Angry Letter Reply...ASDA and Cucumbers...

So, even though ASDA are an evil corporation who double wrap their cucumbers at least their complaints department emailed me back quickly.  Here's what they have to say for themselves...

'Hello Susie

Thank you for your email about the packaging on our cucumbers.

I'm sorry that you were disappointed that the cucumber you bought was double wrapped. As you are aware of our recycling and zero waste policy I can understand your disappointment.

As you have read our commitment to reducing waste you will have seen how much we try to do to help the environment. What we also have to think about is ensuring that our products arrive with our customers in the freshest state possible. This is why we choose to use both a shrink wrap and a cellophane packaging on our cucumbers. I have however passed your email on to the relevant team and asked them to look into ways of reducing this packaging. I'm sure if they can find an effective way of doing this they will as soon as possible.

Thank you again for getting in touch. If there is anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

Kind regards'

Which is pretty much the sort of answer I was expecting.  Funny how our home grown cucumbers keep for weeks without 1 layer of plastic, never mind 2!  Tut, tut, I shake my head at you ASDA and will not be (letting my mum be!) buying your cucumbers in the future.

Packaging Request...

Today (very exciting!) I ordered a rag rug making tool online and decided to add this note to the area where you can write comments/special requests...

" I'm trying to reduce the amount of plastic that comes into my home, if you add any plastic to this product in the form of padding or packaging for postage (apart from the envelope, because that would just be silly!) I would be very grateful if you didn't for my order.  Many thanks, Susie :) "

I don't know how effective it will be, but I figure if you don't ask you don't get and at least I'm asking!

Product Swap, Aloe Vera.

I've had this tube of organic aloe vera gel that I bought when I used to work in Holland and Barretts as a Saturday girl. That was in 2003. (I now feel old!) After being applied to many sunburns, eczema-ry bits and other random rashes the tube is empty. The tube is also unrecyclable. No more shall be bought! Instead I bought an aloe vera plant from a plant sale at a National Trust place last weekend (we bought 6 large trays of various plants for £5! It was plant heaven!), he cost 50p - he was all brown and dry and sad when I bought him, but a bit of gravel round his bottom, some water and sunshine and he's a lot better. And when I need some aloe vera gel I can snap a bit of leaf of, squeeze it and apply the gel that comes out!

Saved from Landfill...

I've been collecting up my crisp bags ever since I read a post on My Zero Waste telling us how crisp packets can be reused by women in the Philippines to make handbags.

I finally have an (reused!) envelope full of crisp bags, and I threw in a toothpaste tube for good measure, as they also collect them!

My envelope weighs in at 300g! Saved from landfill, going to charity and I still get to eat crisps! Hurrah!

No more plastic post....

I spent a happy couple of hours this morning venting my frustration about the amount of mail we get in this house that arrives wrapped up in plastic. It's driving me crazy!! I've opted out of all the junk mail as much as possible, but this is post I want, and it's covered in plastic! So I've written to all the organisations that I can recall being annoyed by their plastic 'envelopes', and I'll be keeping an eye on the postbox so I can have my revenge on any more letters that dare to arrive in a plastic bag!

Here's an example of one of my letters (to Amnesty International, who I think really should know better!) in case anyone's interested.

"Hello,

I enjoy reading the Amnesty Magazine that I, as a supporter, receive from you. However, I would enjoy it even more if the type of packaging used for the magazine was reconsidered. Each time I receive the magazine I have the frustrating problem of what to do with the plastic bag it arrives in. These bags currently cannot be recycled in my area, and even if I reuse them they ultimately end up in landfill.

I am writing, therefore, to ask you to reconsider the type of packaging you use for the magazines you post out. I support Friends of the Earth and the Dr Hadwen Trust and both of these organisations send out their magazines in paper envelopes. I have also seen magazines sent out in cardboard sleeves. A change in the packaging of your magazine, perhaps to one of the types I have mentioned, would enhance my satisfaction in supporting your important work.

Please will you pass on my comments to the relevant people.

I look forward to hearing back from you concerning this matter.

Yours Sincerely,

Miss Susie Biscuit."


Has anyone else tried doing this? Did you have any success? What can we do about these naughty plastic posters??

National Zero Waste Week...One month on...

A month ago I took part in My Zero Waste's National Zero Waste Week and decided to use the challenge to finally kick the habit of using pastic bottles and plastic bags for good.

In the last month I haven't used a plastic bag once - fabric bags have been with me at all times!

I used one plastic bottle :( This was when I was staying at a friends and had had nothing to drink all day, it was a fairtrade orange juice from the co-op (which makes it a smidge better I think) and I did carry the bottle around with me till we got to my friends, friends house and asked her to put it in her recyling (I know how to make a first impression lol!). Apart from that one incident, Hello Kitty flask has been my constant companion!

Product Switcheroo - waffles and wrapping paper...

After taking part in My Zero Waste's National Zero Waste Week and reading lots and lots of blogs about how people are reducing their waste I decided I really could do so much more to reduce what I throw away, so to start I'm making some small steps...

1. Sometimes when I'm having a studenty-food moment I'm not so interested in anything healthy or organic and NEED potato smiley faces (sadly I don't seem to be able to find Alphabites anymore, which were my processed potato option of choice) but sadly they come in a plastic bag, which can't be recycled here. However, they are easily replaceable with potato waffles, which come in a nice, recycleable, cardboard box.

2. Wrapping paper, this is a Mummybiscuit switcheroo, cos I use newspaper, magazines or fabric to wrap things up, but Mum doesn't like that, and she was 'persuaded' (lol) into buying some loose sheets of wrapping paper from a locally owned card shop (10p a sheet too!) rather than a roll of paper wrapped in un-recycleable plastic! Yey for Mummybiscuit!

Very small steps to start with, but one day maybe my bin will be empty!