How can you avoid rubbish in everyday life and produce less waste? We’ll tell you and give you tips on how you can reduce your waste consumption as a family!
Over 600 kilograms of garbage we Germans produce loudly per capita Federal Statistical Office in the year. This means that the Germans are among the front runners among waste producers in a European comparison. Only the inhabitants of Denmark (844 kg), Luxembourg (791 kg), Malta (694 kg) and Cyprus (642 kg) produce more waste per capita.
Even with small changes, it is possible to avoid a lot of garbage in everyday life. We’ll tell you how you can significantly reduce your waste consumption in just a few steps.
1. Avoid rubbish with cloth bags
The average useful life of plastic bags is 25 minutes, after that it often ends up in the trash. Cloth bags have a much better environmental balance because they are reusable. Instead of using a plastic bag when shopping in the supermarket, you can simply stow your groceries in the bag you brought with you.
You can also save packaging waste with fruit and vegetables by using the Buy products in bulk. In many cities there are now so-called unpackaged shops in which food is generally offered without packaging. Instead, you can bring your own cans and vessels and use them to fill products such as pasta, rice, or flour. This not only reduces waste, but also allows the portion size to be determined individually.
2. Avoid “coffee to go” cups
Who does not know the situation: You are in a hurry in the morning and have no time for breakfast, so quickly to the bakery and buy a “coffee to go”. But the disposable cups generate a lot of rubbish and are anything but sustainable.
Provide a much more environmentally friendly alternative Thermo mug In many cafés you even get a discount if you bring your own mug – this not only protects the environment, but also your wallet.
A lot of waste can be avoided with the coffee machine at home if you have a filter machine or a fully automatic machine instead of a capsule machine. The Coffee capsules are usually made of aluminum, which requires a lot of energy to manufacture and is not biodegradable.
3. Drink tap water
It is similar to the coffee mugs with water bottles. The quality of tap water in Germany is extremely high because it is subject to strict controls. Even so, many consumers still buy bottled water. Instead, you can simply take a reusable drinking bottle with you when you are on the go.
If you don’t like still water, you can use soda makers, with which you can carbonate tap water. And if it should be unavoidable to buy bottled water, you should think about it: Reusable is better packaging than disposable. In contrast to one-way bottles, reusable bottles can not only be recycled, they can also be reused several times.
4. Reduce plastic waste in the bathroom
You can also save on packaging in different ways in the bathroom. A bar of soap, for example, is more sustainable than liquid soap because it is filled in disposable packaging. When it comes to dental care, you can switch from the conventional manual toothbrush to an electric model or use an environmentally friendly wooden toothbrush.
What many do not know: Cosmetics also often contain plastic in the form of Microplasticsthat is barely noticeable to the naked eye. As an alternative, you can, for example, use natural cosmetics or make your own cosmetics.
5. Repair instead of buying new
Nowadays, when electrical devices stop working, we often dispose of them instead of having them repaired – the costs usually seem too high to be worth the effort. However, this means that enormous amounts of electronic waste are generated every year. Ask for the repair of small appliances Repair cafés a good alternative: Volunteers there will help you with the repairs so that you only have to pay the material costs.
You can also act more sustainably in the field of fashion, for example by Clothes swap parties visited or new clothes Flea markets and second hand stores buy instead of buying new – it’s still the best form of recycling.
Five tips on how to avoid rubbish with kids
With children, a whole new dimension of waste consumption can arise. But regardless of whether you’re doing the laundry, playing with your toys or in the bathroom: There are always ways you can save waste. Here are five tips.
1. Cut hair ties from socks
Nothing wears out as quickly as children’s socks. And nothing is needed as often in long-haired children as hair ties. So why not combine both and make hair ties out of worn-out socks?
To do this, you simply cut the sock into many small rings. If the socks also have a fancy pattern or color, the new hair ties look all the more beautiful. But be careful: the socks shouldn’t be too old either, because over time they lose their elasticity.
2. Confetti made from leaves for the next children’s birthday party
Sparkling confetti may look beautiful, but it’s not environmentally friendly. Paper confetti is also only better to a limited extent, because it is often coated and therefore only rots very slowly. How about some confetti made from real leaves from the tree?
Simply collect fallen leaves or pick a few leaves. Then your punch comes into play. Your children will have a lot of fun punching the confetti out of the leaves. Of course, it gets particularly beautiful in autumn, when the trees shine in a wide variety of colors, but lush green in summer also has its charm. And the best: At the end of the party, you can simply sweep up the confetti and sprinkle it in the garden or flower bed.
3. Make ice cream for the child himself
Ice cream is a real treat for children, especially in summer. But an ice cream parlor is not always nearby and ice cream bought from the supermarket creates a lot of packaging waste. Popsicles in particular are actually still individually wrapped. A lot comes together. You can also just make the ice cream yourself. In our recipe series “Make ice cream yourself: Our best recipes” you are guaranteed to find your new favorite ice cream for yourself and your children!
4. Use toys alternately
Does your child or children have so many toys that are just lying around and actually no longer played with? Instead of always buying new toys and throwing the old ones away, here’s a great trick to get your child or children interested in supposedly “boring” toys.
Collect any toys that you no longer want and bring them to the attic or basement. If you take it out again after a few months, your child is guaranteed to show renewed interest in the once-old toy. Instead, other toys can now be moved to the attic or basement. So you can let toys rotate at any distance and your child won’t get bored.
If some toys actually have had their day, just make one Toy gift box and put it on your doorstep on the street to take away. Other children will certainly enjoy the new, used toys.
5. Avoid rubbish with a reusable paper towel
Children mess up a lot. Here a glass is accidentally knocked over, there the pudding drips onto the floor. A kitchen roll is a real blessing with such minor mishaps. If only it weren’t for the rubbish created by the kitchen roll. Why not just make the kitchen roll yourself?
To do this, you use old bed linen or old muslin cloths. Simply cut out kitchen roll towels in the desired size from the selected fabric (it is best to cut the towels to the size of normal kitchen towels) and then roll them onto an empty cardboard tube, overlapping. Simply use the empty cardboard roll of a kitchen roll for this. The great thing about the homemade kitchen roll? You can wash the individual towels and use them over and over again.