5 SIMPLE WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR WASTE
About 6-7 months ago I to buy everything without plastic, which meant spending more money and getting less food which obviously wasn't good. I felt so bad about using plastic and making so much weight as there are so many issues surrounding it. I wish it was simple to cut out all plastics but unfortunately it's not unless of course you have access to markets and have a full time job.
So i thought i'd share some of my 5 easy waste to reduce your waste. This can be done for people on the tightest of budgets and makes a HUGE difference. So if you are interested in doing the best you can do help our planet then just keep reading.
#1 DON'T USE OR ACCEPT PLASTIC BAGS / RECEIPTS
So my partner and I try to avoid using plastic bags as much as possible. Honestly if everyone stopped using plastic bags green house emissions would be a whole lot less. So use some reusable bags, I have some Supre bags (which are free with purchase) , some Ally and Cotton On bags which are $2 and the money spent on Cotton On bags are donations. I also say no to receipts which i know is hard because some people just like to keep track but if you have a debit/ credit card you banks makes a record of your purchases for you. The only time I keep a receipt is for my expensive tech items just incase they are faulty.
#2 USE A METAL OR BAMBOO WATER BOTTLE
So something I HATE with a passion is bottled water. Why not spend $10- $15 on a water bottle that you can use for years and that can be recycled instead of one that you are going to use once then through away. I have a metal bottle with a small plastic lid because sadly I have no come across a fully metal bottle. There are bamboo ones our there which are a bit pricey but for the earth it is worth it. SO PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM SINGLE USE PLASTIC.
#3 SOLID SHAMPOO, CONDITIONERS & SOAPS
I have to admit I am super guilty of using shampoos, conditioners and soaps that come in plastic. Unfortunately these things can be exspensive and with my sensitive skin I try to stick with what my skin likes. Now Lush Cosmetics and a few other cruelty free/ vegan / natural skincare brands do amazing solid products with out plastic. I love the Lush shampoo bars as they last at least 3-4 weeks with me and my partner using them nightly. Now in this time I would have gone through about 2 or 3 bottles of shampoo so a lot of plastic. Now I don't like their solid conditioner bars from memory but for the earth I am more than willing to try them again as we both go through more conditioner then shampoo.
Lush Cosmetics and Peggy Sues Soaps offer a few solid soap varieties and also do face masks in glass jars and Lush do a program where if you bring back 5 pots for them to recycle you get a free face mask which is an awesome way to save money and save the planet.
#3 USE A BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH
For over a year now my boyfriend and I have been using a bamboo tooth brush. They are quite affordable as we payed $4.95 each for our uppercut deluxe ones. They are great because no plastic and the are biodegradable. So make the switch you will be very happy with the results.
#4 WALK OR RIDE YOUR BIKE AND DITCH THE CAR
Now I know it's hard not to walk or ride you bike everywhere. My partner and I live a good 30 minute drive from all the local shops so it is very difficult to walk or ride our bike to do the groceries. We do avoid driving as much as possible. We maybe drive 2-3 times a week max depending on what events are happening. We used to walk everywhere and we try to walk as much as possible. I am looking at getting a bike to use to ride to my local Coles which isn't too far away in the sense that there isn't many turns. It's a straight road then a right and bam I am there. But if you can walk or ride your bike to save fuel emissions it does help.
#5 AVOID PACKAGED FOOD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
Now this is something many people struggle with unless that have a fair amount of money. Now for me 1kg of packaged rice is $1 where a kg of lose rice is about $2.50 per 250g so because of my tights budget its a bit difficult to buy unpackaged food but I do buy fruit and some veg loosely instead of packaged frozen fruit or veg. I can't always buy the unpackaged fruit but I make an effort to do it as much as possible and try opt for the cereals in card board and the sugar/ flour that comes in paper bags. I know this is a difficult step but luckily you can buy bread for $2 a loaf for example from Coles that has no packaging.
I hope these steps were helpful and please don't be hard on yourself if you cant do all of these. Going Zero Waste is a long process and I myself am still learning to just do what you can when you can because every little bit helps.
So i thought i'd share some of my 5 easy waste to reduce your waste. This can be done for people on the tightest of budgets and makes a HUGE difference. So if you are interested in doing the best you can do help our planet then just keep reading.
#1 DON'T USE OR ACCEPT PLASTIC BAGS / RECEIPTS
So my partner and I try to avoid using plastic bags as much as possible. Honestly if everyone stopped using plastic bags green house emissions would be a whole lot less. So use some reusable bags, I have some Supre bags (which are free with purchase) , some Ally and Cotton On bags which are $2 and the money spent on Cotton On bags are donations. I also say no to receipts which i know is hard because some people just like to keep track but if you have a debit/ credit card you banks makes a record of your purchases for you. The only time I keep a receipt is for my expensive tech items just incase they are faulty.
#2 USE A METAL OR BAMBOO WATER BOTTLE
So something I HATE with a passion is bottled water. Why not spend $10- $15 on a water bottle that you can use for years and that can be recycled instead of one that you are going to use once then through away. I have a metal bottle with a small plastic lid because sadly I have no come across a fully metal bottle. There are bamboo ones our there which are a bit pricey but for the earth it is worth it. SO PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM SINGLE USE PLASTIC.
#3 SOLID SHAMPOO, CONDITIONERS & SOAPS
I have to admit I am super guilty of using shampoos, conditioners and soaps that come in plastic. Unfortunately these things can be exspensive and with my sensitive skin I try to stick with what my skin likes. Now Lush Cosmetics and a few other cruelty free/ vegan / natural skincare brands do amazing solid products with out plastic. I love the Lush shampoo bars as they last at least 3-4 weeks with me and my partner using them nightly. Now in this time I would have gone through about 2 or 3 bottles of shampoo so a lot of plastic. Now I don't like their solid conditioner bars from memory but for the earth I am more than willing to try them again as we both go through more conditioner then shampoo.
Lush Cosmetics and Peggy Sues Soaps offer a few solid soap varieties and also do face masks in glass jars and Lush do a program where if you bring back 5 pots for them to recycle you get a free face mask which is an awesome way to save money and save the planet.
#3 USE A BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH
For over a year now my boyfriend and I have been using a bamboo tooth brush. They are quite affordable as we payed $4.95 each for our uppercut deluxe ones. They are great because no plastic and the are biodegradable. So make the switch you will be very happy with the results.
#4 WALK OR RIDE YOUR BIKE AND DITCH THE CAR
Now I know it's hard not to walk or ride you bike everywhere. My partner and I live a good 30 minute drive from all the local shops so it is very difficult to walk or ride our bike to do the groceries. We do avoid driving as much as possible. We maybe drive 2-3 times a week max depending on what events are happening. We used to walk everywhere and we try to walk as much as possible. I am looking at getting a bike to use to ride to my local Coles which isn't too far away in the sense that there isn't many turns. It's a straight road then a right and bam I am there. But if you can walk or ride your bike to save fuel emissions it does help.
#5 AVOID PACKAGED FOOD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
Now this is something many people struggle with unless that have a fair amount of money. Now for me 1kg of packaged rice is $1 where a kg of lose rice is about $2.50 per 250g so because of my tights budget its a bit difficult to buy unpackaged food but I do buy fruit and some veg loosely instead of packaged frozen fruit or veg. I can't always buy the unpackaged fruit but I make an effort to do it as much as possible and try opt for the cereals in card board and the sugar/ flour that comes in paper bags. I know this is a difficult step but luckily you can buy bread for $2 a loaf for example from Coles that has no packaging.
I hope these steps were helpful and please don't be hard on yourself if you cant do all of these. Going Zero Waste is a long process and I myself am still learning to just do what you can when you can because every little bit helps.
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