TerraCycle® – The First European Pet Food Recycling Programme

If you share your life with a dog or cat, you’ll know the feeling: you’re doing your best to live more sustainably, carefully sorting your recycling… and then you pick up an empty pet food bag and realise you have no idea what to do with it. The TerraCycle pet food recycling programme makes it easier to dispose of these tricky empty bags in an environmentally friendly way.

Pet food packaging is notoriously difficult to recycle. Those shiny pouches, multi-layer bags, and treat wrappers are designed to keep food fresh, not to make life easy once they’re empty. For years, this type of packaging has almost always ended up in landfill or incineration.

So when I found out that TerraCycle® had launched the first European pet food recycling programme, I was genuinely excited — and cautiously curious. Could this be a real solution for pet owners trying to reduce their waste?

Let’s take a closer look.

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April 2, 2023

Ethical Living

Keep Cups: A Simple Zero‑Waste Swap That Actually Makes a Difference

Globally, KeepCup users help prevent over 5 million disposable coffee cups from being used every single day 1. Considering that around one million disposable cups are thrown away every minute worldwide, switching to a reusable cup is one of the easiest and most impactful low‑waste habits you can adopt 1.

I’ve been using Keep Cups for years — not just when I’m out and about, but at home too (clumsy people unite). They’re practical, well‑designed, and genuinely enjoyable to use, which makes them far more likely to stick as a long‑term habit rather than becoming another forgotten cupboard item.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

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February 19, 2023

Brand Reviews

Product Review: Naked Sprout Toilet Paper

Naked Sprout bamboo toilet roll is the most eco-friendly toilet roll on the market. Free from plastic, bleach and harsh chemicals.

Sarah and I have been testing it – alongside other eco brands – for some time now. We think that, if you can get past the colour, then a subscription to Naked Sprout is your pathway to a more sustainable lifestyle.

(Use this link and you can get a £5 order off your first purchase!)

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September 13, 2022

Ethical Living

My Pledge to the Planet: Progress

On the 1st October 2018, I pledged to reduce all household waste - esp. plastic - by 85% before the end of 2018. Here’s an update on my zero waste pledge progress. After just one month my waste has been reduced by 50% ... even with a lodger. As the last of the plastic bottles of shampoo etc are being used, I am optimistic to reach my goal. Estimated reading time: 4 minutes 🌍 Why Making a Pledge Matters Making a personal pledge to reduce waste is about more than hitting a single target by a specific date. It’s a mindset shift — choosing to question habits that have been normalised and replacing them with more intentional, planet‑friendly alternatives. For me, this pledge was never about perfection, but about awareness, experimentation, and long‑term change. Moreover, tracking your zero waste pledge progress can make these shifts more rewarding. When we actively track our waste and reduce our reliance on disposables, even small actions begin to add up. What starts as a challenge quickly becomes a lifestyle adjustment, influencing everything from shopping habits to how we value what we already own. ♻️ Progress Over Perfection One of the biggest lessons from this journey so far has been learning to let go of the idea that zero waste means producing no waste at all. In reality, progress happens in stages. Some swaps are easy and immediate, while others take time, research, or simply waiting until existing products are used up. Tracking zero waste…

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November 15, 2018

Ethical Living

Smart Meter

Smart meter benefits include helping you make better sense of the energy you use. As a result, you are in a stronger position to both lower your bills and reduce your environmental impact. EDF finally fitted one for me today – after a very long wait! An engineer came out last year but was unable to install it due to the layout of my mains electricity box. This meant I had to first get an electrician in to rearrange everything. After that, I had to go back onto the waiting list… but persistence paid off, and it’s now installed. Estimated reading time: 3 minutes One major benefit of smart meters is the convenience. Automatic readings mean no more waiting at home for someone to manually read your gas or electricity meter. Given that my gas meter lives in the far corner of a cupboard packed with baking bowls and equipment, this is a huge relief! Smart meters use two-way communication between your home and the energy supplier. Therefore, regular home visits for readings are no longer required. There’s ongoing debate about whether smart meters actually reduce energy consumption. Some research suggests that savings aren’t guaranteed – and I agree that results depend heavily on the individual. For me, the key value lies in visibility. By occasionally checking the in-home display throughout the day or week, you can quickly spot when usage spikes. This naturally leads you to question what’s switched on. It also makes you wonder what might be running…

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November 5, 2018

Ethical Living

My Pledge to the Planet

Today I pledged to reduce all household waste - esp. plastic - by 85% before the end of 2018. This personal goal is my pledge to the planet. 🌍 Why I Made This Pledge This pledge to the planet came from a growing awareness of how everyday choices impact the environment. Household waste, particularly plastic, is so ingrained in modern life that it’s easy to overlook just how much we generate without thinking. Making an active pledge felt like a necessary step — not just to reduce waste, but to take responsibility for my own consumption. Rather than waiting for perfect conditions or the “right time,” this pledge represents a conscious decision to start where I am, with what I have, and to do better moving forward. ♻️ What Zero Waste Means to Me For me, zero waste is not about achieving an unattainable ideal. It’s about striving to reduce waste wherever possible and being more mindful about the resources I use. It means questioning convenience, rethinking habits, and choosing reuse over disposability whenever I can. This approach focuses on progress rather than perfection. Even small reductions in waste can have a meaningful impact when they are sustained over time. 🏡 A Realistic Approach to Reducing Household Waste Household waste doesn’t disappear overnight. Products need to be used up, systems need to be adjusted, and habits take time to change. This pledge recognises that reality and allows for a gradual transition instead of drastic, unsustainable changes. By focusing on practical…

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October 1, 2018

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