Easy Tips to Live More Sustainably | Shop Zero
Today I wanted to share some advice on sustainable living. Now I'm definitely not living completely zero waste but I find that sometimes that term can put people off the process all together. Zero waste living seems like completely rewiring the way that we live and consume. Implementing some small changes without disrupting your whole routine and lifestyle is a great way to do your part and help the planet. It's the little changes that make all the difference!
I recently took some photos of Shop Zero, which is the sustainable heaven of Nottingham! The shop sells bulk products including rice, pasta, nuts or even detergant. The concept is a brilliant idea helping us live more sustainably without putting too much effort. I find that we humans tend to be lazy when it comes to sustainability, but it's the small changes that make all the difference in helping the planet. If we all implement one change, imagine the magnitude of difference that would make! Now I'm definitely not perfect at living as sustainably as one can be but I found it quite easy to implement a few changes in my life without thinking too much about it and I wanted to share them with you today so you can make some changes in your lifestyle too.
Soap
A very easy swap! Ditch your gel hand wash in disposable plastic bottles and opt for a bar of soap. This tip will actually save you a lot of money as you can probably buy a bar of soap for maybe 20p in contrast to that £1+ bottle you keep buying. I always thought a bar of soap makes my hands dry because it leaves a weird feeling when you wipe your hands, but after that your hands are left nice and soft so don't be put off by that! You can always find some nice soaps with shea butter which give you some extra moisture.
Makeup Cotton Pads
A big change for me was buying reusable cotton makeup pads. Shop Zero stocks The Zero Waste Maker products made by the lovely Oktavia, making products from scraps of fabric giving them a new life. Her cotton pads have some lovely patterns on them and are very easy to look after, washing with a bar of soap for a quick clean and then every so often I put them in the washing machine for a deeper clean. I recently got a cotton bag form Oktavia to put the pads in so they don't get lost in the washing machine which has been handy in keeping them all together. It was a super easy swap meaning I don't have to buy disposable pads every few weeks.
Reusable straws
Now this is one that I haven't fully committed to yet as I haven't purchased myself a metal straw yet (Sarah I'm coming for that soon!), however I have found myself reusing plastic straws and not disposing of them straight away. Any straws laying around that I've already had I wash after using and even refuse straws when I'm out for drinks. It can be hard to remember sometimes but once you get in the flow you feel so much better about the changes you're making.