In other news.....

It’s been a strange few weeks queuing time on the B&Q website has exceeded an hour, self raising flour has a higher street value than hard drugs and instagram has becoming saturated with people all showing us how to touch up our roots.

Amidst all the sadness and worry we have seen some really touching things, the clapping for the NHS workers every Thursday evening and people all coming together in their communities. Wonderful creative people like Max McMurdo have organised efforts to make visors for Health workers from their old School DT rooms….. you can donate to Max’s Just giving page here.

Is hard for me to know what to write about in these strange times and what will be of interest to you all on my Instagram page Being a Warrior on Waste has always been my main focus and although I appreciate saving ourselves at the moment is of major importance, saving the ocean remains my passion. These times will pass and when they do I want the world to continue its fight against plastic pollution and live more sustainably. I have therefore decided to ‘stay in lane’ and continue to work hard to help the fight that I’m passionate about, passing on all the good stuff to you. I’m also here as always to continue to inspire you with ideas to style your home affordably and sustainably.

So whats news…..

Launch of Zoom your Room.

I know that many of you are sitting at home with time on your hands, looking at rooms that no longer work for you, rooms that you think could use a restyle.I have started offering a remote styling and sourcing service. We can simply ‘Zoom’ call and you can show me your room. I can pop together some ideas and source things that will transform your room. I can even give remote help on upcycling - just look at this Kitchen cupboard transformation with Annie Sloan paint all done via remote advice.

So if there is an area of your house that you need help with, giving me a call, lockdown is the perfect time to make sure that every area of your house is working for you. More details of this service can be found here on my webiste.

About time too- a toothbrush that wont end up clogging our oceans.

Plastic on our bathrooms is a particular annoyance to me, I have struggled to find a great alternative to plastic toothbrushes, using bamboo alternatives with various degrees of success but at last a solution to toothbrush pollution is on the horizon.

When I do my beach cleans I’m afraid that finding toothbrushes along the shoreline is all too common, The reason is simple. The total number of plastic toothbrushes being produced, used, and thrown away each year has grown steadily since the first one was made in the 1930s. Around 3.5 billion toothbrushes are sold worldwide each year. 99% of those are plastic and an average person will use 300 toothbrushes in their lifetime.

Most toothbrushes can not be recycled as they are made of different types of plastic that are difficult to separate so they end up in our oceans and degrade to microplastics which kill marine wildlife and get into our food chain.

Now here’s the science bit so try and concentrate!!!!.  I have been made aware of Reswirl toothbrushes,their handles are made of plastic from a family called PHA, which is both bio-based and biodegradable, even at low temperatures in a home compost or in the sea. PHA is made through a special microbial fermentation of crops like corn or cassava (all non-GMO) and prepared as pellets for injection molding. At the end of its life, PHA returns to nature as carbon dioxide and water. The bristles in the brush are also up to 100% bio-based, although they don’t biodegrade at the same rate as the handle, it gives you another incentive to send your old brushes back so that they can be ground down and re-molded into new ones.

Anyway, enough of me chatting and bamboozling you with science, the nice people at Reswirl have made this for you and it explains it much better than me.

The team behind Reswirl is currently seeking funding on Kickstarter to launch the product. There’s an early bird offer for the first 1,200 backers who buy an annual subscription. Once the subscription starts you will automatically receive new brushes every 3 months.

 Simon Porter, operations manager at Reswirl said; “You don’t have to dig too deep to unearth the shocking statistics around single-use plastic and how much we’re throwing away each year. And while we think we’re disposing of it correctly, much of it still ends up in landfills or escaping into the sea. “It’s an epidemic that’s not going to change unless we tackle the situation head-on. We’re not suggesting that Reswirl toothbrushes are going to change the world, but it gives consumers an eco-friendly option so that they too can start to make small changes that will make a massive impact on the environment.”

To me, it seems like the first all-round sensible solution to a problem that’s causing damage to the ocean and I for one will be supporting Reswil and signing up for my subscription- the toothbrushes even arrive in packaging that’s compostable and recyclable. Its my job to find out the good stuff and pass it on so there you go- you’re welcome!

Isolation Garden Ideas

The weather has made isolation all the more bearable and those of us with gardens are counting our blessings. I know lots of you are using this time to style your gardens and make the most of your space. A well styled area of your garden can act as another room, and right now I am sure there are many households needing to create calm relaxing areas, where people can escape from the busy house and relax for a while. I know I have considered moving to the shed a few times this week.

I was due to be revealing my show garden design at the Ideal Home Show as lockdown began, this obviously has had to be delayed but part of that design was an outside area designed for just that purpose relaxing and socialising with those you love. I can’t reveal too much of my design- you will have to come to the show later in the year for that but I can share a few ideas and help you create a space in your garden

Pallet furniture is easy and affordable to make, in fact there are some instructions here on the Homebase website, it’s super simple and there are always pallets to be found- just make sure you ask permission before taking them.

Now what can really make your pallet furniture really look professional is the premade cushions that are made specifically in sizes for pallets as shown in the pictures. To help make life easier and your pallet upcycles look professional they are in my Warriors on Waste Shop in the gardening section. Click here to see the cushion options.

Styling your pallet furniture up with cushions and an outdoor rug made from recycled plastic bottles will give the space a sense of luxury, add some vintage-inspired garden lighting and, some candles and you will have the most lovely area to enjoy without breaking the bank.

So, folks, that’s all for now just a few bits to keep you entertained and informed during these difficult times.

Make sure you follow on Instagram for daily inspiration keeping you informed of all things that every Warrior on Waste or interiors Addict should know and my Warriors on Waste Shop on Amazon is constantly being updates with sustainable finds, lovely things for your home and garden.

Stay safe and healthy you lovely lot.

Lynne x

Warriors on Waste Amazon is an affiliate store. Paid Partnership with Reswirl.