Scraping the top of the barrel

A little idea/tip for the day.

Was having my lunchtime juice and ended up, as you do, polishing off the juice box.

Keen to get the most from this, I walloped the top and swirled and stuff, but some still remained inside.

So I yanked the top off.

This gives you some interesting componentry, from a multi-piece cap pourer to the box.

All present reuse promise, but here I look at 'waste'.

Because that cap arrangement intrudes down a wee bit, at least 2mm, into the box body.

Yank the whole deal out (and keep it... you never know) and you get a fair bit more juice out (see pix).

Heck, you may also even make the folk at the recyclers a bit happier at one less contaminant in the recycling waste stream to address.

Win, win.. win. I'll drink to that:)

Pear Pair

This is prompted by my latest data upload.

Which means that when this goes up, the two will complement each other, at least until the next idea/blog swings in, thus making sense of my headline:)

I think I have pretty much covered the various issued raised on the product upload page.

(Over-)packaging to avoid damage & food waste vs. alternatives.

Inability to assess recyclability.

The true joys of potential reuses!

Shut it and save

The other day I heard a BBC West Midlands 'report' that a town in my 'hood, Herefordshire, was launching a 'ban the bag' campaign.

So far, so, um, what words can I think of? Behind the curve? Bandwagon jumping? Potentially misguided? No longer news?

It had all the usual components. A Yummie earth mother and her moppet who walk from their Georgian townhouse in this market town with their one bag to buy their organic tofu. A jovial local butcher who thought it was great because as soon as he had worked through the evil plastic jobbies he was getting the non-evil, biodegradable... plastic jobbies. And the gushing local news bouffant who was tasked to make this a big deal.

Thing is, as my recent attempted effort at understanding the issues showed, there is certainly nothing wrong with reduction in any form, so long as it is in the right way for the right reasons. But I'm afraid this still seems to fail on waaaay too many counts, not that it matters to those in government, commerce and media who see virtue in distracting away from the real failings at system level.

So I have decided to pose a question that has struck me before, but more so after this, as I walked around a very similar Herefordshire market town: Why are all the shop doors open?

Which, in turn, I think could lead to a campaign, whose slogan I would suggest could/would be 'Shut it and save!'. That's save money (retailers, which can be passed on to clientele in energy costs saved)... plus planet.

Of course I know why the doors are open. They represent a barrier to entry, and hence sales. This was confirmed by the poor check out girl at the local organic shop, who approved (along with management) of my rejecting the proffered bag, but who was more onside with my notions on the open door policy (not shared with us by management, apparently).

Now, unlike carrier bags, I don't see jobs being lost, but of course there is the real chance of reduced sales, which will not make my idea popular with the local chamber. Unless of course it is made mandatory for all, as is proposed with plastic carriers. Then the comparative 'hassle' of opening a door is equal amongst all options and hence removed. With a ton of hot air being spared the eventing to the open sky.

And that seems to me to have a pretty clear enviROI.

Before I charge aherad thoughlessly... any comments, suggestions?

This isn't a ban. It's just a sensible alternative course of action with an enviROI+ result.

Yes?

I have now found a piece on this topic: Hay aims to bag plastic problem

First up, I wasn't aware that Hay was in Wales. My bad.

I will also need to try and figure what exactly the enviROI is on 'specially ordered Hay cotton bags and cornstarch Biobags'.

While this - Support has also been forthcoming through a £1,000 grant from the Sustainable Development Fund and the introduction by the council of extra plastic bag recycling points - at first seems positive, I still wonder if this is a) the best use of money and b) how the recycling point will address mixed medium recyclables.

More information on this scheme is available at www.theendofplasticbags.co.uk

Couldn't resist. I had to write in:

While reduction in any form has to be applauded, I have often wondered if plastic bags represent the greatest threat to our planet’s future, and indeed that some alternatives mooted have been sufficiently challenged to represent any better enviROI. So I'm just hoping recyclables are to be appropriately separated to avoid cross-contamination, and the compostables provided in a form that can either be processed at home or directed to a facility that can deal with them.

Anyhoo, now the cat is out of the bag (or the bag is no longer a cat...egory), and the banwagon is up to steam, as we are on planetary saving roll may I suggest the next target for consideration.

In our fair market towns I cannot not help but notice the number of shops and stores with gaping entrances pumping hot air out into the atmosphere.

Without seeking to put too many honest folk out of business or even inconvenience the understandable (indeed essential) consumerist advocacy of some retailers, and the simple preferences of the rest of us who patronise their establishments, might I suggest they be encouraged to keep doors closed when the temperature inside is greater than that outside?

I'd go for 'Shut it and save', which can of course can apply to money (in energy cost to both retailer and, if passed on, their customers) as well as the planet.

I'd also hazard that this could be quite easily done, might actually help and not require a ton more stuff that may or may not actually work to have a positive impact.

Green can be and often is great. But it also still needs thinking about carefully.

Addendum

Two years hence and the banner has been taken up as I, to my shame, could and should have done (so many eco-ideas; so little time. Like JunkkYard vs. FreeCycle, maybe another I should have pursued over others): Close the Door

RP - BOGOF (later)

SIR –

Tesco wants to help prevent food wastage by allowing customers to collect their “2 for 1” offers on separate days (report, October 17). Why not just reduce the price of one packet?

Marketing, my poor Ms. Lamb, marketing. It's all about selling, not saving. And if looking like you are saving sells more, then so be it.

That said, I grudgingly concede this 'BTN' (better than nothing) status.

Too many rotting apples at the bottom of our BOGOF barrel.

Buy one, eat one. Yes... FREE!

Not big on bans, but I have to say that this possible one is an exception:

The End of Buy One, Get One Free in the U.K.?

I have a study somewhere from my ad days that shows 'FREE' is by far and away the most potent word in the lexicon.

But it also had a breakdown of the other 'tricks', such as 'half price', two-for-one', etc.

Even the most ruthless and cynical seem powerless to resist.

But there really is no excuse between the two above. The result to the consumer is the same, and the amount of money per 'unit' of produce is no different, but one wins over the other through other factors. And they usually mean profits winning and planets losing.

I have a bee in my bonnet already on storage, especially in back of the fridge, and as we run down ours for our hols this is even more front of mind.

I really think we should try to get used to buying little, more often, and pay a fair price for doing so. And, if the right enviROI boxes can be added... locally.

That all said, the few comments in reply do bear consideration. Funny it's a US site talking about the UK.

Addendum - Supermarket offers and food waste targeted in goverment's food strategy

Aha... spoke too soon!

Telegraph - NEW - Food security cannot be debated properly without considering population density - Meanwhile, back at the more pragmatic, less box-tickophilic end...

There's talking the talk. But it will always be 'money rules' first.

A new day, a new opportunity. Though I might have forgone any pussy-footing.

When food packaging can reduce climate change gases

Reduction of any consumable will inevitably reduce GHGs.

However, in a consumer society there are pragmatic constraints and limits, and they need to be worked towards.

Other mitigations can include recycling, and it is clear there are many issues surrounding this that can be improved from all sides, though I'd say the public is the only one doing their darndest in the face of some epic finger-pointing distractions from bottom-line driven business and quango-ridden, target-obsessed authorities. About the only binding feature would seem to be bonus-structures.

I had not before heard of Morrisons' Keep It Fresh test and packaging laboratory, and will try and track it down. Some of the insights are already surprising: 'We have found, for example, that wrapping peppers in plastic has no impact on freshness or quality so we have stopped doing it. But wrapping cucumbers in recyclable plastic - a target for anti-packaging campaigners - means they last five times as long.'. My question would be more along the lines of 'why on earth had you then gone to the cost and expense of wrapping those peppers, for so long, until now???'. Ignoring history seems to be a feature of senior types in the news at the moment.

The 'Great Taste Less Waste' campaign is also to be lauded, though I hope the sticker labelling will be clear to an already confused public assaulted by various initiatives.

And for those who do still end up with packaging material, especially plastics, they'd prefer not to throw away, might I direct you to http://www.Junkk.com, which tries to help with reuse ideas. There's even a competition running currently which is trying to motivate through reward... a bit of a novelty in many quarters.

Morrisons may even be inspired to hook up with such a low cost-high benefit initiative.

Though the last time we tried, with them, they said their foyer need to be kept clear of distracting promotions such as sharing the joys of reuse, as customers 'didn't like it'. Ironically the day that rejection email came in was the same our local store felt a conservatory company was actually indeed worthy of the space in question.

There's talking the talk. But it will always be 'money rules' first.

I really hope a PR, and maybe even the author reads this.

Comparing Apples with Avocados?

A small snippet on the BBC news on food storage.

Can't locate a URL yet, but did note a few things down.

Apples - in fridge
Avocados next to banana - for those who can so indulge in such combos

Broccoli - keep fresh

Cheese - cool larder

Eggs - larder - point side down

Jam - scrape off mould

Mushroom - take off plastic

Potatoes - dark, cool

Tomatoes - larder

We're advised to take our lead from food shops, but honestly I have not seen much evidence of most of the above frankly!

Ready, aim... er... well, that went well, I think

Great thing, aiming.

G8 aims to halve greenhouse gases

I do recall this all, or something very similar, before, however.

Wonder how many BBC journos flew along to take us for the ride, too.

Indy - An agreement with no commitments

Guardian - Global polluters agree need for cuts in emissions - but not how or when - You know, on that basis, there is a lot I am happy to agree to, too.

BBC - Summit approves climate 'vision' - Yes, it's that vision thing. Needs looking at.. into.

Telegraph - NEW - BBC throwing out food - I do wonder what else they might be accused of, mind

Telegraph - NEW - Let's hope Gordon Brown clears his plate at the G8 - Bless

The message is working well then.

Times - Oh how I love to throw away good food

Culture of calamity

Bad news sells. Sad, but true.

But it's really getting too much in the media's desperation to fill 24/7 content hungry spaces, and boost ratings. And context seems to go out of the window. Along with any attempt at seeking a satisfactory resolution. The event is all, and the worse, the better. Now... moving on....

So I look at two back-to-back pieces on BBC News.

First up, we have the 'fact' that few parents allow their kids to walk to school. O.....k. So, er, what? Nope, that was it. A few vox pops with a couple of the legions of 'BBC average families' to say they wouldn't do it, and that's about it. What... was... is the point? If they wanted to depress us, they sure succeeded.

Next, waste. WRAP has cranked out another survey, and 'we' waste scag loads. But other than a few minor (if sensible) suggestions such as not over-buying, and a few daft ones (much as I like and respect Janey Lee Grace, she is now a media elite for whom having her fresh produce delivered is not perhaps a real financial hardship... and frankly the manner of its delivery does not seem to suggest much difference in our propensity to reject that which we over-buy), it was simply a case of 'isn't it all just awful'.

Actually, I would be interested in how these food waste figures play out across all sorts of comparisons. The BBC of course famously weighed in on the packaging debate, and without much of that which they took to task, food waste would be a lot worse. They really love it all ways.

There's even the totality of the figures. The numbers seem horrendous, but are they really that bad? Some waste is inevitable, and any reduction and hence savings in money and emissions is to be striven after. But this unremitting negative 'you're all sooooo bad and the country is sooo awful' is just getting a pain.

BBC - Food waste on 'staggering' scale - 3.6m tonnes
Guardian - Britons wasting £10bn worth of food a year, research says - guess we all got the same PR, then.
Indy - What a waste: Britain throws away £10bn of food every year - or, to put it another way...

This last post (Martin O'Brien) is more than interesting. As was the one tucked away earlier noting that the media-frenzy Planet Ban-it of the month is not, if temporarily, packaging. Good job too, as if used correctly, it actually goes a long way to preventing food waste.

But for all the shock and awe expressed, especially by the ladies who launch campaigns at the drop of a budget, as a consumer I remain a little uncertain what all this froth and both makes suggest one DOES.

I rather suspect all here (myself included) throw out zippy. So what do we have for those less incentivised so far to save (money, waste...etc)?:

'Wrap suggested households seeking to balance their finances could save money by following basic tips to prevent food waste, such as planning shopping trips better and keeping a closer check on use-by dates. It also pointed out that many people do not know the difference between a "best before date", which has no implications for food safety, and use-by data, which must be followed.'

Good advice. Not exactly startling in its own right, and nor have I seen it expressed very loud, clear or often. In fact I have seen one, I am sure award-winning, 'Love Food: Hate Waste' ad (at how much media spend???) in a Sunday Supp. It had a crying tomato. Showed it to my wife, kids and Mum. Not a clue what it was on about. You know, I think the money on that, and those who spun it up, could have been better spent elsewhere.

Like most 'awareness' in the name of green that is being served up so far. We need actions and incentives, not platitudes and winger-waving.

Dizzy Thinks - food-for-thought - a mostly fair, and funny complement

QUOTE OF THE DAY - So there

I share this for no good reason at all, save that it does refer to my favourite quango, and shows Jeremy Clarkson to be every bit as adept at cruddy acronyms as me.

Though mine are often better...IMHO:

Potato heads are talking rot on food

'A sinister government agency called Wrap (We Rape and Pillage) has spent vast lumps of our money to determine that...' [actually he does specify something, but I'm happy enough to selectively edit here as it seems to apply]

The article is also quite fun, as much as for the comments it inspires. The Times use to allow links, but as it does so no longer I don't see much point, so I'll just lurk on and quote this one.

NEWS/Commercial PR - Let's worry more about the 95%

Whilst the likes of the BBC send reporters, irony-free, to Midway Island to report 'live' on the scourge of plastic bags (noting that even enviro activists have ceased to play or participate in this distracting minor issue), let's look at some real waste.

The now rather quiet 'Love Food, Hate Waste' campaign highlighted (well, tried to) that the real issue is the vast amount of food that gets wasted.

But even if you strip things to the bone and eat the stalks right to the woody bit, there will still, inevitably be 'scrapings'.

Now, we have an ongoing discussion (with the odd debate) going on with the relative merits of Food Waste Disposal vs. composting already, but to be sure if you are of a mind not to fire it down the sink (if applicable to your area) then there are some instances when even the compost bin may not be suitable.

Which is where the Green Cone can come in. Hence I am happy to share this as another option to you home eco-arsenal.

PR as received and shared, with edits:

GREEN CONE EXPANSION DRIVE TO MEET GROWING DEMAND FOR FOOD WASTE DIGESTERS - providing additional support as local authorities roll-out home treatment products

Green Cone breaks down all types of organic kitchen waste such as fruit and vegetables, raw and cooked meat or fish, bones, tea bags and coffee grounds from the average-sized household, reducing the waste to its natural components of water and CO2 and only a little residue. The Green Johanna for producing high quality compost, generates higher temperatures than traditional garden composters and works by mixing household food waste together with garden waste.

I also posed a few questions, and had a most helpful reply, as follows:

1) I was keen to get one a while ago to try to complement our composting of green organics, but my wife was resistant as she didn't fancy the notion of decomposing meats, etc on a health basis. Any comment to reassure her... and others... on this point?

A. The meat in a Green Cone decomposes well below ground level and there is at least 9 inches of soil between the decomposing food and the surface of the ground. Therefore, neither smells escape nor may animals, birds etc access it. The system meets all European legislation requirements and the decomposition of food is after all a completely natural process and all we do with the Green Cone is to create the ideal environment for microbial degradation.
2) Our council, Herefordshire, promotes composting via subsidised units. How many councils promote this cone, who are they and do they co-fund?

A. Approximately 30 councils in England and Scotland promote the use of Green Cones and at least one dozen heavily discount them to their residents. Some councils sell the units for as little as £5 and others at £10/£15. Those who have been working with Green Cone the longest include East and West Sussex, Surrey, Wiltshire, Aberdeenshire, Moray etc. Recently a number of others including Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire have started using the product. and since 2002 when the product was first made available, councils have continued to promote them.

3) Bearing in mind CO2 is a by-product, is it an alternative or complement to Food Waste Disposal/Energy from Waste systems? Again, our council is advocating macerators, with subsidy.

A. The primary benefit of the Green Cone is that it produces CO2 as opposed to methane which is produced when organic waste is put into landfill and becomes anaerobic. If a council has a centralised 'energy from waste' plant and effectively uses the energy created ie by using the electricity in a very small development/village or plant etc, then this is very effective and a good environmental use of the waste. However this is seldom possible and to think that you can simple put any electricity production into the grid system for the benefit of all is naive. Furthermore centralised units, if they have feed stock which includes food waste, produce a rather indifferent compost that cannot be used on agricultural land and is therefore only used on motorway verges etc. To find a good use for the amount of compost already being used, because of its indifferent quality, is already a problem. Finally, there are very fixed views on macerators. The water companies really don't like them very much, insofar as they put excessive protein into the sewage system which requires a major anaerobic digestion plant to handle. In certain places in Europe they are not allowed, whereas some councils actually promote their use so it really is "horses for courses"! They are of course much more expensive to buy and also to fit than a Green Cone.

In addition I stumbled across an earlier PR, which sort of ties in, and which I also add here (not sure what 'marketing throughout February' means in practice, but note the final advice about online for where we are timewise now.

TESCO ENCOURAGES CUSTOMERS TREAT HOUSEHOLD FOOD WASTE AT HOME Tesco will be marketing the Green Cone garden food waste digester in more than 70 stores nationwide throughout February. Easy-to-install and standing 70cm off the ground, the Green Cone is simply dug in to the garden in a sunny location where a solar heating effect between the unit’s inner and outer cone promotes air circulation, creating the ideal natural environment for rapid decomposition of the waste. The Green Johanna is designed to stand in the garden on flat ground in a shady position. Waste is tipped in through the lid, with the compost accessible via a sliding door Available online at www.tesco.com/direct from 17 March 2008. For further information visit www.tesco.com/greenerliving from 11 February 2008.

Here's one I saw earlier that might not make the programme...

... or the front page of the Indy, either: Reducing food packaging will not solve waste problem

A bit of pragmatism at last from our left mouth:right mouth government/quango/media organs? Well, 'an official' at least, though Defra’s 'head of sustainable development' Ms. Bronwen Jones sounds pretty high up the tree to me!

However I must say that, again, the headline is a tad misleading. Of course reducing some food packaging can, will and should reduce unnecessary waste and lead to an even better enviROI+.

A timely reminder in light of the Love Food:Hate Waste initiative now under way?

Now who has being banging on, for how long, in precisely these terms: 'The complexity is on who really has the power here? Retailers are key influencers but they claim that they are just driven by what consumers want. Consumers often claim that their behaviour is unduly influenced by retailers and they are reluctant to act without Government taking the first step and taking the lead. Government wants to be responsive to people but does not want to be accused of being a nanny state. There is a real tension between the three way relationship; the reality is that all these actors have some type of leadership role to play.”?

Guess that's why I get the big bucks... er...

MRW - Food and drink manufacturers pledge to cut packaging and food waste - just hope it's in the right places and for the right reasons

Recipes for the day

I was/am/will be intrigued how the latest anti-food waste 'initiative' will pan out after its massive 'launch'. Here's the latest salvo... serving... Things to do with soggy veg ...

Yum. You can almost here the boxes ticking: PR coverage in the Guardian, check.

Waste... of food, that is

Well, it's here, as promised: Food Waste is Environmental Sleeping Giant Says WRAP

And as it is so significant, putting plastic bags and 4x4s, etc, into the shade, enviROI-wise, I will try and make the most of it on the site. And even here.

However, this is my blog, and I must get a few points off my chest first.

'A new Government backed campaign that reveals...' - unless I missed it in all the blurb I'll have to await seeing it. But the word 'campaign' fills me with dread already. How much? saying What? To whom? With what intention? Measures? And hence what hope of conversion for the money? The word 'reveals' fills me also with foreboding that what we will get is 90% scraping stuff into the bin and, possibly, 10% some celeb (free or funded?) saying 'don't do that' and then the Daily Mail finding what's in their restaurant skip the week after.

"... for every three bags of shopping we bring home, we effectively put one straight in the bin.' This IS staggering. I just hope the way it gets put across is designed to actually move folk to reduce it to zero.

In addition to press advertising and a supporting PR campaign that features celebrity chefs, home economists and well known personalities, the Love Food Hate Waste campaign features a website (How much to create? And run? And promote? And what bonusses paid on hits?unique visitors?) which gives advice, ideas on preparation, storage, portioning and recipes. - I've been to it. Are you as inspired as I am?

Key findings of our recent research on the nature, scale and causes of household food waste can be found here - worth a gander, for sure.

Indy Letters - Worth sharing (well, or not... you know what I mean)

With the usual sound of banging stable doors, after the 2001 foot-and-mouth outbreak, Defra forbade the use of waste food for feeding to pigs. Traditionally ,of course, the cottager's pig had been fed in this way (and then recycled completely except for its squeak) and commercial herds had been supplied by army canteens and the like.

Not now. If I feed so much as a stale crust or a faded cabbage leaf from my kitchen to my pigs I am liable to be thrown in jail for two years. So into landfill, or maybe in some enlightened circles into compost, waste food must go – and there always will be some waste.

Of course the animal feed manufacturers have benefited hugely from this diktat. The organic pig nuts I buy have soared in price and are likely to go on doing so as the price of grain rises irrevocably. I think the public will soon begin to notice that cheap bacon butties and Philip Hensher's £3 chicken are things of the past. Which is probably good, but doesn't solve the landfill problem unless councils are able to set up composting facilities for all biological waste.

ADDENDUM - Well, I was wrong. No plate scrapings. And I like the line. However, and I simply ask as I think I may be too close as an enviro guy and an ad man, do these immediately make you want to stop wasting as you have been for the last X years? Shoo-ins for next year's Green Awards, though. I am... saddened.

As reported in the Indy : Britain's colossal food waste is stoking climate change

Well, any 'waste' is, by definition, adding to the processes that can possibly/probably cause climate change, so OK. This is the latest 'topic du jour'. And it's important.

So... does this sell it to you... 'Britons must swap their wasteful habits ... shoppers were warned yesterday'?

I was well on board by the second line. No, really.

If 'Most waste arose because people had "over-shopped" as a result of not planning; because they failed to keep their fridge cold enough, allowing food to go off; or because food had passed its "best by" date. ', then surely we need to inject ideas and effort into dealing with these facts and issues. A crying tomato doesn't do that, sorry.

And, while telling and true, tackling the consumer is not going to address "buy one get one free" deals in supermarkets.

And I am stumped as to how this campaign can address the habits of those with fluid work and social patterns. This 50 year-old homeworker works 6 -7 daily to make ends meet, as does his wife. We don't have much time to faff about. But at least I am in the house at lunch to deal with last night's leftovers. I'd say few others are. Plus I have the motivation. I'd say few others have. There are certain realities of a 24/7, stressed and oppressed society, and no amount of 'slots' on a cooking show (it's already smacking of a green special in the fashion rags) is going to change the facts of our leife demands.

You can't make people eat something without first making it seem tasty. And that applies to ads as much as food.

Indy - Our throwaway culture

The food and supermarket industries need to reform their practices. They should cease using spurious "best before" dates that are designed to encourage people to waste edible food. - This I didn't know. I thought it was legislation/litigation drive. If not, it should be stopped.

The Government should be treating this issue with a little more urgency too. Hahahahahahaha. Love that word 'should'.

Joan Bakewell: What a waste! Why can't we all be more thrifty...

Bless.

And what is 'the Waste Reduction Agency'?

She's right of course.

What we need is a good example – in modern jargon "best practice". If we are to take the trouble to turn off electrical switches in our homes, what about those towering city offices that burn with lights throughout the night, even though the workers have long gone home? What about shops windows in every city centre blazing away at times when only a few lingering souls are about to see them?

Plus many, many more. Good examples, that is. Not payroll/pension parasites ticking another comms budget box.

Otherwise we're just tinkering round the edges.

Quite.

Telegraph - Where's the cream?

No leftovers then?

I just ask, because 'we' are getting a multi-lord-alone-knows how much ad/PR/media assault, including the 'contributions' of many celebs, to advocate this in the cause of reducing food waste.

Rated about a day on Aunty's menu, I think.

Amid job cuts, BBC meals come with whine

RWM

Maybe it's all yet to come, but has anyone seen any of this after the first day flurry?

IDEA - SpagScale

Having been prodded to do what I really should more (ie: what I'm good at, making stuff down me shed), I have at last added this to the site.