Eco Friendly Alternatives to Your Everyday Products
Are you looking for more eco friendly alternatives to your everyday products? Consider using Reusable, Compostable and Upcycled alternatives. In this article, you’ll learn about some of the top alternatives that you can look for. You can also consider purchasing upcycled items if you want to further reduce the amount of plastic waste. And you can save money by choosing reusable items instead of disposable ones!
To save money and help the environment, consider using recycled products made from renewable resources:
Compostable products
Compostable materials decompose quickly, yielding nutrients, and are environmentally friendly alternatives to biodegradable products. Many products, such as paper and plastic, are compostable, but some are not. Using a composter is an excellent way to get started, but some products require a composting facility. These composting facilities have higher temperatures, oxygen levels, and micro-organism activity than home composting can provide.
Reusable products
Despite the popularity of single-use plastics, people continue to use an alarming amount of paper and plastic every year. To avoid contributing to our growing landfill problem, we can use eco-friendly alternatives. Reusable products are easy to replace single-use products that are not only eco-friendly but also easier on the environment. By replacing these products with reusable ones, you can minimize your use of plastic wrap, paper bags, and other materials.
Recyclable products
Recycled products are an excellent alternative to single-use items. Despite popular misconceptions, recycled plastics are environmentally safe. For example, a paper bag must be used 43 times before it fully offsets its environmental cost. The same goes for a recycled PET tote bag, and 84 times for a conventional cotton tote bag. Many grocery store cleaners contain a laundry list of chemicals that are toxic to our lungs and our health. Unfortunately, most of these cleaners come packaged in plastic bottles.
Upcycled products
Recyclate a product: Upcycled items are often more useful than the original ones. Whether you are looking to create a unique and decorative item or want to reduce your environmental impact, upcycled items can help. They are a great alternative to landfills, and often have a higher market value. The process of upcycling involves disassembling, cleaning, and reusing materials to make new products.
Compostable
Biodegradable alternatives to plastics have become a popular alternative to plastics, particularly since they can break down into nutrient-rich soils in a compost setting. These materials come from plants and are often cheaper than biodegradable alternatives. Many companies have started packaging their products in plain cardboard instead of using plastic. They can also be used as storage containers around the home instead of plastic ones. Listed below are some of the advantages of compostable alternatives.
Reusable grocery bags
Reusable grocery bags have been hailed as eco-friendly alternatives to plastic grocery bags. However, there are both arguments for and against their use. Some say that they are actually worse than single-use plastic bags. Others argue that they help reduce pollution because they eliminate one of the biggest causes of waste in our environment.
Reusable beeswax wraps
Beeswax wraps are a great eco-friendly alternative to plastic wrap. Beeswax is a biodegradable substance that pliable, soft cloth that clings to foods. Like plastic wrap, beeswax keeps food fresh and is easily composted. Beeswax wraps are also reusable, which means they won’t end up in a landfill.
Bioplastic bags
There are several environmentally friendly alternatives to plastic bags, such as bioplastic bags. Bioplastic is an alternative to virgin plastic made from petroleum. Bioplastics are made from cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae. These organisms produce chemical compounds through photosynthesis, and are fed sugar from corn or sugarcane. They are biodegradable and can be reused again.
Paper chains
Many people use paper chains during the holiday season as decoration. They are typically made from wrapping paper or construction paper and are supposed to be recycled after New Year. However, many consumers are concerned about the environmental impact of using these paper chains and are looking for eco-friendly alternatives. Luckily, there are several options that do not cause pollution. Instead of using paper, try a sustainable alternative made from polyester felt, which is made from recycled plastic bottles. These eco-friendly chains have the advantage of being easy to store and retain their shape even after several washings.
Cornstarch peanuts
In recent years, shipping companies have been using sustainable alternatives to styrofoam packing peanuts. These peanuts were first made from real peanuts, but have since evolved to be made of cornstarch. Cornstarch is a biodegradable material that breaks down in water. This material can be ingested and is therefore completely biodegradable. Companies like Lush have also started using these peanuts, though they have used popcorn in the past. Although these peanuts are less expensive, they are not as energy-efficient as Styrofoam and will therefore increase shipping costs.