Exciting news for Kidderminster

Plastic free Kidderminster 

This evening Plastic free Kidderminster steering group had their first meeting to start the ball rolling for a plastic free town. Surfers Against Sewage is a national accreditation process that encourages town centre businesses to change just three items within their business to plastic free alternatives. I was delighted to be invited by the group to join them in their quest to help make Kidderminster a plastic free accredited town. This is incredible news, Kidderminster can now be part of many towns all over the UK that have also signed up and many have completed the plastic free town accreditation with Surfers Against Sewage.

   https://www.facebook.com/groups/2327530877573646/?ref=share

https://www.sas.org.uk/

This is an incredibly large ambitious project however it is not unachievable as together we can make a difference to where we live. 

Bewdley has also signed up to surfers against sewage.

You don’t need to be by the coast to work on this project, or even based in the UK. Plastic finds its way into our environment from every location on earth. Stopping our reliance on unnecessary single use plastic at source is the key to becoming Plastic Free.

Plastic free communities are spreading all over the UK and Kidderminster can now be part of this amazing journey in preparation for the governments single use plastic ban.

Should you wish to get your business involved with our community incentive to get Kidderminster accredited please private message us through our Facebook Group.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2327530877573646/?ref=share

It’s catching on

Monday 19th August 2019

I have been on holiday for a couple of weeks and have not blogged since finishing my Plastic Free July challenge. So what’s changed,? What food went back in the cupboards and how has it changed the way I shop since?

These are always the questions people need answering when they have followed a journey like mine.

So what’s changed?????

The way I shop is the biggest change, I went to Tesco to panic buy as I was not organised or prepared for the household on my return from holiday. As I strolled around the isles I refused what I would have conveniently shopped for before.  I did not spend a huge amount of money which was a nice surprise after our family holiday spends. I also did not buy and food that occur waste to landfill or waste to recycling bin.
 

The plastic covered food that has returned to my cupboards is walkers crisps & biscuit packets. I don’t feel too bad because neither of these items end up in my bins as they go to Terracycle for recycling. Toothpaste is another return on these same lines as I have not looked into an alternative yet due to my time being spent on holiday memories with the kids. 

I have to say the shampoo & conditioner soap bars have not worked out either due to the final washed result ending up with my hair being like straw. Someone said it does take a while using the soaps for the hair to become chemical free, after this process your hair will be fine and turnout lovely. I used these soap bars for three weeks but the end result was the same and my head was itchy. So I have returned to my medical and allergy free plastic bottles. That is it, Everything else in my blog has stayed within my lifestyle and cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients also has been a huge change in our diets. I do think the way the climate crisis is changing how, what, when we buy certain vegetables our children need to experience more types of food to encourage their future cooking habits stick with what will be on offer in the future for them. I have also started to grow and bake more of my own products which also keeps the fun going in the home.

Sunday dinner today has mostly been donated by Mike, grown at home or baked. 

Take a look 

Homemade bread

Homegrown peppers 

Birdseed ready to be filled with the leftovers fat from dinner

Home grown veg box from Mike

My tomatoes plants 

All veg prepared for cooking 

Veg box 

These are the oils and seasoning I added to the veg dishes

The Bread turned out lovely which should compliment my roasted vegetables 

Bathroom Alternatives and where to shop for them.

Shopping the alternative way

Reducing your habit and changing the way you are sold to bulk buy items unnecessary. 

Here are some of the ways I shopped to reduce the plastic in my bathroom and a summary of the product to see if I would replace the original item to the alternatives. How did I find them after using  the products and cost of the products too. I have named the company but had to remove the links due to blog polices.


Bathroom

Toilet roll

Toilet roll is usually brought for £8 in Tesco for 24 luxury soft rolls = 33p each roll.
             The alternative eco friendly "Who Gives a crap" 49 rolls for £31.00 = 63p each roll.


Shampoo 

Allergenics Hair Gentle Medicated Shampoo 200ml £7.49

Shampoo bar from cosy cottage kitchen £3.95
The shampoo bar has left my hair looking greasy and feeling very stringy and dry. My fried has told me that this is due the chemical being removed from my hair. We will have to wait and see 

Conditioner soap

This conditioner bar does not work in the same way as the original conditioner it leaves my hair hard to untangle and brush after use.
 Dove Conditioner Moisture Conditioner 200Ml £2.70

Men Shaving foam
My husband uses shaving foam and I have changed him to a shaving soap bar, he is still using what stock of shaving foam we have at home therefore I cannot right a review on this product yet.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255355189
Foam £2.50 for two Gillette foams
Shaving Soap £3.50 per bar

Deodorant

This product is far more expensive then my usual one. However it works well and does the job but I will look for another alternative on this one.
Natural Deodorant £5.50
Dove deodorant £1.75

Make up removal

I have to say I am a fan of these pads, 3 pads for £9.99. The best thing is you use water with the pad to remove makeup. No chemical make up remover needed and these are washable to.


Eye make up remover £3.00

cotton pads £1.80


Bathroom Cleaner

Koh
My previous blog about this product was quite harsh however after using it in the bathroom I am quite impressed. This product does clean the whole house so there is no need for the cupboards to be full of plastic. I do have some cleaners left to use up but this Koh I will be keeping as an alternative and enjoying my new found cupboard empty space.
             

Plastic free and proud by Pauline Round

Plastic free and proud ! 

Thank you to my friend Pauline Round who has kindly wrote me a poem about where my plastic free  July challenge has taken me.


Doing our best to be plastic free,
Helping the planet, all of us and me ! 
Our house is Plastic free at last, 
Plastic now a thing from the past.

No more plastic in our home,
So even if I have to roam.
To look for alternatives here and there,
Due to our food cupboards being bare.

Cooking, baking to feed us all
The kids helped we had a ball! 
I will continue to do my best,
Plastic free house, is my quest.

From time to time I will write a blog,
To let you know about the hard slog.
Trudging from one shop along to another,
I will keep going, it's not that much bother.

Supermarkets need to go plastic free,
A better environment for all to see.
Hope you'll be inspired by my rhyme, 
We will get there, all in good time. 

Pauline Round 

Mrs Pauline Round 

Pauline and I became friends whilst litter picking in our community with The Pickup Artists.