Nature has always been a big part of our lives. It’s something that is a part of us and something that we want to keep safe. It is more important now than ever to be conscious of the waste that we create and the effect that we have on the environment. Today we’re sharing a few of our practices that we’ve implemented for creating less waste in our lives.
Reusable Water Bottle
It can’t be just me who finds plastic water bottles extremely useless for everyday life. In the US, more bottled water is sold by volume than milk and beer. There is no need for that when there is clean and fresh water coming right out of your tap for free. You can even buy a water filter if you are concerned about any sort of bacteria. With a reusable water bottle you can get your recommended amount of water intake for free and with ZERO waste. I bought mine for a cool $9 from Walmart.
Stainless Steel Straws
We all know the effect that plastic straws have on turtles. We’ve all seen the statistics and the videos. This is one way of reducing waste that people are really starting to roll with. Many restaurants are banning straws and many people are opting for reusable straws. You can vary with paper, glass, bamboo and stainless steel to choose what would be best for you. I purchased a 8 piece set off of Amazon for $7.99. It comes with a cleaning brush and is also dishwasher safe so it’s all very sanitary. I don’t have the need for a straw everyday but when I do it’s great to have on hand. You can even travel with them so when I’m going for my daily Starbucks or Booster Juice, no need for any plastic straws!
Lint brush
I swear by lint rollers. For someone who owns an incredibly shed prone golden retriever, they are literally a life saver. However it wasn’t until last year that I really noticed how much waste was being made from my favourite little tool. I decided it was time to replace my lint roller with a lint brush. No waste, but it still gets rid of all of the dog hair from my mostly black wardrobe. So next time, instead of spending $4 on a new lint roller every month, try buying a $10 reusable lint brush; less waste and save money!
Reusable Grocery Bags
This is such an important switch to make in your lives! The amount of plastic bags I would collect from grocery shopping if I didn’t have reusable bags would be insane. Canadians alone take home 55 MILLION plastic bags every week!! There are so many grocery stores that provide reusable bags at the checkout, I bought all of mine at $1 per bag. So if you spend even just $10 on reusable bags you will save SO much plastic and waste.
Travel Mug / Reusable Coffee Filters
I’m all about the fun Fall and Winter drink menu at Starbucks, but just once and a while for a treat. If I just need a coffee to wake me up in the morning I make it myself at home. I have a Black and Decker single serve coffee maker with a REUSABLE coffee filter included. The filter just needs a quick rinse after each use (I throw it in the dishwasher once a week) and I pop it in my travel mug and I’m ready to go! If you would rather a coffee on the go from Starbucks or Tim Hortons, bring your travel mug with you anyway! You get a 10 cent discount at both of these coffee shops if you bring your own container. It may not seem like much but if you’re a coffee addict, it really adds up!
Now there are a couple of other things I haven’t gotten around to trying that I would really like to. The biggest one would be Bees Wax Food Wraps. It was brought to my attention from another Canadian Blogger The Little Wild One about the option of reusable food wraps. They are made from beeswax and easily form to whatever needs to be wrapped just using the warmth of your hands! It’s not something I’ve picked up yet but definitely will be in the near future, because plastic wrap just won’t do for me anymore!
Another waste- free practice I need to use are Dryer Balls. My mom would always use these back when I was living at home, and for some reason it’s something I never took with me when I moved out, but it’s going on the list now! It comes in either a spiky plastic material or made from wool. They are said to lessen drying time, reduce static cling and can last to over 1,000 loads of laundry; it’s a win-win-win!
We’re always looking for more ways to reduce waste! Let me know what you do in your daily life! Feel free to share some tips for everybody! 🙂
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