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Published 19 Apr 2024

RECYCLING SAVES TREES!

This is such a mundane thing for me to get excited about. But I can’t help it. We bring you…..recycled toilet paper! Oh. I said it wrong. Recycled PAPER toilet paper.

It is utterly pointless to grow a perfectly good tree for 80 years and then cut it down to make toilet paper. Just because it is Forest Stewardship Council certified and grown in a sustainable forest and more trees will be planted to replace it, doesn’t make it OK. We need to grow trees to harvest for timber products, of course. Personally, I find it immoral that we import as much timber as we do. We rely on imports from overseas, but there’s plenty of space for us to grow our own timber.

Coniferous forest being felled for timber and paper



There’s sometimes a trees vs food debate, but there is a lot of land that is no good for growing food that is very good for growing trees. So trees are precious things, and the land that is used for growing them is in demand. We recycle around 10 million tons of paper per year in the UK, so it makes perfect sense to use this for toilet rolls and kitchen paper.

Yes, you can buy sustainable loo roll made of bamboo, but it’s shipped from across the other side of the world…..we all make our own sustainability choices but I’m just very happy to be able to offer loo rolls made in the UK from paper recycled in the UK. It’s made of a mix of consumer and trade waste paper.

We buy the loo rolls in bulk and then we just pack them loose into a box. No extra packaging or anything. You can buy individual rolls and we will chuck them in with the rest of your order, or you can get a full box of 18 rolls


Not only do we have recycled paper toilet rolls but also....
Not one...
....but TWO different kinds of recycled paper kitchen roll 😀
Twin roll packs or single jumbo rolls: 

Jumbo rolls of kitchen towels made from recycled UK paper


I found it hard to find recycled paper napkins. And when I did find some, they were packaged in plastic. Not even compostable plastic. Anyhow, long story short, we buy them in bulk and pack them ourselves in Kraft paper. There are two sizes for all your catering requirements, in a nice neutral unbleached shade.

 

33cm recycled paper napkins in eco-friendly packaging



And just one more thing, I hope you are going to love these as much as we do. Going back 30 years or so, it was really hard to get print companies to print on recycled paper and card. I used to insist on it and they always made a fuss. So I know how tricky it would have been for the Eco Card Co to establish their business back in 1993. They produce beautiful cards printed on 100% recycled card. They are non chlorine bleached, really high quality cards with gorgeous images, most of them evocative of Devon where they are based. They’ve got a massive range and we’ve chosen a small selection to add to our “Gifty Things” range. There are individual cards plus multi-packs so you can stock up and have a card ready for any occasion.

Blank multipack of greeting cards with 2 each of 4 designs

Sally Phillips

Inventor of Chimney Sheep

close the loop
recycle
sustainability
sustainable lifestyle
trees
wildlife protection
PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

PlanetCare Microfibre Filter Starter Kit

55.00 GBP

How does it work?

This ingenious washing machine microfibre filter kit uses cartridges to physically catch and retain the fibres that come loose when you wash your laundry. Each cartridge will last around 15-20 loads of laundry and is easily replaceable in just a couple of minutes.

No chemicals are used in the construction or the functioning of the filter. Fibre retention is based solely on physical retention with the help of clever patent-pending technology.

You can also send the used cartridges back to us and we'll forward them on to PlanetCare. They will ensure that they are reused or recycled.  This ‘closed loop’ system ensures that there is minimum wastage throughout the whole process.

Something to think about:

Doing the laundry can have a huge environmental impact, whether that be using tonnes of energy running the washing machine and tumble drier - or the pollutants that are released from the products you use. Using a microfiber filter is just one way of reducing that impact. Why not make a few more changes - we've tonnes of handy tips in our blog.

 

What's in the box?

You'll get everything you need to fit your PlanetCare washing machine filter with these handy starter kits, meaning you can get it in place and start catching microfibers straight away.

The Mini Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  •  3 cartridges. These can last up to 60 washes.

The XL Starter Kit includes:

  • 1 housing top with a cup, 1 holder, 4 screws, 1 tube (1.5m), 1 silicone lubricant, 1 counter, and 3 filter replacement cartridges.
  • 13 cartridges. These can last up to 260 washes.
    Note: All the filter cartridges are 100% recycled and refurbished for use again and again via a closed-loop service.

       

      Is it easy to install?

      The microfiber filter is very easy to install. In fact, for most washing machines this process takes less than 10 minutes. The filters are compatible with all types of washing machines.

      There's actually a handy how-to video and a useful installation guide  you can take a peek at if you need a little bit more guidance.

      It’s a good idea to position it high enough above the floor/surface so the cover can be removed to change the filter and position the device so that it is easy to screw the cover back after each filter change.

      Please note: you will need 13 cm on the side of the washing machine and approx. 60 cm in height clearance so that you will be able to easily unscrew the housing and change the filter comfortably.

      The filter must be placed outside the washing machine on the drain hose. It should not be raised above the height of the drain hose exiting the washing machine. The hose length should be held to a minimum. Raising the filter and a long drain hose will both reduce the efficiency of pumping and filtering and should be avoided.

       

      What are the dimensions of the filter housing?

      The filter housing alone, without any attachments, measures the following:

      • height 325 mm, width (hose attachment direction) 122 mm, and depth 130 mm.

       

      Is the microfiber filter easy to use?

      For the first load, just make sure the filter cover is replaced correctly and screwed tight before using the washing machine. Try a short wash and make sure all connections and covers are fixed and watertight.

      It’s also a good idea to hold the top of the device when replacing the filter cover to avoid putting pressure on the bracket fixings when unscrewing the cover.

      After that, you do not need to do anything until the cartridge is full.

      >Easy!

       

      How does the closed-loop system work?

      When your cartridge is full you can send it back to us directly, simply go onto the delivery website Parcel2Go and produce a label to send the cartridges to us, don't forget to include your order details as we'll refund you the postage cost. We then send these off to PlanetCare who disassemble the cartridge and remove the fibres and filtering medium.  This is done in a controlled environment, ensuring that caught fibres do not pollute water or the environment.

       

      What does Planetcare do with the fibres?

      >At the moment PlanetCare is safely storing the used filtered materials. Once they have sufficient quantity, they will reuse/recycle it all. At the moment they are planning to reuse the materials by converting them into insulation mats. But, they're always on the lookout for viable solutions and will choose the best available option to reuse/ recycle the fibres.

      The waste will never be burned or sent to a landfill!

      The remainder of the cartridge is cleaned, and fitted with a new filtering medium ready to be used again.

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