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How to Be More Sustainable While Staying at Home

Posted On Tuesday, 13 October 2020 23:10

It’s down to everyone to do their bit and be more sustainable when they can. It doesn’t have to be expensive; in fact, being more sustainable can help save money, help the environment and in some cases, your health. By making a small change to your day to day activities, you can make a significant impact on your carbon footprint, helping improve the planet for future generations.

If you are looking for Frankston bin hire service, it is an ideal way to sort your waste products and recycle as much as you can. From changing your lights to recycling more, or reducing the amount you throw away, look through our ten points below and see if there is anything you can do to be more environmentally friendly.

Recycle everything that can be recycled

If you haven’t thought about it already, purchase a large bin which you can use alongside your normal waste for recycling. Before throwing items away, check the packaging and see if it can be recycled. You’ll be surprised at the number of things that can be recycled, which you may have never thought would. Items like batteries, certain clothing and CDs can all be given a new lease of life - the list is endless.

Switch your bulbs to LED’s  

You may not have realised, but LED bulbs are more efficient than normal bulbs and can last up to 50x longer, meaning you save money in the long run. Plus, with LED bulbs, you have a wider variety of colours available as well as being able to connect them to your smart devices such as Google or Alexa.

Grow your owns vegetables

If you have a plot of land, then look to grow your own vegetables. Not only is it gratifying to cook up a dinner knowing the onions, carrots and tomatoes were grown by you, but It is also sustainable and great for the environment. Another benefit from growing your own vegetables is that it is more nutritious as you can consume them straight from picking instead of having them transported across the country in a van and covered in pesticides.

Drive Less Cycle More

We are all guilty of driving a short distance to pop to the shop or local leisure centre. Instead, have you thought of purchasing a bike and cycling to the shop or even walking if it’s not that far? It may take you a little longer, but it can reduce your carbon footprint and help with global warming. You could look to car share for work or maybe take a bus once a week to the office, just remember every little thing you do helps.

If you are not using it, switch it off

Wasting needless energy is something we all do and should improve on. How many times have you walked out of the room and left the light on, or left your tv on standby whilst you pop out quickly? It’s an easy fix, just turn it off and it will save you money on your monthly electricity bill whilst helping the environment.

Reduce your plastic consumption

Unfortunately, plastic never goes away and takes a long time to breakdown. Do your bit and when you can, swap plastic for paper bags or don’t use plastic at all. When shopping, bring your own bags with you that can be reused time and time again, use your own reusable straw instead of a plastic one and stop buying bottled water if you don’t need to. It’s possible for us all to do our bit.

Don’t throw items away unnecessarily, try to fix them if you can

In the world we live in today, it’s easier than ever to replace something instead of fixing it as you may have done in the past. The negative to this is that more things are being thrown away when they don’t need to be, which isn’t sustainable or environmentally friendly. When your next top gets a small hole in it, try learning a new skill and sewing it back together. You could also learn to reupholster your furniture instead of replacing it. These are all new skills which you can learn at home in your spare time and use for years to come.

Buy biodegradable products

Biodegradable products are great for the planet and your carbon footprint as they dissolve in a natural way, meaning they won’t cause any environmental harm. The best biodegradable products can decompose within a short amount of time, instead of taking decades or even worse, centuries, like plastic. When online shopping or high street shopping, be aware of this and make sure you buy biodegradable products when possible. A quick swap is to purchase natural cleaning products moving forward.

Heading on vacation? Give away your perishable food items before you leave

This is a simple tip which the more that people do it, the more of an impact on the environment it will have. Just before heading on your holiday, look through your fridge and cupboards and see if any of your items are due to expire. If they are expiring while you are away, give them to a neighbour or take them to a food bank. This will help avoid food wastage as you would be throwing them away on your return as they would have been out of date.

Donate items to your charity shop instead of throwing them away

After a few years, your clothing may become old and out of fashion. This doesn’t mean it’s useless and should be thrown away. Instead, donate it to your charity shop instead of letting the landfills have it, somebody will be sure to love it. It doesn’t have to be just clothing; games, old furniture, or old electrical equipment can always have some use for a new owner, even though it may be redundant to you.

As you can see, there are many ways in which you can be more sustainable at home. Just by making a small change and choosing one of our examples, you could be making a big difference. Start with something easy, such as changing your lights and then improve day by day by making another change. It’s down to you to make these changes.

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