UP-CYCLED BLACK BOARDS: A DIY special for Zero Waste Week

UP CYCLING with blackboard paint

I LOVE BLACKBOARD PAINT. It is cheep, versatile, and adds an interesting and interactive twist to every day objects. It sticks to glass, wood, chip board, metal, and even ceramic. I’ve been experimenting with items at our “pay as you feel” wasted food cafes in Brighton.

My first item: A TIP POT. A ceramic coffee pot for sprouting new ideas. Cafe visitors can place inside their constructive tips, ideas, feedback, and give their contact details for volunteering.

Tip Pot! Not for money, but for tips, literally.

GLASS TABLE-PIECES. How do you spread key messages about the environment and society to a room of 300 hungry people? Make interesting table pieces for them to ready whilst they eat! A great way to offer information about our project, where the food comes from, and why we are feeding bellies not bins. Each week I can add different wasted food facts, local statistics, interesting tips to reduce wasting food, and event updates.

Couldn’t find flowers so I used spring onions…you say that’s odd, I say that’s ingenious.

INFO AND MENU BOARDS:

Ironically made from my old kitchen cupboards, I wanted an interesting but simply set of boards for our basic cafe needs.

I hand draw all my designs but stencilling would be a great way to achieve uniformity across your designs.

Completed menu sign which I get the kids to fill in at the cafes

Because I’m English

Need a bigger sign

So there you have it, you can turn any piece of tat or rubbish into quirky objects with a purpose. A nice hobby to have, so why not try it out yourself this zero waste week?

Hut home continued

It’s been a busy few months working on our little house project. It’s still a work in progress but I thought it was time to share what we have created so far.

WE HAVE A KITCHEN!

In such a small space we have had to be clever with its functionality. We have screwed the lids of jars underneath the wooden shelves to utilise both the top and underneath of the space, I buy our food in bulk and store it in mason jars and up cycled jam jars which I really like the look of. Mugs hang from the shelves too, and instead of cutlery draws we simply keep them in jars too! All of the kitchen materials were scavenged from building sites (the timber doors are old flooring boards, the work top was rescued from a skip), timber yards (the wooden shelves are scrap oak), or begged and permanently  borrowed (our oven and fridge are up cycled from my Nans old flat, and all our jars are those which I have collected for a rainy day). I am also trying to find some wicker baskets to use in place of another cupboard, and what with us still being in the process of setting up we don’t have a working fridge (not enough electricity from our one solar panel). This has meant we loose a lot of fresh produce from the heat…and so unfortunately we have had to resort to packaged good (gasp of horror!!)… But we’re working on it I promise!

Kitchen

Hanging mugs and jars are a great way to utilise all available space

So our kitchen is also our bathroom storage as well at the moment…notice any of my home made skin care products?

A LIVING ROOM/SNUG

Another rescued piece- our wooden shutters (which I LOVE) were being thrown in a skip…why oh why?? But good for us because now get to use them, admire them, and generally feel good about saving them. Win.

Our hammock can be pulled out to use or tucked away when we want some more space, a little momento from travelling and there really is nothing better than hanging in a hammock with a cup of tea and a good book. Bliss.

Our bed…is not a bed. It’s a futon which we donate to the dog in the day and pull it out at night for us to sleep on. This is fortunately not a permanent feature. We are going to be building a bed into the wall which we can fold up and down to use, which will save space, and make the living area fully functional.

The wicker basket is our wood store…I found this on the street years ago, and although I did have doubts at the time, the half hour it took to drag it home was totally worth the effort!

Oh and we totally found the rug in a skip just days after we carpeted the hut and were slightly appalled by our efforts. I couldn’t believe it, I mean what are the chances?

Under-window storage, will have doors eventually, and was made from unwanted oak. Yes please, more oak…can’t get enough of it. Storage is so crucial in a space like this, but it’s also important (I think) to make a feature of it so it fits in and isn’t an eye sore.

Old vintage wardrobe door up cycled to be our wall mounted mirror, decorated with my jewellery.

Our snug with hammock out

Spot the horse-dog on our temporary bed

Storage unit and under-window seating. Made from oak and my Nans cushions. Our hand made up cycled scrap wood plant box can be seen through the window…love my flowers!

Up cycled wicker basket box for our wood store, wood burner harth made from slate which we bought for £1 a tile in Whales and that which shaped ourselves.

My hand made dream catcher, and slate which I chalked my favourite quote onto

ECO-POWER

So this is why we have a few rough wires flung over things…we bought our first solar panel! Which means although it’s not enough electricity to run our fridge, we are now running our music system, laptops, and mobiles from energy harnessed from the sun. I’m sorry-but how cool is that?!?

NIGHT TIME LIGHTING

We still don’t have light bulbs. Or plug sockets. Or enough cabling. So we made the most of what we did have and so I made an up cycled candelabra using old jars of chutney, a small amount of picture wire, and a beautiful piece of scrap oak. It looks so beautiful at night time because it creates patterns on the wood work…plus remember that big crack left by the ceiling falling down? Not anymore! Nothing better than a cosmetic repair.

Hanging candles

Up cycled light feature

NEXT STEPS

Another two solar panels will give us enough electricity for lights and our fridge.

A fold out bed to save space.

Waste-water bucket to catch our kitchen sink water which I will reuse to water my garden.

Compost bin so we don’t waste left over food.

Recycling bins so I don’t have to relive my student days by having a collection of recyclables spilling into my living space.

Some more built in storage units.

So that’s it so far, all space saving, money saving, environment saving suggestions welcome! Simply comment below ☺️

The Rubbish Junkies waste-free recipe: Cocoa and Shea Body Butter

No more forking out a fortune for plastic tubs of toxic infused body butters, this recipe simply uses raw organic ingredients in an up-cycled jar!

WHAT EXACTLY IS BODY BUTTER?

In a nut shell (as so many good ingredients are!) body butter is made by mixing natural butters (solids) and natural oils (liquids) in a 3 to 1 ratio.

For example:

75% BUTTER (SOLID): cocoa butter, shea butter, mango butter

25% OIL (LIQUID): coconut oil,  sweet almond oil, olive oil, avocado oil

INGREDIENTS:

For a rich nutty cocoa aroma and a body butter that melts onto skin without leaving it greasy, I selected the following:

50% : 150g* – Cocoa butter

25%: 75g-  Shea butter

25%: 75g – Coconut oil

*The amounts (grams) provided here produce enough body butter to fill one large coffee jar. For a smaller quantity simply stick to the 3:1 solid:liquid ratio.

A LITTLE MORE INFO:

SHEA BUTTER (pronounced Shee): Derived from the kernel of the shea tree fruit, shea butter is rich in fatty acids, vitamin E and A, with unique nutty fragrance.

COCOA BUTTER: A derivative of the cocoa bean and a key component in chocolate production, cocoa butter is full of fatty acids which promote skin elasticity and moisture retention. But mainly it smells like chocolate and so it’s got my vote.

COCONUT OIL: Another natural ingredient, this time from the coconut. Coconut oil is rich in fatty acids, proteins, vitamin E, and anti-microbial properties. Not only does coconut oil nourish your skin, it helps keep your skins immune system stay happy and healthy.

75g of coconut oil, the 25% liquid portion of the recipe.

75g of shea butter, which when combined with 150g of cocoa butter made the 75% solid portion of the recipe.

…AND ACTION!:

• 1) Add all your ingredients to a double boiler (or in my case, a glass mixing bowl in a pan of water on the hob). Let the bowl sit a fraction above the water in the pan, and place a lid over the top.

• 

  Combined ingredients in a glass bowl placed inside a pan of heated water.

  

  My low budget double boiler.

• 2) Gently heat without letting the water come to a boil. The water should not touch the glass bowl, allowing for the ingredients to melt by heat and steam. The nuttiness of the shea butter and the chocolate fragrance of the cocoa butter will be much cleaner this way, and the ingredients will infuse together nicely.

5-10 minutes of heating.

10-20 minutes of heating.

• 3) Once fully melted, stir well to make sure the ingredients have fully blended.
• 4) Decant the liquid mixture into a freezer-safe container (plastic is fine, I use a pyrex measuring jug). Place in the freezer until almost hard. For the amounts given here, I recommend 1 hour freezer time, smaller quantities will take approximately 20 minutes.

Fully mixed and melted ingredients in a Pyrex jug ready for the freezer.

• 5) Once firm, decant the hardened mixture into a large deep mixing bowl and break up any large chunks with a wooden spoon.
• 6) Whip for approximately 15 minutes. I use an electric hand whisk, though I would strongly recommend a cake mixer if you are lucky enough to have one. Good luck trying this by hand-and hat’s off to you if you manage it!

10 minutes of whisking with an electric whisk.

15-20 minutes of whisking with an electric whisk. Ideal consistency.

• 7) When the mix is light and creamy, simply plop it into an up-cycled jar and smother upon your person at will 🙂 !

Completed body butter in my large up-cycled coffee jar.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• Place a tablespoon of your body butter in a cup of boiling water and stir, once melted add to a hot bath for an aromatic relaxing soak.
• Keep your body butter at room temperature, all these ingredients are shelf stable and have a healthy shelf life of 3-4 years!

The Rubbish Junkies Waste Free Recipe for Whipped Coconut Oil Moisturiser.

As requested, I will be posting several waste-free skin care recipes over the coming weeks. I thought I would start off with something easy, which is incidentally one of my favourites: The Rubbish Junkies Whipped Coconut Oil Moisturiser.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1/2 cup of coconut oil

• 1 teaspoon of liquid vitamin E

• 10-20 drops of an essential oil of your choice (I like Lavender, but I have also been told my Tea-Tree version is very effective at healing sore over-blown noses and opening up sinuses-perfect for making yourself feel a little better when suffering from a common cold).

• Electric whisk

• Mixing bowl

• One up-cycled jam jar

WHAT TO DO:

1) Place your coconut oil in a mixing bowl

Coconut oil MUST be solid to successfully whisk. If you are luck enough to live in a hot climate, place it in the fridge until hard

2) Whisk on the electric whisks lowest setting (e.g. level 1). I use the lowest setting because solid coconut oil can spray all over the place when you first start whisking. You don’t want to be finding coconut oil half way up your kitchen walls.

3) Add one teaspoon of liquid vitamin e. This will keep your skin nice and healthy, perfect during the long English winters.

Liquid vitamin E can be bought from your local health food shop or online. I use this particular brand because it is sold by my local health food shop which means I can support local businesses, and the bottle can be recycled.

4) Add drops of your chosen essential oil. I usually add 10 drops, whisk to mix it through, and add up to 10 drops more depending on my preference for fragrance strength.

Please research your essential oil of choice before applying it to your skin. Some essential oils should be avoided by pregnant women, infants, and young children.

5) Whisk until light and creamy. Fold the cream using a table spoon to make sure there are no hidden coconut oil lumps. Total whisking time: approximately 10 minutes.

The ideal consistency!

6) Decant the cream into your used jam-jar and store in a cool place.

So there you have it! It really is that simple.

By using quirky up-cycled jars, these make great gifts for waste-free birthdays too!

SHELF LIFE: This simple recipe uses all shelf-stable ingredients, a jar this size usually lasts me 4 months before I simply run out.

APPLICATION: I use a tea spoon for application to avoid any unwanted moisture from my hands entering the jar and causing a risk of mould. This also means you can share your jar without sharing germs. A little goes a long way, and the smallest piece will melt onto your skin and leave you feeling soft and lovely.

STORAGE: Store in a cool space, bathroom cupboards are fine. You will notice that the creamy texture can alter depending on the temperature (coconut oil melts when heated, and goes rock solid when cold). If your cream goes hard, simply run it under hot water, and if it goes runny just pop it in the fridge. Your jar of moisturiser can be re-whipped any time, and even when hard it will melt on your skin.

USES: I use this moisturiser on my legs and underarms after shaving, I use it as a face-cream at night time, a hand-cream after work, and I use it as a massage cream for myself and my partner. It’s known as the “miracle cream” in my house! It has cleared up mild acne and blemishes, it’s softened skin, and even helped sooth sore areas such as over-blown noses. This is NOT however, a medical cream, and should not be used as such. It’s just a simple way to feel soft, smooth, and luxurious, without spending a tonne of money on chemically infused beauty products packaged in toxic plastics!

Waste free toothpaste

I did it! I finally did it! I finally managed to ditch my toothpaste tube! But what do I use instead?

Well for a while I was toying with the idea of using bicarbonate of soda, which is what a lot of the most popular American zero waste bloggers recommend. But living in England once again proved that the supposedly simple solutions are quite often not that simple at all….because guess what (yes it’s beginning to be a recurring theme here)…I couldn’t find bicarbonate of soda in bulk and I couldn’t find it in recyclable packaging. So that was that option out the window, and incidentally that was my household cleaning options out as well, but that’s a story for another time.

Thankfully, Lush came to my rescue with their neat little invention: Toothy tabs! A smarter way to brush your teeth.

ERM WHAT?  Lush is great company who produce handmade organic cosmetics in recyclable packaging with no animal testing or animal products;  and Toothy Tabs are a solid alternative to toothpaste that come in tablet form. WIN WIN.

HOW? Now this really is the simple part: Just use one “tab” each time you brush your teeth by chewing it in your front teeth, then brush it into a lather with your wet toothbrush. Ta da!

MY VERDICT: My teeth are clean! YAY! For me, that’s all I really care about, but that being said I was initially sceptical about how they would compare to conventional toothpaste. I had read some reviews that made them sound a little gimmicky, and I got the impression that the novelty ran out pretty quickly with some people. However, not only am I completely converted, my boyfriend is as well (and lets just say he’s a little less enthusiastic about waste free alternatives than me, but as long as the alternatives are equal in effectiveness then he’s game).

So lets take a look at the POSITIVES:

• ZERO WASTE: Recyclable cardboard box. Thank you.
• SIZE: Hello Toothy Tab Latino Tour! Travel friendly…compact, will fit in a pocket, won’t leak, and not restricted by airlines (yes toothpaste tubes do count as a liquid). So in short: Congratulations Toothy Tabs you’ve made it onto my Travel Essentials List for my next trip to South America.
• LATHER: This is the bit that might be odd for some people, as the lather is a lot lighter than ‘normal’ toothpaste, but I actually much prefer that.
• CLEAN: My teeth feel cleaner than they did when I was using conventional toothpastes, and that’s saying something as I am a bit of a clean freak when it comes to my teeth. I’ve never had a filling so I don’t want to start now…which leads me to the negatives…

NEGATIVES:

• ZERO FLUORIDE: Personally, I don’t know the long term effects of using toothy tabs instead of conventional toothpaste … yet. I say this as a negative not because I am expecting my oral hygiene to decline, but because I’ve never used a toothpaste that does not include the ingredient fluoride. II have also read some conflicting  views regarding fluoride, some view it as a positive and some view it as a negative. So I guess on this, only time will tell. I’ll keep you all updated.
• TASTE: I’m using ‘Dirty’, a minty tab which is nice but could be a little stronger in taste as it’s hard to ignore the bicarbonate of soda taste whilst chewing initially.There are many different flavours to choose from, though I’m not sure I want to try ‘ultrablast’, as it tastes of wasabi…erm, no.

ARE TOOTHY TABS AN ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVE? LETS SEE:

Oral B, Colgate, McCleans- ~ £2.00 per 100ml, could last longer than three weeks but then the tube takes between 500-1000 years to biodegrate.

Vs.

“Dirty” Toothy Tabs – £2.00 a box, contains 40 tabs, almost three weeks of teeth brushing (though not if you’re now sharing them with your boyfriend!)

One month on…an update of waste-free deodorant, toothbrushes, and shampoos

For the past month I have been using an alum stone in place of my conventional deodorant, a bamboo tooth brush in place of a plastic one, a shampoo bar instead of bottled, a safety razor instead of plastic disposables, and yes…it has been tried and tested….a reusable menstrual cup. But lets not get too ahead of ourselves here, I have already blogged about my sexy safety razor here (I love it) and to avoid scaring off all the men from reading this post, I will save you from the fear of reusable menstrual products for another day…just for the ladies.

ALUM STONE: Just to recap, an alum stone is a potassium alum which when wetted with water and applied to your pits eradicates the smelly bacteria commonly known as body odour. And yes, that is exactly what I have been doing for the past month…rubbing a wet rock on my pits.

ALUM STONES

As you can imagine I was not overly convinced by this concept, but boy oh boy was I wrong! IT QUITE LITERALLY ROCKS (pun intended, I’m not sorry). Because there are no chemicals, it leaves your skin feeling very clean, completely odourless, and doesn’t leave nasty deodorant rings on your clothes…hello little black dress.

It does take some getting used to, and an ability to laugh at yourself until it simply becomes the norm. I apply mine once in the morning before work, and then once again after a shower when I get home if I am going out again. IT IS NOT AN ANTIPERSPIRANT, so yes you will still sweat, but….I found that I didn’t sweat as much as I did with commercial deodorants. Maybe the lack of smell meant I didn’t notice? Or maybe I’ve been using harsh chemicals for no real reason? We all sweat girls and boys, it’s time we got over it. As long as I don’t smell, I don’t care, and neither should you. You can even rub it on freshly shaven skin to calm irritation! Friendly to the environment, friendly to you!

BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH: Everyone should have one, everyone, all the time. Biodegradable, sustainable, compostable, burnable (if you really wanted to), pretty to look at, and it gives the same result as your ugly landfill-destined plastic brushes. Just remember to dry it after use to prolong it’s life. Simple.

BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSHES, IF IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR A PANDA IT’S GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME!

WASTE FREE SHAMPOO/ CONDITIONER BARS: Out went the million plastic bottles of half used half forgotten shampoos, and in came two rather stylish metal containers holding one bar of shampoo and one bar of conditioner.

IF 1 IN 5 PEOPLE SWITCHED FROM LIQUID SHAMPOO TO SOLID, 22 MILLION PLASTIC BOTTLES WOULD BE SAVED FROM LANDFILL

I have been using these for several weeks now, and have received more complements about how I smell than ever before: “you smell amazing” being the most common comment….and who doesn’t want to smell amazing?! I DO! Not only do the delightful fragrances last for days, the bars make your hair squeaky clean (literally) and last for so much longer than bottled options.Simply rub straight onto your hair, lather, and rinse. No more trying to get all the liquid out of stupidly shaped plastic bottles, and most importantly no more landfill!

These bars are also excellent for travelling as they are light weight, compact, and you guessed it: not restricted by flight regulations as are our liquid bottles.

You can buy yours in store or online (here for shampoo, here for conditioner). I highly recommend sourcing yours from Lush as they produce excellent handmade skin/hair care products, do not test on animals, use environmentally friendly/waste-free packaging, and have a lovely sentiment when it comes to being an “ethical company”, which I quite agree with.

IS WASTE FREE COST EFFECTIVE? SEE FOR YOURSELF:

Alum stone: £8.00 for 150g (that’s big!)  ——– will last me 2 years.

Bamboo toothbrush: £3.50 from my local health shop, price varies online—–will last as long as a plastic toothbrush.

Lush shampoo bar: £5.75 each—–will last months and months (I’ll update when I eventually run out).

Lush conditioner bar: £3.50 each—-I can’t see myself running out any time soon.

A waste free Christmas

Trying to keep to the waste-free ethos during Christmas was daunting at first, but I have found some really simple ways to minimize my Christmas waste without being the Scrooge of the festive season.

I didn’t start my waste-free endeavours until recently and so I very much doubt my Christmas this year will be completely waste-free. I presume most of my family had bought me presents before I decided to go waste-free and so didn’t even think about the packaging because lets face it, who normally does? Until now I certainly didn’t. Plus there were a few items which I bought as presents for others, which I couldn’t find unless they were wrapped in plastic…I know what you’re thinking: “RIGHT THAT’S IT, SHE’S A FAILURE, A WASTEFUL FRAUD!“, or maybe you’re thinking “who the hell cares” right?

Well, as sad as it may seem, I care. I just don’t think Christmas should be at the expense of the environment. But before I focuss on the waste I made, which I have to say was a grand total of two cellophane wrappers which equate to the size of my fist, the rest of my Christmas shopping has been a waste-free breeze!

SO HERE WAS MY WASTE-FREE EFFORT THIS YEAR:

THIS YEAR I WRAPPED all my gifts in old newspapers and parcel string. This was a little tricky at first as I didn’t want to use any sellotape but after a few failed attempts I got the hang of it. I think they look great! Plus the newspapers were full of Christmas adds which I could use to my festive advantage!

Free Christmas themed wrapping!

The Rubbish Junkies junk…I mean, presents!

I ALSO DID A LOT OF RESEARCH on where to find certain products, and chose those with the least amount of environmental impact. To stick within my budget I bought bulk items from retailers and instead of paying for delivery, I collected all my items in store. Although this was more effort on my part, I made sure I tied it in with a trip I was making anyway, which saved me time and money, and it ensured I skipped out the additional packaging and fuel emissions from having the item delivered to my door.

I MADE THE SKIN CARE GIFTS that I usually buy in high street retailers (you know the ones, the box sets which are all neatly packaged in pretty boxes with cellophane windows, plastic moulds, and so much material that you really begin to wonder what it is you’re actually paying for). Instead I up-cycled jars from my used glass jar collection, and made handmade labels from old envelopes and toilet role tubes!

The Rubbish Junkies home-made skin care gifts for Christmas

I BOUGHT HOME-MADE chutneys in recyclable glass jars from a local independent company, which lead to me forming a nice deal with the owner who now gives me all her used glass jars for my skin care remedies! …plus I got to have fun tasting all the jams, jellies, and chutneys…which, I’m not going to lie, was a tasty little bonus!

Though I have to say, my favourite festive waste-free project this Christmas has been when I finally got to use an old 2 litre glass cider bottle that I had been saving for ages….to store our home-made mulled wine! One beautiful large glass bottle up-cycled, two bottles of red recycled, and a very contented me,snuggled up watching Christmas films with mulled wine, giggling to myself at the grinch.

Merry Christmas! R.J. XXX

PS. Here’s some more impressive beards…Christmas beards!

Waste-free home-made skin care remedies

I wanted to call this post “Waste-free home-made skin care products” because I guess that is what I have been making, but the word “products” just sounded a little too commercial and non-natural- which is exactly what these are not.

NATURAL HOME-MADE MAKE-UP REMOVER. By using a blend of almond oil and castor oil I have created a very simple and beautiful make-up remover to replace my wet-wipes, which I had admitted to being over-reliant on a few weeks ago (you can read that blog post here).

The Rubbish Junkie’s natural almond oil make-up remover. Fragrance free.

As this is for my own use I have made this blend specific for oily skin, but I have also learned to make different mixtures for dry and combination skin types.

MY VERDICT: I have to admit I was apprehensive at first about using an oil make-up remover when I have oily skin, as I thought I would look and feel greasy. Thankfully I was very pleasantly surprised- my skin has felt so much softer since switching from face-wipes to this! I was also really pleased with finding such a lovely little square jar which was being recycled at work. I didn’t think it would last very long but  I was AMAZED AT HOW ECONOMIC this blend is, as I only need to use a few drops to remove all my make-up each evening…which means this little jar will last me well into 2015 and produces no waste at all-unlike my usual pack of wet-wipes the contents of which are all in the sewers within a month.

I haven’t got round to making some  cotton/hemp reusable make-up pads yet but that’s next on my to do list!

WASTE-FREE WHIPPED COCONUT OIL BODY BUTTER. This is one of my favourites! I was having a lot of trouble with my coconut oil as when it’s cold (hello England) it literally turns rock solid and is a nightmare to get out the jar. But I found a great whipping recipe which means my coconut oil will stay airy and creamy at cold temperatures.

The Rubbish Junkie’s waste-free whipped coconut oil body butter. In luxurious lavender.

MY VERDICT: I decided to make a really lush lavender fragrance body butter with added vitamin E, which I found to be great as a luxurious indulgent treat at the end of a long day to sooth dry winter skin. As with the make-up remover, the natural plant-based oils are shelf stable and so my body butter will last me right through the winter months and beyond! I am however, going to invest in some small eco-friendly scoops to use as applicators as I have read that the moisture from your skin and from humid rooms can bring a risk of mould, and that would be such a shame!

COLLECTING GLASS JARS is quickly becoming my favourite fun activity, and often feels like I am on a treasure hunt! I have now built up a lovely little collection of a veriety of shapes and sizes, for me to play with more skin-care recipes (I keep having more and more ideas each day!).

One example of being a Rubbish Junkie- what is one persons waste, is my treasure!

I am also thinking of setting up my own etsy shop to sell jars of skin care remedies, to promote healthy bodies, minds, and environments- all of my items would be packaged in my reused glass jars, with recyclable or compostable labels….watch this space 🙂