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Little ways in which you help the environment and/or reduce waste

270 replies

GunpowderGelatine · 04/02/2019 10:19

I thought we could have a thread where we share the small low-effort ways in which we can make changes and reduce waste.

  • we have a good waste digester. Smarter than a regular compost bin as it takes all food waste even bones. Got it at a discount at £30 and I love it, it gives me really lovely compost too and we literally have no food waste going in the black bin
  • I buy as much second hand as possible, if the kids need new clothes I look for bundles on Facebook, I only really buy new shoes or specific clothing like costumes for book day. Most things are like new when given a good clean anyway.
  • I've stopped buying DVDs and subscribed to Netlifx, and if I do get a specific DVD I go to CeX and get it second hand
  • i refuse to buy anything with unnecessary packaging, like fruit and veg (I only buy it loose)
  • use less bath water and limit the number of baths we take
  • I wash everything at 30, if it's stained I'll go to 40 with a bit of Vanish on it and if it's smelly I use a white wine vinegar solution on it before I wash it
  • I only use eco friendly cleaning products (this has helped with our allergies massively too, no more sneezing after wiping the tops down)
OP posts:
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Drookit · 09/02/2019 14:24

insulated butter dish

drspouse · 09/02/2019 15:27

We have that one.

dementedma · 09/02/2019 20:06

for cleaning products i highly recommend Ocean Saver Pods. means you reuse your bottles and the products smell great and work well
www.ocean-saver.com/

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KarBB · 11/02/2019 18:21

Block butter - leave out during weekend days unless very hot, refrigerate at night & on weekdays when not working. If I'm in a really hurry to eat some toast / bread & the butter is hard I occasionally use a bit of olive oil instead.

KarBB · 11/02/2019 21:43

Cut the fronts off Xmas cards and reuse the following year as gift tags.
Reuse any tissue and wrapping paper to wrap gifts.
Recently got into buying second hand clothes on eBay
Bulk buy large containers of washing liquid and decant into a smaller bottle
Have a zipcar membership instead if owning a car (saves money too for us)
Collect wine bottle corks & freecycle for craft projects
Take a packed lunch, spork, keepcup & water bottle on day trips to avoid single use plastic.
Shop from Farmdrop to cut out supermarkets and avoid fruit & veg wrapped in plastic

drspouse · 12/02/2019 09:11

I am on board in principle (and in practice) with buying clothes second hand from eBay but I get SO MANY packages and I'd really rather not have all that single use plastic.

Fridakahlofan · 12/02/2019 09:43

Hello!

So many good things on this thread. Well done everyone. I am 'zero waste' after about 6 months of work - happy to answer any questions!

I thought I would pitch in with one household area to give you an idea of how I have made it work for me. I've chosen the bathroom...

Shampoo, conditioner - I go to a refill store. I have 2 bottles for each item - so while one is in use the other is in my bag waiting to be filled so that I am never caught out and have to buy in plastic. I personally haven't got on well with bars.

Shower gel - soap!

Deodrant - Ku.tis Natural Deodrant (comes in cardboard which I compost). Happy to recommend this strongly after A LOT of trial and error!

Face wipes / cotton wool pads - I use reusable cotton face pads which you just put in the wash.

Facial Cleansing balm, facial moisturisers, body moisturiser - I use the Lush naked products (no packaging at all) and keep them in a tin - I go to the shop with a tupperware. Some are only available online but again come in compostable packaging. Here is a face moisturiser for example: uk.lush.com/products/moisturisers-and-facial-oils/full-grace

Toner - I make my own rose water

Ear buds - I buy compostable ones from 'No Plastic Beach'

Razor - I use a safety razor - I haven't had to change the blade for 6 months so far!

Toothpaste - Denttabs toothpaste tablets

Period - I am breastfeeding so not an issue right now but I plan to experiment with the mooncup!

All of this is easy to order online except the refills so really isn't much extra work. If you buy from ethical companies they almost always come in compostable packaging.

I compost in a hot bin (as rat proof as you can get). Even if you only have a tiny garden it is SO worth composting. Garden waste/cardboard compost is like gold dust for your gardening friends.

Baby stirring - so haven't had chance to check for typos sorry!

KEEP GOING EVERYONE :)

Little ways in which you help the environment and/or reduce waste
BiddyPop · 12/02/2019 11:41

If you are using the oven anyway for one thing, try to use up the space doing other stuff at the same time.

So if dinner is a roast, maybe bake some muffins/brownies for school lunches. Or when cooking a lasagna, roast some veggies to make a pasta sauce the following night. That sort of thing.

(Or bake some part baked bread with your cheese rarebit to make a simple supper with a glass of chilled wine!).

Use leftovers - we had fishcakes for dinner on Sunday, using a couple of tins of tuna and tin of sweetcorn, but also some of the mash made some seabass ones with leftover sea bass I had cooked and flaked and frozen a while back (I had expected an extra body for dinner who didn't show)...mmmm.

Leftover small amounts of meats like pork or beef or lamb can be frozen too, not just chicken, I use them thinly sliced in (mixed meat if necessary) Chinese dishes. Or leftover roast lamb reheated in leftover frozen gravy, along with leftover cauliflower cheese (or even fresh cauli and frozen sauce) and some freshly roasted potatoes is delish and easy midweek.

Leftover beef (roast or steak) can be used without freezing to make fab steak sandwiches for the following day.

When DD was small, I used to use reusable wipes on her bum, washing them in the machine with her nappies. I would keep them in a plastic sealed container which had some chamomile tea, little bit of witch hazel and a few drops of tea tree oil as a soaking "liquor", which seemed much more soothing on her skin than pre-packaged ones from the shops.

Now, I use a little sponge, that I wash out in the sink afterwards, for my facial wash/scrub, rather than wipes. It gets thrown in the machine with towels on occasion for a proper wash.

And we use a lot of face cloths in general, we don't buy wipes at all. They all just go in with the towels as well. And the j cloths.

DowntonCrabby · 12/02/2019 14:08

I’ve only got a couple of pages into this so far really enjoying reading through.

We do much less meat and dairy than previously.
Try and steer the kids away from plastic shite/tat- so no comics with crap attached etc. I’m delighted LOL dolls weren’t on the go when DD was younger.
I use a mooncup and washable pads- 7ish years. I buy disposable towels for teen DD but I’m working on her.
Use an eco egg for most washes
Generally just buy less stuff/ consume less than previously.
Only holiday abroad/fly every few years and holiday in UK other years.
I don’t drive anyway- work and school run both 10-15 min walks, DH cycles to work in the nicer months but has the gear to do it in wet weather and can shower at work so I should encourage this.
Quick showers happen most days but we all only hairwash 2-3x a week.
We don’t buy many new clothes at all.
Quite a few others but don’t want to just repeat previous posts.

For anyone the really knows their stuff, are there a top few things- say 10 that would make the biggest impact by doing/ not doing/ reducing and why?

Frazzled2207 · 12/02/2019 17:27

@DowntonCrabby I'll try and link the article later but reducing your meat intake is one of the biggies.

DowntonCrabby · 12/02/2019 18:06

Thanks @frazzled I did read one article in the guardian mid last year, showing meat and dairy as the worst offenders. Keen to read any other info.

grumiosmum · 12/02/2019 18:38

The top 3 things (since you asked) DowntonCrabby

Switch to a renewable energy supplier
Eat less meat & dairy
Check where & how your money is invested

KarBB · 13/02/2019 07:04

Absolutely top of the list should be cutting down / eliminating flying, as this has by far the biggest impact.

grumiosmum · 13/02/2019 08:15

KarBB that depends how much people fly though.

Everyday things can have more of a cumulative impact.

Megan2018 · 13/02/2019 10:53

I agree @KarBB
We've not flown since 2013 - but we enjoy road trip holidays, so we are happy to drive anywhere in Europe and make the journey part of the adventure. We've driven to France, Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and it's been so much fun.

If this pg sticks though that might have to change as can't do 10hr driving days with a baby in car seat. So UK based hols for a while I think then the odd short haul flight will be required as we have friends and family in Europe to visit.

We would fly if necessary now as my MIL lives in Germany, and if we had to get there in an emergency we'd fly. But I really don't miss it for holidays.

TeacupDrama · 13/02/2019 15:22
  1. use anything you already have before buying new, if broken is it reasonable to repair it, if it has to be replaced what is the best long term option
  2. consider lifetime of article something non recyclable that will last 20 years maybe better than something technically recyclable that only lasts 6 months
3, weigh up what is financially emotionally and time taken viable for your family, some people simply can't afford to pay double for a greener option for instance where I live I need a car almost every day, there is only a bus every 2 hours which doesn't go where I need to get to, however I never need to fly for work and we have had 2 holidays abroad in 10 years but we grow a bit of what we eat I have only 1 child and no pets
KarBB · 13/02/2019 21:32

Has anyone used an 'EcoEgg' for washing? If so do they work and are they effective at removing odours?

MyOtherProfile · 15/02/2019 09:21

Has anyone used an 'EcoEgg' for washing? If so do they work and are they effective at removing odours?
Yes. By water and friction. Yes. Hth Grin

We love ours. Been using it for a year now and while clothes don't smell flowery, they just smell clean.

ec0home · 09/03/2019 14:39

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Thelieswetelltoourselves · 09/03/2019 14:45

Mitzie advertising back reviving old zombie threads AGAIN. Reported.

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