Upcycling floppy discs

Is this a bit bonkers? Or incredibly sweet? Floppy discs (who still has those?) into planters. From recycle Uk Facebook page - recommended!

Want more crafty projects?

Have a look at what these talented folk have done over in the arty crafty part of this blog and visit my PINTEREST board for funky ideas. The people over there are so clever aren’t they?

Find many other ways to reuse and recycle plastic here  

Boycott Plastic

Recycling is only part of the answer – a small part. Our favourite solution is to REFUSE plastics. Check these plastic-free products. Use them then compost them.

Bunny Boiler

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So many glues, so many man-made polymers.

Plastic? In glue? Oh don’t get me started! Yes lots of it, and not just the packaging. Find out more about plastic   HERE

So imagine my joy when watching Kev build his hut in the woods, he actually used a  glue made from urine soaked rabbit skins.

Kevin McCloud is a British designer, writer and television presenter. he’s the one that does Grand Designs…. and now he is putting up  a uber shed in a bosky glade.

I always thought he was a bit slick, but life in woods is having its toll.

He is becoming more moleskin trousers by the minute!

Here’s a bit more about last week’s episode – that of the rabbit glue. Not quite sure what they are implying….

Sadly there isn’t a fact sheet for this particular product, but if you want to make your own – here’s a recipe from t’internet.

Not tried it myself being rather short on bunnies. However for other urban types, and yes living in Huddersfield does make me an urbanite, you can buy it ready-made from DIY Tools.

And here’s the write-up:

“Liberon Rabbit Skin Glue is traditional glue which is mainly used in gesso and size preparations for gilding purposes.

Performance
- Natural animal skin glue.
- Traditional pearl used for making Gesso and for gilding.

How to use
Dissolve in warm water mixing 1 part glue to 4 parts water. Heat this solution in a double pot until all the glue has melted. If the glue is too thick add some more water to the solution. Do not allow to boil.

Precautions
The glue may be reheated two or three times. Old or dirty glue must be discarded and a fresh solution made.”

I haven’t tried it myself having no immediate sticking need, but next time I do some gessoing (?), this will be my first port of call.

Of course it comes in plastic packet, and may well contain some plastic polymers, but it is an interesting concept worth investigating.

So there you have it … She wasn’t a psycho your honour, she was just making glue!

Find out about the boycott and us here

Find plastic free products in the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index.

Related articles

• Bunny rabbit loves balloon to death – video (theweek.co.uk)

iPod or iPhone Case Stand

It’s hard to find plastic free cases so you could try making your own. Thankfully, I bought my Kindle case before finding this so you are spared my cak handed efforts….

Still is a thought eh?

iPod or iPhone Case Stand | AllFreeSewing.com.

Feeling crafty after reading that?

Try our other home made projects. Everything from mincepies to lampshades.

Want to reduce your plastic rubbish? Check out these plastic free products sourced as part of our boycott  -  The plastic free A-Z

The cooler water cooler

Want to catch up on the gossip round the water cooler but don’t want to drink BPA laced water from a plastic bottle? Then get your boss to buy one of these bottle free models from Quench. Keen to seen as green, they list some impressive statistics for resources saved by using one of these and also contribute to a tree planting scheme for each filter sold.

Here’s their press release…………………

Bottleless water coolers are big in Japan and the money saving, green technology is a trend that continues to filter our way.As our water infrastructure continues to age and grow more dilapidated, better and more effective filtration technologies become needed. But it isn’t the multiple layers of filtration that we’ve taken the most liking to nor is it the fact that the closed system of a bottleless water cooler produces the cleanest, healthiest water. It’s the fact that bottleless drinking water systems also save money, energy and oil. Gone are the days when a bottled water delivery service is the only option for providing drinking water to businesses and corporations.

Did you know that only roughly ten percent of plastic water bottles ever make it to the recycling bin? Not only does going bottleless save oil and energy, but it also cuts down on the massive waste that all those 5-gallon water jugs creates. We here at Quench also participate in environmental stewardship programs. In our fifteen years of service we have accounted for the planting of just over four million trees, saved over 200 million gallons of water and prevented over three thousand tons of waste.

By making use of a structure’s built-in water supply, bottleless drinking water systems maximize preexisting resources. The closed-filtration system and ultraviolet sanitization option assures that only the cleanest most hygienic water flows. And our dispensers produce hot, room temperature and cold water with the option of making ice, too. No longer is there a need to store, heft and replace 5-gallon plastic water jugs. Never again does there have to be a fight to see who will eventually replace the empty water jug at work.

So if great-tasting and good-for-you water isn’t enough reason to make the switch to bottleless, helping preserve the environment while saving energy and money certainly should be.
You can find out more at their website

You can find more plastic free office supplies here

You can make your own safe water with this cool, portable gadget.

Want to find more travel related plastic free tips? Check out the travel category

Stay at home type? Check out my range of U.K  based plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

eepc and plastic free

Image via Wikipedia

The EeePC Asus is my notebook of choice. I bought it because it was cheap and small but in this case cheap doesn’t mean flimsy. It has been toIndia and back and more. Apart from a few software problems, has been pretty good.  While  it is of course made from plastic, it does help reduce my plastic consumption while traveling.

For example:

I don’t have to use a plastic pen to write my diary. I recon you could make a computer from the plastic pens I used to go through before I found these plastic free alternatives. However, good though they are, they are home based solutions and not appropriate for the plastic free rucksack .

I can download guidebooks via the kindle ap so avoiding an overfull and heavy rucksack AND plastic-coated paper covered books.

I can look at my plastic free digital photos.

I can save plastic free digital photos to USB drives. I now have backup that is not a pile of plastic cds. I hate plastic cds.

Want to find more travel related plastic free tips? Check out the  travel category

Stay at home type? Check out my range of plastic free products at the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

Related articles

• Alexander Parkes & that plastic thing… (zedgraffiti.wordpress.com)
• Leave Only Words (plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com)

Leave Only Words

Enter any backpacker hostel and you will be surrounded by busy scribblers of one kind and another. The recording of interesting experiences is very much part of the travel thing. As a plastic free traveller I have given some thought to this. 

Back home of course I use mycornstarch pen and my fountain pen. Sadly the cornstarch pens are not that good. The retractable mechanism jams and the ink is blotchy. Also only the body of the pen is compostable the rest is normal plastic so no good for the plastic free backpack. The fountain pen is great for home use but not so good for travelling. Buying ink is tricky for a start.

Before when  traveling I used to use  wooden pencils   for post cards and quick notes. However they are  not so good for diaries as graphite tends to blur and fade very quickly. I also need to carry a sharpener around with me, metal of course though I was tempted by these Sustainably-Sourced Wooden Pencil Sharpener. Finally I kept on stabbing myself with sharpened pencils – don’t ask.

So this time though I am trying  to create a paper- free, pen-free, pencil-free  rucksack by  using my laptop for everything. Its working so far though its not quite as romantic as a buffed old notebook.

 Want to find more travel related plastic free tips? Check out the travel category

Stay at home type? Check out my range of Uk based plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

Related articles

• Plastic is rubbish Roadshow (plasticisrubbish.wordpress.com)
• Socially responsible flip-flops upcycled from old newspapers (springwise.com)

wooden highlighter pencils

Taken from their website….

 

The STABILO GREENlighter proves that luminosity and ecological awareness can go hand in hand.

SHINING EXAMPLE OF SUSTAINABILITY.

The pen
» FSC-certified highlighter

» 3 neon colors: yellow, green and pink, suitable for a huge variety of paper.

» Thick lead, 5.5mm in diameter, for a broad stroke.

» Glides easily over the page to ensure consistent highlighting.

And back to us …..

Hey all we’ve got to say is it’s not plastic so high light away buddies.

Find more plastic free products with the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index

PVC free rubbers

I didn’t know that PVC was found in rubbers but here you go ….

from the blurb….

PVC-free thermoplastic rubber erasers, measuring 35x31x8mm, manufactured in the EU.
PVC has long been recognised as a particularly hazardous plastic – vinyl chloride itself being a known carcinogen threatening the liver, and the byproduct dioxins from manufacture and incineration can persist long in the environment and travel great distances; these are linked to immune system suppression, reproductive disorders and cancer.

Yowser – maybe you dont want that in your pencil case. You can read more about The PVC debate here

You can buy the PVC Free Rubber here

For more  plastic free products go to the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index.

wooden pencil wooden sharpener

For those of you who have given up plastic pens for wooden pencils need a sharpener but dont fancy buying 20 metal sharpeners, try one of these

Sustainably-Sourced Wooden Pencil Sharpener
Only: £4.45
Cylindrical wooden double pencil sharpener with collection tray. Made from 100% sustainably-sourced wood in Germany. This sharpener has two different diameter cutters and is extremely strong and robust for frequent use.

For more  plastic free products go to the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index.

wooden pencil, metal sharpener

If you have given up plastic pens for wooden pencils you will of course need  pencil sharpener. I guess the boy scouts amongst you could use your sharp knives but I dont dib,dib,dib.

So I got me a metal pencil sharpener from the shop. I could have bought it on line or got myself a wooden one from these boys who do a lot of useful stuff in the green stationary line. Give them a look.

For more  plastic free products go to the >>>A-Z<<< plastic free index.