Exploring the three environmental Rs as a Mum – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle (Guest blog)

I met Carmel via Linked In and asked her to write a guest blog to help us to do our bit for the environment.

Want to be more environmentally conscious but not sure where to start?

Hi, my name is Carmel. I recently launched my ecommerce business selling eco-friendly products for the home. How did this come about? Well thanks to Covid and lack of work in my industry, Environcare Ltd was born!!

My main aim is to support busy mums by sharing positive ideas about sustainable living and gradually expanding my business over time to provide you with ethical choices for the home. I want to inspire you to make some simple eco-friendly changes without preaching to you, there’s enough of that going on, I just simply want to share practical green living advice.

Green Living – Making ethical choices that also help you to $$$$ave money

Living a more sustainable life doesn’t mean going without essential items. Nor does it mean growing a beard, not shaving your legs or walking barefoot. 

It’s more about common sense rather than implementing radical strategies. 

Just by switching to reusable products and/or making some minor adjustments in the home, you’re not only saving money, you’re making a conscious decision to contribute to a cleaner environment.

So how do you start this green journey? One action at a time.

Exploring the three Rs of Waste Management

Landfill sites are bad for our health and the environment. And it’s not just the increasing piles of waste that’s the problem. The three most important problems with landfill are toxins, leachate and greenhouse gases.

The runoff from landfills, carrying toxic chemicals ends up in our water supplies. And most materials in landfills eventually break down producing greenhouse gases. These gases contribute to global warming and climate change.

In order to keep as much waste material out of the landfill as possible, it’s important for each of us to do our part. One of the ways to put this into action is through the 3 Rs of waste management — Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

• Reduce means to cut back on the amount of trash we generate (and buy).
• Reuse means to find new ways to use things that otherwise would have been thrown out.
• Recycle means to turn something old and useless into something new and useful is possible.

Reduce

Reducing is simply creating less waste. It’s the best method for keeping the environment clean. By reducing, you stop the problem at the source.

Here are some easy ways you can reduce your waste:

Only buy what you need – this is the simplest way. Ask yourself if you really need the item before you hand over your hard-earned cash.

Watch what you buy – pay attention to packaging when you’re in the supermarket. Opt for the product with less packaging where possible. Can the container be cleaned and used for something else?

Bring reusable bags to the grocery store – use cotton produce bags for your fresh produce or bags for life to carry your groceries. Alternatively, most supermarkets provide non-plastic alternatives at a small cost. This will reduce the need for plastic bags which take hundreds of years to breakdown.

Say no to bottled water – take a reusable water bottle instead.

Take a reusable cup to the coffee shop – most take-away coffee cups contain plastic. Explore other options as there are so many alternatives out there, including bamboo, stainless steel and glass.

Reuse

This looks at how you can use certain items again, ideally multiple times before replacing them. Here are some ideas:

• Sell the item on websites such as eBay and Facebook
• Give the item to a friend
• Donate to a charity store
• Envelopes/waste paper – these can be used by children to sketch or simply use to make notes or write your weekly shopping list
• Save wrapping paper for later, or use alternatives such as brown paper or newspaper
• Make the item into something else completely. This is referred to as ‘upcycling’.

Recycle

Sometimes you can’t find a second use for something and this is perfectly ok. If you can’t cut it out of your life, then it’s time to recycle. When we consider items such as cereal boxes and beverage containers for instance, some of them simply put, don’t have a better alternative, that’s where recycling comes in.

Where possible, buy products that come in packaging that can be recycled such as glass, aluminium, paper and some plastics. Most products come with a recycling symbol on the packaging, check to see if packaging can be recycled through your local authority. Some supermarkets have recycling points where customers can return their plastic bags for recycling. 

Reusable alternatives that also save you money

One of the simplest ways to become more eco-friendly is to switch to reusable products. It makes more sense, financially and otherwise to make use of these products. Single-use plastic is slowly destroying our planet and killing our wildlife. They may be more convenient in the short term, however, the long term damage adds up. With this in mind, I’d like to introduce some alternatives on the market that replace every day household items and will save you money in the long run.

Reusable food storage bags              Bamboo Toothbrushes                         

Reusable Cotton Buds                      Bag for Life

Reusable Water Bottles                    Reusable Make-up Removal Pads       

Fresh Produce Bags                         Reusable Coffee Cups

Stainless Steel Straws               Reusable Nappies

(Bamboo straws are also popular)

Household Cleaning Products – do they harm our environment?

Many common household cleaning products have a negative impact on the environment, polluting indoor air as well as our waterways, and end up in the ocean. This has a devastating impact on marine life.

Ecover provides plant-based ingredients in their range of cleaning products that are available at your local supermarket and organic store. Ecover also provides a refill service. Most organic stores can provide this, so you can take your empty bottle and have it refilled. You not only reduce your costs, but also your plastic and chemical use. Everyone’s a winner!!! Ecover are just one of many brands out there that produce non-toxic cleaning products. Many of these cleaning products are available at local supermarkets. They’re products are also available to buy online. So what are you waiting for, join the refillution!!!

If you found this information useful and want to learn more about how you can be a part of a growing community that is passionate about saving our planet, you can follow me on:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/envi.roncare/

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Environcare-Ltd-100441181779301

Linked In – https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmel-pernicano-a012441bb/

Pinterest – https://www.pinterest.co.uk/business/hub/

EnvironCare Ltd Website – https://shop-perfectly-green.co.uk/

Over time, I will be introducing new lines to my business that guarantee you will save money and have a clear conscience!

All reusable products mentioned in this blog can be bought on the following online stores – Etsy, Shopify, Amazon. John Lewis has also started to stock some of these items.