Hello. Hugh Fearnley Whotzisname is on the warpath again with another programme on his War on Waste. (Available on iplayer for 29 days). He certainly knows how to fight battles with big corporations which don't want to listen . He goes on the warpath with a megaphone, on the top deck of a double decker bus in London, yelling at the customers who dare to cross the threshold of one of the big coffee shop chains, spreading the message that the cup they are lovingly nursing is not recyclable.
I don't get this walking around with a cardboard cup of coffee. Don't people get a drink at home before they leave? Don't they get one at work, it's easy to put the kettle on. Don't they get a lunch break where they can sit down for ten minutes in a cafe? Don't they know that there is such a thing as a flask to carry a hot drink in their bag? Are people so addicted to coffee that they must have one close by in case they suddenly keel over with exhaustion?
Millions and billions, and trillions of coffee cups are binned every day. The plastic coating on the inside means they cannot be recycled. There is only one place in the UK which has the facilities to do this, and none of the big coffee chains send their waste cups there. New ones cannot be manufactured using recycled cardboard, they have to be made from brand new trees. Such a shocking state of affairs.
If you do have a used coffee cup you could always do what I did with this coca cola cup I found on the street in the gutter. Turn it into something pretty. I did this for an exhibition at the Arts Centre a few years back, I still have it.
Right, got to get off this computer and go to town. Run out of Ultima cat food again. Think I'll take the trolley and load it up. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip.
I spotted you Ilona x I was little a bit disappointed by the results on Shed of the Year last night, such as the turntable one at £40k. Anyone can throw money at things but it takes real imagination to do something on a budget. I must admit I was impressed by the Saxon long house although it did cost a lot there was plenty of ideas and imagination (loved the art work on the walls) and it will be there for many people's use in years to come not just the owners. Rae x
ReplyDeleteWe saw you on the 'shed ' programme. In truth I would hardly call them sheds? Flippin, eck' the one that won cost £400000 to build. You can buy a house for that..... and no I am not joking, you really can buy a house for that
ReplyDeleteactually it cost 40000. I added an extra 0 by accident
DeleteStill not really a shed, Cherie. I am agreeing with everyone else. I think they need to put limitations on size next time.
DeleteI watched Hugh Fearnley-Whittinstall (??) last night and I can't for the life of me understand the fashion for carrying plastic beakers of coffee around. Ah well, each to his/her own. Must be an age thing.
ReplyDeleteI also watched Shed of the Year, well the first category anyway, and was disappointed that the rotating shed won as it was a bit more than a shed wasn't it? I rather liked the village of sheds. I'll watch the second category a bit later today. I did see you in the crowd Ilona and thought you looked nice and summery in your pink frock.
Joan (Wales)
Just watched the second category and was surprised that there was only ONE shed in it.
DeleteThere was a barn, a garage and a bunker. Are there any rules and stipulations, Ilona? I must say I found it a bit unfair.
Joan (Wales)
I didn't see any stipulations on the application form about what constitutes a shed.
DeleteYou might have been on TV for nano seconds last night but I saw you! My favourite 'sheds' were the two which won too. I've set the box to record every programme so's I don't miss your lovely summer house :)
ReplyDelete1. Caught a glimpse of you a time or two on the Shed prog last night! Didn't agree with the winning entries as I thought they were a little more than sheds. A shed competition should be about sheds, not ruddy great barns, no matter the effort in building one or how long it has taken, and a revolving one costing a few thousand isn't my idea of a shed, either.
ReplyDelete2. Re the vogue for the carry-it-around-aren't-I-cool coffee cup. We get a free cup of coffee each week in Waitrose, along with a free newspaper (and the free monthly magazine) as we have a Waitrose 'card'. But I don't like that it's not recyclable - I thought it was being made of cardboard but I've looked more carefully at the label and no, it's not recyclable. And so yesterday, so that we can continue to have our free cup of coffee at the end of the shopping trip, to drink in our car before we go home, I looked at the plastic coffee cups which you can wash out and take with you each week (provided you remember them) ... and they are £3 each. £3 for a flippin' plastic cup. £6 for the two of us. So I left them there. I shall have to investigate taking a mug of my own and producing that! If the plastic mug had been £1 or £1.50 I'd have bought two, but not at £6 for two of them.
And no, I don't have to accept their offer of free coffee, I know that. But it's a nice drink and it's pleasant to sit in the car after a shopping trip and drink it before driving home.
Margaret P
Couldn't you sit in the cafe and have it in a proper cup and then drive home?
DeleteTHANK YOU for mentioning the coffee thing...I do not get the constant need for an expensive cup of take away coffee, either....WHEN was it started? When I taught school in the 70's we had a coffee pot in the teachers lounge....I think even mid nineties there was not much. Now suddenly EVERYONE has to have the coffee and it is NOT CHEAP. Here I see the mother going into Starbucks for a cup and then a few kids who also get something...has to be a $20 a day habit.....
ReplyDeleteI don't normally buy these coffees but we bought a couple from a service station on the way back from holiday and I put them in the recycling bin as I had no idea that they would not recycle. I live in the East Riding which is very good for recycling and I give a lot of thought to what goes in which bin when I am at home, so I was horrified about this!
ReplyDeleteAt one of our fast food restaurants, where we sometimes stop while shopping for a light lunch, they give free coffee (and other drinks) to seniors and free refills on all drinks to everyone. This is very nice but, if you ask for a coffee refill they have some store rule that you must be given a brand new paper cup. I have asked and suggested that they don't do this, even if it's just for us but they say it's company policy and the employee could be in trouble for not doing it. JanF
ReplyDeleteYes, I don't get this 'coffee culture' thing either, never done it, never will, if I want a coffee I'll make my own thank you. A neighbour of ours admitted that they 'couldn't start the day without their coffee' and where do they get it? At the most expensive deli in town, a 3 mile drive away! So not only the cost of the daily coffee (x2) but also the petrol each way. Is that madness or what?
ReplyDeleteI think this is a keeping-up-with-the-Jones's thing: by demonstrating they can drive 3 miles for a bought cup of coffee they're telling the world they have money to burn. How silly they must be.
DeleteMargaret P
Very many people don't get lunch breaks anymore. People work harder for less these days.
ReplyDeleteBut they still have enough money to splash out on expensive coffee.
DeleteNo, not all have enough money to splash out on coffee! But for those who do then why shouldn't they buy coffee if they want to, it's their money to choose how they want to spend it.
DeleteI agree with the recycling of paper cups but that doesn't mean that people who earn money shouldn't choose how to spend it.
Some people might not approve of how you spend your money but they're not being bitter about it!
And I don't care how people spend their money. What are you going on about now.
DeleteMy mother gets cross that people spend money on their pets (I don't agree). It's horses for courses though isn't it? Buying coffee (I never do as I have no money for any extras of any kind) is up to the individuals involved and no one else's business. Such behaviour doesn't deserve moral judgement though I don't think.
DeleteWhy do I have to keep on saying this. People can spend their money on whatever they like.
DeleteI'm with you on the coffee craze I've never bought one way too expensive and the idea of wandering around guzzling coffee from a cardboard cup is beyond me however each to their own I think. Good luck with the shed.
ReplyDeleteMy friend jokes that people used to take their dog for a walk, now they take their coffee for a walk. If I drink more than 2 cups of coffee a day I get palpitations! I have to ration myself. People did used to carry a large bottle of water everywhere now its coffee. Oh listen to me, what an old woman I am lol!!
ReplyDeleteNot long ago, Carole R, it wasn't the coffee cup being taken for walkies, it was the ubiquitous bottle of water. Now only joggers carry water, walkers carry coffee cartons!
DeleteMargaret P
A) I saw you on the telly.
ReplyDeleteB) I was disappointed that the revolving shed won so I couldn't be bothered to watch the second category.
C) I saw Hugh f.w. And I don't get the coffee craze nor do I get walking around with it. I agree with you on each of your points and other ones made here.
d) the good news is that plastic bag use has gone down....but for how long? People will get used to 5p and it won't mean anything soon. I always carry loads of bags with me, it's no effort.
I think people are gradually becoming more aware that plastic is a nuisance, but when will the manufacturers change their habits, too? Why is some ice cream in a black plastic box that can't be re-cycled, ditto tomatoes in black plastic containers that can't be recycled. Black is meant to make the goods look better, that's what! Why are somethings which have their own wrapping (bananas have skins) in plastic bags, too, which are totally unnecessary? So that we will buy more than we need, obviously! And yet freshly baked bread, something we can't wash or peel, can be sold with just a flimsy bag to pop it in, one that invariably falls apart at the seams.
DeleteBut I do think the public in general is more aware of the plastic bag problem and more and more canvas shopping bags are now in use. Long may this continue.
Margaret P
I just don't get this walking around with cups of coffee and I don't think Waitrose are helping by offering free coffee to card holders.
ReplyDeleteSueM
We saw you - quick glimpse and loved your necklace.
ReplyDeleteReally agree with the others that the sheds in the
first prog were not our idea of a 'shed'.
Wendy (Wales)
Saw you there Ilona and love the programme but I wanted the rustic shed village to win as I thought they were fantastic Good luck with yours xx
ReplyDeleteThere was a write up about Shed of the Year on the TV page of the Daily Mail and a picture of you standing next to your shed. It looked good.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit disappointed by the shed of the year. I thought the winners were nice but so they should be for the price they cost! I didn't think it was really the spirit of it. Oh and as for walking in the street drinking coffee my Mum drummed into me so much as a child it was common to eat or drink in the street I think I would be frightened of being struck by lightning if I did it! Jane xx
ReplyDeleteMy mother also told me that Jane and I never have.
DeleteJoan (Wales)
This is so interesting to learn about different cultures but I never thought that Canada was so much different than the U.K. but in this instance it is. I have also read on other blogs from the U.K. the writer making note of people walking and drinking or walking and eating. I grew up with this being so commonplace it's interesting to hear that in other countries that some people have an different take on it. That's the beauty of the Internet and people sharing their day-to-day lives on their blogs - it's a peek into how other people live. As a Canadian I remember thinking it odd that some people wear outside shoes into their homes -- it's probably because we are under snow 6 months of the year we're so used to taking boots off as soon as we get in the door ...
DeleteWhen I was a child it was considered 'common' (i.e. not common to all, as the word suggests, but declasse, not the right thing to do.) The only food you may eat in street was an ice cream and that only by the beach or sea front. Now you see all kinds of things being eaten, and there is even what is called "street food" served from outdoor stalls and eaten on the hoof. Not what I would wish to do, I'm afraid, I still think it's unsightly, or as my Mum would've said, "common!"
DeleteMargaret P
This is so funny to me! You've never had the pleasure of a hot dog from a hot dog cart on a street corner? Nothing better! Go downtown in any major city in North America and you will see rich businessmen and women in their fanciest suits having their lunch from a hot dog cart on the street. It's so interesting to learn about how we are all conditioned in different ways by the environment we grew up in.
DeleteAnon in Canada (again)
I too caught a glimpse of you last night. I enjoyed the first half of the programme, but would have preferred to see the village win for they had not spent a fortunate like the winner, also the village gave so much pleasure to lots of people. Did not bother with the second half.
ReplyDeleteHazel c uk
Tony and I chose the village too.
DeleteYes, I liked the village of sheds as well.
DeleteI saw you. I was looking for you.
ReplyDeleteThe only time I buy coffee out is when my husband and I go out to breakfast in a little coffee shop in our town. We drink it there out of china cups and the waitress will refill it as many times as we want. No waste. Otherwise we have out tea and coffee at home.
ReplyDeleteGood point about the cups. The coffee shops where I work sell the option of reusable ceramic cups with silicone lids. There are hundreds of barristers in the city of Melbourne, it's an industry I support when I can. So many jobs of every type are being lost as technology replaces people, it's a worry.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of reusing your own cup. Maybe it will catch on, like bringing your own bags to the store.
DeleteWhat about the packaging in all the food that we buy? Is that recyclable? Mostly not. Perhaps people should go to the shops with their own bowls and have yoghurt put in them, or a bit of quorn shepherd's pie or whatever? It seems silly to just pick on one thing. Of course it is a start, but the judging of others as being worse than ourselves does seem unfair.
DeleteWho is judging who exactly? I am baffled.
DeleteIf you read about the old, old days villagers would take their own jugs to farms to be filled with milk and to public houses for beer. There was also a service from the local baker to bake your own bread in their ovens. Good examples.
DeleteJoan (Wales)
To Curly Club above ... did you mean to say baristas (instead of barristers)? Hopefully you're not in a spot of legal trouble where you singlehandedly support barristers (lawyers) ...
Delete:)
Thank you I did indeed mean barista's, silly me :-$ of course there are also hundreds of barristers in Melbourne but the cost of coffee isn't an issue for them ;-)
DeleteI don´t get all this eating and drinking in the street. When I was a kid, in the fifties and sixties, the only thing "to go" were ice cream cones, and even this was considered appropriate only for children and young people.At my first visit to the USA, in 1981, I thought,"Nobody in Germany will ever walk around town drinking coffee out of a cardboard
ReplyDeletecup". But now they all do! And in their kitchens they all have fancy, expensive coffee makers. I really don´t get it.
I commented on the last post that I didn't agree with the winners on the first shed of the year programme but didn't expand on that. It seems that lots agree with my thoughts though. I too thought the winning shed in the first section had cost too much and I didn't see the point of it rotating. I would have chosen the shed village which didn't cost much and gives pleasure to many. On the second section I also thought that the winner wasn't a shed but a barn. I think beyond a certain size it goes beyond being a shed.
ReplyDeleteI too don't get the walking around the street with a coffee mentality. I only have coffee at home and wouldn't waste my money buying it while out although of course people can choose what they spend their money on but I hadn't realised that the cups were not recyclable. This seems crazy in today's world. It is a good thing that this is now being brought to people's notice.
Hi Carol. The point of the rotating shed was that it can follow the sun, and it also gives a choice of views, whichever one you fancy.
DeleteI get that but you could stand outside and turn around or inside you could look through a different window. I just thought it was a ridiculous amount of money spent on it to get it to rotate. I suppose it can follow the sun though. It just didn't appeal to me like the more simple sheds of the shed village.
DeleteThere is so much out there to do environment wise, but if we start, or hugh starts on the things like veg and coffee cups, plastic bags already done, the big stuff then other things will follow. I don't drink coffee cant stand the stuff, I prefer to eat in private or to a table not standing around in my work suit, I can just imagine, hot dog, white shirt, with tomato sauce drips. lovely. Things like the coffee cups I cant believe that the companies have not thought about it and changed things already and it takes a campaign to start something. Julie T
ReplyDelete