breaktheplastichabit

HOW TO CHECK YOUR BEDDING

MOST mattresses today are made from plastic in the form of polyurethane foam, which is highly flammable, so manufacturers are required to douse it in flameretardant chemicals.

We believe these chemicals could put your health at risk over time. A mattress made of natural rubber and covered with wool is naturally nonflammable anyway. You spend a significant part of your day sleeping, so it makes sense to ensure your bed is not slowly making you ill.

If you can’t afford an all-natural high-quality mattress, at least make sure your pillow is healthy. Your head is in direct contact with it for many hours each day and microscopic plastic particles may make their way into your lungs when you inhale. Most pillows have synthetic filler made from foam or plastic fibres. Choose feather, down or wool if you can afford it.

These materials are far easier to recycle, too. An estimated 167,000 tonnes of mattresses are sent to landfill each year in the UK.

Many companies (such as John Lewis and Dreams) will offer to recycle your old mattress for around £25 if you buy a new one from them.

Alternatively, you can arrange for your local council to collect it, which costs around £26. There are also independent companies which offer the same service ( for instance,

collectyouroldbed.com will remove and recycle mattresses and beds, which costs from £ 32.99 for a single mattress).

Many parts of the mattress can be recycled, but it is worth knowing that natural textiles like cotton and wool, wood and natural latex may decompose in a few years, while synthetic fabrics, foams, metals and plastics can hang around for decades, or even centuries.

Natural fibre mattresses can be more expensive than foam or synthetic materials. For instance, the John Lewis Natural Collection ( johnlewis.com) starts at £499 for a single, compared to £49 for its least expensive mattress made from synthetic materials.

THE SILK SOLUTION IS A TOUCH OF LUXURY

AVOID polyester fabrics if you can, and stick with cotton or even bamboo bedding.

If you can afford the luxury, silk is another natural option.

For warmth, wool is ideal as a naturally antibacterial moisture barrier. Wool- stuffed duvets (from £ 49.90, thewoolroom. com) and mattress toppers ensure that you stay warm in the winter and cool in summer.

THE PERFECT EXCUSE FOR THAT PARQUET

WOOD-LAMINATe flooring and n synthetic carpets are very difficult to recycle and most end up in landfill. Check with your local authority recycling scheme or visit carpetrecyclinguk.com.

We’re not encouraging you to rip up your laminate flooring and synthetic carpets and invest in wood and natural fibres overnight, but it’s wise to know the possible dangers of plastic flooring and to put that knowledge into the mix the next time you’re planning to redecorate.

Laminate flooring is actually synthetic floor layers, usually made of melamine resin and fibre board material, fused together with large volumes of chemical glue that may contain formaldehyde. Gasses from the toxic chemicals could leak out in the first few years after installation (there’s less reason for concern if your floor has been in place for some time).

Similarly the ideal non-plastic carpet is 100 per cent wool or silk (which can be more expensive), coir, jute or sisal because they are usually chemical-free and will break down much more rapidly in landfill when they are no longer fit for purpose.

We are also concerned that synthetic carpets contain nylon or polyester fibres which, during the course of wear and tear, could break away and disperse through your house, filling your lungs with microscopic plastic particles.

The consequences of breathing in such particles is still unknown, but breathing in plastic on a regular basis is not ideal.

Moreover, wall-to-wall carpeting usually involves very strong glues that can give off toxic gasses for a long time after they have been installed. The ideal plastic-free flooring is natural wood, sealed with oil rather than protective polyurethane varnish.

GO ECO-CHIC WITH BAMBOO BLINDS

SYNTheTIC fabrics such as polyester and nylons tend to be photodegradable, which means daily exposure to light could disperse their potentially harmful plastic microparticles into the air. Opt for natural fabrics or wood or bamboo blinds wherever possible.

AdApted by LOUISe AtKINSON from Life Without plastic: the practical StepBy-Step Guide to Avoiding plastic to Keep Your Family And the planet Healthy by Chantal plamondon and Jay Sinha, published by page Street publishing at £13.99 © Chantal plamondon and Jay Sinha 2018.