Bins

Courtesy of our local council we now have 4 bins in the kitchen.  You did read that right 4 bins!   One for recycling, one for compostables,  one for food waste and one for anything else that is left over.   We also have an egg shell bin. (The shells are baked in the oven and ground up and occasionally given to the chickens as calcium supplement - this helps with making great eggs and more egg shells!)

What a mission it is now everytime something is to be thrown away - what goes in which bin, is this compostable,  if not is it food waste?  Is this bottle recycling or general waste and that is for everything that is to be disposed off!

Mr Milly is fab at the composting thing and we have frequent debates about whether something is compost able or why I put something in the general waste...... I'm still learning this whole sorting the rubbish out malarkey!  Good job I have Mr Milly though as the Lottie does need a lot of compost!

As you know I am trying to save money a bit here and a bit there - driven by the change of lifestyle that I strive for.   Mr Milly is still learning this particular and new way of  thinking.  At times he looks at me like I have completely lost the plot LOL!

Some examples of this;-

• The kitchen basil is growing up across the window and blocking out the light - chop a load of it off and whizz in the food processor with a few other store cupboard bits and pieces - Pesto made.  Frozen in ice cube trays then popped out into a tub and frozen until needed.  (Recipe on my recipe page)
• Tomato puree - after opening a new tube, the remainder goes into ice cube trays and same as for the pesto frozen until needed.  This is good too as a single cube is about a tablespoon measure - perfect for popping into whatever it needs to go into.  I know it doesn't cost much to buy - but we always have to buy a new tube every time we want to use it.  More than 1/2 of it every time is thrown away as it can't be kept.  Not any more in this house - all of it is used and we always have some on hand when we want it.   Empty tube into the recycling bin.
• Stale bread - sometimes it becomes a bread pudding for the weekends or a bread and butter pudding for tea.  This is a good thing with homemade bread - it doesn't go mouldy as quickly as store bought bread and can be kept for a while before using.   Egg shells into the egg shell bin or compost bin, crusts into food waste bin.
• Custard powder - some of the very well know supermarkets have custard powder for 6p per packet - a true bargain and perfectly acceptable custard.  Empty packet in recycling bin.
• Dish cloths.  We used to use J cloths or supermarket equivalent.  Mr Milly really did think I had lost it with this brainwave.  I rummaged in my stash of yarn and found some cotton yard,  crochet hook to the ready and now we have crochet dish cloths with matching scrubbies.  No more buying cloths and enough in the kitchen for one in use, one in the wash and one in the drawer.  AND - Mr Milly is now converted and thinks they are great,  actually I really like them too!  Scraps of left over wool into the compost bin.

Bread and Butter Pudding and Frozen Pesto cubes



Crochet dish cloth and matching scrubbie!