Nowadays, only the lazy (or those who think it's not their problem), have not heard that the Earth is on the brink of ecological disaster.
But even if we all close our eyes and pretend that nothing is happening, the problem will not go away. Indeed, if we continue to live in the same way, without thinking and pretending that nothing happens or concerns us, our descendants will be in trouble.
Due to this dire situation, a movement called "Zero Waste" is gaining momentum - these people are trying to reduce their "rubbish footprint" as much as possible and take care of the environment.
We are not going to go into the disclosure of environmental problems today, everyone who is not indifferent will be able to find the necessary information on their own. But we would like to share with you simple tips that will help you take the first steps towards "healing" our planet today.
1. Give up plastic bottles. Buy a reusable water bottle and always take it with you. For example, you can order a stainless steel bottle. At home, it is better to install water filters so that you don't have to buy endless bottles of water (which by the way are not all clean and drinkable - i.e. you waste money).
2. Buy a coffee thermos cup, or drink your coffee directly from the coffee shop rather than "to go".
3. Start separating your rubbish at home and at work.
4. Refuse unnecessary packaging. A banana in a separate packet or a separate sachet for curd is too much. And for fruits and vegetables, there are now fruit pouches - instead of endless disposable polythene bags. For loose foods, cereals, etc, there are also special bags. But here you'll have to look for shops that sell such products by weight.
5. Pay attention to the labelling. All products in the shop have a triangle with a number on it, which indicates what material the packaging is made of. If it is PAP or 21, it is paper and can be recycled. But C/PAP, for example, is paper with impurities and cannot be recycled. The most favourable plastic to buy (if such a thing is possible) is PET 1, which is the plastic most recyclers buy. Plastics with numbers 3 and 7 are not recyclable and should be avoided.
6. Refuse unnecessary gifts and promotional items. If you don't want a rubber bracelet, a "stick-on" or a pan that you can get by collecting stickers, then don't take them.
7. Walk, cycle, take public transport - it's environmentally friendly to get around this way. Give up your private car whenever possible. And it's good to walk in general - you only need to walk 10,000 steps a day to be healthy.
8. Do a raid for your cosmetics and household chemicals. In addition to microplastics, there are also many substances in the water and soil from our Fayries, Tides, etc., which are just as poisonous to what we drink and eat.
You can check the composition of all your bottles on special websites (whether they are expensive or bought from a yard shop) and the vast majority of them will be unfit for use, some of them even life-threatening. This is also a separate and very big topic to explore, and takes a long time to get to the side of good. But it's worth it, because these things affect (literally) you directl
9. Buy a valise, backpack or shopper for going to the shops. Bags don't last long and tear all the time, even if you walk around with yours. To go to the nearest shop, you can order a cotton bag, It's just the right size for those "bread shopping" trips. When ordering, use promo code ECO to get a 5% discount.
10. We would like to emphasise that batteries, light bulbs and medicines CANNOT be thrown into rubbish bins, but only handed over to special places, which are becoming more and more numerous nowadays. The same applies to household appliances, large shops accept them and will even give you a discount for them.
Clothes and shoes are now also accepted in some shops. If your things are in good condition, try to sell them or just give them to people in need. A second life for things in new hands is the best option.
11. Go to the shop with a grocery list. As well as saving money and avoiding impulse purchases, you won't buy unnecessary products that often go in the bin.
12. Speaking of the rubbish bucket. Remember when we used to take the rubbish out in buckets instead of bags? Now this is coming back into fashion (again, to avoid using unnecessary bags).
13.Use an item not just once, but as many times as possible. In today's world, everything is disposable: just think about how many things you take and use and immediately throw away. You can replace them with reusable analogues, or reduce their use. But if you do somehow get your hands on a fly-in bag, make the most of it.
14. Install a food waste shredder or a free-standing dehydrator in your sink. Then you won't need to take "flavoured" waste to the rubbish bin at all.
15. If you work in an office, have a box of backsheets - pieces of paper that have something printed on one side and are no longer needed. Use them for printing.
17. A luggage cover will last you for many years, unlike multiple layers of stretch wrapping, and will also help you find your suitcase quickly on the luggage belt. You can read all the pros of the case in our HERE.
18. The last point is not really about Zero Waste, but about another kind of "consumption" - zoos and circuses. Refuse to go to these unpleasant places. The day will come when they will be banned. In the meantime, we can only reduce the demand for their "services". If you really want this kind of pastime (there is nothing wrong with wanting to explore the world - just not in such ways), you can visit reserves - places where you will be a guest on the territory of animals in their natural environment.
Choose circuses without animals, where you can marvel at the incredible capabilities and courage of man.
We are not calling on you to stop enjoying all the benefits of civilisation, we are only showing you what simple things each of us can do by simply starting ourselves, without depriving ourselves of comfort, without completely overhauling our lives and without going to extremes. Let's save our planet for our descendants (as pathetic as that sounds). If we don't start acting now, it will be too late!
Live