I’d like to wish you all a Happy & Prosperous 2020. Here’s a great chance to reflect back on some positive news in & around the UK.Optimism for the New Year!
It hopefully will keep us all going – the planet can heal itself, it just needs some TLC!
Top 20 Feel Good Stories
1. Milkmen are making a comeback. In a bid to save the use of throw away plastic milk bottles, consumers are looking for glass milk bottles instead.
2. The Woodland Trust with Chris Packham managed to reach their target to help plant 100,000 trees. There are free trees available for schools & local communities at
https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities/
3. Zero waste shops are popping up across the UK. See here for a map. Some milk refill stations & refills for body care & laundry care liquids are also available. This site has a great list of where to buy zero waste products or where you can refill your own.
4. People are having a Greener Christmas now and are aiming for Less Waste over Christmas.
4. People are having a Greener Christmas now and are aiming for Less Waste over Christmas.
5. Supermarkets are taking notice. There’s still a huge way to go though - supermarkets MUST try harder, however they have made a start & consumers have too. See my article on supermarket waste for more.
6. Scientists are looking at plastic alternatives. For example a scientist has been looking at fish scales as a plastic substitute.
7. There is a bigger trend of blogs such as this & multiple face book groups are popping up to help bring people together to exchange ideas. It’s great to see this trend continue now & long into the future.
8. In April 2022 the UK government plan to introduce a plastic packaging tax. As a result manufacturers are already using some recycled content in their packaging (see my post on some products in recycled packaging).
9. Plastic free tea bags are also more widely available (see my article on plastics in tea!)
10. Some great products are coming out including bamboo toilet roll which is now available in paper packaging, plus tissues using recycled sugar cane, wheat germ plates, coconut shell bowls, avocado pit cutlery, bamboo toothbrushes & so much more.
You can even get packaging made from mushrooms. Green Jiffy envelopes are also available which are stuffed with recycled wood fibre. See my reviews section for some items I’ve been testing – more to come throughout the year.
11. Instead of being shipped abroad, more plastics are now being handled in the UK. Some un-recyclable waste has even been incinerated & the fuel generated helps to run the plastic recycling plants.
12. Terracycle which originated in the US has expanded rapidly in the UK providing recycling points for some products that could not be regularly recycled. Examples included crisp packets & cat food pouches, toothpaste tubes & more. Some air ambulance services are able to raise funds using recycling points across the UK (see my article for more).
13. The WWF are re-planting seagrass meadows around the UK. This will help with carbon absorption & provide a much better environment for sea creatures to hide.
14. Meadow flowers are being planted along road sides to help encourage more insects (need some bee pelican crossings though!)
15. Boats like the Poly Roger made from scavenged plastics have been used to collect plastic waste in rivers & waterways.
16. Beach cleanups are becoming more popular with many dates announced throughout the year.
13. The WWF are re-planting seagrass meadows around the UK. This will help with carbon absorption & provide a much better environment for sea creatures to hide.
14. Meadow flowers are being planted along road sides to help encourage more insects (need some bee pelican crossings though!)
15. Boats like the Poly Roger made from scavenged plastics have been used to collect plastic waste in rivers & waterways.
16. Beach cleanups are becoming more popular with many dates announced throughout the year.
17. Beavers are being re-introduced back into Britain to help stem the problem of flood water. Water voles are making a comeback too with lottery funding.
18. Etsy has exploded with the amount of sellers some of who make their own plastic free products. Check out this article showcasing some of the home selling entrepreneurs.
19. More & more books are being published to help us learn how to reduce our plastic consumption & deal with waste more effectively.
20. The song The World is in Danger was released by an 8 year old child Frankie Morland to raise money for the WWF & increase awareness of the problems of waste. You can buy the single in various ways using the following link.
