Happy Earth Day!

Thank you, Mother Earth 🌷

22nd April was Earth Day and it's lovely to see apple and cherry blossoms and cheery daffodils. Butterflies, bees and birds are in abundance too, their lives less hindered by humans during our enforced Covid-19 lockdowns!

A little intro about me for those who don't know - Lovelier Planet was set up in 2019 as a project for self. I wanted to reduce or replace 50 plastic items to celebrate my 50th year living on planet Earth. 

I still have some months to go and reviews and news to share. I plan to collate a directory of useful sites too, to help anyone stepping out into the world of plastic reduction.

Meanwhile here's a list of some comical, cute or whimsical items I have come across in my plastic reduction search! So what have I learnt?

1) I Now Have a Smug Pet! 

Reducing plastic meant I ran out of old jiffy bags, which I used to use to clean the cat loo. So I bought these compostable bags. My pet is now 100% Smug! (Reviews to follow soon).

2) Cheeky Panda for Cheeky Bums?

I found a loo roll that uses fast growing grasses (bamboo) which helps reduce reliance on trees, but also it comes in plastic free wrap to help reduce reliance on plastics. Ooh, you cheeky panda you!

3) Cute Washer Uppers.

Who said washing up couldn't be fun? Brighten your day with Scrubbies washing up cloths or try these homemade cotton and linen cloths, all with different patterns. Great that they are machine washable & compostable too.

4) Hello Gorgeous!

Not everyone needs a sanitary towel for that certain time of the month, but if you do, why not try these ones by FLO? Bamboo based, they have the words 'Hello Gorgeous' on the box. Cheered me up anyway.

5) Don't Worry Bee Happy..

I love these bees wax wraps. Makes a nice change to plastic cling film which I now avoid with a vengeance. Don't forget to bee strong - oh yeah!

6) Smiley Faces on Tins.

Another cheery/cutsie thing is a smiley face on the top of these silicone lids. They come in various sizes and are stretchable too. A smiley face makes you smile back I find.

7) Butterflies Need You.

Instead of growing flowers in plastic pots, why not get some seed balls to scatter in hard to reach places in your garden. Containing bee and butterfly friendly wildflower seeds and going fast! They arrive in a gift box with a bee printed on the envelope - lovely!

8) Uranus Wiper (No, I'm not Offering!)

Oh yes, it is a thing and yes I did wipe my a*** with it! See my review here if you're curious. 

9) Soapy Nuts?

It's not a skin condition (thank goodness) but is an alternative to laundry detergent in plastic bottles. Lasts a long time too.

10) And Finally --- Stop Looking at my Bottom!

After trying my plastic free razor I placed the recycled card packaging on the window sill. What's that? I thought, when I saw something printed on the bottom. I inched closer and closer still, until I saw these words 'Stop Looking at my Bottom'. 

The Bottom is Where You Find Me!

Review - Uranus Wiper (!)

This is my 19th review on plastic alternatives in my bid to reduce 50 plastic items this year. Hope you enjoy! 

Scoring system: 

❤ = Will keep, I love it / 👀 = Not sure, will try some more / 😐 = Oh dear, it's not for me

Review Nineteen - Uranus Wiper Toilet Roll

This is no April Fool's Joke and yes, uranus wiper is a 'thing'! But what is it I hear you ask. New on the market, Uranus Wiper is a toilet tissue packaged in a brown paper plastic free cover. It has the cutest design (see pic below). 

Described as 4 ply cushiony soft. I bought mine from Amazon although is showing out of stock at the moment.

My review

The Good: For each pack sold, a penny is donated to the Anal Cancer Foundation, a charity dedicated to accelerating prevention and treatment methods that eliminate anal cancer.

The packaging is lovely and whimsical, a very eye catching design. The kraft bag can be used for composting, storing items, even a cat play bag afterwards. Plastic free too which is a plus, plus all round.

It's also good to see that 75% of the product is made from post-consumer waste paper that would have ended up in landfills. The remaining 25% is from pre-consumer waste paper (from virgin paper manufacturing processes).

The Bad: Although they are large sideways (due to being 4 ply and embossed) I have found they are very short in height meaning you need extra to do ya business. The inner tube is also much larger than my usual Cheeky Panda plastic free buy. It does mean that the roll runs out pretty quickly (the Cheeky Panda sometimes you only need one sheet so that one goes a lot further as it doesn't disintegrate as much).

The Ugly: The design and feel reminds me of kitchen roll so does seem a bit strange wiping ya bum with something that looks like a shrunken kitchen roll, but that's just a personal thought!

And as always, for plastic free products, the price was quite high.

Overall I found this a great idea and love the design. The use of recycled materials in plastic free packaging, with some of proceeds going to charity is a win, win. Despite this, I think you can go through the rolls fairly quickly and I'm not sure I would be happy to tear myself away from my current fave at the moment which is Cheeky Panda!

So sadly an 😐 = Oh dear, it's not for me, is the score from me.

GreenCane

I've also tried GreenCane Toilet tissue - these are made from bamboo and recycled sugarcane. This comes in a paper packaging that has a cellophane window (cellophane is made from plant material which is compostable).

My review on the GreenCane loo roll is that stands up less well to moisture than the Cheeky Panda product. The inner tube is not as sturdy either and I've been saving inner tubes to make Christmas Crackers later in the year.

However, it is an option for those looking for plastic free alternatives that uses recycled or sustainable materials for the tissues themselves. 

There's also loo rolls called 'Who Gives a Crap' which are recycled paper loo rolls individually wrapped in patterned paper. I haven't tried these yet though to review them. 💩