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Wednesday 19 September 2012

Knickers!!!


Further to my recent post about recycling, I find myself with a rather delicate dilemma.

Nearly all, but not quite all, things we need to dispose of from time to time are covered by the new separate bin collections.

Advice is given as to disposing of wearable, if old, clothing (there are in addition to charity shops, recycling collections at some of the supermarkets.  Fine,  as far as it goes.

What is not so clear is how to dispose of those 'well worn'  frankly tatty items of underwear, which no-one would dream of trying to recycle.

I have in my possession some half dozen pairs of said items, along with some half dozen or so shapeless, tatty, utterly useless bra's.  Now these even when new were not the sort of items which would readily attract new owners (more Bridget Jones than Bridget Bardot), and cannot be used as dusters, and, even if they could, what happens when they are useless for that purpose.

A seemingly frivolous question (heaven forfend), but how do we legally and in an Eco friendly way get rid of them?
Serious suggestions only please ............Oh well, if you must!



                                                                                           

14 comments:

  1. If your knickers are cotton Ray then you could shred them and put them at the bottom of your compost - it would take a while but they would decompose eventually! As for the bra's - the mind could get very creative!

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  2. Hmmm. I try to discourage such creative thoughts Jane!

    But yes, cotton would I suppose, compost, thanks for that.

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  3. Ray, there was a group up in Yorkshire I think, who were collecting old bras a couple of years back. I remember the Church Times making an appeal. If I can remember where I'll let you know.

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  4. Hi Greenpatches, please do if you can.
    The mind boggles (well mine does) as to what they could possibly do with them.

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  5. I use old knickers as dusters and for picking anything the dog may have dropped.....then they can go in the dustbin after wards....Old bras could make useful catapults! Or if large enough hod carriers. Ducks!

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  6. I have always used cotton knickers as dusters Jean, but they can no longer be put into our household bins and no fabrics may go into the recycling one.
    My bras would be utterly useless, should I need a catapult, since by the time I ditch them, they have no elasticity left. A bit like me.

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  7. I saw an eco garden here this summer where they had used bra's to grow tumbling tomato's in if that helps at all!? Cotton pants I would also shred & compost.

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  8. Thanks Shona, but my garden is sufficiently eccentric already without adding a display of tatty old bras.

    Cotton pants yes I will consider composting, but that still leaves me with the slightly more 'glamorous' efforts.
    How do I dispose of grey (once-white) with failed elastic, and black lace which has become a series of holes roughly held together with the odd thread.
    As Jane Austen might have (but almost certainly didn't say) "My mind is much exercised with thoughts of nether garments".

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  9. Here's a link to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Service campaign here, Ray - though not sure if they're still collecting.

    http://www.yorkshireairambulance.org.uk/recycling/bras/

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  10. Just wanted to let you about an up coming event over here. I thought of your blog every day last week when I hear the advert.

    http://vancouver.virginradio.ca/BrasAroundBCPlace.aspx

    Quite what constitutes a 'gently used bra' I am unclear on and I am not suggesting that St Mary's has a similar event with the bra's hanging from the ceiling. However maybe a local ladies cancer charity & radio station could do something similar?

    Can we please have a blog (with pictures) about your 'eccentric garden' at some point. I am intrigued & love other peoples gardens.

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  11. Thanks for the reference Shona, I looked it up and it is apparently an event in aid of Breast Cancer week. When they ask for gently used, I think it is Canada Speak for nearly new, since they propose to pass them on to a womens' refuge after the event.
    So, sadly even if I could get them there in time (unlikely), they are old and tatty, so no go sorry.

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  12. I'm another who uses old knickers and underpants as dusters and cleaning rags. By the time my expensive mastectomy bras are discarded, they're fit for nothing but the dustbin. We do now have recycling bags for textiles, so I may try putting them in there in future. The dilemmas of modern life, eh?

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  13. I really regret the demise of the 'rag and bone' man of my youth. Rags really meant rags in those days.

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