If you’re trying to prioritise living a more eco-friendly lifestyle, you’ll likely have already seen some of our tips on how to best live more sustainably, but one of the most impactful things you can do to improve your sustainable credentials is start thinking about reducing your waste in your day-to-day life. In fact, statistics show that, in 2019 alone, over 530kg of household waste wasn’t recycled per home, which just goes to show how much the average home can impact the environment!
That’s why, today, we’re sharing more information about how you and your family can reduce your household waste – and, hopefully, your carbon footprint – so you can live a more eco-friendly and sustainable life!
Get on the mend
When products or furniture are broken or damaged, it can be all to easy to automatically reach for your phone, open up your browser, and order a replacement – however, a lot of damage can be easily repaired, and can end up saving you both money and waste. Whether you’re sewing up a small hole in clothing to increase its lifespan, or replacing a busted chair leg, you can likely salvage most beloved items without having to replace them entirely!
Use a meal plan
How many times have we all purchased some food items with the best of intentions to use them, and then groaned when we’ve discovered them in the back of the vegetable crisper a few weeks later, completely unsalvageable? Trust us, you’re not alone in this one! That’s why we’d recommend having a weekly meal plan for your family, so that you can decide what you need and not leave anything to become a moldy mess in the back of the fridge! You’ll likely save time and money, too – win/win!
Rethink your shopping habits
Unsurprisingly, switching up the way you shop can have a big impact on your waste output. By opting to shop for more sustainable, durable products, instead of purchasing fast fashion items, you’re helping to contribute to less fashion waste, and therefore a more eco-friendly environment, all round. You can read more about why fast fashion can be damaging, and how to shop more sustainably, in our blog post on the topic, here.
Reuse products
Reusing products that may otherwise end up being thrown away is a great way to impact your carbon footprint positively, and reduce household waste! If you’ve got children, we probably don’t need to tell you how much old packaging can be great for arts and crafts projects, and even old clothing that’s beyond repair can be used as cloths for cleaning around the house – there are tonnes of uses for every old item, so you can really get creative here to save on waste!
Bulk buy
If you’re in a position to be able to bulk buy products in large quantities to help reduce packaging waste, we’d very much recommend doing so! You’ll likely save money in the process, so if you’re able to, and have the storage for the products you’re buying, it’s definitely something you might want to consider for your family.
However, if you’re not in a position to buy in large quantities, you may still be able to reduce your packaging waste in another way: using refill stations! These shopping systems are stores where you’re asked to take your own refillable containers to fill of products that would usually come with excess packaging – e.g. grains and pulses, herbs and spices, and even liquid cleaning products! These kinds of stores have really gained prominence in recent years, so it’s worth finding out if there’s one near you – and if not, keep an eye out, as more are always popping up!
We hope you’ve found some of our tips on how to best reduce the amount of waste your household produces helpful! We know it’s not always easy to start making changes to your lifestyle, but we hope some of these small changes will make the switch to more eco-friendly practices a little easier to manage for your home.
As always, if there’s a specific subject you’d love for us to cover on the RAINE Clothing blog, simply leave a comment below, or find us on Instagram or Facebook, and we’ll get to writing!
