I started blogging about my waste free living experiences and the things I learn to encourage other people to adopt simple sustainable behaviours too. As Mandy Hale’s quote goes “Be honest about who you are, flaws and all. You never know who you are inspiring just by being you.”
I have many more ideas to share but I recently received some constructive feedback from a reader which made me think that now is a good time to check in with you all and ask “how can I help you?”
The feedback I received was that there have been annoying video ads on my pages. I really appreciate this feedback because I can’t see the ads and I thought they were just a static banner at the bottom of the page. WordPress puts the ads there because I use a free plan, so now I am looking at my options for getting rid of the ads (I hate ads too).
If you think there are other ways I can improve the useability of my blog, I am happy to hear it, but I also want to know how I can be useful to you. What information do you need? What problems can I solve for you? What’s your biggest challenge? What are you struggling with? Any dilemmas? Maybe I’ve written something that doesn’t makes sense or perhaps you just want to ask me a question or share something that works well for you. Please, go ahead and put all your thoughts in the comments below.
I also wanted to let you know that if you haven’t looked around the blog for a while, there have been updates to the Where to Shop in Gippsland page and the Events & Press page that might interest you. Finally, a little tip about social media. Facebook has tightened the organic reach of Pages so that users can see more of the posts from their friends and family and Instagram has moved away from chronologically showing posts. If you want to get all the Gippsland Unwrapped posts you can turn on notifications for both Instagram and the Facebook page. If you just want blog posts, make sure you follow the blog by email (the blue box to the right).
I’m looking forward to hearing all your ideas and doing my best to help, Tammy xx
Gippsland Unwrapped 
I’ve never noticed any kinds of ads let alone videos here. I’m obviously not a viable target for marketers! I love your inspiring ideas and the way you follow through with practical ways to implement them. I’m just waiting for the tipping point to happen with providers taking the leap and allowing customers to fill their BYO containers. This is the thing I find most frustrating when shopping. With virtually no local suppliers for what I need (I don’t buy the common everyday staples much) I’m planning on making a regular trip to Melb to places like the source http://thesourcebulkfoods.com.au. Even the market at Dandenong won’t let you BYO containers for nuts, dried fruits and spices. I find that these at local stores are just too expensive for the quantities I use. Catch22, once demand increases prices should adjust accordingly. We just need to continue chipping away.
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Thanks for your feedback Maree, and for letting me know you don’t see any ads. The person who mentioned it also mentioned at the end of the conversation that they provide web design services so maybe that’s why they saw the video ads… Hmm.
I’m positive there are so many more people that will shop package free if it becomes more convenient locally. I’ll keep chipping away to raise awareness and increase demand. 😊
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Now that I look, there is a tiny little ad for BIOME right down the bottom. I just tend to disregard any advertising generally. Demand will have to increase, the impact is too great, the cost too high.
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The biome one is the only one I have put there for people not wanting to make there own things or having trouble finding containers etc in local stores.
I tend to ignore advertising too unless it’s crazy all over the place.
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Not so much a dilemma but domething id share as have had difficulties with.
Young kids sipper cups. The once made of plastic that i believe lasts an eternity. Ive had three kids, many sippy cups ive held onto but its really difficult to get replacement parts. One company has not even replied. One didnt have what i needed. Can you imagine how many kf these go to landfill. Parents ( me included) buying at least 2 sippy cups per child. The cups are always fine to reuse but the teats go or the cap or seal goes so it leaks in your bag. So frustrating.
Also any recommendations on where i can buy bees wax sandwich wraps.
Cheers
Jen
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Hi Jen, Beeswax wraps are really easy to make https://gippslandunwrapped.com/2016/05/13/beeswax-wraps-on-a-budget/ but if you don’t want to make them you can buy them here http://www.biome.com.au/search?controller=search&orderby=quantity&orderway=desc&search_query=beeswax+wraps&submit_search=Search
We only ever had one sippy cup in our house as I went pretty quickly from breastfeeding to cups and the sipper bit on that cup was hard plastic like the cup itself so I didn’t have that issue. Totally agree though, that it can be hard to get replacement parts for a lot of things! I’ve learnt to look more into this before making a decision to buy something.
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My kids rely on processed food for a significant part of their diet. A good chunk is homemade, and a lot of the healthier stuff (better cereals) still come in a plastic bag, or multiple layers (!!!) of plastic packaging. Also, which is better, buying milk in cartons, or plastic bags?
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Hi Rachel, Cereal is a source of frustration for me too as my kids won’t eat my homemade granola or bulk bought muesli. I’ve limited the cereal we buy to one type and I’m hoping they will get really sick of it and start showing an interest in the muesli and granola. We also often have other things like eggs, toast, yoghurt, porridge that comes in a box, etc for breakfast instead. I’m keeping their plastic cereal bags till the end of the year and then I’ll drop them off to a REDcycle collection point.
The question about whether you should by milk in cartons or plastic bottles is an interesting one. I’m assuming you are asking this because you aren’t interested in nut milks and you don’t have a reusable bottle option. So, there is less plastic in cartons so if you want to avoid plastic you would go with this option. But if you want to know which has less environmental impact over it’s lifecycle, it may be the plastic bottle. It depends on whether you can recycle the carton in your area. Here’s an article explaining http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2011/03/disoriented_in_the_dairy_aisle.html
The problem with all the lifecycle assessments I see about plastic is that none of them really seem to go into the end of life damage that plastic causes. They seem to assume that when it is not recycled, it is contained in landfill but we know this isn’t the case for a large part of it.
If I didn’t have access to milk straight from a dairy, i would go with the cardboard cartons for now because I think most places can recycle the paper and the plastic from the carton. I’ll keep researching though.
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I’m struggling to find an alternative to parchment paper both to use in cooking and freezing…I try to reuse it but sometimes it isn’t possible and I’m not comfortable using non-stick pans or silicone (I know I’m picky). Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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I find glass and stainless steel are easily cleaned but I mostly reuse the parchment paper that my butter comes wrapped in and then compost it when done. I also have these Teflon Baking Sheets, which you might not be interested in given you don’t like to use non-stick pans. https://gippslandunwrapped.com/2015/11/27/replace-disposable-baking-paper-and-aluminium-foil/
Hope this helps in some way :-).
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I’ve acquired some of the Teflon baking sheets and so far so good. I must admit I am a little uncomfortable with what actually emits from them but they do seem to be performing well.
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I’d love advice on medication blister packs and bottles
I recycle whatever is recyclable and try to reuse the bottles for other things. But the blister packs are a real killer. Unfortunately these are for prescription medication and are unavoidable
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Hi Kirsten, This is one bit of waste that you will have to live with because you have to take your medication :-). Our waste jars have blister packs and they are taking up the most room. We could track down companies and medical associations to make it known that we would like recyclable or compostable packaging though. I think the easiest thing for them to do would be to get rid of the plastic componant and make the whole pack from foil so it can be bundled up with other foil for recycling.
Don’t get disappointed by things like this because to me, the fact that you’re thinking about it must mean that you have significantly reduced waste in other areas of your life, which is fantastic!
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We were at our farm in Sth Gippsland over the weekend and I heard you on the local radio! When the announcer mentioned they were about to interview someone who is passionate about zero waste, I wondered if it was you, and it was. 😊 Considering that your audience would have been a mix of ‘believers’ and ‘non-believers’, I thought you catered well for your listeners. I liked your hint about growing celery from the base of the bunch, especially as I have one in the fridge! I’m not so sure about the banana skins in the smoothie but I will give it a go as I agree with your desire to use more of our vegetable bits and pieces.
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I was caught a bit unexpected, as I was having a sleep in (school holidays) when they rang and asked if I could provide comment on the food waste report that just came out. I just tried to cover as much info as I could get out about food waste. It felt a bit odd but I was grateful for the opportunity to have a say. ABC Gippsland have interviewed me a few times before so it’s nice to know we’ve developed a relationship. Good luck regrowing your celery. 🙂
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Hi Tammy, Big thanks for your blog. I find so many answers here! I’ve been making my own beeswax wraps with our wax and a few drops of jojoba oil but I really want to try it with powdered pine resin. I have been trying to source it for some time but no luck – only on Amazon and they don’t ship to Australia. Maybe you or a follower could help out? Thanks.
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Thanks Vicki, I’ll let you know if I find anything useful.
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