Why you should downsize your trash
It may not be news to many, but we humans are currently “littering” the oceans and our environment. It’s not uncommon to see documentaries showing our turtles choking on plastic or not even being able to dive because all the plastic stays in their stomachs and causes them to float to the top. If everyone just keeps doing this and just thinks to themselves “oh after me the deluge”, then our children will literally have to live with the garbage that we have produced. So it affects us all and that’s why we’re going to show you how to easily implement waste prevention.
Waste prevention – 10 tips for everyone
Tip 1: Cloth bags instead of plastic bags
“would you like a plastic bag with your shopping?” to this question you should from now on always answer with a “no thanks”. A German consumes around 71 plastic bags per capita in a year. So from now on, if you’re always prepared to go shopping with a cloth bag, you can make a big difference with this small difference alone. The paper bags at the checkout are a better alternative to plastic because they are biodegradable, but the production of paper bags requires too much energy. Therefore, always have a cloth bag with you.
Tip 2: Problem coffee capsules
Here I could imagine that many do not even notice how harmful the coffee capsules actually are. In Germany alone, 5000 tons of waste could be saved if we did without our coffee capsules. We get up in the morning, don’t have a lot of time and just want to have our coffee. That’s why we often don’t even really notice the disposable product “coffee capsules”. Throwing away the expensive coffee machine is therefore often not an alternative. However, there are many capsules that are refillable and therefore a great alternative.
Tip 3: Fruit and vegetables – but please without plastic packaging
Bananas, oranges etc.. Many already have a natural “packaging” by nature. Nevertheless, you often see packaged bananas or oranges in supermarkets. Therefore, rather take the unpackaged food and wash them thoroughly later. Of course, local markets or fruit and vegetable stores are best to aim for waste prevention. The lack of plastic packaging is not only better for the environment, but also for your health. Often the plasticizers from the plastic are also found on the food and these are known to be carcinogenic.
Tip 4: Toothbrushes made of wood
Personally, I have also often seen washed up plastic toothbrushes on beaches and found the sight simply terrifying. Meanwhile, there are super pleasant bamboo alternatives. Even though you may not change your toothbrush as often, it can still avoidplastic and that happens even with small changes. So if everyone would get involved in small changes like this, then a lot more plastic could already be saved.
Tip 5: Dairy products in a glass jar
Yes so a yogurt in between is nevertheless already which mad. But what we forget. Almost all yogurts are in plastic packaging. Nevertheless there are, if one looks more exactly super tasty alternatives from glass which are often also more favorable. Especially often local organic markets offer to sell or even run the milk in glass bottles and let’s be honest so a milk where you know where it comes from and which does not bring annoying garbage with it, tastes much better. 265 kg could be saved here per capita.
Tip 6: Bread tins instead of aluminum foil or bread bags
Waste prevention can be so simple! Simply use the numerous lunch boxes more often, ladies and gentlemen. Yes of course. Often the lunch boxes are of course also made of plastic. Nevertheless, nothing changes in the fact that the bread tin can be used numerous and must not be thrown away directly as with the aluminum foil. Unnecessary waste can thus simply be avoided and in addition, the lunch boxes are also leak-proof in the school bags of your children. Goodbye jam stains !
Tip 7: Upcycling in your own household
Many things that you might throw away at first glance, you can reuse super easy. For example, you can make a lantern or a flower pot out of empty food cans or make beautiful lamps out of plastic bottles. You’ll be amazed at what can be recycled. Don’t worry. If you are afraid that it will look like garbage afterwards, I can assure you that it won’t! It looks not super nice but at the same time modern and partly real like designer furniture.
Tip 8: Do not throw away clothes directly
There are so many online outlets nowadays that it would be a shame to throw away all the clothes. In addition, you can earn a little money and the clothes will find a new happy owner. In addition, if you are looking for a new winter jacket, you can also look at various online outlets before you directly order a new jacket.
Tip 9: Reduce food waste
Many people throw away their yogurts or sauces right after seeing that they have been expired for 3 days. But the fact is: most food is still good for a long time if the product is still sealed. In addition, many foods end up unnecessarily in the garbage can, because too much was bought and then a lot is thrown away. With a good weekly planning and a well-structured shopping list
Tip 10: Zero waste stores
In big german cities like Cologne, Hamburg, Berlin etc. these stores are already quite well known and successful regarding waste prevention. The sense is the following: The customer goes to the store with his own pots, cans etc. and fills his products himself. No matter whether sauces, fruits or sweets. This saves a lot of plastic packaging and labels. Most of the time these stores are certified organic and you do something good for local farms.
Do it Yourself Ideas
Lamps from PET bottles
Plastic bottles in particular serve great as lampshades. Through the plastic, the light super beautifully refracted and thus conjures a super cozy pattern in your room. To create a lampshade, the plastic bottles are cut vertically into fine strips. The bottle holder, however, remains whole, because the light bulb comes in here later.
Lanterns from tin cans
For this, you can first paint your food cans any way you like. Then take a sharp knife or scissors and poke as many holes as you like. A pattern like a heart also looks very nice. After that, put your tea light in the box and enjoy the light show. Alternatively, you can use small LED lights if you have kids.
Clothes rail made from two wooden ladders
All you need is a rod and two wooden ladders with two legs each. Now you put the two ladders opposite each other with 1.5m distance. On the top rung you now put the rod. Your clothes rail is ready. Depending on your preference, you can of course spray the ladders with white spray paint and attach the rod to the ladders.
Bed or couch from euro pallets
This DIY is our favorite. You just need, depending on how many euro pallets. This you can then stack as you like and build your sofa or bed together. Then paint or spray the pallets and after the whole thing has dried, put a mattress on it and make your sofa / bed with pillows and blankets cozy. We love it !
