By Tashko Mihaylov
Buying less and cutting down food waste has become more common to a lot of of households. But there also other choices that we can do and other products that we can buy to replace everyday plastic objects.
A change of mind happens when we realise that our rubbish does not disappear after it leaves the house. Zero Waste Home is a great introduction guide to how to make your home more eco-friendly and reduce waste at home. Think about where your rubbish is going when you throw it away.
Founder of ZeroWasteSofia, Simona Stilyanova, 28, says that one of the first steps is to replace disposable items with reusable ones.
“Consume less - purchase only the things you really need - no matter if we talk about food, clothing, electronics, etc. Try to plan your meals for the week ahead and buy package free - bring your own bag and containers when shopping. Also, replace disposable items with reusable ones,” Stilyanova says.
For example most toothbrushes are plastic and if we follow the advice of our dentists, we should be replacing our toothbrush every three months – meaning in the UK alone throws away 264 million brushes thrown away every year according to Resource Media, a publishing and communications company with environmental objectives based in Bristol.
Making simple choices such as replacing plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one can make a big difference. They also cost less, and compostable after you cut the bristle. Similarly, toothpaste in a tube can be replaced with one in a jar or a glass bottle. You can even replace toilet paper with a bamboo alternative from Who Gives a Crap and some of the UK supermarkets such as Aldi.
Another big step to cut plastic in your bathroom is to replace all products that that come in a plastic bottles like shampoo and conditioners. Many companies such as Lush offer a wide range of handmade organic soap that you can use instead.
Reducing waste in the kitchen is very reliant on your shopping habits. Shopping from most supermarkets in the UK makes it hard for the customers to not buy products that come in plastic packaging such as pasta, rice, seeds and so on.
“Bulk shop with your own bags but don’t be too hard on yourself. If you don’t have access to a bulk shop you can already make a difference! Just make better material choices.” says Julie De Backer, 29, Management assistant and zero waste blogger.
De Backer says that another alternative is to buy in large quantities to avoid many packages or choose things packaged in glass jars or cardboard. Reuse the jars at home et reuse or recycle the cardboard.
