Author: Admin

  • How to start your zero plastic journey

    Starting the journey to a zero plastic life can seem daunting at first. When you start to look around and realise exactly how much plastic is in your life, the whole thing can seem very overwhelming. But don’t fear! No one expects you to change everything overnight and it is easy enough to make small changes over a longer period of time. 

    Step 1 – Use your existing products up

    Use up all the toiletries, cosmetics and cleaning products you have which come in plastic bottles or packaging. This may seem counter-intuitive as you want to reduce the plastic, but throwing things away before they are finished, or leaving them unused is wasteful and adds to the waste cycle. 


    If you have too much of something and are keen to start using eco-friendly products instead then perhaps regifting is the answer. Give it to a friend. Donate it to a local school for their tombola. Donate it to a food bank – Items such as bubble bath, shower gel, hand soap, shampoo etc are sought after products and often overlooked when it comes to donating. There are other organisations who can make use of these products; homeless shelter and care homes are also often in need of toiletries for their residents. By donating, you are saving them the expense meaning that they can divert funds elsewhere. Makeup is slightly harder, but along the way, I have found that there are some women’s shelters who will take makeup, the kind of thing you’d give to a friend, a lipstick you’ve worn once, nail varnish that just isn’t your shade, that kind of thing. 

    Step 2 – Dispose of the plastic ethically or repurpose

    Recycle or repurpose those empty bottles.


    How you handle the empty plastic bottles and wrappers is even more important. A lot of plastic bottles can simply by washed out and put in your kerbside recycle – check the back of the bottle (see the symbols article for more info). But do check before you simply throw them in curb-side as often the pumps, sprays and lids are made of a different plastic and cannot be recycled through kerbside. If this is the case, check out the Terracycle website to see if they can be recycled through one of their schemes.

    Failing that, why not reuse? Once the bottles have been cleaned thoroughly, you can use them for other items. Some ideas: Refill stations – find you local refill station and take your bottle there. Often these refill stations sell bottles for you to use, but they certainly won’t frown upon you turning up with your own, they’ll encourage it in fact. Going on holiday/Travel for work  – smaller bottles can be used to decant your favourite products into. No need to buy “travel size” bottles (which often cost as much if not more than regular-sized bottles). Stay at a friend/partners house? Why not decant some of your favourite products into a second bottle. No need to drag these backwards and forwards, use these empty bottles to separate out your favourite products. Use for other products – Splosh is a great brand that makes cleaning products such as washing up liquid in concentrate form. Add water and its ready. Why not use your empty moisturiser bottles, you know the one with the really good pump action for your washing up liquid. Ocean Saver is another which sell water-soluble cleaning products, pop the pod in the bottle, add warm water, shake and you’re ready to go. Craft projects – when is as a kid my mum would save up all the old cosmetics bottles for us to make castles and cars out of. Each school holiday we would be presented with a bag of “rubbish” aka craft stuff (what we’d now call recycling) and be challenged to make the most creative sculpture or house or animal. Make sure the items are clean first, but honestly I was making pencil cases out of milk bottles way before it became a thing on Etsy.


    Step 3 – Sourcing your alternatives Find an alternative product.

    There is an eco friendly plastic free alternative to almost every toiletry, cosmetic and cleaning product going. Once you start looking you’ll be amazed at what eco-minded people have made. 
    Solid shampoos and conditionersToothbrushes made of bamboo or charcoalShower gel made of jelly 
    You name it you’ll find an alternative if you look hard enough. Watch out for the price tag though, some of these can be a bit pricy and if you are just starting your journey it might be better to stick to some of the cheaper brands until you know what you do and don’t like.Another good piece of advice is shop around and try different brands. 
    And often looking backwards is a good place to start. 
    Back in the day, before plastic became the norm; meat used to be wrapped at the butcher in waxed paper, we didn’t have anti-bacterial wipes for the kitchen – cloths were used, soap bars were used to wash everything – people didn’t have three different types of shower gel, bubble bath and moisturising face wash, soap was the thing. You had your won shopping bags which you took to the shop. Simpler times. 


    Step 4 – Try them all!

    Lush do  great shampoo bars, but so do many. many many other companies. Many of whom are small independents and would really appreciate your support. 
    Don’t get put off if the first one you try isn’t for you. Like any product you’ll have to try a few before you find one you like. You might find that a solid shampoo bar isn’t for you but heading to a refill station is. Any change you make that reduces your consumption of single use plastic is good. 


    Step 5 – Spread the word!

    I am not talking about preaching or “ramming it down peoples throats” but choosing to give eco-friendly gifts for birthdays and Christmas can often be a good way to show people that there are alternatives out there. 
    No one is too small to make a difference – Greta Thunberg
    Don’t be too hard on yourself. Sometimes it is hard to find an alternative, but making educated decisions is just as good. 
    There is one body wash in particular that I cannot live without and it comes only in a plastic bottle. The good news is that this shower gel is Vegan, the bottle is totally recyclable (no need to separate the top from the bottle), it is 99% biodegradable and 93% of the ingredients are from natural origin and have limiting processing. So although it’s still in a plastic bottle, I feel much better buying this one that a competitor.


    It is also worth noting that it is almost impossible to live a plastic-free life in the twenty-first century. Plastic can be a very valuable resource, in fact, it has revolutionised the medical industry and saved countless lives. The problem is “single-use plastics”. Don’t feel bad about an item just because it contains plastic, I recently donated some plastic toys (which were already second hand when I was given them) to a children’s charity, twenty-odd years after I finished using them. The problem is how we have embraced single-use plastics and the lack of methods we’ve developed for recycling them. 

  • How to Recycle Glass

    How to Recycle Glass

    Glass was one of the first materials to be widely recycled in the UK, and I’m sure many people remember seeing bottle banks since the 80’s.

    Glass is one of the perfect recyclable materials, as the is no degradation and can be recycled almost indefinitely. However, that’s’ not to say that you shouldn’t try and re-use glass first, and it really shines here too.

    Glass is a great storage container, can be easily washed and realised many times. But if it can’t be reused, then it can be recycled.

    Reuse before recycle

    Unless there is no use, it is still far better to reuse a glass item than recycling them. Things like jars and bottles can still be used time and time again for what they were made for – storing things.

    You can buy kilner jars in the shop, so why not reuse the jars you have? I bought a luxury dessert once, and still use the glasses they came in as drinking glasses. And ramekins for whatever I need, even washing paintbrushes in. Basically, there are a lot of useful ways you can reuse a glass jar, bottle, ramekin, etc. so make sure you try 😉

    Not all glass is the same…

    There are, however, some caveats to this; all glass is not created equally. Things to look out for are special glasses such as pyrex (glass with additives), windows (house or car), bulbs (electronic and glass), and a few others – we will list them below.

    The excluded list

  • How to Recycle Batteries

    How to Recycle Batteries

    Some statistics show that we throw away more than 600 million batteries per year, and that is a crazy amount.

    The problem with batteries is that they are not often collected as part of household recycling collections (although in some places they are). But they are also seen as a hazardous product due to the volatile chemicals used within.

    However, since February 2010, shops that sell more than 32kg of batteries a year (approx 345 x four-packs of AA batteries) have to provide battery recycling collection in-store.

    This means there are now a lot more places you can take your old batteries for recycling, including your local supermarket or DIY store. This makes the job an easy process, as long as you remember to take them with you when you go.

    Which types of batteries can be recycled?

    The batteries that are accepted in shop drop-off points are household appliance batteries. That covers AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, button or coin batteries, mobile phone batteries or computer batteries and so on. It DOES NOT include car batteries, but they can be dealt with in another way.

    • All household batteries such as ‘button’ or ‘coin’ batteries from watches.
    • Battery packs from mobile phones, laptops, power tools and remote control units.
    • Car batteries should be recycled at designated collection points.

    Why is recycling batteries so important?

    From TV remotes to games controllers, batteries have become so prevalent in daily life, that many people don’t even notice that they are buying bulk packs. Think about how many batteries you need to buy when Christmas comes round, or a child’s birthday.

    Toys, games, electrical products, all require batteries, and on average we use about 10 batteries each per year! Sure, we can swap some for rechargeable, but not everyone does. And when it comes time to dispose of the batteries, many people throw these highly toxic little things in the bin.

    But there is a better way, and they can be recycled if you take them to a shop that sells more than 32kg of batteries per year.

    If it’s easier, or you would rather do it, then you can also take them to most local recycling centres, as they will have a collection point for batteries.

    In the UK, approximately 40,000 tonnes of portable batteries were sold in 2018, but only about 18,000 tonnes was recycled. If the UK meets its recycling targets, then thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided.

    One of the problems with so many batteries ending up in landfill, is that many batteries contain dangerous chemicals including: lead,cadmium, zinc, lithium and even mercury. And when those batteries degrade in landfill , theese checmicals may leak into the ground which causes soil and water pollution. Contaminated soil and water will eventually harm animals, the environment, and humans.

    Recycling is the best way to ensure that this harm to the enviroment doesn’t happen.

    Header Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay

  • How to Recycle Aerosols

    How to Recycle Aerosols

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    This item is widely recycled in household collections and at recycling points.

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    It may be surprising to you, but aerosols are widely recycled in household collections.

    Aerosol cans are usually made out of aluminium, and occasionally steel. Aluminium aerosols are therefore made form the same material as drink cans – which are also widely recycled. But for some reason, it always seems more surprising that aerosols are fine to put in your household recycling.

    HOW TO RECYCLE AEROSOLS

    • Ensure the aerosol cans are completely empty before recycling
    • Do not crush, pierce or flatten the cans  
    • remove the lid and any loose or easily removable parts, and dispose of them with the rest of your recycling 

    WHAT ARE AEROSOLS MADE FROM?

    Approximately 60% of aerosols are made from tinplated steel and 40% are made from aluminium. Both of these metals are recyclable, which makes them great choices.

    Aerosols differ to drinks cans though, as they also contain small plastic and rubber parts including the lid, valve and dip tube which are extracted in the recycling process.

    How are aerosol cans recycled?

    Aerosols are widely recycled in household collection and at recycling points. You can check if your local recycling service takes aerosols here.

  • How to Recycle Christmas Cards

    How to Recycle Christmas Cards

    Christmas card recycling can be an issue – sure, Christmas cards are a great way to wish friends and family a merry Christmas – but once it’s time to take them down, and recycle them, it can be a pain. The problem with Christmas card recycling – or any type of greetings card – is that they can be problematic when it comes to recycling.

    The main issues when it comes to Christmas card recycling is that any kind of foil, glitter, or other shiny stuff makes the card un-recyclable. Yes, that pretty, glittery card you paid top money for, is not recyclable. This problem is not even limited to Christmas card recycling, but any card or paper product with metallic-foil embellishment. This includes promotional mail, business cards, birthday cards, and product packaging.

    This problem also extends beyond the pretty metal foils; If the cards are shiny or very matte, then they have been through a process called lamination. Lamination is a process of adhering a thin plastic film to paper or card (not to be confused with encapsulation, which you would do at home with a “laminator”). This thin plastic film is like a sticky tape that is bonded with the paper/card. The problem then is that the card can’t be recycled, because it is hard to remove the plastic from the paper in an automated process.

    But all is not lost! Even if there are some sparkly bits on the cards or stamped foils – about 90% of the card can still be recycled! It just means that we, unfortunately, need to do a bit of prep-work. Hopefully, if you’re reading this, then you are ready and willing to put in a little bit of work to make a difference.

    Other things to look out for

    You should also lookout for the other problematic things that often find their way onto a Christmas card. Any glitter, metal foils, and embellishments such as ribbons, bows, jewels etc.

    You will need to remove these embellishments, or you will have to put the card into the general waste (we would rather you didn’t 😉).

    Foil Cards Recycling

    If the card has gold, silver, red, green etc. foil – by which I mean, there is a section that is shiny and clearly metallic – then the only real way to recycle it, is by removing the metallic part. Some people rip off the front of the card and recycle the back (if there is no foil on the back), while others will cut out the foil sections so that they can recycle the majority of the card.

    If you would rather use the front of the card as present tags, and go along the reuse route, that is great too, but you may need to tell the recipient how to deal with the tag once they are done with it.

    To get most of the card in a recyclable state, I find it easiest to use a scalpel, or a similar craft knife to carefully cut out the shiny bits, and then I am left with about 95% of the card recyclable,

    What if the card is laminated, and how to tell…

    What is the card is laminated? For many people, it is hard to tell, as a matte lamination may make it look like a textured paper. The easiest way I have found to check if a card was laminated is to tear the corner of the card carefully.

    The paper with rip as paper does, fairly easily. But the plastic lamination will start to stretch, and isn’t as easy to tear.

    Another telltale sign the card is laminated; if the inside of the card (where you write), has a different finish to the exterior of the card! The difference in finish is because only the outside of the card is laminated.

    But how do I remove the lamination?

    In order to make the card recyclable, you are going to have to remove the lamination. The easiest way is to tear a corner, to determine that it is laminated, and then gradually peel off the plastic film. It may take a minute, but it is usually possible without any problems.

    Once you have taken off the lamination, the paper/card should be ready to be recycled.

  • Welcome to Zero to Landfill

    Welcome to Zero to Landfill

    We are a passionate group of like-minded individuals that want to do something about the issues that face the planet and human race today.

    We think that highlighting ways you can help recycle things you might otherwise throw away then some people will do that extra bit to help the planet.

    We will be adding the information that we discovered on our eco-friendly trip, and share it with you as best we can. We will try to highlight ways in which we can push forward our way of thinking to make a sustainable future for everyone.

    Please get in touch if you would like to highlight anything you feel we might be interested in