Ökobowl (a reusable food bowl from Germany)

Ökobowl is a smashing idea from Berlin, used nationwide. Why are companies in England not following suit, considering the litter problems we have?

Also sold alongside reusable cups, the bowl can be washed around 1000 times in the dishwasher, and is sold with or without a lid, and easy to stack for optimal drying. Free from nasty chemicals, the bowls are odourless and tasteless.

Businesses in the UK can order the bowls, though we don’t yet have a deposit return scheme, so you’ll have to kind of make up your own, offering refundable deposits to return them.

The bowls are sold in 4 sizes, and ideal for delis or cafes that wish to offer snacks or soups, but without the hassle and expense of disposable bowls.

People simply pay say £1 for a bowl, then return it to receive their deposit back. You wash the bowl and off you go again. It will mean more profits for you too.

Inspiration from Plastic-Free Modbury (Devon)

The Devon town of Modbury became Europe’s first plastic-bag free town a few years back, after a local woman (who had filmed birds dying from ingesting plastic while filming for the BBC abroad) managed to get everyone switching over in just a few weeks.

Even the supermarket got on board. And so did the local delis, which to this day offer compostable pots. So why are so many small businesses in England still handing out plastic-lined disposable pots? It’s not just barmy for the planet, but is also costing the businesses money, as they have to buy new pots.

Why is the UK Deposit Return Scheme Delayed?

Along with many other barmy decisions of recent governments, the long-awaited deposit return scheme (where machines would let people return pots, cans and bottles for money, to rid our country of litter) has now been delayed until 2027.

And get why? Because our (English) government says it does not want glass to be included. Scotland and Wales are on board. And Finland has been recycling glass bottles in deposit return schemes since the 60s?!

The government says it would be too complicated to set up?

Our neighbours in Europe have been running DRS schemes successfully for years. In what kind of world is collecting glass drinks containers not an essential part of a system designed to collect drinks containers? It reeks of corporate lobbying, who do everything to push the problems they create onto others. Greenpeace UK