10 Tips To Get Started
Most of us are experts at living a disposable lifestyle - after all, we’ve been practicing our whole lives! So there's no need to dive in too fast when adopting a low waste lifestyle.
Try ticking off the 10 Tips To Get Started. For more ideas browse the Get Inspired posts.
Once you see how these habits transform your lifestyle, you’ll be motivated to do more and it will become effortless!
1. Kick the cup habit
Disposable coffee cups look like they're made of paper, but they actually have a thin plastic lining. They're a nightmare to recycle, creating 25,000 tonnes of landfill waste each year in the UK. With so many reusable cups on the market, you can do takeaway coffee in your own style, and get a discount!
ABOVE: ADD SOME STYLE TO YOUR CAFFEINE HIT WITH A REUSABLE CUP
2. H2-Oh! Use refillable bottles
Single-use plastic bottles have created a waste problem and recycling is not solving it. The majority of bottled water is actually tap water anyway! It’s time to bust this elaborate hoax. Download the free Refill app to find over 1,600 refill stations across the UK, and get yourself a refillable water bottle.
Above: Keep your drink cool for 24 hours with a refillable bottle like this one from S'Well
3. Ban the bag
Plastic bags are bad news - harming wildlife, clogging drains thereby causing flooding and polluting our oceans. It's no surprise that governments around the world are banning them! Take your own shopping bag - basket, tote or fold-up pocket bag - whatever works best for you.
Above: Tote bags like this one fit loads of groceries!
Above: Produce bags like this cotton produce bag can be reused hundreds of times.
4. Brush with bamboo
You probably never realised that your plastic toothbrush is not recyclable. Hundreds of years after you're gone, your toothbrushes will still be here - buried in a landfill or washed up on a beach somewhere. Switch to bamboo.
Above: A bamboo toothbrush will decompose naturally, unlike plastic
5. Switch to solid
Did you know that bottled shampoo is actually 70-80% water? So, when you buy shampoo and conditioner, you're paying for plastic packaging, water and freight costs. Why not cut the waste and go for solid shampoo bars?
Above: Just add water - Shampoo Bars are more practical and eco-friendly!
6. Stayin’ alive! Go reusable batteries
Batteries that are sent to landfill or incineration can pollute our environment with some pretty nasty substances such as mercury, cadmium and lead. Reusable batteries can be recharged thousands of times. You don't need a mathematics degree to figure out that saves thousands of pounds!
ABOVE: EACH ONE OF THESE REUSABLE BATTERIES CAN SAVE 2099 BATTERIES FROM LANDFILL
7. Don’t suck
Plastic straws are a straight-up nightmare for wildlife. Being so small, they are often not captured for recycling and end up in our waterways and oceans. Pubs across the UK are starting to ban plastic straws. If you really can't do without them, use a reusable straw.
ABOVE: Reusable straws like these glass ones stop plastic straws entering our oceans
8. Flick the Bic
Ever since BIC designed their disposable pen we've been throwing away millions of plastic pens and markers. Most of them end up in landfill. Switch to refillable pens and markers.
Above: go for a classic Fountain Pen like this one from Lamy
9. Sharpen Up!
Disposable razors cannot be recycled - they end up as plastic waste in landfill. The alternative? Use a safety razor. You'll also save money and make your shaving routine more stylish in the process.
Above: A retro Safety Razor looks better on your bathroom shelf
10. Sod the Coffee Pod
Our obsession with coffee at the press of a button has become a disaster for the environment. In the US alone, enough coffee pods are produced each year to circle the Equator 10.5 times. There are so many waste-free alternatives for making great coffee at home.
Above: These stainless steel reusable pods are compatible with your Nespresso® machine
