It’s Earth Day which always makes me want to do better at lowering my carbon footprint and reduce waste. At the same time, I am inherently lazy. Anyone else?
I am not the earth mother who used reusable toilet paper but I will Use cloth dish towels before I grab paper towels. It’s a small change I can make.
Here are a few other painless changes you can make to be a little greener today!
Compost
Compostable foods account for as much as 25% of the waste that ends up in landfills each year.
Instead of throwing away carrot and orange peels, opinion skins, coffee grounds and tea bags, and other compostable scraps, compost them. All you need is a bucket (an ice cream bucket works wonders for this) to save up your compostable foods. Create a compost area in your backyard (if you’re in an apartment you’ll want to invest in a small compost bin) and you’re all set. The scraps will breakdown and enrich your soil. A nice added bonus reducing your waste and a great reward for the little bit of extra effort you’re putting in!
Full disclosure time – When I first started composting, I admit it was annoying. I constantly forgot to empty the bucket and ended up tossing out moldy scraps. Then I got smart and invested in compostable bags. Now I can grab the bag any time I’m heading to the backyard.
Bring Your Own Bags and Cups
I know that Covid-19 is making this tip impossible right now, but when things get back to normal employ this one!
Keep a stash of reusable bags in your car so when you go shopping, you have your own bag(s) instead of using a plastic bag. You can save over a hundred plastic bags per year. And you don’t have to worry about those flimsy bags breaking. I had a very long car ride wreaking of pickles and salsa thanks to those cheap bags. I miss my canvas!
When you go out for coffee, bring your own cup. I prefer my Copco cup to a disposable and the bonus is Dunkin’ and other coffee shops will give you a discount when you bring your own cup.
If you Grab a cup every morning, that’s 30 cups a month, 365 cups a year that you’re saving the environment.
Close the Loop! Buy Recyclable and Recycle
Check to see if the products you’re buying are made out of recyclable materials just look for the triangle symbol before you buy . If there’s a choice between buying recyclable and non-recyclable, go with the recyclable materials every time.
Put a recycling bin next to your garbage and don’t forget a cute little recycling bin in the bathroom! I was guilty of not recycling my shampoo bottles and toilet paper rolls until my Junking Buddy came home from a school recycling day and educated me. Oops! I do now!
Donate or Sell Old Stuff
We all have a bunch of old electronics, clothing, housewares collecting dust. Instead of throwing them out, make it a habit of donating or selling them.
One man’s trash is usually my treasure. If you’ve seen my junking videos you know it’s true. If not shameless plug – check out my YouTube channel!check out my YouTube channel!
If you have things that aren’t really suitable for sale, donate them to a local charity for recycling instead. There are organizations who will take everything from old electronics to vehicles. Bonus, you could be entitled to a tax deduction for keeping those things out of the land fill.
Buy Refillable
Hand soap and cleaning products usually have bottle that are made to be refilled. If there’s a refillable option go for it. You’ll also usually be paying less per ounce.
Share Your Solution
I know there are a lot more ways to make changes that can help reduce our dependence on single use plastics and lower our carbon footprint. Share with me! What are your easy solutions for reducing waste? Remember reusing toilet paper is out for me so don’t even play.
Many Blessings to You!
~S
