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Cutting Down on Piggy Related Plastic Usage

alexr

alexr

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Having seen a recent TV programme on environmental issues concerning plastic, I was wondering if anyone has any tips on cutting down on plastic usage in relation to piggy ownership.

I’ve realised just how much I use:
  • 2x puppy pads in 5 cages (10 per clean out every 2-3 days).
  • 1-2 Black plastic bags per clean
  • 15 wet wipes per day to clean Hamish’s impacted bum (approx 5 wet wipes per clean 3 x per day).
  • All the plastic wrappings on veg!
Feeling like I need to make changes so any tips would be useful...

Thanks in advance. 🤗
 
I know right, it’s shocking! For a few months now I’ve been cutting down on plastic and slowly changing everything I have to cruelty free so I know how overwhelming it is to start out! It’s not easy!

Do you use fleece bedding? If not it may be worth considering it to cut out puppy pads, usually some sort of towel is the absorbent layer.

I also use biodegradable waste bags I got from amazon, they’re not cheap or all that strong but it means that all the poo/hay and bag is fully degradable!

Have you considered his own flannel? I know it sounds gross but it could be washed with a white vinegar/lemon/bicarb solution to keep it clean. I’m not sure on any pig safe solid soaps though, wish Gorgeous Guineas did one!

Don’t get me started on the veg 🙈 Although it’s a little more expensive I try to buy lose items and put them in my own hessian style bags but anything prepackaged is unavoidable currently and none of it is recyclable :(
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
I know right, it’s shocking! For a few months now I’ve been cutting down on plastic and slowly changing everything I have to cruelty free so I know how overwhelming it is to start out! It’s not easy!

Do you use fleece bedding? If not it may be worth considering it to cut out puppy pads, usually some sort of towel is the absorbent layer.

I also use biodegradable waste bags I got from amazon, they’re not cheap or all that strong but it means that all the poo/hay and bag is fully degradable!

Have you considered his own flannel? I know it sounds gross but it could be washed with a white vinegar/lemon/bicarb solution to keep it clean. I’m not sure on any pig safe solid soaps though, wish Gorgeous Guineas did one!

Don’t get me started on the veg 🙈 Although it’s a little more expensive I try to buy lose items and put them in my own hessian style bags but anything prepackaged is unavoidable currently and none of it is recyclable :(
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Some great ideas here - thank you!

I used to use towels and fleece on top of puppy pads but had a recent fungal outbreak despite always washing on 60deg plus and using F10 in the cages. Since then it’s been hay and puppy pads on top of newspaper.

I didn’t know they made biodegradable bags so I’ll definitely look out for those - thank you! I have to take the bags to the tip or we run out of bin space.

I try to console myself with the fact that the wet wipes are probably fairly short term as Hamish is very old and quite infirm. Perhaps I could use loo roll to clean as much as poss and then a damp cloth that is regularly washed.

Oh and I’ve just remembered the number of disposable rubber gloves I get through! 🤔 I could just wash my hands but it stinks and I never feel completely clean. Marigolds don’t allow enough dexterity sadly.

I might go and check out the veg set up at the market and maybe find out about local allotment produce sellers. It’s just so shocking the amount of wrapping!
 
Hmm very tricky, most bedding isn’t all that eco friendly so I’m not sure what other options there are.

100x Single-Use Gloves | Eco-Friendly | Organic | No Plasticizer or Chemical Substances - Ideal for Foods | 100% Compostable & Biodegradable | Casparo Eco Design: Amazon.co.uk: Amazon.co.uk: Perhaps something like this for gloves?

To be honest I find if you look up something with “biodegradable” in front of it then you get lots of new options you didn’t know you had! I often do it for random stuff and find more eco friendly alternatives, like tooth pick dental floss made of corn starch etc. It’s amazing how many small companies are popping up to try and make a difference, we’re slowly moving everything towards a planet friendly future.

If that means I have to spend a fortune at places like Lush then so be it! :))
 
I buy lose veg whenever possible although this is difficult, I haven't seen an unwrapped cucumber in years!

I use a bucket when cleaning out hay trays and poop and tip it into my compost bins. Hay trays have Back 2 Nature or newspaper under the hay which is compostable. I have now got a council green bin so when my bins are full I can put the waste in there (not all council's allow piggie waste in green bins). I've cut down on puppy pads by only putting them in the wettest corners. I use newspaper in the rest of the cage, I also find newspaper on top of the pads often saves them from getting wet. Newspaper unless mucky with poop goes in the recycling, poopy paper goes in my compost bins the council won't take it in their green bins. I use fleece bedding on top although I suspect fleece will be one of the next things to be banned as I believe it contains plastic microbeads which get washed into the drains when put through the wash?

I cut open hay bags very carefully and reuse them for our rubbish if we need one so at least they are not single use, hopefully they will come up with a better package solution soon.
 
Wow, the gloves sound perfect. Quite a bit more expensive but environmentally friendly at least! I think you can get washable puppy pads which I may consider. Quite expensive but would probably be more cost-effective long term.

Well, I’ll start trying to make some changes with the pigs and then tackle the rest of the house. 🤔
 
alexr said:
Wow, the gloves sound perfect. Quite a bit more expensive but environmentally friendly at least! I think you can get washable puppy pads which I may consider. Quite expensive but would probably be more cost-effective long term.

Well, I’ll start trying to make some changes with the pigs and then tackle the rest of the house. 🤔
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You can also get inco pads (for elderly or disabled people) that are designed to absorb urine that are washable and very durable :)
 
piggieminder said:
I buy lose veg whenever possible although this is difficult, I haven't seen an unwrapped cucumber in years!

I use a bucket when cleaning out hay trays and poop and tip it into my compost bins. Hay trays have Back 2 Nature or newspaper under the hay which is compostable. I have now got a council green bin so when my bins are full I can put the waste in there (not all council's allow piggie waste in green bins). I've cut down on puppy pads by only putting them in the wettest corners. I use newspaper in the rest of the cage, I also find newspaper on top of the pads often saves them from getting wet. Newspaper unless mucky with poop goes in the recycling, poopy paper goes in my compost bins the council won't take it in their green bins. I use fleece bedding on top although I suspect fleece will be one of the next things to be banned as I believe it contains plastic microbeads which get washed into the drains when put through the wash?

I cut open hay bags very carefully and reuse them for our rubbish if we need one so at least they are not single use, hopefully they will come up with a better package solution soon.
Click to expand...

I did actually contact a local allotment group and offered free guinea pig manure in return for some veg. I think they thought I was bonkers. 😂

Unfortunately, it says “no animal waste” on our green bin.

Some great ideas here though so I’ll have a ponder on how I can adapt them.
 
Cavy Kung-Fu said:
@piggieminder I never thought about fleece giving off plastic in the environment, eek! Definitely something to think about!
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I unfortunately have a piggy with damaged airways due to an infection when he was a few weeks old, fleece is the only bedding I can find that doesn't have him wheezing all the time. We need someone to invent a new fabric made from plant fibres that is absorbant but sustainable and durable. A challenge for the scientists on the Forum?
 
We have washable puppy pads, Vet Fleece Inconti-pet, you can get them from Amazon, they are brilliant, we've had ours for a year and they get washed at 60 degrees every week and are still fine!
 
I can recommend the incontinence bed pad things - this is what i use for my big fleece cage liners - washed at 60 and still going strong after a few years..
 
I would double check your green bin rules. Ours says no animal waste but when I checked the council's website they specify the waste of meat eaters like cats and dogs and they also say that the waste of herbivores like rabbits and guinea pigs is safe to put in.

I use aubiose though each 20kg bale comes in plastic, that said a bale lasts me at least 2 months so it's not too bad. I used to order hay from hay and straw and kept 3 of the huge plastic bags from the 9.5kg deliveries. I now take two of these bags to the plant nursery I buy my hay from and that bale is cheaper and doesn't come wrapped in plastic so win win.

I was ordering science selective in 10kg bags but the grain free only comes in 1.5kg. This lasts me a month or so but I am considering tweeting the company to say that I want to be able to purchase a larger bag or have more environmentally friendly packaging but ideally have both!

Other than that I am making a concerted effort to buy fruit and veg that isn't wrapped in endless amounts of plastic. I have two guinea pig "flannels" rather than using cotton pads for washing their filthy bums (it's only one at the moment that has a tendency to be dirty).
 
I think if we all do what we can it will make a difference... We have a brown bin for garden waste and i put the hay in there - along with the poo - I pay for that bin each year so a bit of piggy poo won't matter.... its not like they can ever see it anyway amongst all the hedge clippings/grass and hay!
 
Another piggy-related recycling concern is the water softener cartridges that I use for my piggies' water because we live in a really hard-water area. I think it's only BRITA that recycle their cartridges whereas the much cheaper versions available on ebay are destined for landfill.
 
Lady Kelly said:
I would double check your green bin rules. Ours says no animal waste but when I checked the council's website they specify the waste of meat eaters like cats and dogs and they also say that the waste of herbivores like rabbits and guinea pigs is safe to put in.

I use aubiose though each 20kg bale comes in plastic, that said a bale lasts me at least 2 months so it's not too bad. I used to order hay from hay and straw and kept 3 of the huge plastic bags from the 9.5kg deliveries. I now take two of these bags to the plant nursery I buy my hay from and that bale is cheaper and doesn't come wrapped in plastic so win win.

I was ordering science selective in 10kg bags but the grain free only comes in 1.5kg. This lasts me a month or so but I am considering tweeting the company to say that I want to be able to purchase a larger bag or have more environmentally friendly packaging but ideally have both!

Other than that I am making a concerted effort to buy fruit and veg that isn't wrapped in endless amounts of plastic. I have two guinea pig "flannels" rather than using cotton pads for washing their filthy bums (it's only one at the moment that has a tendency to be dirty).
Click to expand...
ive not used aubiose @Lady Kelly so pls fogive me if my question comes across silly.
My Piggies love hay in a large trays and sleep wee poop etc. Would using aubiose first in the tray then hay on top be ok. :hmm: a
 
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