“Another 5 Simple Green Swaps to Make Today”
Following on from our earlier December blog, “5 Simple Green Swaps”, here are another 5 simple yet effective green swaps from our brainstorming session that you can have a go at making over the festive period.
You may have already tried making the some of the swaps from our previous blog, and if you have, well done for taking action and becoming greener!
Keep in mind when reading this blog that lots of small simple changes really DO add up to make a big impact, and by making lots of simple green swaps you really can make a difference.
Try adding these next swaps to the first 5 and pick one swap to make a month, you’ll surprise yourself at how easy it is to start making a difference!
1 – Glass Milk Bottles – this swap may seem hard at first as we don’t see glass milk bottles in supermarkets! But, milk rounds do still exist! They have even been increasing in recent years as consumer demand for glass bottles increases, meaning swapping from plastic bottles of milk to a glass milk delivery is very easy!
You can also get a range of plastic free products delivered to your door along with your milk! Our milk delivery offers fresh fruit juices, shampoo, conditioner, and cleaning products all in reusable glass bottles.
Take a look at what is available in your area and get swapping!
2 – Plastic Free Tea Bags – this swap may seem a bit of an odd one as you wouldn’t generally associate tea with plastic, but so many tea bags not only come wrapped in plastic but also contain plastic!
Teabags themselves are often made of plastic and the glue used in them contains all sorts of things we probably shouldn’t be ingesting…
A few brands have taken action to address this issue and made both the packaging and the teabags themselves plastic free. So when you next use up the last teabag in the box take a look at the plastic free alternatives on the supermarket shelves and make the swap to plastic free.
3 – No Bin Bags – this swap may also seem odd at first as we have all been conditioned to put our rubbish into plastic bin bags… and then put these bags into bigger bins to be collected… But have you thought about why we actually need a bin bag when all we are doing is transferring the rubbish from one bin to another?
We know that in the UK the rubbish collection and recycling facilities vary hugely from county to county, but, in general, most of us have access to recycling, and any rubbish that cannot be recycled or composted can generally be put straight into the bin without being bagged first. So no need for it to be put it in a single use plastic bin bag for it to be collected…
Swapping to no bin bags will not only reduce your plastic waste but will also save you money as you won’t need to buy anymore bin bags!
4 – Ditch the Clingfilm – this is a swap to make when you’ve used up the last bit of clingfilm on the roll. Clingfilm is a pet hate of ours, it is rarely recyclable and is a terrible type of single use plastic waste which is easily replaceable with a greener alternative.
When it comes to storing and covering food, try ditching the clingfilm altogether and opt for recycled tin foil, beeswax wraps, or stainless steel food storage boxes instead, all of which are plastic free and reusable, so much better for the planet.
5 – Palm Oil Free Products – this may seem a bit of a random swap and something you’d not considered before, but Palm Oil is one of the culprits of huge deforestation and biodiversity loss, and something we, as consumers, know little about!
You probably had no idea for example, that more than half of the products on supermarket shelves contain palm oil! Items such as soap, shampoo, make-up, chocolate, peanut butter, biscuits, baby food, bread, ice cream, and detergents all contain palm oil!
Avoiding products containing palm oil is relatively simple and something we can all start doing today, just by taking a closer look at the ingredients of the products we buy. Palm oil can sometimes be disguised and go by a number of different names, but to start you off, just keep an eye out for the mention of ‘palm’ in the ingredients list, and pop it back on the shelf if you see it.
So there you have it, another 5 simple green swaps you can start making today.
By trying some of these green swaps you can start taking action now to become that little bit greener, it is that easy, it does add up, and it does make a difference.
For more green tips and inspiration pop over to Instagram or LinkedIn and check out @achievinggreenness where we provide you with the motivation, evidence, and tools you may need to become greener.
If you are a business and want help to become greener and have been looking for someone to help you start then get in touch, we offer Mini Green Audits all the way up to helping you obtain REAL green accreditations and ISO certifications, and we provide bespoke Green packages for all your requirements.
