18 Easy Ways To Sustainable Living

Living a more sustainable existence right now is a paradox. Most towns and cities in the UK have a kerb collection of recyclables. Some shops have introduced clothing recycling in-store. The stigma of wearing clothing for longer isn’t as bad as in the 80s and 90s. Second-hand has been rebranded vintage!

Despite that, it’s becoming more complicated for the average person to know what to do ethically. Here are a few tips to follow that anyone can use to help cut down on their carbon footprint without being overwhelmed.

18 Tips for Sustainable Living

1. Where possible, go on foot, cycle or public transport.
2. When you can’t compost food scraps when you’re out, take them home & add them to your compost.
3. Wash your clothes only when necessary.
4. If you can’t repair it, recycle it.
5. If you can’t avoid packaging, look for PET or HDPE.
6. Wash out containers before recycling. When recycling is tainted it goes straight into a landfill.
7. Change to greener energy suppliers
8. Where possible, shop on sites that use eco hosting companies or shop in-store. You’re less likely to return what you’ve tried on.
9. When you order online, avoid same-day delivery when you can. The vehicles moving those items tend to have fewer items on them.
10. When you can, grow your own.
11. Use apps to cut down on food waste. Olio, To good to waste and Sharewaste are a few you can try.
12. Try buying more vintage and secondhand clothing.
13. If you need something new, try buying clothing that is something you’ll wear numerous times.
14. If you can, when buying new clothes, make sure they’re either made on-demand or custom-made.
15. Think really carefully about buying anything denim. Producing this material is incredibly resource-intensive.
16. Try buying clothes made with Lyocell, hemp, organic cotton, soy silk, Pinatex or recycled polyester.
17. Avoid throwing clothing in the bin. It ends up in a landfill. Use clothing recycling collection points or companies like the ReGain app.
18. It’s only a bargain if it’s something you’d use. Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean you should buy it!