I’d known that the planet was in a little bit of trouble for a while, but it wasn’t until I had children that I properly took note and figured that I should change a few habits in my life. So I started researching ways to reduce my family’s waste and boy it was overwhelming at first. Reading about these incredible people that only had a jar of rubbish after 12 months was inspiring but also completely daunting.
So, we decided to do what is now termed as ‘imperfect zero waste’. We have been making small changes to our lifestyle that have allowed us to reduce our waste and show our children how to be more environmentally conscious. We also wanted our children to know that we care about their future, and how we are responsible for ensuring that they have a planet to live on when we are gone. We have gradually made small changes to our lifestyle that have indeed helped achieve this. If you are looking to make a start, without going completely crazy, then these small changes might help you.
- Ditch the disposable coffee cup
We decided to pull the pin on the disposables in Dec 2018 and between my husband and I, we have only used 4 disposable coffee cups since. We average 7 takeaway coffees a week between us (I well and truly lead the charge on these purchases!), so we have managed to avoid over 400 disposable coffee cups being used so far.
We’ve also started using reusable smoothy/milkshake cups for the kids and they are fantastic. We use a wet bag to store them in once they are finished but they are essentially leak proof. Miss 18m dropped hers onto concrete and the contents stayed firmly in the cup. SO not only do they save the planet, but they save on the tantrums.
- Say no to bottled water
We started this at the same time as the disposable coffee cups. Admittedly, we didn’t buy 7 of these per week but I know that if I was ever thirsty I would pop into the nearest shop and grab myself a cold bottle of water. Now, my drink bottle comes with me everywhere, and I think I have had 3 bottles of water in the time that we gave them up (all when I have ordered takeaway).
- Say ‘straw no more’
Did you know that the first straw you ever used is still going strong on the planet today?! That’s insane! Now I carry straws in the baby bag for when we need them. It’s a very easy change to make, however you need to be quick to remind a barista/waitstaff to forego the straw.
- Put your frozen meals in jars
We used to snaplock bag our leftovers and freeze them. Now we use jars to freeze the meals. The jars we use are old meal bases, tomato paste jars etc. They work a treat, so long as you don’t overfill them!
- Go vego
We have committed to having one vegetarian meal each week in our house. The environmental impact of meat production isn’t great for a number of reasons including water and land consumption, the emission of fossil fuels and the methane produced from livestock being emitted into the atmosphere.
- Reduce your single use plastics for lunch
Bento boxes and reusable containers have made this much easier, however we all lead busy lifestyles, and not all of us have time to freshly cook everything. I know that when I was working fulltime with two small children, this simply wasn’t a reality. So instead, I tried to buy as many products as possible in bulk e.g popcorn in a large packet rather than individual packets.
- Make ‘toys’ out of recycled objects
We’ve recently started doing this. At first I wasn’t all that keen, mainly because it was going to involve mess, effort and me needing to let go and not control the whole thing! Having done this though, my children have absolutely blown me away with their designs and thought processes, and I completely underestimated the developmental benefits this activity offers. Further to this, their ‘toys’ provide hours of entertainment and they will often evolve in their purpose. What starts out as a pair of shoes from a tissue box, turns into a guitar.
- Be kind to yourself, not just the planet
In my cupboard, I have cloth nappies ready to go. However, I know that I am not ready to make the transition and I have accepted the fact that this is okay. What I am doing now is great and I am making a difference.
It's A Work In Progress 