Some wet wipes marketed as “flushable” or biodegradable take months to decompose and, if you flush them down the toilet, quickly join with fat, oil and grease to create large pipe-blocking objects.
Wet wipes, including baby wipes, make-up wipes, moist wipes, and cleaning wipes, are responsible for around half of the cases of blocked pipes from being flushed down the toilet. Avoid drain-clearance fees (around £100) by always putting them in the bin.
You can start ecotherapy on your own or with a group. Sessions often include some type of formal therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or other talking treatment. You can find activities near you through the online Ecotherapy Directory (http://bit.ly/28ncBk5).
People join ecotherapy programmes because it can improve mental and physical health, develops your social life, build your confidence, strengthen your connection with nature and help you practise mindfulness.
Ecotherapy: “It gives me structure, makes me utilise the daylight and get out of bed. It gives me something outside of myself to nurture and look after and that helps me to better look after myself.”
Ecotherapy can improve your mental and physical wellbeing through doing outdoor activities, by working in nature, such as a conservation project, gardening or farming, or by experiencing nature, such as enjoying the views on a walk or cycling through some woodland.
‘Soft’ water lathers well with soap, leaving your hair, skin, clothes and dishes softer and cleaner, although you’ll have to rinse more.
‘Hard’ water contains more minerals than ‘soft’ water. It leads to limescale build-up in appliances, and you need to use more detergent when washing things.
Each year in the UK households throw away almost 29 million tonnes of waste – the same as 4.3 million African Elephants.
Each tonne of paper recycled is the equivalent of keeping 24 trees, helping to reduce toxic emissions.