Hello lovelies, how are you all? Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
We’re just back from a glorious two weeks in Singapore to attend a family wedding. The first thing I did when I arrived home on Christmas Eve was to make a batch of sourdough (of course). Then I whipped up some last minute Christmas presents – and realised very happily that our attempts to reduce waste this year have seeped into every part of our lives.
Let me show you what I mean. I made feuilletine chocolates…and packaged them in cardboard boxes that I’d found in the bag area at Reverse Garbage (industrial surplus)…
A batch of our spiced nuts…packed into paper bags instead of the usual plastic ones. The bags were leftover from my friend Deb’s business, and she was more than happy to trade them for some of my chocolate truffles…
I made a mountain of beeswax wraps (tutorial is here) using offcuts of Sheridan sheeting…
…and vintage patchwork cottons, all sourced from Reverse Garbage…
The wraps, as well as crocheted dishcloths, were wrapped in the rescued misprinted paper I bought earlier in the year…
…and everything was tied together with saved ribbon from last year’s gifts!
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So…as we end 2018 and our year-long waste reduction plan, here’s what we’ve learnt…
1. It’s impossible to change everything, but it’s very easy to change a lot.
And every small change makes a difference!
I hit a moment of uncertainty in the middle of the year when I was disillusioned by all the things that we weren’t able to change. Our medications come in non-recyclable packaging, whole raw chickens are only available in thick plastic, and our medicated shampoo and Sensodyne toothpaste come in bottles and tubes. The goal to be completely plastic-free seemed a long way away.
But then I realised that all our small changes had already made an impact. Our waste output has reduced from an overflowing red bin to just one small bag a week for four adults. Surprisingly, we’re also recycling less, because we’re bringing less packaging home – we try to buy things loose rather than boxed, and to cook from fresh rather than prepackaged and processed. Our water and energy usage is down on previous years, despite the extra washing, simply because I now select the “ECO” function on my machines rather than the standard wash.
I’ve been genuinely amazed at how much of a difference small changes can make! Yes, it is more work, but it’s truly not that much more. By storing my loaves in beeswax wraps, I’ve avoided using three dozen thick plastic bags this year. By switching to cloth napkins, we’ve saved 1500 paper serviettes. Mending and repairing everything from furniture to worn clothes has kept an office chair, an old laundry basket, numerous pairs of socks and many items of clothing out of landfill. Even better, we haven’t had to pay hard earned dollars to replace any of those items. It all adds up surprisingly quickly!
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2. It’s important to keep the momentum going.
We have to remind ourselves to constantly refuse-reduce-reuse-recycle. That’s important, because it’s easy to become complacent, especially when we start to notice improvements. But we’re a long way from perfect, and the planet needs us (all) to keep trying.
We were able to action most of the plan I wrote in January, but there were still some areas where we dropped the ball – most noticeably, in taking our own containers to shops and restaurants. We’ll have to work harder on that next year!
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3. Refuse-Reduce-Reuse-Recycle
There is a sale on Ebay at the moment, and I can get 10% off at my favourite Indian clothing store. And believe me, I was sorely tempted. But you know what? I don’t need any more clothes. Of all the steps in the green cycle, for me, the most important one to learn has been REFUSE. Because that’s my point of weakness and at 53, I’ve ended up with a house full of stuff.
I’m trying to improve. Over the course of this year, most of my day to day non-consumable purchases have come from the Salvos Stores or Reverse Garbage. I save my dollars to add to my fossil collection, or to indulge in traditional arts and crafts, like these gorgeous Iranian hand-beaten hand-painted copper plates from Isfahan (which I found in a wonderful shop at 64 Arab Street, Singapore, in case anyone is interested. Ask for Bobby!)…
As a society, we need to start thinking carefully about how we spend our money. Every purchase needs to be considered and challenged.
We’ve bought two big ticket items this year – Rosie the Smoker and Henry the Hotmix. Both were discussed and debated prior to purchase, and we’ve had enormous enjoyment out of them already. In budget terms, both were affordable because of the money we’d saved in other areas. It’s amazing how quickly the funds add up when “shopping” stops being a “hobby”.
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4. Model behaviour for future generations
At 53, I’m the green equivalent of a reformed smoker. I still have a house full of plastic bags and excess goods. The changes Pete and I make now are important, but they’re not nearly as significant as the impact our children will have as they start out on their adult lives. That’s the true goal – to teach those coming after us that there is a better, more earth-friendly way to live.
Small Man was an eco-warrior from way back – he took to beeswax wraps and KeepCups like a duck to water. Bless him, he won’t throw an item into the bin without asking me first. He folds all the cloth napkins, wears patched clothing, separates out any recycling that’s inadvertently ended up in the wrong bin, and carefully empties his food waste into our often stinky bokashi collection bucket…
Big Boy is slowly figuring it out. He’s so busy with work that he’ll sometimes forget his mesh bags when shopping, or bring home a bubble tea in a plastic cup. But he’s trying – he too separates out his food scraps, takes his lunch in a beeswax wrap, recycles as much as possible and brews loose leaf tea in a pot. And when it’s his turn to take out the rubbish, he’s smart enough to notice how much less there is to throw away.
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5. Spread the word
I wanted to make cloth napkins for all my friends for Christmas, but Pete felt that level of environmental evangelism was too much. “You don’t want to put folks off by giving them work they might not want”, he correctly pointed out.
So instead, I made a mountain of beeswax wraps and crocheted a dozen dishcloths, all of which were very happily received.
If our small changes have made such a huge impact on our waste output, can you imagine what it would be like if every house did the same? But I know from our own experience that the thought of making so many changes at once can be daunting. So we’re starting small – a gift of beeswax wrap might keep a few metres of clingfilm out of the ocean this year. And perhaps it might start others down the same path as we’re on. Fingers crossed!
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Thank you all SO much for joining us on our waste reduction journey this year. It’s made all the difference knowing that you’ve been reading along and supporting our efforts!
♥ Wishing you and your loved ones every happiness in 2019! ♥
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Here are the posts so far on our Waste Reduction Plan:
27 Jan 2018 A Waste Reduction Plan
2 Feb 2018 A Long, Rambling Catch Up
15 April 2018 Our Waste Reduction Plan – Progress Report
20 April 2018 Our Waste Reduction Plan – Fine Tuning
1 June 2018 Our Waste Reduction Plan – June 2018 Progress Report
13 Oct 2018 Our Waste Reduction Plan – October 2018 Update
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Tips and tutorials for making your own eco-friendly products:
Mesh Bags (pattern at the end of the post)
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Happy new year lovely Celia! I now use waxed cloth, mesh bags for loose items at the market and am much better at remembering my cloth bags when going shopping. I have a mountain of them and hang them on the door knob so I am less likely to forget them when I go out. It all helps. Thank you for your inspiration.
Oh Deb, I bet you have the most GORGEOUS cloth bags! I’m still in awe of the beautiful one you made me! Have a glorious 2019, dearheart! xxx
What an inspiration. Happy and ecologically vibrant 2019.
Well, I sent your post on to a neighbor and VOILA! she gifted me with some lovely bees wraps for my bread! Thank you for all that you do. I have not bought paper towels for months but the last roll was handy for a large ‘stomach upset’ from my Ir. Wolfhound :( But I’m doing better!
I’ve had to say no several times to the MIL when she’s asked if I have a plastic bag she could carry some food home in (I lent her a wrap instead), and I’ve lost count of the times people have commented on my mosquito-netting produce bags in the supermarket. I’m hoping they’ve had a lightbulb-moment themselves. We had to bring some soft plastic recycling home again the other day because the Redcycle bins were full to overflowing. A hopeful sign. All the best for a fantastic but frugal 2019.
I really enjoy your blogs. thank you
You have inspired me to reduce, reuse and recycle and it is a journey which is taking its time! I have made some beeswax wraps and was wondering how big you make yours. I thought perhaps a fat quarter was a bit too big so have been doing 35cm squares so far. I am now taking vege bags to the supermarket and get some interesting responses from the shop assistants! One guy asked me if a spare bag was a beanie! My sourdough journey is slowly progressing but my kitchen is a bit too hot so I am learning to use the fridge to rise – a process, but I will get there in the end. Thanks for your encouraging words and I hope you have a wonderful New Year with lots more waste less activities happening!
Pam, the ones I make to give away are three times the width of my wax sheets – so the big ones end up 60cm x 40cm. That’s a decent size for wrapping a loaf of sourdough. I cut the fabric to size and then iron on the wax sheets – each one will coat between 6 and 8 layers, depending on how the fabric absorbs the wax. I’m about to write a post on making sourdough in the tropics, stay tuned! :)
My waste reduction was going quite well until the Christmas invasion of plastic wrapping, courtesy of online gift purchasing. still, I can justify it as the van that brought goods to my place also took goods to numerous other nearby places this saving probably 25- 50 drives in a car to that shop. My sourdough is stored in a cloth bag on the counter, but have not found any suitable freezer storage bags other than heavy duty zip lock bags that get washed over and over and probably get used 10 times before hitting the soft plastic recycle department. ( our council collects this but strict rules apply to what goes into that). The garden compost continues to take all our food scraps, waste paper without inks, shredded paper from my daughter’s office and so on. The choice scraps go to the chooks, whose manure in turn gets added to the compost. I tend to store leftover food in bowls with plates on top- this way they stack quite well. I still use my plastic boxes for cheese storage- they were bought along the way, and so they are getting good use. Bubble wrap and good bags that come into the house get stashed for another use. My laundry has become a multi function centre for all sorts of oddities. Like you, I rarely buy new clothes, they are not particularly appealing. I like to trawl through the clothing racks at savers and often find a treasure or two, designer labels, for around $7 on lucky days. If I buy new stuff, I spend a lot so that it lasts forever. Linen lasts well.
Thanks for your inspiration Celia and merry everything for the season. xx
I am told that if you use your Amazon/Grays/WineSelectors boxes to pack up your rubbish, and leave it on your porch it will magically disappear. Good luck!
Thanks for the tip. Perhaps I would need to weight the box with bottles.
Hi Celia,
I was wondering what pattern you use to crotchet your dishcloths? I looked up your linked blog but it had knitted dishcloths. I’ve just bought cotton and a crotchet hook to give it a go but am not sure where to start!
Thanks! Kelly
Ps I love reading your updates! They always inspire me!
My apologies Kelly, I linked the wrong post! Here you go. Have fun! 😉
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2018/02/20/cotton-crush/
I’m in the UK and have been trying to reduce plastic over the past 6 months, but I’m finding my overall waste and recycling has reduced. I’ve switched to solid shampoo bars, make my own soap, no longer need conditioner or makeup remover. I no longer buy cling film, food bags, or bags of cotton wool. So I’m saving money too, and like you, not buying clothes when I don’t need them. It’s nice then to have the money for good quality, sustainable items when I do need them. Little steps! Oh and I compost everything and grow my own food. So much tastier!
As I said in our chat the day before yesterday, you are truly an inspiration to me. Wishing you best got 2019, and hoping to emulate your efforts more closely. ❤️
Happy new year Celia – your posts have been inspiring and made me think about my choices in shopping and packaging. It is slow going but there have been improvements. I am proud that my bread making is generally plastic free now which it wasn’t last year. I like your thoughts of how we change both our society and the next generation. Your boys must really be learning a new way of living that will affect the rest of their lives.
It’s nice to see you post again. I hope you have a great 2019 too! :)
What a great synopsis of your impressive year! We are not nearly as vigilant as you (still use paper towels) but the plastic bags have been completely gone for years. I always carry a reusable bag in my purse and the hybrid car holds all of the rest. It’s become a habit to grab the bags before we go grocery shopping. I even have a stash in my box (which I store in my friend’s house) in Arizona where we spend a month each year. I have some beeswax cloths and plan to make some from your tutorial, they are amazing for sure. I also bought a steamer (hand held and upright) which I use to clean the house with eliminating some of the harsh chemicals we used to use. We’re getting there, you’ve been such an inspiration. Hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas.
If everyone did even half as much as you the world would heave a sigh of relief Celia. We have made changes here, and I thought I might struggle a bit with my daughter but over this year she has overtaken us in awareness. It was good to hear the firm but gentle lecture she gave The Management over Christmas 😂
What an inspirational year! I wonder if there is a reverse garbage near me, as it seems to be a treasure trove of goodies. You are so right that it is the young ones that must take up the challenge too. I was shocked the other day to see that a big supermarket near me, which is now free of plastic bags, has a trolly wipe dispenser near the trolleys. I guess the idea is to wipe down the handle and remove germs, but for goodness sake, do we need to be this germ free? And the planet certainly doesn’t need to have more wipes piled upon it.
Your efforts are really admirable and inspiring Celia!
I’d have to gently disagree with Pete on the napkins – I think they’re an awesome gift! Especially if paired with personalised napkin rings. Easy to whip some up from your giant denim or fabric stash, Or vintage from eBay / St Vinnies / Salvos.
Full disclosure, I’ve been a cloth napkin convert for many years now. We each have a napkin ring which lets us use the napkin a couple of times before washing if they’re not too grody.
Wonderful post 👌 Similarly, our household has and is transitioning in steps, many years ago we started with the basics and have added to our repertoire but with the aim to do it effectively ie we didn’t throw out everything we thought was inefficient and buy stuff to replace it. Actually that’s my ongoing goal, to buy less and less stuff doing so only where our discetionary spending adds value… for instance although thanks to our penchant for making the most of our food and leftovers, scraps to backyward chooks and a compost heap a minute amount of food scraps still went in the green bin so we recently bought a bokashi (having read your reports with interest) so we can use them all up and apply the liquid to the garden rather than buying products. Another small step. On my to-do list is the battle with plastic storage, it is currently the most efficent way to stack food in our freezer but am investigating reusable silicone bags which I have just become aware of. Thanks for your ongoing efforts in sharing your waste reduction plan, it’s helpful to see what others do.
Another lovely post, thank you! So much better to inspire, and enable, by sharing your tips (and wraps with lucky neighbours!) than to lecture.
It seems to me you’ve had a very productive year – and so true that ultimately it’s what future generations learn to take forward as much as anything.
I had to admire your gift-wrapping – very attractive on every level.
I have so much admiration for you and your wonderful family. We’re not quite as far ahead as you with our recycling etc but are making a conscious effort in many ways, inspired by you! I now have friends saving old jeans for me to turn into aprons, orders for beeswax wraps, and we never leave the house without a shopping bag or two tucked into a pocket. Happy New Year beautiful Celia, love to you all xx
You inspire me, Celia, and the first thing I’m going to “get to” when we get through this holiday season is the beeswax wraps. I just love them! I definitely need them for my sourdough bread. I honestly hadn’t considered their effectiveness but you’ve given me such a good sense of direction. I can’t thank you enough. I do wish you a healthy and peaceful (and resourceful) new year!
I saw this piece on social media and thought of you https://lifestyle.diply.com/28286/reusable-toilet-paper-is-a-thing-and-people-are-really-divided?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=diplyfacts-ih&utm_content=f006508
I love your updates. We also find that it’s about small steps. Our rubbish is next to nothing also and I have made extra inroads into composting paper and cardboard to reduce that aspect. We don’t buy water,soft drinks etc but I amazed to see so many in bins at work. They are all rescued, washed and then added to the ‘10c refund’ pile at home. We love Reverse Garbage but only go when we need to because it’s to easy to buy extra things. Having said that, I’d be happy to score some of the food wrap but haven’t seen anything.
You are all so inspiring! I keep making excuses that being here makes it so much harder to make these eco swaps, but in my heart of hearts, I know that’s not the case. I’m going to try my darnedest in 2019 to make some good swaps.
Another awesome post, we have knitted dish clothes from my grandad, I have found coconut scrubbers so I don’t have to get the green plastic ones any more – small steps!
Your knitted dishcloth pattern was recently shared on Knitters Paradise. I made a mini cloth and love the pattern. Is it available on Ravelry. If not is it okay to post with a link to your blog?
Kathy, no prob to post with link, but if you look at my post, you’ll see I adapted it from another pattern. Not sure what the protocol is there?
https://figjamandlimecordial.com/2016/03/29/knitted-dishcloth-pattern/
Thank you. The pattern you cited is on Ravelry and I’ll make my notes there.