Tips To Reduce Waste At Home
With everything going on in the world, it can be easy to forget that we are all supposed to be doing our part to lessen how much waste we produce. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average American generates over 4 pounds of waste a day. Whether you take steps to reduce how much solid waste your lifestyle produces or you want to tackle different sustainability or eco-friendly projects, there is an endless number of ways to live a greener life. Even if you are spending most of your time at home, there are many ways you can reduce waste and live an environmentally friendly life without sacrificing your personal comforts.
Delivery Over Pick Up
The way you typically buy goods and supplies means going to the store and bringing items back to your home. Going to the store yourself and bringing your haul home can be a fun trip, but you also contribute to pollution. Driving your car uses gas and produces pollution, but thankfully, there is another way you can procure all the items you need. Almost anything can be ordered online and delivered to your home these days. You can order anything online, from groceries to batteries, light bulbs, clothes, and everything in between. With the widespread adoption of shipping APIs, you can also track your online orders to ensure you never miss a delivery and stay up to date on changes with your orders. Instead of wasting fuel with your car, order online, and have everything you need show up at your door.
You can also use the packaging your online orders arrive in for other projects. Break down larger cardboard boxes and stash them away for a future move. Smaller boxes are perfect materials for arts and crafts or making a memory box to keep mementos over the years. You can always recycle cardboard and many other packaging materials, but double-check each item before you dump everything into recycling.
Buy Only What You Need And Check What You Buy
Part of reducing waste is not buying more than you need. With uncertainty comes the urge to over-prepare and stockpile items you might need. While this response is usually due to fear, it is often unnecessary and creates waste in the long run. Only buy what you need and what you will use before it spoils so you don’t contribute to landfills or squander goods someone else could have used.
Only buying what you need is a critical step to reduce waste, but what you buy is also a significant part of the equation. You can drastically reduce your waste by buying eco-friendly or green products. There are not always perfect alternatives, for example, there are no truly organic hair dyes, but there is generally at least one option that is more environmentally friendly than other options. You also cannot take packaging labels at face value. The FDA does not regulate terms like “organic” or “natural,” and you must read the ingredients like or research the brand to know which products are legitimately eco-friendly.
Better and Greener Toilet Paper
One of the most uncomplicated products you can change to live a greener life is your toilet paper. Now that there are no shortages of toilet paper, you can shop around to find the most eco-friendly option. There are a handful of brands that have created alternatives to traditional toilet paper. Whether you opt for plastic-free toilet paper made from 100% recycled paper or toilet paper entirely made out of bamboo, there are better options for you and the planet than conventional toilet paper.
Use Old Clothes
Clothes eventually reach the end of their lifetime. Whether they no longer fit or have been worn down by use, you don’t have to throw out old clothes. Instead of chucking clothes you have no use for in the garbage, consider what else you could do with them. Old shirts make perfect cleaning rags and or you can embrace a t-shirt’s holes and add more holes to create a fun design. Most cities or neighborhoods have a place to donate clothes that are still wearable, so someone else can use your clothes instead of wasting them in the landfill.
Living a green and zero waste life needn’t be complicated. By making changes to your everyday routines, swapping out products for eco-friendly alternatives, and repurposing old items, you can reduce the waste you produce at home.
