5 Easy Sustainable Swaps

Over the past six months or so, there’s been a big push sustainable living。 Now that more and more people are taking responsibility for the waste they create, I want to share 5 simple sustainable swaps we can all make as a way to reduce waste and live more sustainably. More and more brands are creating biodegradable products, as well as creating alternatives we can use to replace unsustainable products. If you want to learn about 5 easy sustainable swaps, keep reading.

5 Simple sustainable swaps

reusable cotton pads

If you have a certain skincare routine, I can almost guarantee that you use cotton pads as part of at least one step. It can be used to remove makeup with micellar water, or to remove nail polish, but it’s a great alternative that not only saves you money, but more importantly, is kinder to the environment. I have to admit being a bit naive because I don’t see how cotton can be harmful to the environment? It’s not plastic, and it pulls apart easily, so I’m just assuming they’re “ok”.

However, regular cotton pads do not biodegrade due to the bleaching and blending process used in the manufacturing process. And since raw cotton may contain synthetic fibers, this means that the fibers may contain plastic, which obviously does not biodegrade in landfills. There are other issues to consider with cotton, such as the pesticides and toxic chemicals involved in cotton production, which can cause potential health problems for cotton workers and pollute wildlife and rivers.

Luckily for us, there are some greener alternatives, including reusable cotton pads. Reusable cotton pads tend to be round rounds of soft fabric, usually bamboo or a similar fiber. They can be thrown in the washing machine, and they’re still super gentle on the skin while effectively removing makeup. It will also save you money in the long run since you don’t have to keep buying them either. I bought 15 reusable cotton pads from Amazon for around £10 and they even come with a special little bag for washing them.

menstrual cup

You can end up spending a lot of money on sanitary protection, especially if you have menstrual cycles. Not only are tampons and pads expensive, they’re also very bad for the environment. It all depends on your preference for menstrual use, but if you want a greener option, there are other options. Tampons are similar to cotton pads that contain fibers, bleach and chemicals, and sanitary napkins generate a lot of waste that goes to landfills. Most of them are non-biodegradable. They also pollute land and water during cotton cultivation.

A great option is to use a menstrual cup. Menstrual cups have no plastic wrap and are not disposable. You can reuse a single cup for up to ten years, which will save you a lot of money. If you think a box of tampons costs between £2 and £4, but menstrual cups are usually around £20, that’s the only cup you’ll ever need. You can easily sterilize mugs without waste or harm to the environment, especially since many are made from recycled silicone.

Avoid Single-Use Plastics

As a blogger on how much plastic packaging is used to wrap, protect and mail products, this is my next source in 5 Easy Sustainable Swaps. Terrible waste, but the product needs to be protected in transit so it’s hard to know what to do.This is what brands like Small Package Come in because they offer some really clever packaging options that are more environmentally friendly and don’t necessarily use a lot of plastic.

Plastic-free e-commerce packaging is exactly what brands need to use when sending orders to bloggers or PR samples, as it can have a huge impact on the amount of plastic packaging that ends up in landfill. Plastic-free packaging doesn’t have to be expensive either, so it protects products without harming the environment.

Throw away the cup!

If you’re a coffee or tea lover, you might love places like Starbucks or Costa, but buying a disposable cup every time you order is wasteful. It doesn’t even need to be tea or coffee, if you work in an office, you probably have access to a water dispenser, and every time you drink water, you’re probably using a new plastic cup every time, so, so wasteful.There are many brands that offer trendy water bottle You can take a takeaway drink with you or drink it at the office. Especially if you choose the keep warm option as it will keep your hot drinks hot or your cold drinks cool. I can’t live without mine and they will greatly reduce your plastic and paper waste.

Use Your Own Produce Bags

The last of my 5 easy sustainable swaps is one you can use when doing your grocery store. When buying items such as fruit and vegetables, they are often wrapped in plastic, or if you are buying in bulk we encourage you to use plastic grocery bags to place the produce in before placing in your trolley.

Obviously, you can do without a bag and put your produce in a cart, but if you’re buying something like grapes or apples, it’s neither ideal nor hygienic to have those items rolling around on the cart. On eBay and Amazon, you can buy reusable produce bags that you can take with you at the grocery store so you don’t need to use single-use plastic bags at the store.

I really hope these 5 simple sustainable swaps are helpful and inspire you to want to try and reduce unnecessary waste in your everyday life.

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