Fruit Juice News (plus more)

Ha Ha Ha...do you remember when I first started The Rubbish Diet, I proclaimed that I would ditch fruit juice that came in Tetra Paks in favour of "juicing on demand".

My new proposition was to change my shopping habits and buy fresh fruit instead.

The aim was to reduce the amount of waxed packaging because it couldn't be recycled at home and we had got into the habit of throwing them in the black bin. Since going for Zero Waste, Mr A has done a brilliant job of taking the remaining cartons to the local collection point, but it is a tad inconvenient.

... and so, (I've discovered), is juicing...

Which is why I still have the UK's grapefruit mountain sitting in my fruit bowl, where they have remained for about three weeks!

But don't worry because there was always Plan B, which my dear friends, has come in the form of our milkman.

About two weeks ago I received a free bottle of orange juice with my morning's milk delivery. We've had them before, but I've never really been able to take to what looks like a bottle of orange milk. Somehow it looks all wrong.

But now, thanks to the need for desperate measures, I have become grateful that this facility is available and it is effortless.

All I needed to do was tick the order form that the milkman had left and hey presto we had juice on our doorstep the following day.

I love the fact that glass milk bottles are still used for doorstep deliveries. It is such a British Institution. If truth be known, it would be easier for me to order 2 pint plastic cartons, as they can be stored more conveniently in my fridge. But how could I say no to these lovely bottles that can be simply washed out and used again.

There is interesting news on the milk bottle front, in that WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is supporting Dairy Crest (the delivery company that I use) in its programme to research, design and produce a handle-free plastic milk bottle. The aim is to reduce packaging waste from UK milk sales by 5,000 tonnes each year.

Apparently the milk industry is reported to generate at least 130,000 tonnes of plastic packaging waste per annum. At worst, the guesstimate is 150,000 tonnes. That's one hell of a lot of milk, six billion litres in fact. At least when this new standard is in place it will mean a 10% reduction in weight per bottle

But I don't really need to worry my little head about plastic bottles, not as long as I continue to use the glass variety.

Anyway, I think that I might have become my milkman's favourite customer, I've also ordered a fruit and veg box, which can be delivered every weekend. There'll be more on that another time.

......in the meantime, I'd better go and find that little foil ball...I've got a few more bottle tops to add before it hits the recycling bin.

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