5 easy swaps for a better environment

We can all agree that we live in times where we produce a lot of trash. We buy more than we need, we create larger storage for all the things we buy that we might even use only once or twice. And we continue to keep buying.

Buying stuff is not a bad thing. But what we buy matters. And how we dispose the unwanted, matters more. There may be a better option for the environment for every product there in the market, but today I will share 5 of my favorites that each of us apply to in our day to day lives.

Laundry Detergent – In the beginning, we used soap bars and soap powders. They were mostly wrapped in a paper packaging. But then as we evolved to rely on machines to do our washing, we were introduced to liquid detergent, pods. These are necessarily a bad thing, if you can refill the liquid detergents and pods at a filling station. But we do what seems most convenient to us. We trash the plastic containers. Even the soap bars and powders come in plastic packaging.

In the past year, I started using laundry sheets. They come in paper packaging that can be easily composted. It takes hardly any space to store, and it is as convenient to use as the detergent pods.

Drying Clothes – Much of the planet has a good amount of sunlight for most parts of the year. For those of us who are blessed with the sunlight, why do we feel the need to rely on a machine to dry our clothes? Why not simply air dry our clothes. Not only do we save on space, we save electricity in the long run too.

Yes, I do use the dryer setting sometimes, but it is very rare and I have no complaints with air drying my clothes.

Toothbrush – Yes, we all use a toothbrush, more than once a day. And yet, it is only recently that compostable bamboo toothbrushes are available to us. Even when we have the option to use bamboo toothbrushes, we are still so used to buying the plastic brushes. And this is one of those items that surely makes it way to the trash when we dispose it.

I have been using bamboo brushes for quite some time now. And my teeth doesn’t seem to know the difference.

Do Not Trash it. Recycle it – I cannot stress enough on the fact that, once we start to recycle and composting kitchen waste, we hardly have any trash to throw away. It may seem like such a task, but there are so many options to compost / dehydrate food scraps. It is a much better option than to put kitchen waste in the trash.
I used to compost my kitchen scrap. But now, I am exploring various other options for my home that does not take up any space.

Disposables – This can seem like a life savior. I have seen so many people mindlessly buy disposable cutlery, paper plates and cups. But is it really required.

I was watching a video on a grocery haul on Youtube and I saw the family buy disposable cutlery for long term storing, weekends and for when there may be an emergency. And I thought to myself, would steel, porcelain, glass, brass cutlery not work in the long run? We buy them because it is convenient. It reduces the time required to clean up after ourselves.

I have been very happily using porcelain and steel cutlery for as long as I can remember. And if I MUST use disposables, then I tend to buy the Areca nut leaf and bamboo cutlery, that does very well in the compost.

A bonus if you are a woman.
If you are still using Pads and Tampons, then I highly recommend that you try menstrual cup and period panties. They are more hygienic than pads and tampons, better for you, your wallet and the environment.

It is our responsibility to keep our environment healthy and our planet clean. Afterall, we have only this place that we can call HOME.

Thank you for reading.

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Image from my Instagram - eco_everything.
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