Spring is in the air, and with that comes thoughts of spring cleaning.
But what if we thought not just about a big clear out but how to reduce our consumption and environmental footprint in the first place.
Plastic consumption has received unprecedented attention in the last year and things are really starting to change. The 5p ban on plastic bags brought a surge of people bringing their own bags grocery shopping, but why stop there! You could follow the example of sustainability blogger Mamalinauk, who brings her own containers shopping to cut down on her plastic, or you could opt for fruit and veg without the plastic coating.
At home, there are some great brands which solve the use of plastic, Beebee wraps is a great sustainable alternative to cling film and Cotsworld Trading sell wooden alternatives to the traditional plastic washing up brush.
And the big corporations are doing their bit for the plastic crisis, Marks & Spencer are now trialling a scheme at certain stores to drop off a whole range of plastics that aren’t currently recycled by Councils. They will turn it into store fittings, furniture and playground equipment for schools.
And by reducing waste you also reduce your consumption.
There are some innovative answers to reducing food waste developing. Olio, is a platform for you to share food you don’t eat with others and vice versa. Too Good To Go lets you get a full meal from a restaurant at discounted prices to ensure less food is wasted.
You could also tackle your travel footprint by embracing some of the tech disruption for car journeys, which means now not only is car sharing easy, but even getting a lift. Liftshare is a platform where you can offer or catch ride on a journey, it’s proven a big hit for people travelling to festivals.
And of course, as Britain is the biggest consumer of fashion in Europe, you can also reduce your fashion consumption. Along with buying less, this could also mean selling on what you don’t wear and considering buying second hand.
This springtime with environment dominating the agenda almost as much as Brexit, maybe it’s time we don’t just spring clean our homes but our whole mindset.
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