Incorporating these simple habits will help you to reduce household waste and to reduce your carbon foot print, enabling you and your family to live a more sustainable life.
Carry a Re-Usable Water Bottle with you at all times
This practice will help you to adopt the habit of drinking more water (which has considerable health benefits, as an added bonus). It will prevent you from buying single use plastic water bottles. It will also help you to avoid buying sugary soft drinks. This very small change will even help you save a bit money without much effort.
However, on an equally important note, it is crucial to take steps to prevent contracting water borne illnesses and ensure that the well water or tap water in your area is safe for drinking.
Use a Glass or a Stainless Steel Lunch Box to to carry your food instead of wrapping your daily lunch parcel in plastic lunch sheets.
A good quality lunch box will last you a long time. It can also be used to store leftovers. But if you feel that carrying a lunch box is inconvenient and you feel using a plastic lunch sheet is the more suitable;
- Look for natural alternatives to lunch sheets such as banana leaves or lotus leaves
-Buy bio-degradable lunch sheets
-look for reusable lunch sheets or re-usable products made out of cloth, to pack your lunch
Bring your own re-usable Grocery Bags when you go shopping.
-Buy a few cloth or canvas re-usable Grocery Bags, and keep them in the car, or in your handbag for shopping.
-Bring your own mesh produce bags to buy grains, fruits and vegetables
-ask the Grocery Store management or Supermarket management, if they are willing to weigh the vegetables and fruits separately, and put all the produce in to a single plastic shopping bag, and attach all the price labels in to that single shopping bag.(Ultimately, there is no harm in asking politely, because the worst thing they can say is 'No, it's not our company policy)
- some Supermarkets and large scale Grocery Store chains offer discounts and cash incentives to customers who bring their own re-usable shopping bags. Although it is just few bucks, it is still a good incentive to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags.
-Re use plastic bags
Listed below are few more tips which can also help to reduce the amount of garbage produced by households.
- Go Paperless- it will save the trees used for manufacturing paper, it will save the habitats of animals and it will protect the water resources.
-If you are buying take away food or have food delivered to your home, say no to paper napkins, plastic cutlery.
-Bring your own travel coffee cup to your local coffee shop when buying your coffee, and while you are at it get a reusable straw.
-Bring your own travel coffee cup to your local coffee shop when buying your coffee, and while you are at it get a reusable straw.
-Read the news online.
- Use old cloth napkins for cleaning, instead of micro fiber cloth or paper towels.
-use re-usable pens instead of plastic ballpoint pens (if they are available in your country)
- Implement the the 3 R system- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Compost kitchen waste (if you have the space in your garden to do so) or dispose the household garbage properly.
- Dispose old electronics, phones, batteries, and computers in a responsible, environmentally friendly manner.
-If you cannot find the eco-friendly products in your country, try to make and use homemade non-toxic cleaners.
-If the city you live in offers bulk buying options using mason jars, and other containers without using plastic packaging to sell food items, try to shop at those stores.
-Re purpose old plastic products (a quick internet search will give you several DIY ideas to re -purposing old plastic bottles, cups etc.)
- adopt a minimalist mindset when shopping- buy only what you need- buy high quality items which will last you a long time instead of opting for a cheaper alternative which will break after a few uses. (Sometimes, saving up for a better quality item will save you a lot of money in the long run)
-Attempt to repair household items, instead of throwing them away
It is important when adopting a new lifestyle change, to incorporate these habits, in a gradual manner. Feeling overwhelmed is the fasted way to go back to the familiar old habits.
It is important when adopting a new lifestyle change, to incorporate these habits, in a gradual manner. Feeling overwhelmed is the fasted way to go back to the familiar old habits.
It is important to be a part of the solution (even if it seems insignificant or useless), than to turn a blind eye towards this massive environmental pollution and garbage crisis which our country and the world is now facing today".
If your actions can prevent one plastic bottle or paper cup or lunch sheet or shopping bag, from ending up in the landfills or in the ocean you have done your duty towards the future generations!!
If your actions can prevent one plastic bottle or paper cup or lunch sheet or shopping bag, from ending up in the landfills or in the ocean you have done your duty towards the future generations!!