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We can’t avoid being more environmentally conscious and sustainable.
From utilising available resources such as local government alternatives and charitable initiatives to modifying specific habits such as constructing a “eat first” shelf and doing less housekeeping.
Rae Ritchie offers ten simple, low-cost ideas to make your home more sustainable in 2023.
Make use of available resources
1. Water supplier services
Begin your greener year by visiting the website of your water supplier. It will provide links to claim free resources such as a cistern displacement device (also known as a toilet brick) to assist you in reducing water consumption, whether you rent or own the property.
2. Local authority options
Have you checked your local council’s website to see when the bins would be emptied over the holidays? Check those sites again to make sure you’re taking use of the recycling services available to you, both at kerbside and at neighbouring facilities. You might be able to fit in more goods than you think.
3. Charity offerings
Many nature and environmental organisations offer materials and activities that might help you green your surroundings for little or no cost. Consider the Friends of the Earth’s Bee Saver Kit, or set aside an hour to participate in the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch on January 27-29.
4. Neighbourhood exchanges
The term “online community groups” may bring up images of nightmare forums packed with messages complaining about terrible parking and dog poop, but there are also fantastic local digital venues. Websites, apps, and Facebook pages like Freecycle, OLIO, and Buy Nothing groups give all types of products a second – or third – or fourth – life by allowing you to offer what you no longer need and find what you do – from cardboard boxes to microwave ovens.
Change certain habits
5. Think about mercury as well as money
With the spike in gas prices, you’ve certainly thought about how you heat your home, but there may be other green measures you can take.
‘What we need to do is find a way to be smarter about energy consumption,’ says Mark Sait, CEO and founder of the money-saving sustainability platform SaveMoneyCutCarbon.com.
‘Not only should you turn off your heating, but you should also check when your timer is set and turn off any appliances that aren’t in use.’ Don’t only consider the seasons. Weather can change greatly over the winter, so if the temperature gauge rises as high as it has recently, adjust your thermostats accordingly.
6. Create an ‘eat first’ shelf
Reorganize your fridge so that there is a clearly designated spot for anything needs to be eaten as soon as possible. Have half a pot of yoghurt that won’t last long? Put it on the ‘eat first’ shelf as a reminder for breakfast tomorrow. Are last week’s tomatoes still around? Do the same so that you get to the fresher ones first in the produce drawer. Less food waste equals less money wasted.
7. Do less housework
There are limits to how far you can push this, but doing less around the house can be more sustainable. Reduce the frequency of activities that demand electrical power, in particular.
Commit to using a dustpan and brush on the kitchen floor instead of the cordless vacuum more often. Only run the dishwasher when it is completely full. Launder fewer but larger loads of laundry. Try extending the time between mowing the lawn later in the year. It’s a new year’s resolution that we all have a good chance of fulfilling.
Try simple switches
8. Phase out single-use plastic
Everything from pasta to washing powder is now available in cardboard boxes on supermarket shelves, making it easier and cheaper to avoid single-use plastic products and packaging in favour of more environmentally friendly options.
However, before purchasing replacements, make sure to use up what you already have. Clearing away all your spices and starting over with glass jars rather than plastic pots may be curiously pleasurable and aesthetically beautiful, but it undermines the objective of being more sustainable. Instead, aim for the same goal gradually.
9. Replace light bulbs with LEDs
When a light bulb burns out, replace it with an LED version. While not everyone can afford to instal solar panels or buy an electric automobile, Mark Sait of SaveMoneyCutCarbon.com suggests that the’most obvious is a switch to the LED light bulb.
You will use less units of energy, which will result in a significant savings.’ Small modifications like this, according to Mark, ‘make a significant difference’.
10. Concoct your own cleaning products
‘Many cleaning products contain bleach, which is harmful to aquatic life when washed down the drain, or quats, which can irritate your lungs and skin,’ says Anna Turns, environmental journalist and author of Go Toxic Free: Easy And Sustainable Ways To Reduce Chemical Pollution (Michael O’Mara Books, £14.99).
‘However, there is a safer, healthier, and less expensive method to clean your home,’ she continues. ‘Skip the disinfectant and simplify your cleaning process by making basic products using non-toxic components like vinegar, lemon juice, and bicarb. Finally, a clean home should not smell like anything, so don’t be fooled by cunning marketing ploys!’