One of my core personal values is sustainability. I make every effort, with the information available to me at the time, to make the choice that is the most appropriate for me. This is not the option that would necessarily be the most sustainable for someone else as they may have different knowledge, beliefs, time, finances or priorities.

For details about how I crystallised my values, see this recent post.

I have had to make some adjustments in the new normal we are emerging into. Here is how I have adapted.

Coffee Cups

At the beginning of lockdown coffee shops were not taking reusables. However as things have eased and more is known, many of them are again. My rule is, if a shop doesn’t take reusables I will find my coffee / hot drink somewhere else.

There is a lot of evidence to support the safety of reusables if done correctly. Greenpeace have also looked into the packaging issue.

This is the information I send to shops that don’t seem to have got the new normal message yet….City to Sea #ContactlessCoffee

The Refill app will show me where is allowing reusable coffee cups, as well as where to find businesses providing water refills.

Composting

I am very lucky to have composting at home, and at my allotment, so I can ensure that any suitable “new normal” packaging can be composted correctly.

There has been an increase in people contacting me through ShareWaste since lockdown. A website that connects those with food waste and those with composts. If you don’t have space to set up your own compost then see who is close to you on Share Waste.

A neighbour gives me his food waste in reusable tubs fortnightly, I wash and return. He keeps it in the freezer to collect a number of tubs, and stop it going mouldy.

If you would like to set up your own home compost. See my previous post about composting; Composting with Bokashi

Deliveries

I try to get items from the same company, or a local shop I will be passing. Reducing travel and number of deliveries.

With items I need delivered I try to always find a company that meets my values for the item. Generally this means that any packaging provided will be in line with my values.

I reuse or compost any packaging I do get. Cardboard and brown paper are an important part of keeping a hot composter balanced!

However sometimes things go wrong and I unexpectedly get packaging I was not expecting. In these cases I email the company to ask why they are using unsustainable packaging. Depending on the answer I may not order from that company again.

Drinks Cups

Many bars and restaurants are using disposable plastic cups for their outside areas. To avoid this I either only go to the places that are selling bottles / using glasses, or take a festi-cup. These are reusable plastic cups that have the legal alcohol measure printed on the side. If you don’t have one from an event over the last few years, ask your friends if they have a spare. Customising stickers optional 😉

It’s worth noting that some bars might say “our cups are compostable” or “they are biodegradable”. However it is highly unlikely that these cups will ever find their way to the correct industrial composting facility to be processed. They are not home compostable, and therefore still a menace in the natural environment. They just take slightly less time to break down in landfill!

I very much hope this proliferation of disposable cups is not a fixture of the new normal. The In The Drink campaign had been doing great work pre-pandemic but now have their work cut out!

If you think your local bar / pub might be amenable then direct them to the Happy Cups. A leading supplier of reusable cups that can be branded with the venues logo. They also have sample cups that they can sell directly to the consumer in small numbers. Just use the contact form on the website.

Emails

I try and regularly unsubscribe from mailing lists I didn’t sign up to or no longer get value from. As well as making my email easier to manage it also saves energy as every email sent and stored uses energy.

Having more time at home has given me the encouragement to be more ruthless with stopping emails I don’t need.

I hadn’t thought about email storage before reading this post from Green and Rosie life. It’s so easy to file emails “just in case” but there are many that are now obsolete. Although each one only takes up a tiny amount of space collectively it’s enormous!

I found these tips from Be More with Less very useful to think about else I could do to be proactive.

Face Covering

I have made myself and Mr LGD a few face coverings. If you are interested in making your own I used this easy to follow pattern on YouTube.

As the places we need to wear them increased I decided to support a local business I was recommended, Niji Face Masks, and bought a couple. They come in great patterns, are very well made, have different sizes, and a distinctive design. You can order on the website, or via Facebook and Instagram.

Litter picking on walks

The extra time for walking in my local area, exploring the green spaces on my doorstep was a big plus point of full lock down.

I take a bag and gloves, sometimes my litter pick stick, and see what I can find! It’s very satisfying knowing that I have removed litter from the environment that may not have been collected by the council street cleaning.

Remember that most litter cannot go in the recycling stream as it will be contaminated with dirt / food.

Takeaway

When getting take away I choose options that come in compostable packaging. I have to check it’s home compostable (not lined with PLA) as I don’t have access to industrial composting.

While I appreciate that plastic tubs can be reused and are very useful. There is only so many I need!

Remember food stained paper or card cannot go in the paper / card council recycling stream. It must be composted or put in the landfill bin.

If I know I am / might be getting food to go while out I take my bamboo cutlery and cloth napkin so I don’t need these single use items.

Your new normal?

How have you adjusted to the new normal?

Have you had to make any compromises?