After what felt like the longest winter ever, I’m so happy that spring is finally here. The first few rays of sunshine have given me hope and optimism for the year ahead, and I’ve started to look forward to life post lockdown. I’ve been doing lots of walks in the sunshine and enjoying the blue skies and daffodils in bloom. If you’re a regular reader of Adventure Into Zero Waste, you may have noticed I have taken a hiatus since December. Don’t worry, I’ve not given up on the zero waste lifestyle… I’ve moved house!
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to move in with three of my best friends. It’s been something we’ve talked about since being teenagers, but never thought could actually happen. I’m so glad it has though, as we’ve been having an absolute blast! Each night we take it turns to cook dinner and eat together, while catching up about our days. We do all the normal things like binge Netflix shows and go for walks, as well as fun stuff like hiring a hot tub for a week and throwing a kids themed party, complete with jelly and ice-cream.
I’m extra lucky in the fact that all four of us are vegan and likeminded when it comes to sustainability. For instance, we all got very excited when we discovered that there’s a zero waste shop, called The Good Weigh within walking distance from our house. Living with people who share the same values is great as we’re all up for trying new eco products and hacks, like Ocean Saver Drops and reusable coffee pods (look out for my post coming soon about them). It also means we make commitments to things like driving to the bottle bank to recycle glass as our recycling service won’t take them.
One of the great successes we’ve found so far has been buying practically everything except for tea towels from Facebook Marketplace. We’ve bought a mirror, a TV stand and a Welsh dresser, just to name a few things, all at reasonable prices. I love that we’re saving money and giving these items a new lease of life in our home. It can take a while to find the right size or style of the item that you want, but people add stuff on there all the time, so be patient when searching.
Another success has been using delivery services. We were using Modern Milkman for oat milk, but they changed their recipe so we moved over to Milk & More which tastes much nicer. We discovered that our local greengrocer The Fruit Basket offers home delivery in our area of Nottinghamshire. They work with a mix of local and international farmers to offer a fab selection of seasonal fruit and veg that tastes amazing and is mostly plastic free (salad leaves come in a bag to keep them fresh). I’d also like to give a shoutout to Loughborough-based The Cleaning Cabinet, who offer a drop off delivery service. They delivered our order of eco-friendly products with a big smile, which goes a long way!
As well as deliveries, we’ve been going to our local farmers market which is on every two weeks. It has a selection of stalls from bakery and deli, to teas and locally distilled gins. I love the authentic Indian food stand, which offers bread pakora as well as the usual samosas and bhajis. Finding these local businesses has been a great way to explore our new area and make connections.
So that’s my little life update, thanks for reading! If you live in Nottinghamshire then make sure you check out some of the wonderful independent businesses I’ve mentioned, or find similar ones in the area where you live. I’m sure there will be lots more adventures and zero waste stories to come, watch this space!
Adventure Into Zero Waste 