8 ways you and your family can reduce waste today
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The effects of plastic pollution is all over the news at the moment.
Despite the efforts and programs of many governments, there are still a lot of people who haven’t yet developed a keen sense of taking responsibility for the waste they produce.
Billions of recycling and skip bins may be available in Western cultures, but so much waste still ends up scattered around as litter or finds its way into the oceans. Which is why we often see in the media, images of hapless whales, dolphins, and turtles choking, due to man-made plastic rubbish.
Sometimes the issue can feel overwhelming, but there ARE simple steps we can all take to be part of the solution.
We can start spreading awareness about waste reduction and proper waste disposal, and there’s no better place to begin than within our own circle of influence—our family. When we started our own zero waste journey, making decisions as a family was paramount to our success.
Here are 8 things you can do as a family to reduce landfill waste:
- Buy durable high-quality products. Although this may seem to be an expensive proposition that entails high initial cost, they usually end up paying for themselves due to longevity; and less waste helps preserve resources.
- Purchasing household products like milk and detergents in bulk. Refill options are even better, if you can find them locally.
- Avoiding products with multiple layers of packaging where possible.
- Opting for reusable items rather than single-use throw-away items.
- Repairing damaged clothing and shoes rather than throwing away.
- Giving away or selling your old but still usable personal and household items. You can donate your old clothes, shoes, and toys to charity, and offer old furniture, appliances, tools, books, and jewellery to garage or yard sales.
- Finding an alternative use for household and personal items bound for disposal. Old towels or t-shirts, for example, are best for cleaning rags, while an old toothbrush would be good for scrubbing small hard-to-reach, narrow spaces like tile grout.
- Making compost from food scraps, rotten fruits, vegetables, and dead plants.
What about you – what small steps do you take as a family to reduce your landfill waste?
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