheese, but using penne pasta instead of macaroni, I also prepared a salad to go with this.

Thursday - was Pork Curry and Basmati Rice. Pork Curry base was already in the freezer from a previous batch so just had to add in some onions, garlic and pepper and cook the rice.

Friday - Omelettes and salad, with fried new potatoes, cooked these up specialy to be able to fry them off.

Saturday and Sunday - these 2 days days are a little difficult as myself and Dave aren't at home on Saturday, and David is at a friends, so Tom is having pizza and oven chips (admittedly already in the freezer); Sunday we are out for the day so will be sandwiches and maybe a jacket potato when we get home if still hungry.

No Spend Food Challenge

Over on MZW they are having a





Why not head over and have a look at what is going on.

Myself I have cleared out and defrosted a freezer and found some bits lurking in the backs of the shelves.

The idea of the challenge is to only use what you have either in your pantry or fridge or freezer.
If needs must you can purchase fresh milk and veggies.

This idea also uses up things that maybe you've bought thinking they would be a good idea but never gotten round to using.

I run a pantry store cupboard so the theory is that I should never have to "nip" to the village shop for a staple ingredient.

As items are used from my pantry I mark them onto my master shopping list, so that they are replaced on the next shop. The idea behind this is that I could if necessary (illness, weather, unforseen extra expense) use the items from the pantry and not have to worry; we live approx 10 miles from the nearest big supermarket.

Recycling CDs and DVDs

I am shamefully copy and pasting this from MZW, but it is easier as Mrs Green explains it so nicely.

When we did our zero waste week last year, Recycling cds sponsored one of our prizes with their best selling cd clock.
Now they are asking you for your help!
Recycling cds have teamed up with Bruce Munro; a lighting design, chandeliers and illuminated sculptures company.
Bruce Munro are are currently working on an exciting art project involving a quantity of unwanted CDs and DVDs. They need 1 million unwanted cds and dvds by September and to date have 42,649.
This is your opportunity to sift through your cupboards and drawers and find all those unwanted discs ready to be recycled into a work of art.
In order to take part, you need to fill in a short online form on the Recycling Cd’s home page telling them the amount of discs you have to recycle, your name and email address. You will then be sent details on how to send your cds and dvds to them.
Get together with friends, family, school, college, community or other groups to gather all the unwanted CDs and DVDs you can find. If you run a website, blog, twitter or facebook, then help spread the word.
Not only will you be helping to reduce landfill but you’ll be contributing to a very special art work.
Go on; you know you have some unwanted discs lying around and it feels great to declutter!

War on Waste - Hilary Benn changes packaging rules

Articles in the national press today are showing that we are getting a step in the right direction regarding excess waste and packaging.

It will be amazing for the UK as a whole if this actually comes to fruision, as we have far too much waste packaging.

Launching the new strategy at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management Futuresource conference today, Mr Benn said:

“We need to rethink the way we deal with packaging, from production line to recycling bin. The plans we’ve announced today set out how we will achieve that – with the goal of making it as easy as possible for consumers to avoid needless packaging in the first place and to get rid of what they do receive in a way that doesn’t just create more landfill. I also want consumers to play their part by reporting excess packaging wherever they see it – because we’re all in this together.

“In a few years time I want people to be able to shop without having to worry about what they’re going to do with the packaging when they get home, and where it will go after they’ve disposed of it.”


DEFRA have also made some comments on this.

(I have borrowed this from MZW as Mrs Green beat me to this)

Here’s the latest from DEFRA:
“Consumers will see a major overhaul of all packaging over the next decade, under plans announced by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today.

The Government’s new packaging strategy, Making the most of packaging, looks at the packaging of the future and what our shop shelves and kitchen cupboards should look like if we cut the amount of packaging produced, used and thrown away, and increase the amount recycled.

Under the plans published today, the whole chain from production to disposal of packaging will be tackled:

Enforcement action will be made easier against manufacturers of excess and unnecessary packaging, and consumers will be encouraged to continue to report excessive packaging to Trading Standards;

The Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) will work with manufacturers and retailers to reduce packaging for everyday products in line with the best on the market;

The recyclability of packaging will be improved and clear guidance will be provided for manufacturers on designing it with recyclability in mind;

The use of refillable and reusable packaging could be expanded, so in the future customers could have the option of buying anything from laundry detergent to coffee by simply taking empty containers back to shops to be refilled;

The Government will work with local authorities and packaging producers to improve household recycling services, so that in future more types of packaging are collected for recycling;

Recycling rates for plastic, glass, and aluminium will be targeted for improvement. This will mean more ‘recycling on the go’ points introduced in public places for drinks cans, and more glass collected for recycling from pubs, clubs and restaurants; and

Banning of some materials, such as aluminium and glass, from landfill altogether is also being considered.

Add to this that Mr Benn has also indicated that Best Before and Use By dates will also be removed/changed and one catch all date will be used instead which gives consumers a clearer idea of when something will be past is useful date and may infact be harmful if eaten..

Bin or No Bin

Over the past few weeks I have been deliberating as to whether or not to keep my 45ltr kitchen bin.

It is hardly ever used and even when it is I usually end up fishing out whatever has been put into it.

My plan/idea is to put a small lined box for using for landfill rubbish, and to also utilise the space previously used for the bin with either a butchers block type trolley or a folding table which can be brought out when extra work surface is needed.

This would mean 2 things I would have more work surface when it is needed, and the bin would not be there for just throwing things into.

It would also mean that the boys and Dave would have to think a bit more about where things go, as as good as they are some things get thrown into the bin without thinking; especially if it isn't a "normal" item.

This Weeks Landfill Rubbish - Mon 23 - Sun 29 March

Monday 23 Mar :
Cereal packet inner, Yogurt pot lid, yogurt mix packet

Tuesday 24 Mar:
Yogurt pot lid, crisp packet, outer bag from some multipak mini biscuits, mini biscuits bag.
Chicken wrapper

Wednesday 25 Mar:
yogurt pot lid, cheese wrapper, crisp packet , spagetti wrapper,

Thursday 26 Mar:
yogurt mix packet, clingfilm from a cake bought at cakestall, rice bag

Friday 27 Mar:
bag from some sausages

Saturday 28 Mar:
cereal box inner(saved for next week), 2 choc bar wrappers,

Sunday 29 Mar:
Bread roll wrapper, Meat wrapper.



All other waste is either doorstep recycled, composted or taken to the HWRC to be recycled.

Zero Waste Campaign

Yesterday I emailed my district council asking them to consider doing a Zero Waste Campaign, similar to those that have been done in both Gloucestershire and Essex.

I got a reply late yesterday afternoon, saying
Quote "Thank you for your email regarding the Zero Waste week promotion, It is not something I have been involved in before, however after looking it up, it does seem like something that could be very interesting and also very educational.
Thank you very much for bringing it to our attention, and I shall hopefully be in touch in the near future to give you details on the campaign."Unquote.

This is to me a positive reply and I am hopeful that my local district council will follow this through.