Easy Habits for an Eco-ish Lifestyle

Hey guys! Today I wanted to share something different, but something that matters to me. I'll start off by saying that I'm no domestic goddess or green warrior, but I do and have always cared about recycling and not being wasteful. But in recent months, after getting educated about various issues from dairy, to fashion and plastic, I've been opening up my life to more changes that reduces waste and stress on the environment in general.The second thing that I was to disclaim right now is that I'm not perfect. I'm not "good" enough to not do paper, or never use a single piece of plastic, or eat vegan or 100% organic/sustainable etc. But I think, to me at least, the important thing is to try. Every action we do matters, and every little action leads to a little bit of goodness.I used to just "give away" unwanted clothing or item, and by that I mean putting everything in the donation bin and forgetting about it. Then I go on to buy more. But now, I make my purchases more mindfully. But hey - I still taobao or buy from H&M. It's all about balance after all. So here, I wanted to share with you a few simple ways to start reducing waste and living more mindfully without going full cold turkey.

1. Bring your own cup

   I bought a Keep Cup! Like I said in my Instagram post, it was one of my best, if not the best, purchase I've made this year or ever. It is so light weight, easy to clean, has a valve seal so you can hoist it around, AND it really helps reduce waste one paper or plastic cup at a time. This is because I watched this video about recycling paper cups - FYI a lot of places don't have the right process to recycle these coated paper cups so they end up going to the landfill. By bringing your own plastic cup on the other hand, you can even save a few bucks (depending on where you go - Winston's, Barista Jam and many more cafes have discounts when you BYOC.)Side note: My girlfriend also bought me stainless steel straws, I use them at home now because I always forget to bring them out, but they're absolutely a dream to use.

2. Minimize takeout waste

   I know, sometimes you can't plan every meal of your day, and more often than not you have to opt for meals al desko. What I find useful is, if I end up going to some place near the office/home for takeout, I opt out of taking the plastic bag and utensils. Maybe I'm too shy (for now) to bring my own container, but at least I'm saving one plastic bag and one pair of utensils (in another plastic bag). Don't be lazy and wash the office/home forks instead!

3. Think before you throw

   Lol I'm starting to sound preachy right? But I'm not going to teach you the basics of recycling, I'm sure (I hope) you already know that. But what I realised was, sometimes I'm quick to throw away something instead of recycling because I wasn't thinking. For example, some really sturdy takeaway boxes can be cleaned and re-used or then recycled, I do this all the time in the office so everything from my takeout caused no waste. I also recycle groceries packaging and yogurt pots etc. Just make sure you clean everything before recycling.

4. Refuse packaging

   It's a very small gesture, but when you see shop keepers wrapping up your goodies in rice paper or extra plastic bags or ribbons and frilly things, just politely say you don't need it. I know sometimes pretty packaging is great for the 'gram, but if you're not going to re-use or gift it, it's pretty much seconds from going into the trash. Again - it's better to not be wasteful than to recycle.

These are just a few of the ways you can reduce waste without making huge changes, but slowly you can amp it up if you feel like it. Rock the bamboo toothbrushes, go sans packaging and shop from wet markets... Everything is a choice and the choice is yours. The key is to be educated, and when you are, you will automatically be aware of the waste you can save.

I'm gonna run off before sounding too preachy... :)But leave me a comment and share your feelings! x