How can you avoid waste and produce less waste in everyday life? 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 a lot per capita Federal Statistical Office in the year. This means that the Germans are among the top producers of waste in Europe. Only the residents of Denmark (844 kilograms), Luxembourg (791 kilograms), Malta (694 kilograms) and Cyprus (642 kilograms) produce more waste per capita.
Even with small changes, it is possible to avoid a lot of waste in everyday life. We’ll tell you how you can significantly reduce your waste consumption in just a few steps.
1. Avoid waste with cloth bags
The average useful life of plastic bags is 25 minutes, after which it often ends up in the trash. Cloth bags have a much better environmental footprint because they are reusable. So instead of using plastic bags when shopping at the supermarket, you can simply store your groceries in the bag you brought with you.
You can also save on packaging waste when it comes to fruit and vegetables Buy products loose. 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 containers and fill products such as pasta, rice or flour into them. This not only allows you to reduce waste, but also allows you to individually determine the portion size.
2. Avoid “coffee to go” cups
Who doesn’t know the situation: You’re in a hurry in the morning and don’t have time for breakfast, so you quickly go to the bakery and buy a “coffee to go”. But the disposable cups create a lot of waste and are anything but sustainable.
Provide a much more environmentally friendly alternative Thermo mug In many cafés you now even get a discount if you bring your own cup – so you not only protect the environment, but also your wallet.
You can avoid a lot of waste when making your 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 aluminumwhich requires a lot of energy to produce and is not biodegradable.
3. Drink tap water
The situation is similar to coffee cups with water bottles. The quality of tap water in Germany is extremely high because it is subject to strict controls. Despite this, many consumers still buy bottled water in plastic bottles. Instead, you can simply take a reusable drinking bottle with you when you’re on the go.
If you don’t like still water, you can use sparkling water makers, which can be used to carbonate tap water. And if you can’t avoid buying bottled water, you should remember: Reusable is better packaging than disposable. In contrast to disposable bottles, reusable bottles can not only be recycled, but also reused several times.
4. Reduce plastic waste in the bathroom
You can also save on packaging in the bathroom in different ways. A bar of soap, for example, is more sustainable than liquid soap because it comes in disposable packaging. When it comes to dental care, you can switch from a traditional manual toothbrush to an electric model or use an environmentally friendly wooden toothbrush.
What many people don’t know: Plastic in the form of plastic is also often found in cosmetic products Microplastics, which is barely visible 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 appliances no longer work, we often throw them away instead of having them repaired – the costs usually seem too high to be worth the effort. However, this leads to enormous amounts of electronic waste being generated every year. For the repair of small appliances Repair cafes a good alternative: Volunteers will help you with the repairs so that you only have to pay the material costs.
You can also act more sustainably in the area of fashion, for example Clothes swap parties visit or buy new clothes Flea markets and second-hand stores instead of buying them new – this is still the best form of recycling.
Five tips on how you can avoid waste with children
With children, a whole new dimension of waste consumption can arise. But whether it’s laundry, toys or the bathroom: there are always ways you can save waste. Here are five tips.
1. Cut hair ties out of socks
Nothing wears out as quickly as children’s socks. And nothing is needed more often by long-haired children than hair ties. So why not combine the two and make hair ties out of worn socks?
To do this, simply cut the sock into many small rings. If the socks also have an unusual pattern or color, the new hair ties look even more beautiful. But be careful: the socks shouldn’t be too old, because over time they lose their elasticity.
2. Confetti made of leaves for the next children’s birthday party
Glittering confetti may look nice, but it is not environmentally friendly. Paper confetti is also only better to a limited extent because it is often coated and therefore rots very slowly. How about confetti made from real tree leaves?
To do this, simply collect fallen leaves or pick a few leaves. Then your hole puncher comes into play. Your children will have great fun punching the confetti out of the leaves. Of course, it is particularly beautiful in autumn when the trees shine in a variety of colors, but lush greenery in summer also has its charm. And the best: At the end of the party, you can simply sweep up the confetti and scatter it in the garden or flower bed.
3. Make ice cream for the child yourself
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 there. You can also simply make the ice cream yourself. In our recipe series “Make your own ice cream without an ice cream maker” you are guaranteed to find your new favorite ice cream for you and your children!
4. Use toys alternately
Does your child or children have so many toys that are just lying around and aren’t actually played with anymore? Instead of constantly buying new toys and throwing away the old ones, here’s a great trick to rekindle your child’s or children’s interest in supposedly “boring” toys.
Collect any toys that are no longer of interest and put them in the attic or basement. If you take it out again after a few months, your child is guaranteed to show new interest in the once-old toy. Other toys can then go into the attic or basement. So you can rotate toys at any distance and your child won’t get bored.
If some toys have actually become obsolete, just make one Toy gift box and leave it on your doorstep on the street to take away. Other children will certainly enjoy the new, used toy.
5. Avoid waste with a reusable kitchen roll
Children spill a lot. Here a glass is accidentally knocked over and there the pudding drips onto the floor. A kitchen roll is a real blessing for such small mishaps. If only there wasn’t this waste that the kitchen roll creates. Why not just make the kitchen roll yourself?
To do this, use old bed linen or old muslin cloths. Simply cut out kitchen roll towels in the desired size from the selected fabric (it’s best to cut the towels to the size of normal kitchen towels) and then roll them up onto an empty cardboard roll, overlapping them. Simply use the empty cardboard tube of a kitchen roll. The great thing about homemade kitchen roll? You can wash the individual cloths and use them again and again.