Finding ways to look after the environment at home has been at the forefront of a lot of peoples’ minds at the moment. The world needs our care and consideration and for the human race to take steps forward. I’ve always tried to recycle but there’s always more that can be done. Here are some of the things I try to do most to help reduce my carbon footprint.
Recycling
Try and recycle as much as you can in your home. If you have items that can’t be put in your tubs for collection, try and take them to your local recycling centre. If you have a coffee machine that uses pods, try and find a company locally that will recycle. One of the reasons we opted for a Nespresso is because they have a free collection service for recycling.
Reducing Plastic Usage
When I go shopping, I try to buy my fruit and veg with no plastic. I’ll always buy individual items rather than packs where possible. One of my biggest frustrations and reasons I try not to use click and collect or home delivery anymore is that stores put these items in one time use plastic bags. Literally no point. I’ve bought individual items to not have plastic and they’re putting them into more.
Upcycling
Rather than getting rid of furniture or clothing, have you ever tried upcycling? We’ve recently started this process in our kitchen and we’re updating it using sticky back vinyl. It’s super cheap and other than being dated, our kitchen is fine. I’ve also added some marble to the top of our bedside table which I’ll be doing a separate post on soon.
Reuseable Food Bags
I regularly freeze meals in tubs and meat so that it doesn’t go off. Tubs can be a bit bulky in our little freezer though and end up taking too much space. Rather than using plastic food bags, one of the ways you can help the environment at home is by purchasing reusable silicone bags. I bought mine from Amazon and they only cost £15.99 for 12 in two different sizes.
Freeze Food Before It Goes Off
This might seem like a fairly obvious way to reduce waste but every so often, I forget to do this. When I do my weekly shop, I try to meal plan, partially to stay healthy but also so that I know what can go in the freezer straight away.
Eat Meatless Meals
Now I don’t think I could ever be vegetarian but one of the easiest ways to look after the environment at home is to skip to meatless meals a few times a week. I try to avoid having any in the mornings after I realised I was eating meat for three meals a day whilst having chicken sausages for breakfast.
Save on Energy
Working at home everyday whilst it’s still a bit nippy outside isn’t always easy to resist putting the radiators on. We have ours on timer for the morning and evening but during the day, I’m trying not to use more energy than we would usually if we were both out of the house. Sometimes that means I’m wearing two pairs of socks, joggers and hoodies though!
Grow Your Own Fruit & Veggies
I’ve always wanted to do this but I’ve never wanted to put the effort and energy into growing some until we had our own house. Not only is this a great way to look after the environment at home but it will save you some money in the longterm too. I’m starting off with some herbs, chillies, strawberries and tomatoes but for now, I have some rosemary in a mug on my windowsill!
These are just a few of the ways to look after the environment at home. There’s so much more you can do but I find that these are probably the easiest. I’m looking forward to having some fruit and veggies growing in the garden!