Ethics and Ecology

So I have been wandering around the local area – not too far from home – and ended up in the library reading the Which? consumer magazine during a little rest.

polypropylene netting
non-compostable teabag remains

I got shocked by two articles:

  • that most teabags are not anymore 100% compostable, as they include a polypropylene plastic netting in order to heat-seal the bags. These include fairtrade and organic brands like “TeaDirect” and “Clipper”, too. And astonishingly, also fruit and herbal teas.
    Which a quick dig in my wormery confirmed – for several hours I had to sieve out the left-overs of teabag netting to put into landfill instead.
    Here is a picture of some of the remains from the wormery, which my partner described as ” [The teabag leftovers] Looks like the alien in Dr.Who from whom you hide behind the sofa as a kid!”

And that my new and proudly acquired Ecoballs have made it into the top ten of money-wasting products that the world doesn’t need, according to Which? .  Whilst I was first thrilled to have found a product which promised to soften the washing without the need for fabric softener and the balls to be a hypoallergenic alternative to perfumed washing-powder, Which? claims that in tests the washing balls seemed to make little difference as in just doing the washing with water alone.

Another “Greenwash” article promised to research the ecological benefits of eco-products, like Ecover laundry powder in comparison to main brands.

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