Australians are focused more than ever on living in a way which is a little kinder to the environment. We are taking a keen interest in where our products are made and choosing to buy local and organic at the supermarket. The waste we produce is also a hot topic in the media and social media influencers flaunt their one jar waste goals, which can seem impossible to the average Australian.
But, by taking just a few, small steps and embedding some change in regular behaviours, you can join the green crusade to not only reduce waste, but to also clean in a more sustainable way too!
Green office and commercial cleaners have comprehensive green cleaning programs and offer multiple ways to reduce waste and clean in an environmentally friendly way, but what about cleaning in the home? Here are five easy ways to implement sustainable cleaning in the and reduce the waste heading to your garbage bins.
Supermarket Choices
Look down the supermarket aisles through a slightly different lens and you’ll start to see everyday products in a very different way. Before you put that family pack of toilet rolls in your trolley, maybe consider the plastic wrapped bundle for paper wrapped. Swap the single portion snacks which come in excessive packaging for scoop and weigh trail mix which can be portioned out later at home. In the fresh produce aisle, aim to purchase loose fruit and veg rather than overly packaged food. When re-stocking your pantry, buy in bulk and store in permanent jars. Not only will you reduce waste, you’ll likely save a few dollars too!
Re-use and Recycle
Before you chuck it out, can you re-use or recycle? Soak coffee jar labels off and use them as airtight containers for your pantry. Start a worm farm to breakdown organic waste and put goodness back into your garden. Keep your coffee grounds and sprinkle them in your garden, or create a homemade coffee scrub for your skin. A table with a broken leg may still have a stunning tabletop to be repurposed and old and faded garden furniture may just need a lick of paint to bring it back to life. Donate good condition clothing and toys to your local op shop and encourage children to take plastic bottles to your local return and earn centre for extra pocket money. It’s also a great way to get young minds thinking about the impact they have on the environment and breed good habits.
Be Water Wise
When you think about waste reduction, most people naturally assume that it’s all about what goes out to the kerbside on rubbish collection day. But, water wastage is putting great pressure on our country and every bit you can do to save those drops of water helps the environment. Take a Sunday afternoon to fix leaky taps both inside and outside in the garden. Swap a bath for an invigorating shower and replace a leaky, inefficient shower head. When it comes to throwing out your old washing machine for local garbage collection, take the time to replace with a water efficient model.
Go Chemical Free
Think about the cleaning products under your kitchen sink and in your bathroom. You may have a kitchen cleaner, bathroom spray, mould remover, bleach, furniture polish and floor detergents amongst many others. All of them will be made with chemicals and some of them may be toxic. Those toxic chemicals flow straight down the drain and harm our waterways. Look for a GECA approved cleaner, or search for non-toxic detergents and chemical free cleaning product brands which you can switch to at the local grocery store. .
Ditch The Disposable
Cut up old business shirts to use as effective polishing cloths and ditch the single use cleaning wipes. They may be convenient to use, but each wipe is used for a second or two and then dumped in the bin. Newspaper makes for a great window cleaner (it’s true!) and old towels can be cut up and used to give the bathroom a good scrub. The good thing is that the shirt rags and towels can be rewashed and reused!
There you have it, five easy ways to instantly reduce waste in the home and clean the house in a more sustainable way!
Really Interesting article with quality information.
I wish I can switch to bulk purchases, it is cheaper in the long run, however money is pretty tight these days. Great idea on using old clothes as rags and wipes, we might also take the best old ones to the donation bins, some folks might be in need of clean clothes.