[DoctorEldritch]

And what about some apps that help to reduce waste? I know of Olio, that one builds on what @karolin92 wrote and connects people who give each other second-hand things and reduce waste this way.

Or there is toogoodtogo that helps to reduce food waste by making it easier for people to access unsold food. Saves both budget and the planet, I guess. But those are the only 2 I know, surely there must be more?

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch People just have to stop being lazy and do the right thing regarding recycling. Garbage bins and containers are everywhere in our neighbourhood and people will walk past them and drop a rapper or other garbage in the street in the street. Some will just offload in an open field somewhere instead of paying a dollar at a refuse site.

Their excuse when confronting them is if they keep everything tidy there will be no jobs for cleaners.

I on the other hand have 4 bins and I separate my waste. Plastics, tins and other materials are given to the waste collectors on a Friday in our area.

On the topic of reducing waste, I'd say be creative. Make something with reusable containers or bottles. Old food and even paper can be used to make compost for the garden. I use old newspapers for that and discarded toilet rolls. I even made a wind chime with old DVDs and CDs

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot When I was a kid, we used old DVDs and CDs on a scarecrow to keep the crops safe from crows in our vegetable garden, the sun's reflections on them helped to scare them off.

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch Absolutely! DVDs and CDs work to scare off potential invaders in the garden. When we had peach and apple trees I also hung CDs on the branches.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot Here is an idea: your owl has left for now, but you can make a substitute:

[DracoTarot]

@DoctorEldritch 😂😀. What a great idea. I will try and make one. I will go even further and make a body for the owl and break a cd into tiny little pieces then stick the shards on the body for an extra effect.

[DoctorEldritch]

@DracoTarot Whatever you think would look better. Owls are nice in the sense that they can be represented well and recognizable with just the head, but if you want a body, that can also look nice. You can show us a picture when you are done.

[Saka]

From things that haven't been mentioned, I try to always take my own bag for shopping. That reduces the plastic or paper bags I need by a ton. The multi-use bags are great to be fair, they are real tanks. I haven't bought any new ones for a long time, they handle well being folded countless times and can be stuffed to the brim without tearing.

[DoctorEldritch]

@Saka You know, it is interesting how sometimes things go full circle. Back in the 70s and 80s in East Germany and Russia people there did not have paper or plastic bags, and string bags were very widespread. Then suddenly in comes plastic which is more modern and fashionable and everyone starts using it and string bags become a relic of a bygone era. And now, plastic is bad and string bags are making a comeback.



Funny how things work out sometimes.

[Saka]

@DoctorEldritch My bags are actually made of recycled plastic, but string bags are common for smaller stuff indeed. Both have their niche.

Fun fact, plastic bags were originally invented to be more durable than the string bags. Oh, the irony.

(The first plastic bags were likely something similar to what I am using. That's nearly indestructible)

I remembered another thing I do to reduce waste. Also to get some load off my wallet. I shop for discounted food items. There are even internet shops specialised in that. When I wasn't busy with kendo a lot of the evening I would also often check the local shop after 20 to get some labeled food. I usually am good enough at eating it all before it has a chance to spoil.