What we throw away matters. Did you know that in Australia, 85% of the plastic we discarded in 2019 was sent to landfill?* While stats like these can be daunting, we like to think of awareness as the key to becoming more environmentally friendly at home.
We’ve all been spending more time indoors recently, and if you’re like us you’ll have noticed just how much extra waste we create at home. But never fear, there are lots of things we can do to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle! We share our favourite products to help you to reduce your reliance on plastic and become more eco-friendly at home.
Making a number of changes at once can seem daunting, so instead of tackling all of these, begin by choosing three that you aren’t already doing. Remember even small changes will help you be environmentally friendly at home.
When we started to look at what we were sending to landfill in our own homes, it was obvious what we needed to do, set up a home recycling system. Every household is different but we narrowed it down to four bins we think all homes should have; landfill, recycling, soft plastics and food waste. Make it a fun activity and involve people in your household by painting your bins or adding home made signs to show what goes where.
We don’t mean to brag, but we think we’ve finally made doing the dishes fun as well as lessening our impact on the environment. We now have a collection of sponges, brushes and scourers so you can wash your dishes without creating plastic waste. Our Cellulose Sponge is a firm favourite of ours. Not only can it be added to the washing machine and reused, it is also made from plant fibres so it will decompose in your home compost back into organic matter in a matter of weeks! Check out our full cleaning range here.
The global cosmetics industry produces 120 billion units of packaging every year, the majority of which cannot be recycled. We want to change that, so we’ve made products you’ll love, in packaging that the planet will love too. Our Deodorants are packaged in beautiful aluminium sliders that can be recycled or reused to hold your bobby pins, hair ties and jewellery. If you haven’t made the switch to natural deodorants yet, our founder Sophie wrote an honest review including tips on how to get started. We’ve also introduced Australia’s first plastic-free Face Oil made from natural ingredients in a glass jar that can be collected in your kerbside recycling. Our entire Care range aims to allow every household in Australia to have access to luxury skincare that doesn’t cost the earth.
Did you know that a lettuce head can take up to 25 years to decompose in a landfill? That’s because without access to moisture and heat organic matter struggles to break down. In a home compost, lettuce leaves can take less than a month to turn into healthy soil that can be used in your garden or on your house plants. We’ve written a blog on How to Compost No Matter Where You Live and introduced our sleek and stylish countertop Compost Bin to collect your veggie scraps in. What are you waiting for?
When it comes to our eating habits we’ve become so used to buying our food pre-portioned and pre-packaged. If we want to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly at home, then reusing and refilling your own containers is one easy way to do this. After using your reusable bags at the supermarket we have a variety of storage options that are easy to clean and refill time and time again. Our Lennox Bundle is great for storing your dry goods and our Silicone Pouches are perfect for preparing your frozen fruits ready for your weekly smoothies.
According to Ozharvest, a third of all food produced is wasted. We hate to see anything go to waste so we’re always looking out for environmentally friendly methods to use our food! Recently we’ve learned how to make a hearty vegetable stock from peels, how to ferment and pickle our excess garden produce, and even how to make a yummy pasta in partnership with @recipearce using stale bread and green stalks!
The environmental impact of single use plastics has gained increasing attention over the past few years. With only 15% of plastics being recycled in Australia it’s time we all made the swap to eco-friendly alternatives. Our Un-Plastic wrap is a game changer for anyone struggling to give up the conventional stuff. It’s certified home compostable meaning it will break down in your home compost in under 180 days leaving no microplastics behind. If you’re looking for a reusable alternative then try our Silicone Stretch Lids with a mix of sizes that will easily fit over a plate, bowl or even half a lemon. They can be popped in the dishwasher and reused.
We’ve saved our best time for last... baking. Whether your kitchen is a part time cookie factory or your kids can’t get enough banana muffins, our Un-Baking Paper and reusable Muffin Cups are the two staples you need. They are a simple, stylish and sustainable swap from disposables (or an upgrade in our opinion), and they won’t ever run out. What’s not to love? Our premium grade silicone is non-stick and super easy to wash and reuse...you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch sooner.
We hope these tips help! We’d love to hear from you, so let us know how you are transitioning to a more environmentally friendly lifestyle in your home via email or Instagram.
[*]https://www.environment.gov.au/system/files/pages/5a160ae2-d3a9-480e-9344-4eac42ef9001/files/national-waste-report-2020.pdf
