Eco Changes of 2020
Last year I shared a post about the changes we made to become a more sustainable, environmentally friendly family. So, with the end of 2020 in sight. I thought I would share what we did this year.
We were still able to continue with our plastic free fruit and vegetables. However due to shortages we did buy a few items wrapped in plastic. We also began bulk buying our meat. This helped us to cut out some plastic as well as reduce our meat intake. It also helped us to budget better as well.
Bathroom
At the beginning of the year I decided to restart my monthly subscriptions for my razor. The razor subscription has been great because I can send them my used blades for recycling too. I pay just under £10 every other month for 4 razor blade heads. All their packaging is recyclable too!
During 2020 we brought and tested a couple of Toilet Roll subscription boxes; Who Gives a crap and BoxRoll. We have decided to stick with BoxRoll, as you get more rolls for your money and it’s all UK made. I was really keen to see what the difference amongst both companies were, Who Gives A Crap is marketed all over Facebook and recommended in alot of groups. However I wasn’t particulary keen on ordering knowing it was being shipped from China, however the charity donations seemed to ease my conscious a little. BoxRoll though intrigued me and being made within the UK there was no international shipping either.
I have also reverted back to using my solid shampoo bar. I did have a few months of using bottled shampoo however once I had used that I soon switched back. I use the Seanik bar from Lush at the moment and although I am getting on absolutely fine with it, I would love to find a more natural bar. Oliver and Arthur are using RowdyKind which is an all in one solid bar. They are getting on really well with it
Kitchen
Pre environmental journey I went through a stage of buying tonnes of cleaning products from; grease blaster, to window cleaner to fabric refresher. It would be really wasteful to throw these out so 2020 was the year i tried using them all up! I really wanted to slim line our under sink cupboard, however this will have to be a 2021 project too. I have been spending the year however trying out different recipes on making my own cleaners so when I have used them up I can make my own. I may share the successful recipes on the blog throughout the year.
We continued to save glass jars for drinking cups and although I wanted to learn to pickle and seal jars, I never did. Maybe it will be something I pick up in 2021 too. The Jars I did save and collect I gave to the nursery I work at to use. We are creating a working alphabet and the glass jars are perfect storage for them.
Throughout the year I switched my dish clothes to more sustainable/biodegradable versions alongside the continued use of my CheekyWipes; small 10x10cm square cloth wipes.
When it comes to food, as I mentioned before hand, thanks to the pandemic I looked at bulk buying meat and found a local butcher who ran a great deal during lockdown. For £85 we filled our freezer up and it easily lasted us a month. That teamed with our local fruit and veg delivery it cut down our shopping costs alot. I also made switches with our food too. So alot more home cooked pizzas (cuts out all the waste of plastic wrap and cardboard sleeves). The tomato puree we switched from the squeezy tube type to a small glass jar.
Personal
As many of you already know I used a reusable menstrual cup which not only saves me money but also prevents hundreds of tampons and pads ending up in landfill. However, this year I have been trying out reusable period pants and I think it’s fair to say I have been won over! I am planning on sharing a blog post in the new year on these so keep an eye out.
When it comes to make-up I don’t wear an awful lot of it so I haven’t made much of a change to that area. However I have continued using my Cheeky Wipes as reusable make up remover pads and I invested in a reusable cotton bud. Its made of plastic, however comes with different heads so we can all have our own one. Jack and I seem to get a crazy build up of ear wax so I do like to make sure we have something to clean our outer ears with. This works a treat though.
Around the home I have been making more of a conscious choice about things I am buying. Choosing to buy UK made where I can, from a smaller businesses preferably and ensuring there is either a reusable element or at least a sustainable one. It has helped me to cut down alot on useless spending which has been a big bonus for me.
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