How I'm Trying To Be More Eco-Friendly In 2019
Being a little more eco-friendly and living a more sustainable life is something that has been on my mind for a while. I’ve written about it in the past and whilst it’s something that I feel passionately about it’s something that isn’t always as obtainable as we’d maybe like to think. However, I’m a big believer in doing what we can in the areas of our lives that we can, and this what I’m trying to do right now to cut down on waste and be a lot kinder to our precious planet.
buying in bulk where possible
You know those lovely low waste stores that are very popular in London and other big cities, well there is absolutely nothing like that in my area. So the option to buy cereal or other household essentials like rice or pasta in bulk isn’t really accessible. But buying the biggest option available for products I know we buy a lot of is something that I’ve found does help a little when cutting down on food packaging. Apart from not using any unnecessary plastic bags for fruit and veg our general groceries is an area that I find incredibly hard to cut down on plastic as everything is so heavily packaged. Obviously, doing this is only an option when finances allow so and it does seem like something that is so small but I’ve certainly noticed we’re throwing away a lot less and obviously saving on unnecessary car journeys to pick something up when it’s run out when buying in bulk.
finding alternative to single use beauty items
I’m a serious beauty lover, and for the most part, I try to keep things as minimal as possible but one area I really struggle is single-use items like cotton rounds and buds. The latter I try not to use that often but do have them just in case (I use them on the dogs if they’ve got a cut or something and it needs cleaning) but I use cotton rounds daily. I’ve seen a few reusable options online but never known if they would work well with toners and micellar waters as that is what I use for cotton pads for mostly. So I’d love to know if you use anything like this and if you find them to be effective as that is my biggest worry. I’ll more than likely still have cotton rounds in the house as I don’t think the reusable option that would work for nail polish remover but not using them daily would be a great step in the right direction for me.
taking reusable bags on the go
Ever since the UK brought in its 5p plastic bag charge I always remember my tote bags when doing the food shop but I never think to take them on the go with me if I’m going in town. Granted, the amount I shop these days is pretty rare but on the odd occasion that I do I always end up with a plastic bag which is something that is absolutely unnecessary. There are lots of shopper bags that fold up to be absolutely tiny so you can fit them in the smallest of handbags and if you are using a backpack or a tote bag anyway then it will be easy enough to pop one in just in case I do pick something up.
CUTTING DOWN ON WASHING
Although I don’t wash my clothes every day (I have a 5 time wear rule as that's generally how long it takes for something to smell). I still think there is room for improvement and washing your clothes when it isn’t completely necessary only leads them to wear quicker which when you have a small wardrobe in the first place isn’t ideal. I spoke about the Day 2 Dry Wash Spray (gifted) in a recent post and said how good it was for getting more out of your clothes. And although it is an added expense to buy it I think this is such a good product for freshening up those pieces you really don’t like washing (a delicate jumper or something like that). Then there is the added bonus to how much water this saves, each bottle saves a full wash load or 60 litres which is brilliant. It’s become a complete staple in our household and been so helpful for cutting down on washing. There are 3 different formulations of the dry spray wash, the original is what I’ve used the most but I absolutely love the delicates one too.
the dogs diet
For a long time I fed Josie and Edie a raw diet, Edie has got some awful allergies so it made a kibble or cooked food diet incredibly difficult. Even though a raw diet can be a topical issue amongst dog owners I really loved feeding the girls that way, it worked so well for both of them and never caused us any issues. As Edie has allergies of meat and veg it can make finding food that properly suits her tricky, and I obviously want the best for her but with a raw diet there was an awful lot of plastic being used and that’s the only downside to it for us. So right now we’re back to feeding them a kibble diet and buying the larger bags so it makes it a little better than buying the smaller bags, better for the bank balance too. As well as switching up how they’re being fed something else that I’ve been meaning to do for forever is to make them treats from scratch, not only is it something that will be really nice to do for them but it helps cut down a little bit packaging from other treats I typically buy. Edie’s first birthday is coming up so I’m determined to make her a puppy friendly cake of some sort and then freeze the rest so it can be used as treats on walks.
