How To Do More With Your Waste

It often seems like in order to live sustainably we have to alter our lifestyle completely. However, this is not the case. Being environmentally friendly can start with a few simple tricks to help you level up your home sustainability while lowering your carbon footprint at home! Today we’ve compiled 22 tips and tricks so your sustainability level goes up to a 100 and household waste lowers to nearly 0.

“We throw out over 2 billion tons of household waste a year globally. That’s more than 60 tons of waste every second.”- The World Counts. 

Starting From the Inside

Office

1. 1. Cancel your junk mail: cancel your phone directories, and sign up for electronic bills and statements. It’s a win-win it reduces the amount of mail in your mailbox while also using less paper.
2. 2. Reuse single-side printed paper for printing or making notepads, reuse junk mail response envelopes and if buying new paper, choose recycled and packaged in paper.
3. 3. Reuse paper clips instead of staples, or a staple free stapler.

Kitchen

1. 1. Use your Dishwasher! There’s a long standing debate on whether or not one should wash their dishes by hand or use a dishwasher when trying to be more environmentally conscious. The answer? Dishwasher.
2. 2. Freeze Leftovers. Not everything needs to be thrown out. If your grandiose dish was not eaten completely, freeze it! Freezing foods prolongs their shelf life and can make mealtime easier.
3. 3. Meal Plan! By outlining the dishes and food you’ll be eating for the week you’ll be able to reduce waste from unnecessary spending at the supermarket but also know exactly what is in your kitchen. Pro tip: it also helps with improving your diet!

Cleaning

1. 1. Hang your laundry to dry on a line when possible. This also helps prevent any clothes from shrinking or being damaged by your dryer.
2. 2. Wash laundry once a week to save time and dryer energy costs. And we can’t stress this enough: buy in bulk or low-waste detergent. Also, washing full loads, and cold water cycles as much as possible will reduce the amount of water wasted and electricity used.
3. 3. Try using alternative house cleaning tools like metal scourers, wooden brushes, an old toothbrush for hard to reach places and even old t-shirts as rags!

Tech

1. 1. Set your thermostat lower than usual in the winter and bundle up with your loved ones, pets or a cozy blanket!
2. 2. Use insulation made from recycled materials such as, paper, cork, stone, demin, etc.
3. 3. Replace fluorescent bulbs with LED light bulbs . They shine just as bright with a reduced environmental impact.

Sustainable Inside and Outside

Garden

1. 1. Compost at home. Use organic waste to create a compost pile. Adding the compost to your garden makes soil increase water retention, decreases erosion, and keeps organic materials out of landfills. Short on space? Try using one of these cute in-home composters!
2. 2. If you have a wood-burning fireplace, save your ashes instead of throwing them away. Once cooled, wood ashes can be mixed into your compost and provide nutrients for your garden.
3. 3. Try growing your own food. Simply plant a few seeds in a corner of your yard or in a container on your porch or windowsill, it could be herbs like rosemary or tomatoes you decide!
4. 4. When buying plants, look for drought-tolerant species and varieties and be sure to plant them in proper soil and sun conditions to reduce their need for excess watering.

Lawn

1. 1. When you mow, leave grass clippings on your lawn instead of bagging them. The clippings will return nutrients to the soil instead of taking up space in landfills.
2. 2. Give away plants and any landscaping item that you no longer want instead of throwing them out.
3. 3. Raise the cutting height of your lawnmower during hot summer months to keep grass roots shaded and cooler, reducing weed growth, browning, and the need for watering.

Community

1. 1. Educate your friends about your zero waste efforts! Send them a link to this blog post or share your own knowledge and experience with them.
2. 2. Purchase fair-trade products. When you purchase items that are imported from all over the world, look for the fair-trade certification. This means these products were grown using sustainable methods of agriculture and that local people are receiving fair prices for the goods they produce.
3. 3. When going grocery shopping or shopping in general, carry a reusable shopping bag. Not only does it hold more items (meaning less trips to and from the car) but it is easier to store and less wasteful!

These are just some of the things that you can do to get started on your sustainable journey at home. It’s not as hard as it seems! And you can adopt each of these changes one at a time. Here at Jali Fruit Co. we love hearing how you stay sustainable and upcycle your items! Let us know if you try any of these and what you’re already doing to make your life more sustainable.


Compiled From:

• US EPA,OLEM. “Reducing Waste: What You Can Do | US EPA.” US EPA, 13 May 2015, www.epa.gov/recycle/reducing-waste-what-you-can-do#Tips%20for%20Communities.
• “100Tips - Zero Waste Home.” Zero Waste Home, 2021, zerowastehome.com/tips/.
• “How to Be More Environmentally Conscious in the Kitchen | NuEnergy.” NuEnergy, 25 July 2017, www.nuenergy.org/environmentally-conscious-kitchen/.