Posted on May 21st, 2020
When it comes to making our planet a habitable place for humans, making a conscious effort to reduce the rate of waste dumping becomes essential. Unless you’re living a zero-waste lifestyle, there is always room for improvement. There are insignificant measures you can take, like doing away with plastic bags and using cloth bags and sticking to metal straws instead of plastic. There are lots of eco-friendly materials today, which aim at replacing plastic totally.
Waste doesn’t only harm the crops and soil; it can also hurt your pets and your family and is known to reduce the air quality in your home. That is why you need to take some steps to reduce waste in your home. In this article, you’re going to learn the diverse ways in which you can make your home eco-friendly. Do this well and you will discover how green and conducive the home’s atmosphere can become. We understand that it isn’t easy to find the time to keep on top of everything, especially if you’re a working parent, but you can take baby steps and hopefully transform your home over time.
Understand the rules of recycling
Most homeowners often get confused by the tricky symbols and sorting rules. To ensure you don’t make any mistakes, find out about the recycling rules in your area. These rules differ from place to place and you must keep yourself updated. To ensure that the landfills (or your home!) are not overwhelmed with tons of waste, recycling is the best option. Reusable materials or packages tend to cut down on the amount of garbage. Ensure that they are not plastic, so they can always be recycled without any hassle.
Do away with plastic bags
If you want to reduce the amount of waste in your home, then stick to reusable bags for your shopping needs. You do not need to rely on the supermarket plastic bags since they are not friendly to the environment. Go shopping with your cloth bags and try to encourage others to do the same. Not only does this reduce waste, but you also reduce the amount of plastic that hits the landfills. To ensure you don’t forget your plastic bags, always have them in your car and buy as many as possible so you don’t run out of them.
Stick to reusable containers
Reusable containers will make you more organized since you will be able to stock your foods properly in different airtight containers. By doing so, you extend the life of these edibles by keeping them fresh for their next use. You can store things like your baking ingredients, cereals and numerous other food items that may be exposed to insects. Aside from reducing waste around your home, it will make your home more organized and attractive.
Products with minimal packaging
When you next go shopping, stick to foods or materials that have little or no packaging, such as fruits and vegetables. One trick to ensure you reduce waste at home is by buying everything you need in bulk rather than buying in small quantities. Buying smaller packages of the same products is something you should always avoid, as they are often made of 50% waste.
Start composting
Another great way to reduce the amount of waste in your home is to start composting. Composting is a great way to reduce food waste, instead of dumping it in landfills where it will never break down. Through composting of materials, it breaks down faster due to access to fresh air. Aside from that, it becomes a practical source of nutrients for your garden. In a year, you can use the compost to grow your crops. It is like killing two birds with one stone.
Repurpose materials
Instead of throwing some materials or packages away, you can reuse them for other purposes. Doing this will cut your costs and reduce the amount of waste in your home. A great example is your envelopes. They can make good scrap paper and the same can be said of old newspapers and cardboard. You also do not need to throw away the egg boxes; you can donate them to schools for art and numerous other things.
Eliminate plastic straws
Not only are plastic straws unfriendly to our eco-system, but they can also become a waste around the home. In the US, there are over 500 million uses of straws every day. The planet is suffering and only a few are doing something about it. There are many straw alternatives, like metal straws and even paper straws that are stylish and beautiful. Unless there is someone in your home who has a disability that requires the use of straws, try as much as possible to eliminate their use in your home.
Make your own soap
Here is a well-known fact – your beauty products constitute a considerable percentage of your waste when they pile up. To prevent this, you could consider making your own soaps. Doing this is super fun and there are numerous recipes and tricks that you can try. When you make them, get a bottle so you can store them easily. Not only will you reduce waste in your home, but you will also cut your costs.
Stop using disposable plates
Paper plates are a huge concern, as people fail to understand their effect on the environment. Try as much as possible to stop using them, as they can amount to a pile of waste in your home. Also, they don’t break down quickly, thereby making them less friendly for the environment. There are better options out there, like ceramics, metals, or glass.
Educate family members
To ensure you reduce waste at home and help improve the planet, you need to start educating your family members on the importance of using eco-friendly products. That way, you’re all on the same page. Your plans to reduce waste around the home might not work if they are not supported by your spouse or kids.
Key Takeaway
Reducing waste in your home is possible if you implement these tips. There are lots of recyclable and eco-friendly products you can use. When shopping, try to avoid using shopping bags and go with your cloth bags instead. You will be saving your home, your kids and pets from the horrors that come with a massive pile of waste in your home.