How To Reduce Waste As A Family

Trying to reduce waste when you’re a family can seem daunting, but there are a few small, simple things that you can do that can make a big difference both for the environment (any landfill waste creates greenhouse gasses which are very bad news for global warming) and for your pocket. So whilst none of the below are groundbreaking, they help us reduce waste in our home and live a little more consciously relying less on disposable items to carry out small everyday tasks, particularly in the kitchen. Here’s some items I’ve bid farewell to in at attempt to reduce the waste we create as a family and just generally, to live a little more simply…

SAY GOODBYE TO…

Paper towels and wet wipes

Probably the simplest and most effective change I’ve made to create less waste is to ditch paper towels. It’s so easy to grab one when there’s a small mess to wipe up, or a dirty baby’s hands to wipe, or some sticky fingers to clean up. So now instead of buying disposable paper towels, we use bright cloth napkins that we had anyway in the home (that were simply gathering dust in the cupboard and totally underused). They’re so much softer and more cheery (important when wiping mess up!) and now instead of disposing of a dirty paper towel, we just stick them in the washing machine. I’m also a big fan of cheeky wipes to wipe up mucky faces and bottoms – I will do anything to avoid baby wipes and have spoken of my feelings towards these pesky bits of yucky fibres here. Quick tip if you do decide to go down this route – I really recommend using coloured or dark cloths; I reckon white cloths would end up stained and mucky looking.

Cling film and aluminium foil

Again, cling film has been struck off the shopping list over the past few months. Instead we use Abeego bees wax food wrap which are made with beeswax, tree resin, organic jojoba oil infused into a hemp and organic cotton cloth. After one use, I simply rinse them with cold water and they’re as good as new. Tip if using abeego: don’t use any hot water to wash them and don’t stick them in the microwave. In fact I’m trying to get rid of anything disposable in our house: whether it’s a picnic, party or camping trip, you don’t need to use disposable plates, cups and cutlery and instead we either use stainless steel items like this rectangular one with mini storage inside which are super durable (& perfect for camping), or I’ve recently discovered these biodegradable and reusable plates.

Washing powder

The eco egg is a total game changer for any family and I could not be happier with this nifty little product. It’s amazing for the environment, is a real money saver and is also a must if you or your loved ones have sensitive skin. You don’t need anything else – you just pop the egg in with your washing and I also put a few drops of lavender oil in with the clothes too. The product comes in three size; the largest lasting for up to three years! The natural cleaning pellets inside the egg are the cleaning agent. There are no harsh chemicals and it’s proven to wash just as well as normal detergent. Win win win!!

 

Food packaging 

Ideally I would take my empty jars and containers to the shops to refill them somewhere like here or here but unfortunately this isn’t the reality (I live a bit of a distance from both). And whilst I try to buy foods from the supermarket with least wrapping as possible and I always take my own cloth bags to the shops, sometimes, especially if shopping online, packaging is of course inevitable. Once beyond the horrible packaging, I strip my produce of its packaging before putting it in the fridge or in the larder. This means I’m much more aware of the food that I own and I’ve found that the food waste we produce as a family has plummeted. Side note: it also looks way more attractive. The other reason I like removing packaging of fresh produce in particular – sorry husband – is to get rid of sell by date stickers. As a result, we just go by what the produce looks like rather than a date on a package.

If you want to explore a more waste-free lifestyle, you’re going to need to say goodbye to a few things. Are there any tips and tricks – however small – you can share around creating less waste in the home? Do you do any of the above? I’d love to hear…

P.S Other items I love: my reusable coffee cup, and my camelbak water bottle, I generally don’t leave the house without either. Oh, and stainless steel straws are a complete winner with the kiddos – there is something really special about teaching the children about this world too.

P.P.S 10 ways to reduce waste and live with less and zero waste parenting tips

Comments

  1. Gigi
    November 8, 2017 / 6:29 pm

    Great Post Thank you Emma!
    I am doing most of this home already 🙂
    Love the EcoEgg and the straws Thank you 🙂

    • emmaross
      November 11, 2017 / 9:13 am

      yay! great to hear, and thanks so much for reading Gigi 🙂

  2. Zoe
    September 14, 2017 / 9:31 pm

    I really loved this thanks Emma! Defently going to buy a eco egg. We are just starting in our journey and have cut out meat and now with chemicals. It’s so shocking to see what’s in products. Thanks again x x x

    • emmaross
      September 14, 2017 / 11:09 pm

      Ah that’s wonderful news re the eco egg, they’re flipping great. Good luck on this exciting journey!

  3. September 11, 2017 / 9:45 pm

    Hi Emma, do you find the Eco egg is ok for your cloth nappies? I’m strip washing mine in the rain at the moment as their getting a bit whiffy which I understand can be a build up of both ammonia and detergent. Interested in considering the Eco egg but had hears it wasn’t so great on odours. Cheers, Nic

    • emmaross
      September 11, 2017 / 10:02 pm

      hey Nic – RE the ammonia, i find this appears if i don’t wash wet nappies within a couple days but normally i just do a wash say every other day at 30 using the egg and they come out good as new 🙂 hope this helps 🙂 x

  4. Natasha
    September 6, 2017 / 7:03 am

    Love the range of stainless steel food containers at http://www.andkeep.com. They seem to have everything you mention – food wrap, water bottles, reuseable bamboo coffee cups (pretty designs?) – even bamboo toothbrushes and hairbrushes. A great one-stop shop. Good find!

    • emmaross
      September 6, 2017 / 9:27 am

      yes totally! they’re an awesome site – thanks for reading 🙂

  5. September 1, 2017 / 12:14 am

    Absolutely loved all of your tips!!! Thanks so much for sharing. I knew which beeswax cloths to get from the US but I didn’t know the UK’s version. Will order these for sure. Such a brilliant idea to have baskets in the fridge; it looks so homey! I second the cloths for wiping up messes and baby’s hands and face. It’s so much easier plus it’s softer on their faces, isn’t it? Loveloveloved this and can’t wait to read part 2!

    • emmaross
      September 1, 2017 / 3:17 pm

      hey! ah thanks for your comment and so pleased you found the piece useful. definitely check out Abeego – they’re fab. thanks for being here and have a lovely weekend xxx

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