Fed up with plastic packaging

[gorgeousgrower]

There's only so much you can do with all those little plastic trays used for meat, tomatoes etc. I'm fed up with them.

I've got tonnes of them from last year which I used for growing stuff or watering trays and I'm starting to save some of the smaller ones for picking soft fruits this summer.

My council doesn't accept them in with the recycling as they don't have a deal with anyone to take them off their hands.

What does everyone else do with them?

[piskieinboots]

You can crush them up and use as drainage in pots.

[Glutton4...]

I save them up especially for using as you did. However, I have to 'ponce' them off my Mum, as I buy my meat from the Butcher, and he just puts it in a bag (which I re-use ).

Round here they are recyclable, and are taken fortnightly. Our 'lot' don't take glass though . An hour away, in the same County, my In-laws can recycle glass, but not newspaper. It's time this Country sorted this recycling malarkey out!

[piskieinboots]

... It's time this Country sorted this recycling malarkey out!

So darn right!! It needs to be more generic across the country.

[Alison]

I try not to buy stuff in them so avoiding the problem but it can be difficult. To be honest I don't see these trays as being a recycling problem, it's more that the manufacturers shouldn't be using so much difficult to recycle stuff in the first place

[northepaul]

To add my 2p's worth here
The worst bit is council's threatening to penalise people who dont recycle...yet they fail to provide adequate bags/bins/collections to allow everyone to at least try and do it.

Why threaten? Surely educating is the best policy?

EG our council doesnt have a seperate collection for glass, so what do most people do who live no where near a bottle bank? Obviously they put it in the non recycle bin...

Councils need to put their money (or our money!) where their mouths are, and offer a comprehensive recycling service..

There, just getting off my soap box!

[PAULW]

Down here in tropical dorset bournemouth council were caught putting chips in bins so they could work out how much people were dumping ready to charge by the kilo but they do not have the facilities to collect the bottles from the dozens of night clubs so all that glass goes into landfill

[Two_Sheds]

I've got tonnes of them ...What does everyone else do with them?

I buy mushrooms in trays because they're useful for standing loo roll pots in. Otherwise, I try to avoid plastic packaging and buy loose.

If you're feeling brave, take off the excessive wrapping at the checkout and leave it there.

[Incy]

If you're feeling brave, take off the excessive wrapping at the checkout and leave it there.

Just had to say, I love your style TS

[weekendwellies]

PAULW : if they did that here I guarantee that people would go about putting their rubbish in other peoples bins.

I have to say though, that Knowsley Council is extremely good with the recycling thing.
I have 3 types of wheeliebin:
Grey ~ for tins, papers, plastic bottles (but not other types of plastic), cardboard, glass and anything else recyclable
Blue ~ for weeds, grass cuttings, etc
Maroon ~ for anything else.

They also do a kitchen waste recycling box which I am now going to look into getting as my waste disposal system has expired.

We used to have to seperate the glass from the card from the newspapers.... but it was so tiresome for 'ordinary' people that it was unsuccessful and I think people said they would be more inclined to do it if it could all go into the one bin.

If you need another recycle bin because you have so much to go in the first bin they bring another within a couple of days because they are trying to encourage everyone to recycle.

I also got my tardis for a very cheap price, also delivered within a couple of days of requesting it.


As for the plastic tray issue, I like the crumbling up suggestion for drainage.

[mrdinkle]

I think we are lucky here too, Neath Port Talbot take most things. They are also trialling food waste collection at present.

The supermarkets need to stop packaging in non recyclable materials. They could also do with taking glass bottles back to reuse (perhaps in exchange for green points) like they do in other countries.

[gorgeousgrower]

Just for everyone's info - if your local authority doesn't offer kerbside recycling for tetrapak and purepak cartons, you can find out if there are any recycling points near you on the tetrapak website.

Tetra Pak Sustainability - UK & Ireland

Although I know lots of you probably use these for growing stuff too

[Glutton4...]

Our local bunch of half-wits have decided they can't drive the lorry down the lane to the bottom, without - wait for it; damage to flora and fauna!

The blimmin Dustcart (not allowed to call it that now) has driven down the lane, and turned round, and driven back out again, once a week since time began (nearly), and the lane hasn't shrunk. It's just an excuse to do half a job, and waste our money by sending a separate collecting vehicle just to pick up from four houses (one of which is empty).

Also, those households have to have the opposite bin collected to the rest of the village, so when we have Green week, they have Grey. Recycling is collected same day as the Green bin, but different lorry - if they can be bothered to turn up.

No wonder local Authorities are short of money, they waste it paying numpties to plan collection routes that don't work, to be covered by vehicles that they say don't fit down the roads, even though they do. Shame they don't pay our phone bills as we're all running them up by calling to complain.

Sorry Thea - do you want your soap-box back?

[Two_Sheds]

The supermarkets need to stop packaging in non recyclable materials.

They won't do that until there is demand/protest from consumers. Like I said, leave it at the checkout.

[Snadger]

Probably not alone in doing this but if I buy fruit or veg I just take it to the checkout loose. Get a few strange looks off other customers but sod it!