1 – Refill your household cleaning and bathroom products
Rather than chucking your empty bottles in the recycling bin, choose to refill instead. There are more and more shops offering refill services meaning you can reuse that plastic. If you prefer a more aesthetic container you can find some lovely glass bottles online and fill them up constantly instead!
2 – Use natural soap bars
Soap has come a long way and there are loads of lovely natural soap bars to choose from. Choose unwrapped or packaged in a recyclable box. They make great gifts too. If your skin tends to be drier choose bars made with cocoa or shea butter. For the kitchen and bathroom choose lavender or tea tree infused as these herbs have antibacterial properties.
3 – Simple food swaps to reduce waste
If you are choosing to eat less animal protein swap the occasional meaty meal for a vegetarian or plant-based one. There are loads of meat and dairy substitutes, but a cheap way is to bulk out meals with lentils, beans and seeds to get the protein hit.
The UK wastes 7 million tonnes of food each year. The Love Food Hate Waste website has loads of tips and tricks for reducing food waste including recipes and shopping tips. You could choose to buy only what you need by choosing to by loose foods so you can control what you buy.
If you have cling film in your kitchen don’t ditch it, use it up but then don’t buy again. Choose beeswax or soy wax wraps to cover bowls or wrap food. You can pop snacks and sandwiches into reusable, paper or degradable snack and sandwich bags.
4 – Wipes and sponges and cotton wool
Swap you plastic kitchen sponges for natural ones made of jute or loofah. These eco-friendly kitchen and bathroom helpers don’t release plastic into the water are long-lasting and can be composted. Replace kitchen towel and single use wipes with washable cloths.
Replace your cotton wool and baby wipes with reusable ones. The initial outlay may be a little more but they will pay for themselves over time.
The Refilling Station in Chapel Allerton can help you make some more eco-friendly swaps in 2020. You can refill your household cleaning products from our eco-friendly, cruelty-free products. Because these products are locally made, our tanks are refilled as soon as they are empty.
We can help you restock your pantry with loose natural healthy foods such as oats, rice, pasta, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices and even tea and coffee. Simply bring in a container, weigh it, fill, weigh again and pay. You control how much you buy. We have lots of ethical groceries too.
We also stock natural soap bars, shampoo bars, shampoo/conditioner/body wash refills, natural deodorants and toothpaste.
If you shop with us in January – just mention Mumbler and receive a 10% discount on your shopping.
For more details visit the website here www.refillingstation.co.uk
176 Harrogate Rd, Leeds LS7 4NZ. Tel 0113 2691730
Opening Hours: Mon 09:00 – 14:30 – Tue – Sat 09:00 – 17:00
