Hiya Guys!
One of mine and Alex's New Year Resolutions this year was to become more Eco Friendly. If you follow me on Instagram you may know that unlike most resolutions this is one that we have really stuck to and are trying to do more and more as time goes by.
I wanted to share my experience with Eco Living and tell you what we currently do to make a difference and what we are planning on doing going forward.
I saw a great quote the other day that I think is so incredibly important - 'We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.'
A small change is better than no change at all, whether this is as simple as using metal or bamboo reusable straws and buying bamboo toothbrushes rather than plastic. People should not be shamed for only making a few small changes rather than living 100% zero waste. They should be congratulated on the small changes they have made and encouraged to make any further changes that they can.
I am going to share a few changes that we have in our House on our journey towards a more Eco Friendly lifestyle.
Metal Straws and Chopsticks
It starts with the simple things, these metal straws and chopsticks were the first things that we purchased. There is a big push in the media at the moment to get rid of plastic straws, which is really good to see a big audience getting on board with! There are many more things we can all be doing to make a difference, however this is a great place to start and are super inexpensive to pick up on eBay.
Bamboo Toothbrushes
Another simple place to start is with a Bamboo Toothbrush. I recently read that Plastic Toothbrushes take over 400 years to decompose, we switched to Bamboo over 6 weeks ago and I can't believe we didn't do it sooner. It is so incredibly simple, again very inexpensive and doesn't feel any different to using a Plastic Toothbrush - so there is no reason not to make the change!
Recycled Candles
Recycling Candles and Wax is something that we have been doing for around 2 months now, as an avid user of both Candles and Wax Melts I couldn't help but notice how much waste it created. I've noticed with multiple candle brands that when the candle has finished burning and the wick will no longer light, there is still so much wax left over that would simply be wasted. This is the same with wax melts, once the scent has finished you're left with wax that is simply put in the waste.
Which is why we have started melting this left over wax down and making our own candles and tea lights. We have been re-using glass jars and empty tea light cases that we have kept over the weeks and pouring the melted wax into these - the wicks are cheap enough to buy online. I will be filming a YouTube video on this process soon, so you can follow along and make your own!
Reusable Cotton Pads
Reusable Cotton Pads are quite a new change for me, I picked these up from a shop on Etsy called Leave No Trace. You use them as you would regular cotton pads with your micellar water or toner and then simply pop them into your cute little bag that is included and put them in the washing machine and they can be used over and over!
Eco Egg
I wish I would have known about this product sooner, the Eco Egg is an eco friendly alternative to laundry detergent and fabric conditioner. Simply stick it in the drum with your washing and let it work it's magic! This little egg lasts up to 1 year and when required, you just replace the pellets - the egg will last a lifetime. It is amazing to think how many plastic bottles we can avoid using by switching to the Eco Egg.
Lush Naked Products
If you know me you will know how much I love Lush and how long I've been using their products. More recently they have been creating more and more naked products (packaging free) - from Solid Lip Scrubs and Body Scrubs to Naked Face Wipes and Facial Cleansers. I would really recommend checking out what naked products Lush sell and seeing if they would work in your routine. Even the smallest change from using Shower Gel and Liquid Hand Wash to Soap makes a difference!
Cotton Produce Bags
Something we've always done is not use the awful single use plastic bags in supermarkets. Why they are still in shops is beyond me, you don't need to put your bananas in a plastic bag which is going to go straight in the bin when you get home. Cotton Produce Bags and so cheap to pick up and do the exact same thing if not better! I bought these from Poundland for £1 and Poundstretcher for 50p.
Teal Trunk
Finally we have the Teal Trunk which I was kindly gifted by the lovely owner Tara, I was looking for an eco alternative to washing up sponges and came across this unique product, I'd never seen anything on the market like this before! It's a silicone scrubber which can be re-used over and over and due to the material it is made from doesn't hold on to any bacteria. I have seen so many people on my Instagram use this for so many things, from cleaning make up brushes, scrubbing their veg, cleaning the sink and so much more. I haven't tried this yet as I still have a couple of sponges left from the last multi pack we bought, but as soon as I do I will post my thoughts on my Instagram.
Following on from that is something I want to mention when it comes to Eco Living, finding an eco alternative is amazing however it shouldn't mean that you throw away your none eco product which still has plenty of life in it. Use your sponges and one use cotton pads up that you may already have, then once they're used you can go on to your new exciting product. Do not create waste for the sake of something new.
I am always interested in new ways to become more Eco Friendly, should anyone have any suggestions of things they currently do please let me know! We have today found a Zero Waste shop in our local town that allows you to refill your dry foods such as pasta and rice etc as well as cleaning products and things such as Shampoo and Conditioner. This is such an amazing thing to come to our small town and we can't wait to start using it!
I hope you enjoyed the read and can take something from this blog, the more people that make any changes the bigger difference we can all make to looking after our planet.
Amber xxx
