How to Reduce Your Waste

Did you know, the average person in the UK will throw away...

19 shampoo, conditioner and shower gel bottles

9 tubes of toothpaste

209 bags of crisps

109 single use coffee cups

317 chocolate wrappers

241 yogurt pots

242 plastic drinks bottles and 251 cans

409kg of waste in total!

Why does this matter?

There are a whole bunch of reasons why this is a huge problem, but, ultimately, they all really boil down to one thing... climate change.

The production, distribution, processing, recycling, incinerating and composting of packaging waste has a huge carbon impact at every stage of the process. And when we consider that a significant proportion of this packaging is single use, or worse still, completely unnecessary, there is huge scope to reduce this impact by simply reducing the amount we use.

So where do I start?

Reducing your household waste may seem like a mammoth task, but it really doesn't need to be. I would definitely recommend managing your expectations to start with, don't expect to be able to fit all of your years waste in a jar straight away!

Me and Vi had differing approaches when we started, and both work well.

I started by taking a look in our bin, and taking note of the largest items in there, and tackling those first. Our biggest items to start with were various bottles, including milk cartons, cleaning products, shampoos and shower gels. I looked into getting milk delivered, which was quite a bit more expensive than what we were previously paying for cartons, but we were able to counteract this by buying bulk refills of the cleaning products, which were quite a bit cheaper.

Vi decided she wanted to take a room at a time, so she picked the bathroom, and slowly used up/donated any of the seemingly endless collection of bottles we had bought or been gifted over the years. We began looking for plastic free (or better, refillable) replacements for everything from shampoo to deodorants.

What else can I do?

There are so many ways to reduce the amount of waste you generate, so to help, here are just some examples of simple steps you can take...

Use refill shops!

Of course refilling is an easy way to cut your packaging use down by it's very definition! Just remember to bring along a bag or container, and away you go!

Stop buying plastic bottles

Carry a refillable bottle and make use of the huge number of participating shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants that are part of the refill scheme and will top you up for free! Maybe even consider an insulated for tea on the go, or iced teas in the summer

Always carry a bag

We are all stocked up with bags for life these days, but it's so easy to forget them, or to be caught out by an unplanned shopping trip. Having one attached to your keys is a great way to avoid getting caught short. Bringing reusable cotton or plastic bags into refill shops saves no end of paper bags going to waste to, and are far less cumbersome to carry around than glass jars.

Refuse single use, even if it is biodegradable

Even if a straw is made of paper, it still becomes waste. If you can do without, then do!

Buy loose fruits and veggies

Supermarkets have been painfully slow on the uptake on this one, although they are improving, and of course some are better than others. If you are fortunate enough to have a good greengrocers, farmers market or farm shop near you, then go support them (and take your bags!)

Green your wardrobe

Buy from sustainable brands, buy quality that is made to last, and buy natural materials. Check out your local charity shops, or use local social media buy & sell pages to find bargains, and often unworn gems. Find any local kilo sales or give & take events where you can swap your no longer wanted items with someone else!

Meal Plan

This is one we confess to being terrible at, but is makes a huge difference when we do get it right. Meal planning will allow you to waste less food, be less likely to fall into the trap of buying convenience foods or takeways, and will save you money in return. Food waste makes up a huge part of our carbon footprint as consumers, and this step alone could reduce that to almost zero.

Compost

If you are fortunate to have a space for a compost bin, definitely use one. Used correctly, they can reduce the need for almost all of your household food waste, as well as some of your green garden waste and the odd bit of newspaper to be turned into a nutrient rich compost ideal for the veggie bed (or someone elses if you don't have space for that too!)

Grow Your Own

You don't need to be green fingered nor have a huge garden to be able to grow something. We are self confessed plant murderers, but we do manage to keep a few herbs alive, and we usually get a decent crop of salad leaves, the odd courgette or cucumber, and some toms and strawberries. We tend to prioritise the plants that we struggle to buy without plastic, or that are so easy to grow that even we can't fail!! We get quite a few of our bulk items delivered in paper sacks which are perfect to use for potatoes, so next time you order from us, or pop in, just ask and we will happily see you away with a few!

Green up your period

Sanitary pads and tampons are a huge source of plastic waste, and thankfully there is an increasing variety of alternatives now. Whether it be menstrual cups, pads or pants, there is something to suit anyone wishing to avoid plastic.

Make your own cleaning products

If you haven't heard of Nancy Birtwhistle yet, get on her socials and see what it's all about! Making your own cleaning products requires a minimal amount of time, saves you an absolute fortune compared with supermarket brands, and is so much better for the planet, and you. There's not much you can't do with a bit of bicarb, vinegar, a squeeze of lemon or some soda crystals!

Empty your inbox

Did you know that emails have a carbon footprint? Yep. A lot too, there are huge servers around the world built to store all the information that gets sent around every day. This is why we don't do spam. I'll only ever send an email out if we have something worth saying. So far, in over 3 years of trading, I have sent out one. I am considering sending another one soon. If you have 3,000 emails sat in your inbox or spam folder, that you know you'll never read, having a clean out is both therapeutic, and a good deed for the planet. While your at it, unsubscribe from anyone who spams you multiple times a day/week, or even close down any emails you no longer use (just make sure they don't have any password resets linked to them, I have been bitten by this before!)

Eat nothing but broccolli

No, don't do this. This would be a terrible diet and you will likely die. As much as I like broccolli, this is no way to live.

One final piece of advice I try to pass on to anyone who wants to make a start of reducing their waste, is to give yourself some slack. Don't try to be perfect, because the truth is, none of us are. If you mess up and forget your bag one day, it's ok. If you don't get time to meal plan and end up getting a take out, that's ok too. Don't count the times you mess up, count the little wins.

And if you need any advice, encouragement, or just need to be in a room with other people who are also trying, but also mess up sometimes, then drop in and say hi!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better"

The Lorax, Dr Seuss