Making Progress #3

You've heard the age-old expression...

"Time flies when you're having fun"

And so it does.

For all those who've been with me since the beginning, can you believe that it's been nearly six weeks already? Yes SIX WHOLE WEEKS!

That's 40 days and almost 40 nights of talking RUBBISH. It sounds very similar to the duration of Lent, except that what I have given up during this period has been so much easier than suffering withdrawal symptoms from chocolate or wine.

Anyway It's FRIDAY AGAIN and regular readers will know that every Friday before bin-day I love to have a peek inside the black bin, tempting you to come back for the update on Sunday. If you could just see how little rubbish there is today, you will kick yourself if you don't come back and look at the evidence in a couple of days time.

Because...THERE IS HARDLY ANYTHING THERE!

...well hardly anything by comparison to what I used to throw out just a few weeks ago.

The Bokashi system that came from Wiggly Wigglers has made a huge impact in vanquishing food waste from the bin. I've also managed to discover a few new personal care and toiletry products, which have also helped to reduce packaging.

I promise, I will blog about this soon...but if there are any guys looking in, you might want to close your eyes, because I WILL be talking about sanitary products.

And of course I shouldn't forget my remarkable visit to the butchers or indeed the milkman paying his regular visit and leaving a few extras along the way. After all this time, I now know what to do with the little things that he doesn't take away. Yes it's the little foil tops, which I now know can be rolled into balls to put into the recycling bins.

There have been other exciting things happening. This time it's really big ... and I don't just mean the visits I've received from the Houses of Parliament or The Audit Commission! I'm not sure whether I should have mentioned that, but eh rubbish is such a huge issue for both them and me, I am happy for anyone to drop by.

I've got some exciting news that I am itching to share. If you haven't heard about it on the grapevine already, come back next week, when I'll have more info.

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Making Progress #2

I know there are a few days to go until the bin is put out for collection, but I am feeling pretty confident that by Sunday evening the black bin waste will be limited to just one bag, which includes some rubbish that was still hanging around in our kitchen bin the weekend before the last collection.

We've made a few changes, which have had a great impact on working towards Zero Waste.

Firstly, I have turned to baking bread (or rather, bunging ingredients into my faithful breadmaker) and have been enjoying waking up to the smell of fresh bread each morning. This has already made a difference because it has reduced the number of bread bags that we put in the black bin. If we've gone a day without bread-making, I now supplement with a fresh loaf sourced on my travels.



The arrival of the wormery has made a huge impact as we've been able to easily discard spare rice, pasta and bread, which would have otherwise gone into the black bin. The worms have now settled in and when I looked in on them yesterday they seemed to be quite busy working through the layer of food that we've added this week. We have had to be quite careful with the amount of food that we've put in and for the moment we can't add more than one layer. So it is a good job I am still being conscious of portion sizes and trying to reduce the amount of food cooked.


With a full wormery, we have been making continued use of our compost bin, However, it looks like next week might present a challenge, as even the compost bin is looking a bit overwhelmed at the moment.


I have also been busy cancelling junk mail that comes through the door. Even though it doesn't have an immediate impact on the black bin, it will help the overall reduction in waste. As well as cancelling the catalogues that have been sent by a couple of companies (in the hope of getting another order) I have also contacted Royal Mail to request that they stop delivering the leaflets and other unsolicited marketing bumph that normally gets pushed through the door.


Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert, provides some excellent advice on cancelling junk mail, including ways of reducing unsolicited calls and emails etc.

Things are still going well on the shopping front. However, having placed an online order from Waitrose, requesting produce to be placed in PAPER bags, I was a bit gutted when my shopping turned up with all the fruit and vegetables packaged in the flimsy plastic kind (including the grapefruit).

However, since then I've been picking fruit and vegetables while I have been out-and-about. My favourite shop so far is definitely the Aldeburgh Market shop, which is located on the high street of the lovely coastal town in Suffolk. It's the first high-street greengrocers that I have seen for a long time and is a real treat.


By the way, for anyone who still might be thinking that this is an impossible challenge, you may (like me) be encouraged by the progress of other families. Check out this link, which features the Brosnan family from Bath, who attempted the very same challenge back in 2006 and during their Zero Waste Week managed to limit their refuse to just a yoghurt pot, toothbrush and some plastic wrapping.

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Making Progress

Having made a really good start with The Rubbish Diet, I have spent this week trying to eek out the food, avoid any form of packaging and protect the bin from suffering any form of contact with Mr A and the almost average juniors.

The Zero Waste challenge is beginning to feel like a real diet, where there is always the benefit of eating a lot less and exercising a lot more for those few days just before the weekly weigh-in, but that's where the similarity ends....I draw the line at jogging around the estate with my black bin in tow. It's mad enough just having a blog about rubbish. What would people think!

Anyway, it's going very well and I am encouraged by the progress even though I won't really see the fruits of our labours until bin collection day on Monday. So, between now and then, I am even more determined to keep on track and have focused again on my shopping habits.

I have made further inroads since I first discussed the topic of shopping last week and have reassessed our use of my favourite supermarket, where I shop weekly either in person or online.

This week I have avoided doing the typical weekly shop. Instead, I took the opportunity of dropping into a farm shop near Westley, en route to Ickworth House, a local National Trust property near Bury St Edmunds. It was a great opportunity to buy a whole selection of fruit and vegetables, which were just placed into my basket with no packaging in sight, with the exception of a few paper bags that can be easily composted. As the Farm Shop is open until 6pm in the evening, it also means that it is accessible to people who work 9-5pm.

There was a great selection of produce and it was reasonably priced. It was also more fun for a three year old than the supermarket, even if it does have a child-sized trolley. Having bundled the toy tractor into the boot of the car offered some additional amusement and we were in and out of the shop in just over 5 minutes. It must have been the most relaxed shopping experience I've had in a long time.



With that said, I enjoyed a quick nip into Waitrose whilst in town this afternoon, to pick up some more essentials. Top of the list was more celery, or rather a load of celery. Remember....this IS a diet after all and I've found celery to be a top food in bulking out my homemade concoctions and amazingly the little one just can't get enough of eating it raw.

After the trip to the farm shop, we drove off for a tractor ride around Ickworth park....and guess what we saw....


I think the word's got around and I am now being stalked!

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