Kitchen
You mightn’t be aware, but the kitchen is responsible for more than half of our single-use plastic output when it comes to Australian households. Plastic wrap, zip-lock bags, single use packaging, cleaning products and misplaced organic matter make up the overconsumption of waste in our kitchens. Geez, even the humble kitchen sponge is created from plastic
While the amount of plastic used to package, prepare, and clean up food and drink is astonishingly and guilt-inducingly vast, there are some very clever humans out there changing the course of history.
Luckily for us, the ingenuity of the modern world has become so sophisticated when it comes to creating alternatives to plastic and single use items. Cling wraps made from vegetable starch, natural silicon based reusable containers as well as compostable and biodegradable plastic alternatives are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to green kitchen alternatives.
When making easy switches to eco alternatives, green retailers such as Nourished Life and Flora and Fauna have already done the guess work for us.
Whether you’re on the go or stuck at home, all these items help reduce your impact and make your eating and cleaning habits even less guilty. Shop food storage, cleaning products and reusable kitchen items below.
Bathroom
Without delving deeply into the wasteful nature of packaging heavy cosmetic products (you can check out our recent edit of reusable beauty here) the bathroom is the number two culprit when it comes to single use and waste-producing outputs in the home.
Take the shower for instance, we are reliant on shampoo, conditioner, a loofah, body wash, toothpaste and a toothbrush which are all created from or housed in plastic.
Did you know that every single plastic toothbrush you’ve ever used in your entire life still exists somewhere on our planet?
It’s a tough reality to know that a necessary task like taking a 5-minute shower can be tied up in product waste that can stay on this earth for hundreds, if not thousands of years.
Nonetheless, we’re here today to provide solutions!
Simply through changing the packaging or vehicle the necessary product comes in, we eradicate the need for plastic in the bathroom altogether.
Shampoo, conditioner, and soap bars are a fabulous way of utilising an effective solid product that doesn’t require any harsh packaging. Switching to reusable cotton pads, silicon menstruation cups and steel razors also drastically cut plastic (and costs) down.
Peruse the reusable and life-changing green bathroom alternatives we swear by below.
Koala Eco All Natural Multi-Purpose Bathroom Cleaner, $11.95, Nourished Life
Laundry
Not only is the process of laundering our clothes one of the most water-dependant tasks in our household, the stuff we use to wash them can be super damaging to our dear mother earth as well.
When it comes to way to decrease our water and plastic output when it comes to laundry, we recommend going for a front loader high on energy efficiency and always opting for cold water cycles.
Another factor important to consider is the laundry detergent itself. Opt for ones packaged in boxes rather than bottles, as natural as possible (soapberries can be fantastic) and please ensure its grey water safe.
After your clothes are nice and clean (in the greenest way you possibly can) the drying process is another point of contention when it comes to the energy tied up in laundering.
If you’re opting for the eco-friendlier option of line drying, please opt for metal pegs and not those pesky plastic ones, for obvious reasons.
If you’re stuck needing to use a tumble dryer, the most eco-friendly on the market are the heat pump versions which suck out the water of the clothes into a compartment and allow you to use it wherever you wish (this is where the grey water safe detergent element comes into play!). I personally love to water my indoor plants with this excess H2O!
Dirt Laundry Liquid Bulk Refill Pouch, $59.95, Flora and Fauna
Bedroom
While you may think the bedroom is free of plastic and single use items, it is responsible for a lot. Petroleum dependant fabrications such as polyester can be found throughout our beds, our wardrobes and petrochemicals are often used in the construction of the room itself!
While we can always improve our fashion consumption by purchasing consciously, slowly and through responsible retailers and brands, there are more intimate items we can switch to, and create some positive impact.
Simple switches like opting for linen bedsheets rather than cotton, natural fibres rather than synthetic and ethically created goods can all reduce your footprint in the bedroom.
Even intimate items such as personal pleasure devices are available in biodegradable materials (thanks for thinking of that one Adore Beauty!) as well as condoms using less plastic and personal lubricants housed in more responsible bottling.
When it comes to nappies, female sanitary pads and nursing accessories, choosing the reusable kind is a sure way of reducing your landfill waste each week.
For a comprehensive list of alternative menstruation products, we wrote an article about all the options here.
Whether you’re sleeping alone, with a partner, or a cohort of little ones, these items below help to lighten the carbon weight of your bedroom.
ettitude Sateen Pillowcase Set in Slate Stripes, $62, Nourished Life