I know you have probably heard a lot of these tips before, but have you put them into practice. Why not? After reading my list below you might want to take up one or two of these habits. They are really not that hard.
Buy only what you need. You should always plan your meals (weekly is ideal) and buy only enough food to cover all the meals. By doing this you are wasting less, as you only buy what you need for your meals. You make less trips to the shops, therefore less fuel and you tend to buy in bulk to cover your meals for the week. So always bring a grocery list with you when shopping.
Buy reusable containers. An example is sauce bottle. Instead of buying a new bottle of tomato sauce, mayonnaise or whatever sauce you like each time, get a dedicated sauce bottle and then buy your favourite sauce in bulk e.g. 2L/3L bulk sizes can be got. It will save you money and it will stop the wasteful throwing away of plastic containers. Also, considering buying dedicated spray bottles. Just buy the larger refillable versions or the concentrate of the cleaners. Better still, make your own cleaners. Over time, you'll buy less products and dispose of fewer containers.
Bring your own shopping bags to the shops. Although supermarkets are coming on board with reusable bags, there are still many shops using plastic bags. You will be amazed at how many you were collecting and throwing away, once you make the change.
Stick to the packaging directions. Don’t use more detergent or softner thinking it will get your clothes cleaner. If anything, it may cause problems for the fabric and cause skin irritations. Also, obtain detergents free of phosphates, SLS, and petroleum based products.
Use a lunch box. Stop packing your lunch in plastic bags or even brown bags. Using a lunchbox, keeps your lunch intact and it also can be kept cool.
Replace the kitchen paper with a bamboo or microfibre cloth. They will soak up the mess far quicker and can be washed out and reused hundreds of times more.
Use your leftovers. Dinner from the night before makes a great lunch. Some foods can be reused to make up other meals, while others can be frozen to use when your short on time to cook again. Often food does not need to be wasted and home -cooked meals are far healthier for you than take out any time.
I hope you take up one or two ideas this month. Once you have mastered them, you can start to take on other ways of being less wasteful and being eco-friendly.
Keep on being earthly passionate,
Attracta & the earthly passion team.