Being conscious of how my buying/spending/using habits have on our wildlife and natural world has always been a priority to me. From when I first moved out of my family home and was buying my own home and beauty wares, I always opted for the cruelty-free options - never have I let animal testing slide.
As the years progressed, so did my buying habits and also being accountable for the amount of waste I was contributing to the world was added to my checklist.
Last year I put together a mini-series of posts detailing our ever-evolving 'Eco Journey' with the eco-friendly alternatives that we use throughout the different areas of our home. You can check them all out by clicking here.
Today, I want to share a quick post with super simple, easy swaps that anyone can make to treat our planet that little bit nicer. It's funny that so many thought that the pandemic was 'great for the environment' because there was less pollution from vehicles on the roads etc, however single-use, disposable items from plastic bottles of hand sanitiser and cleaning wipes to face masks and gloves have had a terrible impact on an already out of control waste issue our planet faces.
Unless you live under a rock, you will have also heard a lot about climate change and that the terrible things we have done to the world are irreversible because no one seems to care enough to step away from their norm. Of course, the huge companies are those who really need to step up but we can all do our bit too, so if you are looking into what you can do here are 5 super easy eco swaps that you can make now to make a difference.
Soap Bars
When did liquid soap even become the norm?! Of course, many people use shower gels and body washes etc instead of a bar of soap however there are benefits other than cutting the plastic waste too.
Bars of soap have many uses and come in all shapes, sizes and ingredients for all skin types. They last longer, are healthier for you and your body as well as the environment and can we talk about the fact that a bottle of shower gel or body wash is full of water - you're essentially paying for the packing and shipping of extra water, its unnecessary.
You can get bar soap forms of hand soap, body soap, face soap, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, pet shampoo, dishwashing soap and probably something else I am forgetting. Think of all those bottles you could prevent from piling up in a landfill.
Ocean Savers
Our chosen option for household cleaners is Ocean Savers. I was originally a huge fan of the brand Astonish as they are fantastic cleaners but 100% cruelty-free...they still come in plastic bottles though.
Ocean Savers are a plant-based, cruelty-free, eco-friendly, vegan, biodegradable cleaner re-fill 'drop'. You can use your old cleaners spray bottles or invest in amber glass bottles as we have, then simply drop one of the 6 different ecodrops into it and fill it with water then wait for it to dissolve.
It's all so easy and makes a huge difference to the amount of plastic waste as well as the nasty chemicals that are in so many other cleaners.
Check them out here https://www.ocean-saver.com/
Water Filter
A water filter is a staple in our home. The only liquid I drink is juice (diluting juice/'squash') so we go through a lot of water. Many people buy bottled water, I've seen recycling bins piled high with drinks bottles which seems such a waste. You can always drink tap water, though there are some nasties in that so to combat that you can use a water filter jug.
There are now many different filters options, much more eco-friendly than the Brita filter we have but the main thing I stress is not to replace things until it's completely needed. To buy a new filter and get rid of our perfectly fine one would be counterproductive, so don't feel the need to throw out things just to get a more eco replacement!
There are now many different filters options, much more eco-friendly than the Brita filter we have but the main thing I stress is not to replace things until it's completely needed. To buy a new filter and get rid of our perfectly fine one would be counterproductive, so don't feel the need to throw out things just to get a more eco replacement!
Smol
Did you know that most fabric conditioners contain animal fat from pig, sheep, cow and horses?
Nah, I don't fancy walking about in clothes that have been 'washed' in dead animal bits.
Now, if you don't want to either you should look into Smol.
We started using Smol in July of 2020 originally just for non-bio laundry tabs. They are concentrated tabs that arrive to you through the letterbox in fully recyclable packaging and dissolve in the washer! We then added the Smol fabcon to our order! It is a vegan concentrated fabric conditioner with less chemicals and requires less shipping than leading brands. They also come straight to your doorstep in boxes of 2 bottles that are made from 100% post-consumer waste. You can post them back for their refill and reuse program or recycle them locally.
Very little waste, cruelty-free, saves money and the website shows the impact you're making.
Check them out here https://smolproducts.com/ (They also do dishwashing tabs and cleaning sprays!)
Did you know that most fabric conditioners contain animal fat from pig, sheep, cow and horses?
Nah, I don't fancy walking about in clothes that have been 'washed' in dead animal bits.
Now, if you don't want to either you should look into Smol.
We started using Smol in July of 2020 originally just for non-bio laundry tabs. They are concentrated tabs that arrive to you through the letterbox in fully recyclable packaging and dissolve in the washer! We then added the Smol fabcon to our order! It is a vegan concentrated fabric conditioner with less chemicals and requires less shipping than leading brands. They also come straight to your doorstep in boxes of 2 bottles that are made from 100% post-consumer waste. You can post them back for their refill and reuse program or recycle them locally.
Very little waste, cruelty-free, saves money and the website shows the impact you're making.
Check them out here https://smolproducts.com/ (They also do dishwashing tabs and cleaning sprays!)
Cloths
Face cloths, dishcloths, cleaning cloths in general are the original and better alternative to disposable wipes. These days there are wipes for makeup removal, cleaning household surfaces, wet wipes for babies, wipes with suncream or insect repellant, wipes for pets and more. From flushing them wrongly down the toilet or even just binning them and sending them to landfills, the sheer amount of wipes destroying our land and seas is sickening.
''In 2020 volunteers collected an average of 18 wet wipes per 100 metres on UK beaches, making them the third most common litter item found.''
''93% of blocked UK sewage pipes are caused by wet wipes.''
''The UK uses an astonishing 11 billion wet wipes each year, which are causing environmental chaos to our waterways.''
You can also get reusable facial cloths and pads made from bamboo, cotton or muslin for removing makeup and other skincare, many different types of washable cloths for cleaning surfaces all over your home, face and body cloths for washing in the bath or shower and even soft, reusable swaps for baby wipes which makes so much more sense to use.
Not only do these swaps replace disposable wipes but also plastic sponges and disposable cotton pads.
If saving the planet doesn't interest you, maybe saving money will? Wash your cloths instead of throwing them away.
You can also get reusable facial cloths and pads made from bamboo, cotton or muslin for removing makeup and other skincare, many different types of washable cloths for cleaning surfaces all over your home, face and body cloths for washing in the bath or shower and even soft, reusable swaps for baby wipes which makes so much more sense to use.
Not only do these swaps replace disposable wipes but also plastic sponges and disposable cotton pads.
If saving the planet doesn't interest you, maybe saving money will? Wash your cloths instead of throwing them away.
There you go. 5 of my top picks for super easy swaps if you are looking to become a little more conscious about your eco-impact! There are so many alternatives these days that it is insane to me how all the mainstream brands are still pumping chemicals out and filling up plastic bottles with not a care as to their end destination.
These are the people who should be trying extra hard to make a difference. Why wait for them to start caring when you can show them what needs to be done by stop funding their practices. Support the companies who are doing the right thing while doing your little bit to make the planet a better place. It may be too late to reverse the effects but we can slow it down and we need to take action asap.
* wipe facts and figures from metro.co.uk and bbc.co.uk.
