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Author Topic: Reducing plastics  (Read 5954 times)

Clarebelle

  • Joined Jan 2013
  • Orkney
Re: Reducing plastics
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2018, 06:59:14 am »
The silicone reusable zip bags look interesting for leftovers, maybe some veg and stuff.

Unfortunately if your vac packing a whole sheep/cow/pig for the freezer it would be extremely expensive to buy reusable containers. I'm just not sure there is anything on the market at the moment.

Things are changing though, lots of interesting things coming out of places like Indonesia, like plastic bags make from yucca.

Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Reducing plastics
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2018, 02:16:46 pm »
I suddenly had a thought  :idea:  in the middle of the night.  Is silicone recyclable, or biodegradable?  So far I have discovered that it's not either of those things.  It seems to be a bit like glass, except it can't even be melted down for re-use.  I need to do some research to see how true that is, but if it is, then it sounds as if silicone is worse than plastic.


Does anyone have any knowledge on this point?
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Dans

  • Joined Jun 2012
  • Spalding
    • Six Oaks
    • Facebook
Re: Reducing plastics
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2018, 12:32:18 am »
That's the one thing that has stopped me buying the pouches, I wasn't sure about the afterlife of silicone or how ecofriendly it is to produce. A lot of things seem to be made from food or medical grade silicone now, including alternatives to clingfilm.

The one thing that silicone has that plastic doesn't is just how reusable it is. We have a couple of baking moulds and a pair of oven gloves and they have really lasted well. It doesn't tear or crack or burn and is really easy to clean. So even if it is harder to dispose you may have less need to dispose of it. As long as you're only buying things you need and intend to reuse for a long time then it may well be ok. I prefer glass containers to plastic for longevity although glass does have a tendency to chip with me!

I'd be interested to see what you find though.

Dans
9 sheep, 24 chickens, 3 cats, a toddler and a baby on the way

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Fleecewife

  • Joined May 2010
  • South Lanarkshire
    • ScotHebs
Re: Reducing plastics
« Reply #18 on: January 25, 2018, 01:11:07 pm »
Hi Dans  :wave:   What I have found so far is mixed, and just opinions, not very scientific.  Basically silicones will last forever, or longer than us anyway, and they cannot be recycled through any council schemes as there are none.  There do seem to be private companies who recycle them by grinding them up into very small bits, adding something or other, then making them into something else, and you can apparently do the same at home.  Not very satisfactory info so far so I need to look further.
Manufacture seems to be fairly OK as silicones are made from naturally occurring ingredients - silica sand and something like rubber or carbon.  More research needed to get that info clear.
"Let's not talk about what we can do, but do what we can"

There is NO planet B - what are YOU doing to save our home?

Do something today that your future self will thank you for - plant a tree

 Love your soil - it's the lifeblood of your land.

Clarebelle

  • Joined Jan 2013
  • Orkney
Re: Reducing plastics
« Reply #19 on: February 14, 2018, 07:43:08 pm »
Just seen this on pinterest https://www.piwakawakavalley.com/freeze-meat-without-plastic/?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=tailwind_tribes&utm_content=tribes

Basically she uses those metal buffet trays you get in carvery's etc. to use for meat storage in the freezer. I haven't looked any further into it but it's probably extremely expensive to buy a lot of them but might be something you could get a couple of as and when you could afford it.

harmony

  • Joined Feb 2012
Re: Reducing plastics
« Reply #20 on: February 14, 2018, 09:02:02 pm »
The thing that grips me most is the bale wrap used for the haylage, expensive to put on and then useless afterwards and then costs to dispose of if not burnt  :'(


Here in Cumbria it collected at a small charge at a collection point and recycled into all sorts of things. See Solway Recycling. They take the net wrap too and empty containers such as fluke, wormer, drench comes in.

Rupert the bear

  • Joined Jun 2015
Re: Reducing plastics
« Reply #21 on: February 14, 2018, 09:13:15 pm »
The thing that grips me most is the bale wrap used for the haylage, expensive to put on and then useless afterwards and then costs to dispose of if not burnt  :'(


Here in Cumbria it collected at a small charge at a collection point and recycled into all sorts of things. See Solway Recycling. They take the net wrap too and empty containers such as fluke, wormer, drench comes in.

I did enquire of the local Solway agent, he quoted me almost the cost of the Bale wrap !

 

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