Hello and welcome back to the blog! This is the start of my Eco Swaps series. In this series, I will be talking about products that I switched for a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Being better for the planet isn’t as difficult as some people make it out to be. The smallest things can make a big difference like changing your trash bags, food storage, using a reusable water bottle, and so much more! I wish I had known a long time ago that these items could make such a big impact on our planet, so that’s why I wanted to share this series with you. Happy reading!
First eco swap of the series is changing your trash bags! I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying “Really, Maija? Are you going to start off this series talking about trash bags?” Yes, yes I am. Using biodegradable trash bags could honestly change the world and hear me out. Plastic bags take 10-20 years to decompose and by making the switch to biodegradable bags they take only 3-6 months to decompose. It’s a great switch and my family has tried it. I will say that the ones we have are a bit thin so you can’t fill it up with heavy things, but I would hope you’re not throwing away products that could be recycled. You can find biodegradable trash bags in a lot of different places. My family bought ours from a company called Net Zero and you might hear that name a lot since that’s where we have been ordering most of our eco-friendly products. For those of us that have pets, when buying doggy bags there are a lot of biodegradable options so keep an eye out for those as well. I linked the trash bags down below along with a picture. I highly recommend making the switch to biodegradable trash bags and anything else that is biodegradable because it could seriously help the planet.
Next up is making the swap to sustainable food storage! In the past, my family has used plastic bags to store leftover food (in addition to glass and reusable plastic containers). Now we have made the switch to reusable silicone storage bags. There’s a picture below of what they look like and we love them. We also bought them from NetZero. They are super easy to use and come in different sizes for anything! They are hand-wash only and these silicone bags are easy to clean for most kinds of foods, but I would suggest that you use a reusable container for more greasier foods to avoid having to scrub. Speaking of reusable containers, you probably already have a few of them in your cabinet. If you don’t already have them I highly suggest getting glass or metal containers since we are trying to reduce our usage of plastic, but anything is fine. My family uses the ones in the picture below and they work great. One more thing I would suggest is reusing take-out food containers. With the pandemic, indoor dining is not ideal so you might be taking your orders to go. Some food containers could get a lot of use out of them before you put them in the recycling bin! I will admit plastic bags are more convenient for food storage, but let’s take the time this year to put the planet first.
Last swap for this post is using a reusable water bottle. You can find them everywhere by now and they come in all different shapes, colors, and sizes. Carrying around your reusable bottle can also remind you to stay hydrated. I saw a funny video about people having emotional support water bottles and I think we all need one during this time! I know it may be hard for some households to make the switch from plastic water bottles to reusable ones due to not wanting to use tap water. I understand that, but there are other alternatives! One suggestion is instead of picking up that 50 pack of water or any other kind of drink, go for a gallon size instead and pour it in a reusable bottle. By making that switch you could reduce the amount of plastic water bottles that end up in landfills or anywhere else it doesn’t belong and if you can’t avoid them make sure you recycle the bottles properly. As I write more articles in the future, you will learn that there are many more eco-friendly alternatives to replace single-use water bottles.
In my next post, I will be writing about the impact that plastic bottles have on our planet, specifically our oceans, and I’ll show you different alternatives for a more eco-friendly lifestyle. I will be posting that article on Friday, so look out for that. I hope you liked today’s post and that it wasn’t too overwhelming, but if you would like to ask me any questions you can message me on Instagram and I would love to help you out. You don’t have to do everything I talked about, but remember that everything I write about will help you and the planet. Thank you for reading and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!
Love, Maija.
Sustainably Maija 