Nowadays, the environment is at the forefront of everyone’s minds and more and more businesses are looking into changing their ways. One way lots of companies are helping the planet is by switching up their takeaway containers. Instead of using single-use plastic boxes, they’re switching to cardboard takeaway salad boxes, making them recyclable and most of the time, biodegradable. Changes that businesses make can have a hugely positive impact on the environment. However, if you’re wondering howyou can be more eco-friendly in your own life, keep reading and find out…
Reuse, Reuse, And Reuse Again!
It’s great to recycle, and in fact, it’s one of the best ways you can do your bit to help the planet. But you also need to think about reusing things as well. It’s brilliant that you’ve recycled your plastic water bottle, but the process of recycling it still takes energy that’s created from fossil fuels. So, instead of buying bottles that you have to recycle, why not buy one reusable one instead. This way you’ll cut down on your waste and your recycling. The same can be said for coffee cups. Most of these aren’t recyclable so they just end up in landfills. Switching to a reusable coffee cup can save hundreds of coffee cups from being thrown away each year and you get to have a cute cup all of your own. Another top tip is to take your own shopping bag with you on trips as well. Plastic carrier bags are another thing that can’t generally be recycled unless it’s taken to a specialist plant, so bringing your own will really help you cut down your plastic waste.
Change Your Travel Plans
Travelling by car may seem like the most convenient method of transportation, but by saving yourself a few minutes extra travel time, you’re massively increasing your carbon footprint. Try making little changes as it can be impossible to sometimes forgo a car completely. Try making 2 out of your 5 commutes to the office by public transport. This way you’re not having to compromise too much on your sleep as you’ll most likely need to leave earlier, and you reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. One top eco tip is to walk anything that’s less than a mile. This means if your walk to the local shop could be driven in two minutes but walked in 6, then leave the car at home. No matter how short the journey, every single one can make a difference.
Switch Off
It can be easy to leave lights on in empty rooms, especially when you’re rushing around in the mornings to leave for work and school. Try to make it a habit of yours to do a quick run around each room and check that you’ve switched the lights off. Wasted energy not only pushes your bills up, but it’s also having a very negative impact on the environment. Even if you have energy-saving bulbs, it’s still better to switch them off when they’re not needed. As well as your lights, it’s important that you don’t leave all your appliances on constantly. Leaving the TV on standby overnight is burning unnecessary energy, causing further determine to the Earth. When you’re doing a check of your lights, do a quick scan of your appliances too. Switching them off at the wall is the best way to ensure no energy is wasted too.
Cut Down Food Waste
Food waste is a massive problem. Not only is it extremely wasteful to throw away, but it’s also creating millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases. The more food that we purchase and throw away, the more food we need to buy. This in turn increases food production and means further CO2 emissions are released into the atmosphere, causing harm. Try to create a shopping list that only includes the things you need and don’t stray from it. Planning your meals in advance can be super useful too as you’ll know exactly what ingredients you’ll need, cutting down on waste. You can even use it for fertiliser and create your own compost!
Use Cleaner Cleaning Products
You might think that you need to use products like bleach and harsh chemicals are the best options for cleaning. But in reality, these contain things like foaming agents made from toxic chemicals and they end up harming the ecosystem when they’re flushed down drains. Instead of using harsh cleaning products, try using natural cleaners like lemon juice and vinegar. Not only will it help keep your house clean in a safer way, but these ingredients tend to be a lot cheaper than other products too.
B.Y.O.C. (Bring Your Own Cutlery)
When you buy food to takeaway, the business will probably give you takeaway cutlery to use as well. However, a lot of the time it’s made from single-use plastic meaning you can’t reuse it or even recycle it. One way to combat this problem is to invest in your own cutlery made from stainless steel or bamboo and bring it with you when you know you’ll be getting food out somewhere. This small change can really make a difference to the environment and reduce the amount of single-use waste in landfills.
Buy Less Clothing
Although it’s tempting to splurge on a large clothing haul like all the influencers you see online, when you think about how often you actually wear the clothes, it’s probably not actually that often at all. You’ll more than likely throw them away after you realise that you won’t wear them anyway. Clothes take years and years to degrade, so landfills are being constantly filled up with clothes people have never even worn. Instead of buying more clothes than you can wear, try keeping your wardrobe simple. If you do need to buy clothes, then try going for second-hand or eco-friendly brands so that you can eliminate your contribution to the mass production of clothing.
Being eco-friendly isn’t that difficult and sometimes the smallest changes can make the biggest difference. You don’t need to make a lot of hard compromises in your everyday life either. All you need to do is consider where you can reduce, recycle, and reuse. You’ll soon find it second nature and be able to easily do your bit for the environment.
