10 tips to reduce household waste
Tip n ° 1: avoid packaging as much as possible
Packaging and overwrapping represent a phenomenal amount of waste every year. However, it is very easy to avoid them. Do this if you buy ready-made products in the store. Prefer those that do not have overwrapping and that are packaged in easily recyclable packaging such as cardboard, glass or metal.
In addition, go loose by bringing your own containers (fabric bag, glass bottles, glass storage boxes, jars, etc.). Try as much as possible to do what you can on your own, such as laundry, cleaning products, yogurt and desserts, cookies, etc. Nothing like home-made to consume healthier and drastically reduce its production of waste!
Tip 2: forget about disposable products
It is estimated that each French person throws away around 30 kilos of disposable products each year. So avoid disposable dishes, wipes, paper towels, etc. It's best to invest in durable items that you can wash. It won't cost you more. On the contrary, you will save considerable money, because you will not have to constantly buy new products, you will just have to use the ones you already have or invest in durable objects that you will reuse endlessly and which don't cost much to wash after use. As for the excuse of the saved time, it is false, because washing machines and dishwashers take care of the cleaning for you!
Tip n ° 3: we prefer reusable products
We have already mentioned it previously, but opting for reusable products instead of disposable products is a good solution to considerably reduce your waste and to save money. So prefer all products that can be reused several times or endlessly, such as rechargeable batteries, washable coffee filters, rechargeable pens, etc.
Replace aluminum overwrap or cling film with airtight glass or plastic cans. You can also skip buying paper towels and replace it with tea towels and rags. There are washable paper towels available in stores, but you can just as easily recycle old terry towels and cut them into squares to the size you want or use microfiber cloths, which are very handy for doing everything around the house.
Tip 4: sort your waste correctly
It may seem like a no-brainer, but waste sorting is often not done properly. It must be said that the statements on industrial products are not always clear, or even not systematically affixed to the products once their packaging or over-packaging has been removed. In addition, sorting instructions vary from one territory to another, so that an item recycled in one municipality will not necessarily be recycled in another, and vice versa. So difficult to navigate. It is not always easy to also know in which bag or in which bin to throw such or such waste. Please refer to the sorting instructions of your municipality and do not hesitate to inquire at the town hall for more information.
Tip 5: put your kitchen waste in the compost
By composting your kitchen waste, you reduce your household waste by around 30 to 40% per year and per person, which is not negligible. If you have a garden, all you have to do is start individual composting by requesting a free or low-cost composter from your municipality, or by investing in its purchase yourself. If you don't have a garden, there are balcony composters or small kitchen bins that can then be emptied into collective composters.
Tip 6: we consume less paper
Paper also represents a significant volume of waste each year. Even if it is recyclable, it is better to reduce it. To do this, avoid printing documents whenever possible. Anything that you can view or archive digitally does not need to be printed. If you can't do without it, limit yourself to useful pages and always print double-sided to cut paper consumption in half.
You can also paste a "stop pub" on your mailbox. In return, subscribe to newsletters or follow the news online of the only brands that interest you.
Tip n ° 7: choose your hygiene products well
Along with the kitchen, the bathroom is one of the rooms that produces the most household waste. Plastic cans of shampoo or shower gel, tubes of toothpaste, jars of make-up, make-up remover cottons, deodorants… these pile up in our trash once empty and represent a considerable volume each year per person. However, it is easy to reduce bathroom waste by opting for more natural, healthier, more economical and less waste-generating formulas.
For example, you can wash yourself with bar soap bought in bulk from a craftsman. Ditto for shampoos that exist in the form of soap, or in bulk for fans of foam. You can make your toothpaste, limit your makeup to what is strictly necessary, replace the cotton pads for washable models (ditto for feminine hygiene and handkerchiefs), opt for an alum stone instead of a deodorant stick or spray , etc. Ideas are not lacking !
Tip 8: use the collection points for specific waste
Some waste is thrown in the traditional trash while there are collection points which allow it to be recycled or treated in order to destroy it properly. This is the case for batteries, ink cartridges, drugs, household appliances, light bulbs, x-rays or even certain toxic products. Find out more and take them to pharmacies, recycling centers or stores as soon as you have the opportunity to visit them.
Tip n ° 9: we give
If you don't know what to do with your clothes that you no longer like, your newly replaced furniture or equipment, donate them! You can wear them directly to collection points or to associations that help the most disadvantaged. Put them if you wish to give on the internet, via specialized platforms. If you don't want it anymore and don't know what to do with it, tell yourself that you can make people happy while reducing your waste.
Tip n ° 10: we repair
Instead of throwing away your broken devices, you can definitely get them fixed. You will make considerable savings. Find out more about specialized online sites. And if you still want to replace the defective devices, give them on the internet, specifying that they are broken. This may be of interest to someone who can repair them or who will want to salvage the components for other purposes.
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