Single use plastic cutlery

[Daisy]

The Government is planning to ban single-use plastic cutlery, polystyrene cups and single use plates, and may include other items in the ban.

Environmentalists say more action is needed to stem the tide of plastic .

What do you think?

[Plantaholic]

My DD takes this very seriously, she shops for a lot of her cleaning, toiletries and food in a refill shop near us and gets a lot of her veg from a farm shop nearby. I do try to cut my use of plastic but we must all do more.

[Grauntie Mag]

Plastic is hard to avoid in every day life but yes, I wholeheartedly agree, I’m all for any measure which will help.

[Lizzie48]

I have just bought a new bag for the bike made from re-cycled plastic, I have a sport bag the same. We can all do what we can to cut back on the plastic.

[Oma]

I don't buy Plastic cutlery now never need too , but I do have some wooded forks and spoons I bought in a pk some time ago never been used

I agree with GM you cant avoid all plastic but there is a lot we don't need to use .

The Refill shop in our shopping centre is tiny but well used , problem is the initial outlay for glass bottles etc
Once you have the bottles then that's fine but its way out of some peoples budget

I am guilty of buying bottled water though so I hold my hands up there

[Lizzie48]

Our bottled water comes with a deposit now, even the small bottles, the larger ones have always had a deposit but now the smaller ones have.

[Daisy]

A deposit on plastic bottle is a good idea. We seem to keep talking about it but nothing's happened yet - perhaps it will be included in the proposed bill about single use plastic.

Oma - the 'refill' shop I use for baking items etc lets you take your own containers - you just weigh the containers first. I don't use it as often as I feel I should though, just because I have to make a special journey into a town to use it, and that in itself isn't great! I fill up when I'm going there for other reasons though.

[Lizzie48]

Daisy, when I first came to live here, many years ago, we had our milk delivered, OH was working away in France and left me to it. At the end of the week I had to pay the milk man, I gave him the empty bottles, took my milk off him and instead of me having to pay him, he paid me! I couldn't speak Dutch and he couldn't speak English, it was only when I asked the children of friends, they helped me a lot, they told me that there was deposit on the milk bottles.

[Nanto2girls]

I use zip lock freezer bags, and i wash them out.
In fact,got 2 on the line now drying out.
Never put food directly into the bag,always wrap it in cling film first.
I must be honest and say i use cling film like its going out of fashion.
Until i find a suitable replacement, i will use cling film.

[Daisy]

Lizzie - I have always had milk delivered to the doorstep. Some years ago when GS2 was about 10, he went to put an empty milk bottle in the kitchen bin and I said not to - I'd rinse it out and put it on the doorstep. His face was a picture. If there had been a speech bubble over him it would have said "Grandma's lost the plot, putting her rubbish on the doorstep".

Nanto - I've tried to reduce my use of cling film (as well as other plastics) and I decided to do what my mother used to do - cover a container with a suitably sized plate. I also bought a set of those plastic covers that look like flimsy swimming caps, which you can wash and re-use. Using them is ok, but storing them is a pain. You've got to wash and dry them thoroughly as well. When they wear out I won't get any more. I do use cling film still, but for some reason I can't work out, knowing that in American it's called Saran wrap really puts me off. It makes it sound more toxic or like one of those body wrap treatments that are supposed to make you lose inches.

Oma - I buy bottled water as well.

[Gemini]

A very good idea I think Daisy.

I am shocked by all the plastic waste generated by every lateral flow test I do! Then the throw-away PPE I have to wear to visit mum.
Just as most of us had started to limit the amount of plastic we used, along came covid and we needed PPE and plastic testing kits on a large scale.

I gave up bottled water three or four years ago when I bought a filter jug for the fridge.

[Plantaholic]

Daisy, that sounds like the type of shop my DD uses. I have bought a packet of those hairnet type covers, they are difficult to dry. I keep paper bags and put veg in those. DD has her milk delivered. For some reason she keeps and stores crisp packets. Waitrose plastic bags are supposed to be recyclable and when they first came into the store, people were taking handfuls of them to use at home. I have filtered water tap which is for drinking.

[Gemini]

We can now take bread and crisp packets to the Co Op and Tesco to be recycled, so I expect the others will follow suit.

[Oma]

I have a filter jug for filling the kettle as our water living near the water plant tastes of chlorine yuk ,
I also use Vacuum bags to store food in , they are reusable and keep food fresh for weeks rather than days once its vacuumed .

I have tried using the stretchy covers but cant get away with them and then they go in the draw and get forgotten so I still use Cling film for some things and I do have a lot of plastic tubs with click lock lids ,

My DD uses grease proof paper and paper bags for SIL and GS packed lunch she has done for a few years now .

I recycle a lot of paper , napkins without too much food on goes in recycle ,
What I do object to is packets you cant recycle , they could do better in the supermarkets ,
What is wrong with cardboard for soft fruit like it used to be .

I have complained several times to Morrison for their use of shrink wrap on Turnips , Why ? they certainly don't need to be wrapped

[Plantaholic]

When i visit the tip i am amazed at the amount of plastic rubbish.