In order to protect our environment and boost sustainability, it is important to produce less waste. In order to make this possible, we’ve prepared a guide on the simple tactics to reduce your household waste!
Purchase low-packaging items
The first of the tactics to reduce your household waste is to buy low-packaging or, when possible, no-packaging items. As the names imply, these are the products which come in minimal packaging, meaning that there’s also very little waste to dispose of when you unpack them! The best examples of this are fruits and vegetables, but with a greater focus on sustainability other items, and not just foods either, are slowly starting to follow this philosophy too.
Have reusable items
Another of the tactics to reduce your household waste is buying reusable items. The best possible example for this are shopping bags! Note that even if you plan to use them multiple times, plastic bags are not an ideal choice. They can be reused, of course, but they should be avoided anyway. This is because they will eventually be thrown away and plastic takes forever to break down. You want to get a hardy linen shopping bag which you can use for years to come. They can even look rather fashionable, if that’s something you like to pay attention to. Another chance to practice this tip is when looking into storage, since you can turn to eco-friendly alternatives when it comes to both the storage containers and the storage units themselves!
The advantage of bulk purchases
Now, bulk purchases don’t really do anything for you when you are purchasing items in a shop. However, if you go to a farmers’ market, the situation changes considerably! All the food is laid out for you to pick from, and if you bring along your trusty linen shopping bag or a sizable box you can purchase a bunch of stuff and bring it home in a way that entirely sidesteps the issue of packaging! This is even more convenient than our low-packaging tactic, but it unfortunately applies only to produce.
Prioritize high quality items
High quality items might be more expensive upfront, but you are both saving money in the long term and reducing your household waste! This is because high quality items last for a much longer time, and as such, you won’t need to replace them for ages. A good example of this are appliances, where cheap ones last only for a couple of years tops whereas quality ones can easily last for several decades. Of course, this applies more broadly as well, and can even apply to your home! A home built out of subpar materials will need frequent repairs. Which, if you don’t to be wasteful, would force you into some rather tough situations. Such as trying to fix a leaky roof without replacing it so you don’t throw away all of that material!
Donate old clothing and items
Donating the stuff you no longer need or want is one of the best tactics to reduce your household waste. Hanging onto things when they just take up your home’s limited storage space, or choosing to throw it away, is the peak of wastefulness. There’s people out there badly in need of clothing or basic household items, and you can help them while freeing up your home at the same time. As the experts from Miami Movers for Less point out, this is also particularly relevant when moving! Instead of purchasing a ton more packaging you’ll eventually throw away just so you can stuff all your unwanted things into the back of the closet, attic or basement, it’s better to gift it away to someone who’d like it or really needs it.
Eliminate junk mail
Junk mail, although it is rather unnoticeable on ordinary days, results in an absolute ton of household waste over time. Just think about all the fliers and pamphlets you throw away without even looking at them! This is why you should mark your mail box as ‘no junk mail’, and maybe even have a chat with your local post office. Sure, you are not doing anything truly revolutionary, and it won’t stop junk mail from reaching other homes on your block, but you’ll know that your own household is not contributing to the problem!
Grow some of your own food
If you are in a position to grow your own garden, you should definitely consider it. It is an amazing way to both save a ton of money on groceries since fresh vegetables are often expensive and reduce household waste! Not to mention the fact that you’ll know exactly what went into the soil during the process of growing the veggies. If you are worried about eating healthy, it’s just another reason to follow this tip. Even if you don’t have your own yard to start a garden in, it’s not the end of the world. You should look into renting garden plots instead, since it’s often still more profitable than just straight-up buying veggies.
Look into composting
The final of the tactics to reduce your household waste is to look into composting. If we are being realistic, it is impossible to avoid generating at least some food waste. Whether it’s because something stayed in your fridge just a little too long or because some part of fruits, veggies and even meats get removed when cooking since they’re simply inedible. The only way to still make use of them is composting, and it will also perfectly complement your home garden. You can get healthy, organic fertilizer for your plot and avoid throwing anything out! This makes composters one of the best choices for sustainable home hardware.
Picking your ideal ways to reduce your household waste
With our simple tactics to reduce your household waste, you’ll have a solid basis for improving the sustainability of your home. Of course, not all of the tactics will work for everyone. Some people do not live close enough to a farmers’ market, and some are simply not in a position to tend to a garden. So, pick what works for you, and do your best to reduce your household waste!