We’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite environmentally friendly products that can help you cut down on waste and lower your carbon footprint. You may not even realize that many of your everyday items can be easily replaced with eco-friendly products. Check out these sustainable ideas below to help make the switch!
Introducing eco-friendly products in your kitchen is the easiest place to start. These ideas will help you make an easy transition from plastic to biodegradable kitchen items.
Beeswax Wrap or Reusable Bowl Covers
Not only is saran wrap always a pain to use, but it also contaminates the environment and ends up sitting in a landfill. A great alternative for sustainable eating is using beeswax wrap, which is generally constructed using a combination of cotton, beeswax, tree resin and various oils. For strict vegans, the bowl covers are an incredible option that can be easily hand rinsed and reused billions of times.
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Glass Storage Containers
If you’re currently using plastic food storage containers in your kitchen, consider making the switch to glass. Not only is this great for the environment, but it prevents you from contaminating your food from hormone-like chemicals that come from plastic.
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Refillable Coffee and Tea Filters
Instead of popping in a new K-Cup every morning only to toss it into the waste bin, consider saving yourself space and money — and saving the landfill from more plastic — with your choice of fresh ground coffee and a reusable filter pod.
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Reusable Grocery Bags
Bringing your own reusable grocery bags to the store is an excellent way to reduce plastic use. They are always affordably priced and will last you for years — plus, they can hold a lot more groceries inside without breaking during transport!
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Biodegradable Trash Bags
An excellent eco-friendly alternative to plastic garbage bags are compostable, or biodegradable, bags. These are typically made from plants and come in a range of sizes, from three gallons to 13 gallons.
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Compostable Cutlery
Say goodbye to your plastic forks and spoons and start using compostable cutlery. These are great for hosting parties or taking to-go meals if you’re in a hurry and are a much better alternative. The environment will thank you!
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Alternative Reusable Straws
Over the past few years, many businesses in the food industry have made the switch to paper straws. Though paper is much better than plastic, reusable straws are preferable. You can save yourself the hassle of constantly replacing straws in your home by purchasing stainless steel, silicone or bamboo straws. These can be washed and reused instead of thrown out.
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Fabric Napkins and Towels
If you’re looking to cut back on paper napkins, cotton dishcloths are a great place to start. These can be used to clean your kitchen or placed at the table during dinnertime, saving a lot of paper waste.
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Take care of yourself while also taking care of the environment. These eco-friendly replacements will leave you sparkly clean with natural ingredients and reusable materials.
Natural Deodorant
Make the switch to natural deodorant to cut down on your carbon footprint. These are made without the use of aluminum and include only natural ingredients that are less harmful to the environment and work just as well!
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Bamboo Toothbrush
If you want to introduce some eco-friendly products to your bathroom, replacing your plastic toothbrush is a great place to start. Bamboo toothbrushes are excellent eco-friendly alternatives that can be decomposed after long-term use. Also, consider this awesome floss made from coconuts!
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Packaging-Free Beauty Products
If you’re looking to go a step further, consider using packaging-free beauty products. This includes shampoo bars and shower jellies that are bought with no exterior packaging.
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Real Loofahs
Did you know that loofahs, or luffas, are actually vegetables? These natural plants are great exfoliators and make for a great sustainable option as opposed to the plastic ones you buy in stores.
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Safety Razors
Safety razors make fantastic eco-friendly alternatives to plastic razors. The razor itself is made from strong and durable stainless steel, so you can keep it forever. The blade is the only thing you have to occasionally replace.
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Reusable Cotton Pads
If you wear makeup every day and use countless amounts of makeup wipes or cotton balls, consider getting reusable cotton pads. The great thing about these is that they can be washed after every use and do a flawless job at removing makeup, dirt and debris from your face. And also, duh, only ever use eco-products to wash, tone, and moisturize your face with. The less chemicals on earth, the better!
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Reusable Water Bottles
Ditch the plastic bottles and opt for a reusable one. It comes as no surprise that making the switch helps in saving the environment from pollution — better yet, you save yourself a lot of money!
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Rechargeable Batteries
Batteries are known to contain various chemicals and materials, so it only makes sense that tossing them into the garbage is not very environmentally friendly. Purchase some rechargeable batteries so you can reuse them after every charge.
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Reusable Notebooks
Instead of throwing out notebooks every time you finish them, try reusable notebooks like Rocketbook. This smart tool instantly stores your notes in the cloud with the free app. This can help you avoid the hassle of purchasing a new notebook and keeps additional paper out of the trash.
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Natural Cleaning Products
A vast majority of cleaning products contain a wide variety of harmful ingredients and chemicals to remove tough stains. However, you can get the same clean results using eco-friendly cleaning products, which only contain natural materials. We love these sets.
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Biodegradable Dog Bags
Your furry friends can go green, too! Ditch the plastic dog bags and go for biodegradable ones. They’re typically made with vegetable-based ingredients that are 100% compostable and biodegradable. Also consider eco pet treats, toys, and foods.
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7 Home Energy-Saving Tips
While you’re looking into different ways to keep your home environmentally friendly, you should also consider cutting down on energy consumption to reduce unnecessary use. Not only will this save you a lot of money when the energy bill comes, but it will also help the environment.
Check out these home energy-saving tips below:
- Monitor your temperature: When you step out to run some errands, make sure your home temperature is a few degrees higher than usual to help save energy.
- Be mindful of water use: Use water carefully in your home to help save on gallons. Taking a quick shower, turning the faucet off when brushing your teeth or hand-washing dishes can help make a huge difference in water usage.
- Do full loads of dishes and laundry: Washing machines and dishwashers are best used when you have full loads. Avoid putting a couple dishes in the washer and running a full cycle — this will help save on energy and water!
- Cook outside: On warmer days, keep the heat out of your home (and avoid A/C use) by using an outdoor grill instead of indoor ovens.
- Cool down with fans: Use fans instead of AC when you can, especially at night when temperatures are cooler outside. On days where AC is a must, keep the setting on low and use fans to evenly distribute air.
- Utilize natural air or sunlight: Take advantage of the sunshine and let in as much natural light as you can. Keep windows and curtains open to provide good lighting and turn off any lights in your home. There’s nothing quite like some fresh sunshine to brighten up your home!
- Unplug devices when fully charged: Leaving your devices plugged at all times can shorten their lives and waste energy. Especially if there is an indicator light, then you are burning power needlessly.
- Eco-friendly household products are ideal whether you’re looking to adopt greener habits or are looking for inexpensive ways to organize your home. They’ll also ensure you’re helping the environment and saving money at the same time.
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Original story printed here.