Monday Meeting: The final weigh-in for the Rubbish Diet Challenge 2012

Welcome to the last Monday Meeting for the Rubbish Diet Challenge 2012.

Last November I put a request on Twitter and Facebook to see if anyone fancied slimming their bins in 2012.  Amazingly eight people volunteered straight-away and at the end of January, when routines had settled back to normal after the festivities of Christmas, the Rubbish Diet Challenge began, featuring weekly Monday weigh-ins and mini-challenges throughout the course of eight weeks.

Eight households slimming their bins in just eight weeks, all living in different parts of the country, including one in the US, all with different routines, contrasting priorities, variations in local recycling collections and wide-ranging household sizes.

But this was not an experiment or a test of perseverance, with me standing over them all with my beady eye.  It was more a realistic timescale, that would give each household the freedom and flexibility to set their own waste reduction goals, and find out the information they needed to reduce their waste in the best way that suited their lifestyle.

For all participants, it involved finding out exactly what they could recycle at the kerbside and further afield in their locality and use the facilities to which they had access. For some it involved buying less or switching to reusable products and for others it also involved having a bash at home composting.

And everyone had a different starting point, including Ness, with her family of five, who had two full wheelie bins each fortnight (often accompanied by side bags), and Jax with her family of 6 (her baby was born in Wk 7), whose rubbish bin was always just a third to half-way full.

However, as others agreed, it didn't matter how little rubbish they thought they were throwing away, times change and services often improve, so each wanted to find out more. And it's great to see that in every household, at least a 50% reduction has been achieved, with some households achieving this in the first four weeks and others achieving much much more since.

While most participants were happily settled with their new slimmer bins, three households decided to take the finale Zero Waste challenge for Week 8 of the Rubbish Diet, with Suffolk's Kate & Terry-anna, and New York's Amy, pushing the limits to see how low they could go.

And my word, did they do brilliantly! Terry-anna's bag of landfill rubbish, pictured above, was only half the height of a sauce bottle and Kate's household only produced just two mug-sized bags. Amy over the States is also pleased with her attempt at the challenge, producing so little rubbish that there's not even enough to fill half a small carrier bag, and weighing no more than 1.4 kilogrammes.

But this challenge is not just about attempting a Zero Waste Week.  It's actually the build up to that, which is more important.  To quote Tim, who knew that he wouldn't be in a position to attempt a ZW week, "It's the habits I've acquired during the eight-week programme that'll make the difference".   And you can see the impact of this in his last blogpost about his experience.  Tim had started the challenge with a very full bin.

For many who have participated, even though the guided challenge has finished, their own discoveries towards waste reduction hasn't stopped.  Just as Donna, who slimmed her household's waste by 50%, said to me only last week, "It isn't over in 8 weeks - it's just begun!"

I think Ness, who orginally started with two full wheelie bins, would agree with that.  As I was leaving her house on Friday, after she'd been interviewed for BBC Radio Suffolk, she asked whether it needed to stop there and made it clear that she wants her Rubbish Diet to continue.  Well there is plenty of scope for that as well as having more laughs in the process.

I suppose introducing her to the Recycling Centre for the first time, bringing in a Master Composter to help her compost and poking around her mouldy fruit, have all been interesting ways to strengthen our friendship,  And it is unfortunate that she had a poorly dog, who sabotaged any attempts she had to slim that bin right down last week.  But moving forward, she is now volunteering to get rid of the second bin, which she no longer has a use for.  When she first embarked on the challenge, she was adamant she would keep it as a comfort blanket.  So I am quite sure this won't be the last you'll hear of Ness's Rubbish Diet.


But for now, it's time for me to hang up my virtual bin-diving gloves for the Rubbish Diet Challenge 2012 and take the opportunity to thank everyone who has taken part, including all the households that have let me follow their waste-busting adventures, as well as those who have been inspired to join in along the way.  Everyone has just been blimmin' brilliant and I'm also grateful to the Mark Murphy Show at BBC Radio Suffolk, which has followed the challenge from the very beginning.


The list below shows the starting points as well as the final week results (please note that this was not a competition and participants were able to chose their own description of monitoring, which suited them best.  Also some collections are fortnightly, so for those, the list also includes their latest fortnightly results as well as a separate final week's results). I'm still waiting for some of the final results to come in and these will be updated as soon as they are ready. In the meantime, do try and listen to the great interviews that were broadcast on BBC Radio Suffolk last week, with Kate & Ness.

Kate's interview: http://bbc.in/wROWm9 FF>> 1h42: available until Wednesday 

Ness's interview: http://bbc.in/w9BdF7 FF>>2h38s: available until Friday

And again, huge congratulations and thanks to all involved, with results that range from 50% reduction to what I'd reckon is as much as 95%, I think now might be time to roll out the fanfare.

1.  Terry-anna.
Household: 2 adults, in Ipswich Borough, Suffolk. 
WK1 Weigh-in: 1.5 large bags, filling one third of a wheelie bin (fortnightly): Final fortnight: 1.5 very small bags that are dumpier than an HP sauce bottle.  Final Week:  a small bag that is only half the height of  the sauce bottle.

2.  Ness.  @NessyThompson
Household: 2 adults & 5 children, a rural village in Mid Suffolk
WK1 Weigh-in:  2 full wheelie bins (fortnightly). Final Fortnight: 1 full bin   Final Week: Just 1 bag of normal household waste, plus a rug and plastic from the family dog's unexpected illness.

3.  Donna.  @Donna_De
Household: 2 adults, in Tower Hamlets in London. www.beatinglimitations.com/blog
WK1 Weigh-in: 1 30L rubbish sack. (weekly).  Final Week: 1/2 30 rubbish sack, plus one-off polystyrene packing.

4. Amy. @AmyMarpman
Household: 2 adults in New York City.   www.beyondthebluebin.com
WK1 Weigh-in: 2 bin bags - estimated 9kg / 20lbs. (Weekly) Final week: 1.4kg/3lbs

5: Kate. @BusinessPlumber
Household: 2 adults, in a rural village in Mid Suffolk : www.businessplumber.co.uk
WK1 Weigh-in: 1 unusually full wheelie bin - incl Christmas waste. (fortnightly) Final Fortnight: 1 small swing-bin bag:  Final Week: 2 very small bags, approximately the height of a coffee mug.

6: Jax. @LiveOtherwise
Household: 2 adults, 3 children & a baby, in Suffolk Coast. http://liveotherwise.co.uk/makingitup/
WK1 Weigh-in: 7 small bin bags - filling one third or half of a wheelie bin (fortnightly). Final Fortnight: Approx 5 small  bags worth of rubbish, filling only half the bottom layer of the wheelie bin.  Final Week: 2 small bin bags and some bits of polystyrene.

7.Melanie
Household: 2 adults, 2 children, Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire
WK 1 Weigh-in:  3 large bin bags, almost filling a whole wheelie bin. (weekly).  Final Week: half a bag.

8.Tim @Dotterel
Household: 2 adults, 3 children, Lincolnshire.  www.bringingupcharlie.co.uk
WK 1 Weigh-in: 1 full wheelie bin (fortnightly) Final Fortnight: 3 small bags, filling just the first layer of the bin with room to spare. Final Week:. 5 small bags.

Don't forget, just because the Rubbish Diet challenge 2012 is all over, it doesn't mean that you can't have a go in your own time. It can start whenever you like, just visit the online guide to catch up with everything you need to do and follow the weekly ideas.  And if you want to join in the conversation on Twitter just use the hashtag #therubbishdiet, or tweet @karencannard.  And do keep an eye on the blog over the next weeks, as I will be including an updated list of links and resources that will help you further in your waste-busting ventures.

The Rubbish Diet Challenge 2012 - And you're invited!

Next Monday on 23rd Jan, I am launching the Rubbish Diet Challenge 2012.

And I am inviting you to take part, along with your friends and family and even colleagues at work.

Your mission will be to find ways of slimming your rubbish bin and you will have 8 weeks to do it.  In the final week, if you want to push the limits and create a name for yourself, there's even the chance to attempt a Zero Waste Week.

Rubbish and waste management is still a huge problem in the UK and even though recycling targets and are being increased and often met by local authorities, we still have a long way to go in tackling the wider issue of waste reduction.

I believe that people power is a key component to tackling the country's waste problem.

The Rubbish Diet Challenge aims to empower average households everywhere to do something positive about waste reduction at home or at work, even if it's just taking the opportunity to learn that little bit more about local recycling, tackling food waste or encouraging your council or community to introduce a new recycling bank.

During the next 8 weeks I want to take you on a journey of discovery, and I know I'm going to learn a whole of host of new things myself.

And just with any other diet, there will be regular weigh-ins, starting on Monday, when I will be introducing some of the families, whom I will be personally mentoring over the course of the next couple of months.

But this will not be formulaic. I have no idea of the outcomes, which I confess makes me slightly nervous. At the moment I don't know much about their rubbish, or how low they will go, but I look forward to finding out more as we investigate different lifestyles and recycling issues from all around Suffolk, London, Lincolnshire, Buckinghamshire and even New York City.

So if you want to join in and be part of the conversation, come back on Monday and find out more. In the meantime, if you want to know more about the challenge itself and see what's going to be coming up week-by-week, take a look at the Rubbish Diet Challenge page on this blog, which features links to an online guide to the next eight weeks.

So are you up for it?

I hope so!

And if you want to join in the conversation on Twitter too, tweet @KarenCannard. sharing your results, questions and thoughts, using the hashtag #TheRubbishDiet

________________________________________________________

Background info: The Rubbish Diet Challenge is based on my own experience of taking my local council's Zero Waste Week challenge in 2008.  As a result, our family's household waste reduced from almost a full wheelie bin's worth of rubbish per fortnight to what now is on average one carrier bag's worth per month.  Since then, The Rubbish Diet has been featured in all sorts of places including BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and C4 Dispatches  It also inspired a national Zero Waste Week, which is the creation of Mrs Green over at My Zero Waste.

Disclaimer: If you're looking for picture of a perfectly empty bin, or an all-singing-dancing industry expert, I am not that kind of girl.  I'm simply an average woman, who still battles against her own family's rubbish habits, but who happens to know how to deal with it and has a passion for tickling people into wanting to find out more about theirs.  But I do confess to being a geeky waste groupie and poking my nose into the world of new technologies, meddling with my local council and talking rubbish at conferences.

For more info email: karen[at]therubbishdiet[dot]co.[dot]uk

The Rubbish Diet Challenge, Week 8: Your very own Zero Waste Week

I've shown you mine, so will you show me yours!

At last it's the very week you have been waiting for, or well at least I hope you have.  It may be 36 hours late thanks to all the comings and goings this week, but finally I can present you with your very own guide to help you plan your Zero Waste Week.

But before rushing on with the job in hand, you might want to grab yourself a cup of tea first or -  if you're still up late - a large brandy to settle your nerves.   Because this is no quick memo.  In fact it's packed with more than 13,000 words of advice, links and anecdotes, helping you to plan your Zero Waste Week from start to finish.

It even includes some top tips on working with the media, for those who want to throw an extra spotlight on their challenge to raise the profile of waste awareness in their local communities.  I've also thrown in a few stories of my own to hopefully reassure even the most bashful that having a microphone thrust under one's nose isn't as painful as it might first appear.

But most importantly this week is about enjoying yourself.  I wouldn't want you to live like a hermit all week, tempting as it is as a strategy for avoiding rubbish.  Instead, your Zero Waste Week is all about getting out there and living it up in restaurants, cafes, cinemas and anywhere else you fancy.  All you have to do is just keep an extra eye on the rubbish you might generate whilst you are having all that fun.  And if you're planning a really special occasion, it might be good to read this guide first.  I'd best not say anything else for fear of revealing all its secrets.

Well, I promised you I'd come up with a plan to slim that bin in just 8 weeks, so without further ado, I present to you the finale of your Rubbish Diet Challenge, Your very own zero waste week, with bells on. I'd love to hear how you get on.

So come on...don't be scared, you know you want to really........and good luck to all that do!


http://tinyurl.com/TheRubbishDietWeek8

______________________________________________________________

Day 3: Supporting my neighbours in Essex

Photo courtesy of Essex County Council

Guess what! I've got some news and it is deliciously exciting.

Our neighbours are holding their very own Rubbish Free Week!

Isn't that fabulous.

Not my actual neighbours you understand. I know that would be exciting in itself, but I'm referring to our county neighbours, over the border in Essex.

So while I am battling with my conscience and my well-formed habits to test my rubbish throwing reflexes here in Suffolk, folk all over Essex are trying hard to slim their bins.

Essex County Council, in partnership with district and borough councils, has encouraged almost 600 residents to take part in the challenge to see how far they can cut down on the rubbish they produce for a week.

And the question they're asking residents everywhere is

"Can you go for one week without throwing anything in your bin?"

Yee-ah, what a challenge! We know what that's like don't we?

But hang on a minute. Where does that leave me?

I'm already struggling with my heavily embedded "do not make any rubbish" routine and seeing if I can go back to my trash-chucking ways this week. It's been bad enough with all the thinking I've been doing about landfill as well as discussing reducing, reusing and recycling.

Now there's even more pressure.

How can I even contemplate popping a yoghurt pot in the black bin after communications from elsewhere in the region?

I think it's a sign don't you?

So rapidly moving away from my own little bin - which by the way still only has a Weetabix wrapper resting in it so far - Essex waste attackers may be interested to know that Tesco are supporting the Rubbish Free Week and are providing information at their stores in Harlow, Basildon, Pitsea, Chelmsford (Princes Rd), Colchester (Extra at Highwoods) and Clacton.

And if there are any residents reading this blog from Harlow, Basildon or Pitsea, do go and have a gander at your local Tesco this week to try out their new automated recycling machines.

So please join me in wishing Essex residents loads of luck in the latest zero waste challenge.

The Essex Rubbish Free Week ends this Sunday 15th March. More information can be found at: www.recycleforessex.co.uk

______________________________________________________
Photo credits: Tracey Chapman, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste; and Janette Potter, Chelmsford Borough Council Cabinet Member for Environment & Waste, with their reusable bags. Helped out by sales assistant Milo Patrick on the Fowlers & Jezard fruit and veg stall.
___________________________________________________________________

Reflecting the challenge

I'm in a real reflective mood today, thinking about this time last year, when I was on the blower to Kate from the council in a bit of a panic.

I'd got myself all het up over plastic bags. Not just carrier bags, but grape bags, bread bags and frozen peas packaging. I realised these had still been bunging up my black bin and I needed to find a solution, but Kate verbally soothed my brow and reassured me I could recycle them at the local supermarket or even our nearest HWRC (household waste recycling centre).

I can't believe I got myself into such a lather back then, but the pressure was on. There was one more week until Zero Waste Week and I was determined to give it my best shot to really see how low we could go. I'd even swapped my bins around, using my 50l stainless steel Brabantia to guard the recycling while my teeny tiny recycling bin took over its roll as the new dustbin.

I had also started eeking out the toothpaste, for fear that I'd have to chuck out the empty tube during the big week itself, and instead of filling the whole toothbrush head, I reduced the amount to the pea size as recommended by the manufacturers. We'd also started reusing things, stuff like polystyrene, which would normally end up in the bin.

Before doing the zero waste challenge, I felt I did my bit for recycling but I'd always been bugged by the Reduce, Reuse and Recycle mantra. Every time I'd read or indeed heard someone speak about the 3 R's I'd wanted to poke them in the ear with a stick or run off into the distance with my hands over my ears singing la,la,la,la, Boring la,la,la,la,la.

Somehow it all felt like a virtual straightjacket that would spoil my fun. And God help anyone who threw me some extra Rs, such as Refuse, Rethink or indeed Repair.

You can tell I was in denial at the start of the challenge because when I realised what I needed to embrace, I handed the job over to a YouTube video set to the the 3Rs by Jack Johnson. Like whispering the name Voldemort in the Harry Potter tales, I didn't dare say the words myself. My only contribution was a brief statement in the vain of "I don't think I need to spell out the basics, as there are enough organisations out there who already do this".

And I meant it. I didn't want get on the bandwagon.

How I now cringe at my attitude and if my name was Rodney, I'd have Del Boy poking a stick in my ear calling me a right Plonker!

Twelve months on I feel I've now grown up and have recognised the real importance of Reducing and Reusing and even Repairing before you can even embark on the final step of recycling. I've also done my fair share of rethinking and refusing. How far things have come eh!

And I've learned that it's not about spoiling fun or taking away choices. In a way we have more choice and have saved ourselves a right load of cash in the process, for example we've paid for the Eglu with the money we've saved on our shopping each week.

So as I prepare for the anniversary of my Zero Waste Week, I've finally got over myself. I am now ready to blog about the relevance of reducing, reusing and recycling and am getting really excited about uncovering some fine examples this week.

The problem is though, with my new way of thinking....or should I call it rethinking....next week's Maximum Waste Week challenge is getting me more in a tizz than Zero Waste Week ever did.

It's a good job I'm doing it to raise money for Comic Relief or I might just back out.

So while I go and plan my campaign and try to calm myself down, I think it's time to hand over to Jack Johnson again, for him to share his magic words. Now don't put your hands over your ears and sing la,la,la will you? If like me, you too are in denial, you'll find this the perfect introduction.




_____________________________________________________________

A zero waste lifestyle in a nutshell

THE RUBBISH DIET - EIGHT SIMPLE STEPS TO SLIM YOUR BIN

If you're keen to reduce your household waste but don't know where to start, why not consider the quick start guide below and follow your very own Rubbish Diet plan. Just remember to regularly weigh-in and watch that bin get slimmer by the week.

STEP 1: Set the date! Find an appropriate date when you will take part in your very own Zero Waste Week. During that week your challenge will be to avoid buying or throwing away anything that can't be composted or recycled. A week with zero waste to landfill! Just make sure you've got about 8 weeks to prepare for your challenge. The longer you've got, the easier it will be. And tell your friends, so you can gather support. You could use your efforts to fundraise for a good cause, such as Comic Relief in March. It'll be a lot easier than running a marathon and more pleasant than sitting in a bath of baked beans and you're guaranteed a few laughs while you're at it.

STEP 2: Weigh in! Eight weeks before your Zero Waste Week starts, measure your weekly\fortnightly landfill waste so you get a real understanding of what you're up against and how badly you need to slim that bin! Estimate the cubic litres (based on the size of your bin) or put your rubbish on the weighing scales. Just be consistent as you'll need to weigh-in every Bin Day to measure your progress and keep motivated towards your goal.

STEP 3: Analyse your rubbish! Look at what you throw away and work out the greatest offenders as a percentage of your waste. Then tackle them one by one.

STEP 4: Do your research! Even if you're confident about what can be recycled in your area, phone your council for the latest information on kerbside facilities, recycling centres or bring-banks. If you prefer using the Internet look up the details at www.recyclenow.com.

STEP 5: Revamp your recycling system! You'll need a system that is convenient and easy to use. An excellent range of sorting bins is available at www.homerecycling.co.uk, but if money is tight, you can create a well-organised solution with just boxes and bags.

STEP 6: Remember to recycle everything you can! Get to know your recycling labels and scour the shelves for products where the packaging can be easily recycled in your area. Swap products that can't be recycled for those that can or find packaging that can easily biodegrade in your compost bin. Remember that polythene bags can be reused and when they wear out, most supermarkets will take them off your hands. TetraPak now has a carton recycling point in many areas of the UK as do Brita for the collection of its water cartridges. Drop things off on the way to work, share a rota with friends and neighbours, or swap items with family. Reuse what can't be recycled.

STEP 7. Reduce everything else! Try some of the following ideas that can be incorporated into your daily lifestyle and watch your rubbish gradually disappear. Take each idea one step at a time and you'll have a slimmer bin in no time at all.

• Break free from Junk Mail! Cancel your catalogues, telephone directories and junk mail. For top tips, visit www.stopjunkmail.org.uk.

• Shop with waste in mind! Avoid packaging and buy loose where possible. Onya Weigh Bags are great for bagging up loose fruit and veg. Take your own containers for meat and dairy products and if you're in London, make a trip to Unpackaged, which sells packaging-free produce. Lush sells unpackaged toiletries including shampoo bars, butter bars and deodorants. When going shopping remember your own bags, baskets or trolley bag and don't forget to buy recycled products to help drive the demand for recyclates back into a closed loop economy. With resources piling up in warehouses this is more important than ever before.
  

• Think reusable and refillable! When it comes to toiletries or cleaning products, look for things that can be refilled or reused. Microfibre cloths use water and don't need chemicals at all. Eco balls are great for cutting down the laundry bills and for cleaning products try the Wiggly Wigglers refillable Ecover service, which it offers by post. Think about ditching disposable sanitary products for washable ones and if you're looking for refillable cosmetics, try Naturisimo, which offers a great range of lipstick, mascara and powder refills. For the office, consider refilling your printer cartridges. Regular visits to Cartridge World could make you a huge saving.
  

• Become an experimental cook! Turn your kitchen into a science lab and set yourself some mini-challenges. Try your hands at bread, pasta, pastry, jam or even yogurt. With a little practice. they're all easier than you'd expect and just take time and a new routine and it will help ditch more packaging, even if it's once in a while. Take lessons at your local college and you'll soon be proficient. Londoners can also drop into Just Fresh Pasta for tips on how to pick up a few Italian skills and if you live in Somerset book up with the Magdalen Project to take part in one of Tracey Smith's breadmaking courses (I've heard she's very good).
  

• Grow your own food! Even if it's a pot of herbs on your windowsill, that's fewer plastic packets heading for landfill! For instant garden packs try Natural Collection, Rocket Gardens or The Kitchen Garden Company and for an alternative to the plastic pot plant check out Hairy Pot Plants.
  

• Reduce your food waste! Food waste left to rot in landfill generates methane, a greenhouse gas that is 23% more powerful than carbon dioxide. So work on cutting down your food waste. If convenient, shop more regularly and buy less food. Cook with friends and use up leftovers. Then freeze portions for another day. See www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for lots of inspiration.

• Compost it! Even if you've just got a few containers, home composting is a great way of recycling your kitchen scraps into something nutritious for your plants. If you haven't got much space think about a wormery. And there's always a bokashi bin, which accepts fish and meat, then after a few weeks the contents can be added to your compost bin, wormery or dug into the ground. Another solution is the Green Cone, a food digester.
  

• Plan it! Remember a zero waste lifestyle also applies when you're out and about. So buy coffee in reusable cups and take a lunch-box to work. Plan a zero waste picnic without clingfilm or foil and use reusable containers instead.

• Repair it! Don't just throw something away if it's broken. Take your shoes to the cobblers, your clothes to a tailor or get an electrician to fix your gadgets. And if it's spares you need for your electricals, visit the online shop at espares.

• Exchange it! Even if it's broken don't just dump it, give it away through exchange communities such as Freecycle or LETS bartering groups. Or if you need a few bucks, sell it at a boot fair or on eBay. Just be honest about its condition. Of course, there are always a whole host of charity shops that could do with your well cared-for goods in good condition.
  

• Go Virtual! Avoid physical clutter by going digital. Read your newspaper online or download your favourite magazines at Magazinesondemand and Zinio.com. Listen to books at Audible.com or buy ebooks instead. Ditch CDs for digital downloads on itunes, emusic or napster. Or if you can cope with adverts try Accuradio for free. Find films on Sky or Freeview or download movies on demand from BT or Tesco's new digital service. For those who enjoy PC games, dump the CD for downloads at Steam. And if you really don't fancy the virtual option, there's always your local library.
  

• Go Rechargeable! Swap your disposable batteries for rechargeable ones and buy rechargable gadgets instead. For inspiration visit the Centre for Alternative Technology and check out their online shop as well as Natural Collection and Nigel's Eco Store.

• Give Recycled Gifts! Buying recycled gifts may not directly reduce the size of your dustbin, but it helps keep materials out of landfill. And there are so many different products available there is something for everyone's taste. For hand-crafted gifts try Eco Emporia and for a wonderful stationary range and some really funky chickens take a peek at Love Eco. EcoCentric also offers many a stylish gift for your delectation. And if you still can't find what you're looking for, lots more ideas can be found at the Recycled Products Guide.
  

STEP 8: Finally enjoy your Zero Waste Week with ease! With so many things to think about, your Zero Waste Week will arrive before you know it. But if you've reduced your packaging, recycled what you've bought and composted your organic waste, you should find it much easier than you could have ever imagined. Just remember to weigh-in before you start and then once again at the end of the week. Then celebrate your successes in style. And if you've got some plastic bags, yogurt pots, or bottle tops that can't be recycled locally, send them to the recycling angels at Polyprint and Impact Recycling.

By resolving to reduce your rubbish, you'll be joining a popular trend. For inspiration visit My zero waste, Aiming-low, Zero Waist, jrzerowastechallenge and Home Zero Waste. There are also loads of other links in the sidebar that will give you plenty of options to consider.

And as for life thereafter. Well, there's one thing that can be guaranteed...it will never be the same again....for you or indeed your bin.

[*Edits - this post was originally published in December 2008 and has been edited to remove the Christmas context as it can be applied to any time of the year]

_______________________________________________________

Just Gai's Zero Waste Challenge

It may seem like a Tale of Two Cities, yesterday Bath and today Bristol, but I am very pleased to venture over the border into my husband's home city to discover how blogger Just Gai got on with her Zero Waste Week, which was organised by Bristol City Council.

Having already been fairly green for a while, Just Gai and her family of four were initially inspired by the Rubbish Diet and Mrs Green’s Zero Waste Challenge. She had even been considering setting up her own independent challenge. However she admits that it might never have happened if she hadn't seen an advert for Bristol’s Zero Waste Challenge Week in a local magazine. The advert was the impetus she needed and was perfectly timed to give her a few weeks’ practice before the real thing.

Even though Bristol's main event was last week in the form of Zero Waste Challenge Week, her own challenge actually started just over four weeks ago, when she began blogging about her experiences over at www.zerowaist.blogspot.com.

I am delighted that Just Gai allowed me to interview her to uncover more about what she did and how she did it. So, please sit back and relax, while Just Gai and I talk rubbish!


How much waste did you regularly throw out before you started your Zero Waist blog 4 weeks ago?

Approximately one swing bin liner a week.


How does this compare to the amount you threw away during the week before the Zero Waste Challenge Week?

The week before the challenge I threw away 135g of waste, which was about the equivalent of a 1\4 of a carrier bag.


That's a huge difference and in just three weeks. What recycling facilities did you have at your disposal?

In addition to our fortnightly regular bin collection we have a weekly kerbside collection of our black recycling box and brown kitchen waste bucket. We are able to recycle paper, cardboard, glass, tins, aluminium foil, batteries, spectacles, clothes, shoes etc in the black box and raw and cooked food waste in the brown bucket. Plastic bottles and drinks cartons are not collected but can be recycled in bins in our local supermarket car parks. I also have a compost bin and a wormery.


What has been the hardest part of the challenge?

Being organised enough to avoid having to make wasteful purchases. I tend to live from day to day, often picking up food on my way home from work. This is alright if I can get to my local shops but not if I have to resort to my nearest supermarket where almost everything is wrapped in layers of plastic.


What was easier than you thought?

I decided to ask local shopkeepers to place items such as meat, fish, olives etc directly into my plastic containers rather than in a plastic bag. I was afraid they would refuse to do so or, even worse, not take me seriously, but I needn’t have worried because, in the event, they were all very happy to oblige, even in my local supermarket.


Do you think it has been easier or harder living in a city, or did it make very little difference?

Never having lived in the country I am not qualified to answer this question but I would imagine, perhaps incorrectly, that a city council would be able to offer a wider range of recycling facilities than a rural one. Also, unless the rural community was able to offer a variety of local shops, which is increasingly unlikely, then residents might be forced to use neighbouring supermarkets, which are generally more wasteful.


Do you think that blogging about your experiences made a difference to how you tackled the challenge?

It was your blog and that of Mrs Green that set me on this path and posting my experiences on Zero Waist helped me concentrate my thoughts and inform my actions during the run up to and the challenge week itself. It was also the means by which I was featured in Bristol’s Evening Post which enabled me to reach a wider audience. I was encouraged by the comments and support I received from those who read my blog and were kind enough to leave comments. Blogs are useful vehicles for exchanging information and useful tips. They put a human face on what can be a rather depressing subject.


How do you think the challenge will impact on family life from now on?

I will never be able to shop again without giving as much consideration to the outside of a product as to what’s inside. Which is not to say that I will never buy anything wrapped in plastic again. However, when I do, it will be because there is no viable alternative. My family were very supportive of my challenge and, with the exception of the odd packet of sherbet and bag of crisps, went without many of their favourite foods. I am acutely aware of the danger of forcing the issue with teenagers, but I hope that my daughters (aged 14 and 16) appreciated what I was trying to achieve and that, even if not immediately, it will have a positive influence on their lifestyle in the future.


How would you encourage others to have a go at a Zero Waste challenge?

I would urge them to give it a go. I relish a challenge and so I had to go for broke. To those who are less foolhardy than myself, I would suggest that they start with one thing and wait until they are comfortable with it before moving on to another. Investing in a reuseable shopping bag to avoid plastic carriers is as good a place to begin as any.


From reading your blog, it is evident that after a "shaky" start, you managed a number of consecutive Zero Waste days, when nothing went in your bin at all. I am sure readers will be keen to find out what you had in the bin at the end of the week. Can you show us?

At the end of Zero Waste Week I threw away 5g of waste, comprising 2 pieces of plastic tape and 5 plastic labels and a metal seal from a string of chorizo sausages.





And what amazing results too, just a tiny amount of plastic that can easily fit into the palm of her hand.

As you know, I'm getting to like poking my nose in other people's rubbish and I am truly grateful that Just Gai obliged and something tells me her swing bin could be looking for new accommodation.

But seriously what will happen now? On her blog Just Gai acknowledges that she won't be able to keep this up on a permanent basis as there are too many essentials that her family just can't live without such as pasta, couscous and pitta bread, all of which are packaged in unrecyclable plastic. However she plans to carry on taking her containers to the shops, will recycle all plastic bags and will continue to bake more.

The other great news is that even though the challenge is over, Just Gai hopes she will continue to blog about various waste issues from time to time over at her Zerowaist blog.

So while I'm cracking open the champagne to celebrate her hard work and resounding success, please do keep popping by her blog to see how she's getting on. If she's not around, try her other excellent blog, which can be found at www.justgai.blogspot.com.

_______________________________________________________

Is Zero Waste coming to your area?

Today marks the beginning of Zero Waste Week in North Somerset, Bath & NE Somerset and South Gloucestershire and Bristol.

Just Gai, who is based in Bristol, has signed up for the challenge and is busy blogging about her experience over at zerowaist.blogspot.com. She's doing brilliantly so do visit to see how she gets on this week.

However not everyone is celebrating such challenges, particularly the Conservatives who have allegedly criticised councils' plans. Indeed Eric Pickles, the shadow local government secretary, was quoted in the Telegraph as saying:

"We are entering a brave new world of fortnightly rubbish collections that we all know is going to fuel a surge in fly-tipping and backyard burning. This is not a responsible or practical way of encouraging recycling but merely a cleverly disguised form of propaganda attempting to peddle the benefits of fortnightly rubbish collections for town halls. This is bureaucratic convenience, without any public benefit."

I'm not into politics but I would have thought the Tories would have been happy to have less waste to deal with when they finally take over the reins of government, whenever that might be.

Personally I've been happy with fortnightly collections for nearly 5 years. I'd rather this option than have my council tax go up to cope with weekly collections. I'm also happy to have gained new knowledge of how I can reduce the rubbish we create. I really feel like I've broken out from the system and am now using my own free will and choice, regardless of what collection arrangements the local authority has in place.

Anyway, I don't think we should let anyone spoil the party, whatever their politics, especially as there are lots more Zero Waste events coming up. Over the next few months the idea of waste reduction is also being promoted in Cornwall, Norfolk, North London and Gloucestershire. So if an event is happening near you, then please join in. The key dates are:

4 - 12 Oct 2008: Watch Your Waste Week - North London
20-26 October 2008: Zero Waste Week - Cornwall County Council
27 Oct - 2 Nov 2008: No Waste Week - Norfolk County Council
26 Jan - 1 Feb 2009: Zero Waste Challenge Week - Gloucestershire county Council

And if anyone needs any extra convincing about the long lasting effects of participating in zero waste activities, pop by later this week when I will be chatting to a family that took part in Bath and North East Somerset's original challenge two years ago.

______________________________________________________

Life after Zero Waste Week: 6 months on

Look what came through the post this morning.

A plastic sellotape reel, in a re-used envelope, with a message that read "Don't say I never give you anything" on a card decorated with pretty flowers.

What a lovely piece of mail to arrive through my letter box on what is the 6th month anniversary of the start of my Zero Waste Week challenge.

Even regular readers are now probably thinking I've definitely lost it, you know in a sandwich short of a picnic kind of a way. But honestly I haven't because this little pressie was from Mrs Green, who suddenly ran out of sellotape during her recent Zero Waste Week. When I heard the news I was hit by a bright idea.

I'd received an email from the wonderful artist Fran Crowe at www.flyintheface.com, to collect some of my rubbish for her latest project. So I thought this would be a fitting solution for Mrs Green's dilemma. So now that it's arrived, I will dutifully add the plastic reel to my shoebox of other rogue items, which include Mr A's vitamin blister packs, the packet of Quavers that I indulged in yesterday as well as a dodgy old slipper. (more on that later).

The other fabulous news that I discovered today is that my lovely friend Tracey Smith's book The Book of Rubbish Ideas is finally out in the shops. So you can at last go and buy your copy, hooray. It's what I call the perfect zero waste present for your friends, family and colleagues.

What a great end to a wonderful day.

I can safely say I am truly amazed how a zero waste challenge has changed family life since I signed up for it back in January.

Here are a few examples.

Then: 6 huge bin bags, approximately 300 cubic litres of waste was the amount we used to throw away in an average month. I used to stuff our bin bags so full that it was almost impossible to pull out from the kitchen bin. It was so heavy that it was Mr A's job to put the rubbish out.

Now: 1 small carrier bag worth of rubbish is what we now throw out every 4 weeks. Sometimes it takes 6 weeks to fill with sweetie wrappers, crisp wrappers, small amounts of leftover cat food and the odd broken toy. Mr A never puts the bins out anymore. It is my job and as we hardly use our black wheelie bin, it's now tucked up in the garage and shows its face only every couple of months when we've used cat litter.

Then: I used to recycle because I knew I should and followed the rules accordingly, but never really thought about the effect of rubbish on the environment. I was sometimes lazy and hardly ever thought about what could be recycled beyond the doorstep collection.

Now: Not only am I now aware of the environmental effect of residual waste buried in landfill, but it deeply concerns me, which is why I continue to buy so few items with packaging that can't be composted or recycled and feel so committed to spreading the message.

Then: I used Clingfilm like there was no tomorrow

Now: I have stopped using clingfilm and now use sealed containers, because there is a tomorrow.

Then: I used to throw the odd used slipper in the rubbish bin, not caring that it would end up in landfill

Now: Having found the other slipper, I wash it and save it in the hope that I'll find someone with one foot who might need just one slipper. Then after eight months feel the relief that I can hand it over for an art project.

Then: My children never really understood the concept of food waste or recycling.

Now: They now understand the message and what a Bokashi is for. My eldest understands recycling so much that if he sees the bin has so little in it, he just tells me I'm crap at recycling and I should do better.

Then: Grocery shopping was a burden, once a week in the supermarket.

Now: Grocery shopping is a pleasure, shopping as I go, picking up most of what I need from local shops and the market. I now enjoy the infrequent visits to the supermarket.

Then: I used to be a shopaholic. Spending lots of money on clothes and accessories that I admired in the shops.

Now: Now I can look and not buy, enjoying the moment of denial instead.

Then: Mr A would give me a disappointing look when I came home with a new handbag.

Now: Mr A gives me a bemused look, if I come home with another reusable bag.

Then: He would bring home shopping in plastic carrier bags.

Now: He has learned to juggle.

Then: I had friends.

Now: I also have rubbish friends.

Yes rubbish friends who I never even knew eight months ago, who now entertain my witterings whether they share the same enthusiasm about rubbish, or are just simply bemused.

So after rabbiting on for all these months, throwing the odd party here and there, I would like to thank everyone for sticking around and reassuring me that I'm not as mad as a hatter, especially those who have taken up the challenge, including Mrs Green, Jo Beaufoix and Ruby.

Most of all, I would like to thank everyone who has taken on the odd idea, shared ideas, spread the word and who might now be inspired to have a go at Zero Waste. The latest news is that Just Gai is going to give it a go to support her council in Bristol and has a new blog here. So please go and support her.

And while you bury your head in Tracey's new book, I'm taking myself off to a remote cave to bury my head in mine.

So carry on enjoying yourselves, don't be naughty and remember to wash out your yoghurt pots and if you're up for some fun, don't forget to send a contribution to the Carnival of Trash, which this month is being hosted by Beth over at Fake Plastic Fish.

______________________________________________________

It's time to celebrate

Guess what! There's one hell of a party going down today. And it's happening right here, right now! And the mood is one of huge celebration. So get your party shoes on and please join in.

Yes folks, today we are celebrating the end of Mr & Mrs Green's Zero Waste Week over at MyZeroWaste.com. They were a little shy back in May when I challenged them to slim their bin, but no sooner had I booted up the laptop the next day, they confirmed they were committed and ready to give it a go.

And wow, what a success story it's been and after three months of preparation they've finally completed a Zero Waste Week challenge. The latest news is, they've succeeded and word has it their bin is the slimmest it's ever been, but you'll have to pop over to see her to discover how little they've thrown away. It should be announced on their site some time this evening.

So after a whirl of a week, I caught up with the lovely Mrs Green this morning to find out how she feels after the family's ultimate rubbish challenge, and this is what she had to say.


"Despite three months of preparation, this week bought with it new learnings and new issues to face. People are asking us 'what next?' believing we have reached the ultimate place, but there will be so much more, because this week has shown us that there are ever increasing levels of awareness."

"I almost feel now that the zero waste week challenge was the first step, not the last step. The next steps are speaking to manufacturers and spreading the word as much as we can so that the ripple effect can take place even more and bigger changes can occur."

"We would advise anyone to have a go at this. We have learned so much, and, if you take it at your own pace, and make targets that are within your comfort zone, you can make lasting change. That is what this week has been about for us - creating lasting change."


I can vouch for that Mrs Green, because this week marks the 6th month anniversary of my very own Zero Waste Week, which took place in March. It was the beginning of a major change in my life too, but more on that later...

Because, it's time to get on with the party.

It's time to celebrate the efforts of the Green family and everyone who has made pledges on their site.

And I've found the perfect video that I would like to dedicate to everyone out there who is committed to making an effort to reduce their rubbish and a take a break from creating unnecessary waste.

You could even call it a holiday from being held ransom to your bin! Eh, that's it. That's just what a Zero Waste Week really is. It's a rubbish holiday, where you simply pack up your bin bags and enjoy one less hassle in life.

So what are we waiting for?

Get up off your chair, turn up the volume and get copying these classic moves and grooves! If you're over forty, it'll get your circulation going if nothing else!

A date to remember

As I settle down with a glass of wine, I know today will be a date to remember.

Yes, 1 September 2008, a date which I hope will go down in history, representing a time when people all over the country, indeed the world, got together to celebrate one family's Zero Waste Week challenge.

What's new about that you might say. I've done it, others have done it...so what's special this time?

Before I answer that question, I'm going to savour another sip of wine, a cheeky little Rosé number by the way, a 2007 Côtes de Provence. Mr A calls this my Ronnie Corbett moment, interspersed with a touch of Harry Hill, finding myself going completely off subject several times over before finally going back to the topic.

So, back to the topic of the one family that I would truly like to applaud today and spend some special time with. Of course it's none other than Mr and Mrs Green over at MyZeroWaste.com, who are starting their Zero Waste Week today.

What's different about these guys is that, unlike me, they didn't wait around for a council initiative to come tapping on their door to give it ago. I know, I know, it was me who rang their virtual doorbell, but that doesn't matter in the great scheme of things. What's important is where I was accompanied by 180 people dotted all over St Edmundsbury having a go at a ZWW challenge, Mr and Mrs Green are on their own over in The Forest of Dean...

...or so we might think.

They may be tucked up on a windy night in their little village, but by no means are they on their own....I've just had a peek and if my maths is up to scratch they have 107 people who have already made pledges of support, with promises to give up this, recycle that or try something new for their Zero Waste Week.

I made my very own pledge last week, to give up my recent frenzy for Quavers crisps, a habit that's developed over the last few months. Yes I know crisp packets can't be recycled, so if you're on a Zero Waste diet they shouldn't be entertained, but you know, I have my foibles, which is why they were a perfect pledge.

With Mr & Mrs G having had a fantastic start, including a flirtation with the local media, I am confident that we are the brink of social change, as more and more people make small changes to reduce their rubbish. That's right small changes are all that's needed to help make a huge difference.

And talking about change, I've got to scoot to get ready for the first day back at school and my youngest's very first day in class, a more personal date to remember. So I'll be back later this week to tell you more about those innocent looking crisp packets and what life is really like six months on from my own Zero Waste Week back in March.


_______________________________________________________

Souvenirs of London

Last week Mr A gave me one of his looks. He was in the middle of planning for his Open University seminar on Saturday, while I was planning a treat for me and the kids.

He lifted his eyes from his computer, glanced in my direction with that look, the one that comes with semi-disapproval mixed with disbelief.

"Are you mad?" he said.

Followed by.

"I can't believe...

you're taking the boys...

.... single-handedly to London!"

Yes LONDON

I suppose, the fact I struggle to cope with taking the children anywhere single-handedly added to the element of surprise.

"Why on earth London?" He asked, trying to get to the bottom of it all. After all, the journey isn't the most straightforward, involving two train rides with a very prompt changeover in Cambridge.

I'm not quite sure whether I reassured him.

"I'm off to see the Baglady," I said.

"So, you're going to take the kids to London to see a baglady". By now he was getting a tad concerned.

I can't blame him really. I have been demonstrating bouts of odd behaviour of late. He's still bemused that two weeks ago I navigated through Essex despite the fact my car has hardly experienced life outside of Bury St Edmunds.

Anyway he needn't worry.

I'm perfectly sane.

And it wasn't any old baglady I was off to see, it was THE Baglady, my friend Shirley, from Northern Ireland, who was in London, making her West End debut.

And here she is, the fabulous Baglady herself, parading her gorgeous outfit in Trafalgar Square.



After a couple of months of phone-chat and emails, it was a true delight to meet her properly and after a quick interview for her TV channel GLO TV, I stood back and watched her interact with passers-by. With a background in journalism, she's a true natural and it was a real pleasure witnessing how people came up to her to chat about rubbish, offering their commitment to support measures for ending world waste.

Regrettably we had to part company after a very brief meeting. While Baglady wandered off to Buckingham Palace, the boys and I followed our noses in the direction of a kids' art workshop.




And on a very hot day in the middle of Trafalgar Square ... we sat and made a couple of cardboard buses, which were duly placed on a newspaper map of the capital city itself.




Of course the boys insisted we brought the buses home. So after getting the 91 bus back to Kings Cross, the train to Cambridge and the second train back to Bury St Edmunds, to Mr A's relief, we arrived safely ...

...with our very unusual souvenirs completely intact.



So a grand day was had by all, the last fling of Summer before going Back to School.

Yes the first week of September is a biggie. Not only are the kids going back go school, but it's the start of the Big Tidy Up to Keep Britain Tidy.

And what fantastic timing eh! Couldn't be better. Not only is Baglady talking about Ending World Waste this Monday at Stanfords in Covent Garden, but Mrs Green is embarking on her inaugural Zero Waste Week at MyZeroWaste.com.

So whatever you're doing and wherever you are, please find a few minutes to pick up some litter, recycle it if possible, drop into Stanfords and pop over to support Mrs Green.

With so much to do, there's only one thing left to remember...

I mustn't forget to pick the kids up from school!

SIGH - no wonder Mr A was anxious about London. Who could blame him eh?

___________________________________________________