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is clothing made from recycled bottles good for the environment?

Brands manufacturing clothing partially from recycled bottles cite their environmentally sound credentials. Is using recycled plastic a good use of this product? The process of using recycled  plastic involves creating small flakes of plastic which are melted into minute pellets. These are heated, spun into threads and then crimped to make soft, fluffy fibre. It is usually blended with something else to make fabric.

Image Pexels

Is this the best way to recycle plastic? The first problem is that every time the clothing is washed it releases microbeads into the water system. These are known to last at least 100 years in the environment. (Modelling suggest much longer) The other issue is there are better uses for recycled plastic. Using plastic bottles to make more plastic bottles is more efficient than taking the plastic out of the loop. Fashionable clothing can be discarded after being worn a few times. Used clothing eventually becomes landfill.

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The Australian Federal Government is one of the first in the world to announce plans compelling washing machine manufacturers to install microplastic filters in washing machines. (here) This only takes the microbeads out of the water systems, but not landfill, as the filters are emptied into rubbish bins.

If you are interested in more information, look at  www.moralfibres@gmail.com

my plastic drink bottle

(My apologies if you have already read this section. I had a bit of a technological blip!)

Like so many people, I carry a bottle of water with me when we go out to avoid buying bottled water in a plastic bottle. I have an aluminum bottle which holds 500ml but it is heavy. The real problem is I can’t easily see into the bottom of the bottle to be sure it is clean. So when I saw a white poly carbonate* 500ml bottle at a great price I bought it.

I can easily see right down to the bottom of the bottle, it is light to carry, sturdy and extremely long lasting. I assumed the dominating brand name label was on the shrink wrap wrapper, not printed on the bottle. I was wrong! The cellophane wrapper was clear, the bottle was not. I hesitated to use it as the branding annoyed me. Bit by bit I began using it for all the reasons I mentioned earlier. But I still didn’t like it.

Clear sight to the bottom of the bottle.

Every journal I’ve ever had has been covered in my own choice of paper by me, I always create my own phone backs and so I set about looking for a solution for the drink bottle. To have my own design printed as a waterproof sticker was expensive and to buy a phone sized sticker from a company making them for the back of mobile phones was much the same price, so I went looking for waterproof stickers. Narrowed the search to Australian companies because of delays in shipping from overseas and wanting to support Australian businesses.

Two stickers would have covered the branding but I enjoyed using three!

These stickers came in a pack of 50, took only a few days to arrive and I’m really pleased with them. It took two stickers to cover the branding. I used three. It was fun deciding which ones to use and thinking up uses for some of the 47 left over stickers. Best of all, I really like my Japanese themed drink bottle.

There’s a theme here; I really, really like traditional Japanese art.

• Poly carbonate is about 250 times stronger than glass. One of its characteristics is high impact resistance and weight. It is a natural UV filter and can be reused without significant degradation.
• Update. The stickers have been on the bottle for over three weeks now. It has been in almost daily use and they still look new. Good.
  

  DINGOES

  

  Image credit Pixabay

• Dingoes are wild, medium sized canines living in Australia. There is a small population of dogs with similar genome markers in Asia, suggesting the dingoes came via boat to Australia at least 3 500 years ago. They live in every area of the continent, except in Tasmania. They can live in harsh deserts through to lush rain forests but access to water determines where they live.
• Image Adobe Stock

Dingoes are carnivores although they do eat some fruit and vegetables, nuts and grain. Their preference for meat causes conflict with farmers. When livestock is lost to dingoes farmers respond with poison, namely 1080. Since 2016 Queensland’s Cluster Fencing scheme has been effectively  preventing dingo attacks on sheep and calves. Using guardian dogs is also becoming an effective and economical way to prevent dingo attacks.

Dingoes traditionally ate kangaroos, specifically red kangaroos. National parks are being overgrazed by kangaroos and feral goats. The environment is out of sync. By living harmoniously with the dingoes the kangaroo population can be controlled, there would be more grazing land for livestock and a more sustainable environment would result. This is one example of the forward thinking approaches being implemented by farmers in Australia.

SOME FACTS ABOUT DINGOES

They don’t bark, they howl. Their teeth are larger than those of domestic dogs. They have large, pricked ears. They live 8 – 10 years.

The oldest remains found are 3500 years old.

They live in packs of about 10, although young males can exist on their own until they create their own pack.

They are primitive canines related to wolves. They grow to about 60cm tall, weight up to 25 kg. with red, ginger or typically sandy yellow coats.

                   HAPPY EASTER !

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planning for change

This week I’ve scrolled through another blogger’s list of her favourite 100 blogs. It took a long time. Some I read,  a few I’ll subscribe to and some I quickly closed. They were the ones about food, accompanied by many luscious and tempting photos. Post Christmas I need less temptation and more lettuce.

One of the frequent things in all the blogs I read was the blogger’s “word” for the year. The chosen word reflects their goals for the next twelve months and serves as an aid memoir. Some of the chosen words were resilient, indomitable, prepared, organised, calm, forgiving and adventurous. It was really interesting to read why these were the chosen words and the intention that resulted in the words being chosen. Some of the bloggers also talked about how well they utilised their “word” the previous year.

I was outside, walking, thinking about these stories and how each word could act as a reminder and wondering if if there was a word which would resonate with me when it came to me, my word should be “balance”. My once organised life was pretty balanced and taken mostly for granted and re-establishing that balance  should be my goal for this year. My life definitely lacked balance towards the end of last year.

Pixabay

When I left work four years ago there as a period of adjustment but in time I had a number activities which were stimulating and mostly fun. Some of that fell apart due to Covid, but there was time to paint, read and potter in the garden, meet friends for lunch or coffee and entertain at home. During Covid, when painting, Pilates, bookclub and yoga ceased, I found online alternatives. When our border with the rest of Australia opens at the beginning of February we might have another period of seldom leaving the house but there are alternatives.

Creating balance will take some planning. The concept is new and I am still considering what a balanced life will look like! Instead of doing some cleaning, sorting and organising today, for instance, I have read. I started the day reading the Sunday paper but haven’t touched the crossword yet! Walking 13 000+ steps a day requires considerable planning, too, but I am inspired by bloggers who say they feel they’ve made positive changes by applying their “word for the year” to their lives.

maintaining granite benchtops

We have granite benchtops in the kitchen. They are nearly 15 years old and in very good condition but after constant use for food preparation over the holidays, they needed attention to look their best. The surfaces are wiped after use and again during the post dinner evening cleanup but now the granite needed a good clean and polish.

That magic cleaner for stovetops, tiles, floors and granite, warm soapy water.

Granite contains trace elements of acid sensitive minerals. It is made up of quartz, feldspar and mica. It is strong and durable but many commercial cleaners, bleach and other favourites such as lemon juice and vinegar will damage the surface.

To begin the process fill a sink with warm water and squirt in some mild washing up detergent. Using a soft cloth dipped into the water and wrung out, give the granite a really good clean. Follow with a clean water rinse. When the surface is dry, polish with another soft cloth (I used an old, clean t-shirt) There are commercial granite cleaners available, too.

Then I resealed our benchtops using a commercial sealant which is sprayed on, rubbed in, left to dry and  then polished. The entire process took about 15 minutes. I am so pleased with how shiny the granite is now. ( I have had the sealant for about ten years. I know it is still available but may have a different label now)

reading

Just finished Kate Langbroek’s book,’ Ciao Bella! Six Take Italy.’ Langbroek is apparently a well know radio and television personality in the Eastern States but I’d never heard of her before I picked up the book. It is an account of her family of six moving to Italy, initially for a year, then they extended it to two years and then they were stuck, due to Covid! She, her husband and four children are now back in Australia.

After an idyllic holiday in Italy, they decide to move there for twelve months. Eventually they decide on Bologna. They want a town with an international school to lessen the changes for the four school aged children. The book is a marvelous tour of Italy and its people. She writes eloquently about where they go and what they eat. She recounts with good humour some of the challenges of living in a country where she doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t do well at the language school.

Upsplash

This is great escapism, especially in a time when we haven’t been anywhere outside Western Australia for two years. Langbroek’s enthusiasm for adventures and fond anecdotes about her family make for fun reading. Her descriptions of food in Italy just make me hungry! This book is Langbroek’s love letter to Italy and I really enjoyed it!

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