Looking to live a more sustainable, greener life? These eco-friendly items for busy families are really easy swaps you can make to start making a difference.
You might already be using some of the things I mentioned in my previous post of eco-friendly swaps, like reusable water bottles. So here are 5 more things to consider.
They’re all things that families use pretty much every day, and while they might not seem like big things they’ll all add up to really make your life more eco-friendly.
1. Biodegradable dog poo bags
If you have a family dog then making the switch to biodegradable dog poo bags is an easy way to start living a more sustainable lifestyle.
The best bags are designed to be composted at home after use, to be really eco-friendly. But even if you do put your bags in the bins while you’re out and about, you’ll still be doing your bit by reducing the fumes that are released if they’re incinerated or stopping more plastic going to landfill if they’re not.
2. Tree-free toilet paper
Toilet paper is one of those things you seem to get through at a ridiculous rate with children in the house. So switching to an eco-friendly option is a great way to make a difference every day.
Try an alternative like Bumboo which is made from 100% rapidly renewable bamboo and comes in plastic-free wrapping so it’s as eco-friendly as possible. Buying this in bulk from Amazon also means you won’t have to remember to pop a pack in your trolley each week, as long as you have space to store the rolls at home.
Another option is a company like who gives a crap, who give you the option to subscribe and get a delivery of their bamboo toilet paper at regular intervals, so you never have to worry about it again.
3. Wax food wraps
If you’re still using clingfilm to wrap sandwiches for packed lunches and leftovers to pop in the fridge, then you could be more eco-friendly by switching to wax food wraps. These are sheets of fabric coated in beeswax, that are used to wrap food up in.
They keep things fresh and can be reused again and again, so they’re super sustainable.
4. Laundry detergent
Another thing that busy families use a lot of is laundry detergent. Whether you use washing powder, washing liquid, or those little pods, I bet you get through loads every week.
So this is another area when you can make a little switch to make a big impact on how sustainable your lifestyle is.
Using an ecoegg instead of your normal laundry detergent is a great place to start. Depending on which one you buy, an ecoegg can handle up to 720 washes which is incredible. Think how many plastic bottles of detergent you would need to use to do that many loads.
The other alternative is to find a zero waste shop that will let you refill an empty bottle or container with laundry detergent, instead of buying new each time.
5. Cloth nappies
If you have a child still in nappies, then consider swapping from disposable to cloth nappies.
According to the nappy shed, the average child will have used around 5000 nappies by the time they’re two and a half. That’s almost a ton of waste per child heading to landfill.
Cloth nappies might be a bit an investment initially, but will most likely save you money in the long run. Especially because they can normally be sold on to another family when you don’t need them any more.
Do you have any other things you’d suggest for busy families looking to be more eco-friendly? Please do leave me a comment and let me know!