Plastic is hard to recycle and not biodegradable. This causes a lot more pollution. It is important to replace plastic with other environmentally friendly alternatives in order to reduce waste.
Bamboo mice, keyboards, and wooden toothbrushes are just a few of the many eco-friendly alternatives that can be used every day as a replacement for plastic.
Are you interested in reducing your plastic waste and switching to an eco-friendly lifestyle? Searching for healthy and sustainable alternatives? To make your life easier, here are some alternatives to plastics-free items you can use every day.
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How can we make zero waste?
Only half of the 2.54 billion tons of waste generated in 2016 went to recycling. Plastic pollutes 85% of the oceans thus making it the plague of the world. Some single-use items like straws, cotton buds, and cups should be banned.
Moreover, zero waste requires the adoption of new habits in terms of lifestyle and use of materials:
- Enjoy bulk purchases; Use glass or stainless-steel jars ideally for the acquisition and preservation of retail products;
- Reduce plastic use as you go;
- Prefer handmade items over processed products
- prefer items that have less packaging and can be reused.
- You can make your own home products using soap, white vinegar, or sodium bicarbonate.
- Do a recycling program and limit your purchases to the essentials;
- Non-reusable meals, stick films and single-use products are to be banned
- You can reuse things that you don’t mind selling, bartering or selling at yard sales.
- Advertising in the mail:
- To reduce the need to print, prefer electronic mails and data storage.
- Reduce organic waste by composting
- Choose a more ethical use.
The wooden tooth brush
According to recommendations from many dentists, a toothbrush should be changed approximately in every three months.
Plastic toothbrushes with nylon bristles are something that people have used for years. Manufacturers are now making products from naturally degradable materials like bamboo to meet the growing demand for zero waste. These materials are both sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Bamboo, wood, or reed are among the many options available today. It is sometimes even possible to compost the brush bristles. You can also opt for a toothbrush with a refillable head. Therefore, you can still use the handle when the brush is worn out. By doing so, you help reduce plastic pollution while saving money.
The bamboo computer keyboard and mouse
It can be difficult to find durable versions of computers and computer system devices that are plastic-free. A few brands now make sustainable bamboo keyboards and mouse.
Cast iron and steel appliances
Although plastic-free vacuum, washing, and fridges aren’t yet available, they are now offered in cast iron, which is a longer-lasting product than steel.
Glass food containers
Glass is now available for food containers, which are used to store food in fridges. Previously, they were made from plastic. So, we can also choose to use steel or sustainable bamboo models to reduce the weight.
Using reusable food wrap
The plastic packaging in food wrapping is a non-recyclable, highly polluting material. It cannot be used for preserving food as the air doesn’t circulate, so the food goes bad quickly.
When it comes to food preservation, food wrap can be easily replaced. It is possible to cover prep work by turning a plate upside down or to create your own eco-friendly food fabric using a fabric covered in vegetable wax or beeswax. You can also keep food in glass containers.
The eco-friendly reusable food packaging made of beeswax was invented a few years ago and is attracting more people. It consists of cotton, linen, hemp, or some other organic fabric covered with pine resin, vegetable oils such as jojoba oil, and beeswax.
It’s very easy to use, it softens with the warmth of your hands: you just wrap the food or dish in the plastic wrap and mold it so that it fits. Wraps like these are inexpensive and can be re-used hundreds of times. Furthermore, they can be composted or used to initiate a fire or BBQ at the end of their life.
What other alternatives to cleansing devices are there?
- Plastic items are not only less durable, but they also have the potential to be a nuisance. You should consider making eco-friendly choices.
- Sponges can also be replaced with compostable loofahs or metal scrapers, which last longer.
- You can make artificial sponges with stainless-steel containers, or wooden mops.
- Household gloves are available in more durable versions, especially in natural rubber;
- Glass bottles can be reused for storing household items such as white vinegar.
- Choose multi-surface sprays in glass bottles;
- Use bar soaps in wooden trays instead of liquid soap dispensers.
Green alternatives for childcare items
Plastic’s toxic properties make it particularly dangerous for children. As a result, the first thing we should do is replace plastic bottles, pacifiers, and toys with glass, rubber, wood, or bamboo versions.
Why should you replace your polyester sportswear?
Polyester is a synthetic material made from plastics and petroleum. It is well-known for its popularity in the sportswear industry. To make the world a more sustainable place, we need to change this behavior to something better than polyester clothing.
Cotton is generally one of the most natural and comfortable fibers you can use. Many eco-conscious businesses are developing products using innovative and sustainable materials.
What bag is the most environmentally responsible for shopping?
Plastic bags are the one accessory you should ban from your everyday life. Even rigid bags aren’t very long-lasting. Bamboo fiber bags and organic cotton tote bags are the best bags. They are ideal shopping companions because of their eco-friendly qualities, practicality, aesthetics, and aesthetics.
Composter made of a trash can
The best device for organic waste recycling is composters. There are two types of composters: the outdoor composter and the apartment composter. It is commonly used by gardeners to make fertilizer. The sorting garbage can be also a useful tool for reducing waste. It can be used to make fertilizer from discarded materials.
Bamboo kitchen utensils
Put a stop to using plastic containers! Use stainless steel, wood, and glass instead for salad servers, cutting boards, ladles, and boxes. Stainless steel and wooden utensils look great, but they are also healthier both physically and environmentally. Furthermore, they have a longer lifespan.
Put away your plastic cans and replace them with glass jars. Despite their expense, they are just as effective as regular freezers. By shopping in bulk, you may be able to reduce the number of single-use plastic bags even more.
Alternatives to traditional plastic are, however, generally more expensive when they are not reusable. That’s what makes fossil plastics so appealing: their low prices in an oil-saturated world. Similarly, not all plant-based plastics are environmentally friendly, depending on how they are manufactured. The ecological balance will certainly be disturbed if vast monocultures are grown under pesticides to make bioplastic. Thus, we can’t stress enough that the best waste is the one that doesn’t exist! Moreover, in order to stop the ecological disaster, we are experiencing, we must adopt laws and collective rules based on science and reason.