As of late, I’ve really been making a conscious effort to reduce my carbon footprint. Eventually, I’d like to live a zero-waste lifestyle. As I reach this goal, I’d like to share some small swaps that make a big difference. These simple changes won’t compromise your current lifestyle and illustrate that eliminating waste doesn’t always have to be a herculean effort.
2 Simple Swaps to Reduce Waste in Your Everyday Routine
1. Disposable Coffee Cup to Reusable Cup
Although the single disposable coffee cup may seem innocuous, this small container has a profoundly negative effect on the environment; millions of trees are cut down and a tremendous amount of water and energy is wasted to produce these disposable cups.
An estimated 50 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away every year in the U.S. The polyethylene coating inside of the cups is a contaminant and makes it so the cups cannot be recycled.
The difference you alone can make:
- One time: Using a reusable cup instead of a disposable one saves 0.24 lbs of CO2 emissions (for a single cup!)
- One year: Using a reusable cup instead of a disposable cup prevents 23 pounds of waste from being made.
Tips:
-Keep one reusable cup in your mode of transportation and one in your most used bag.
-If you have a car, store a ceramic mug in the trunk to use in a pinch.
Replacements
-If you want to emulate the traditional design of a coffee cup, Keep Cup has loads of great designs.
-If you want to keep your coffee hot all day I highly recommend getting a S’well bottle. Not only do they come in tons of designs but they’re also really well made.
2. Makeup Remover Wipes to Reusable Makeup Remover Pads
For a long time, my routine at the end of the day was simply to slide a face wipe across my face, chuck it in the trash, and think “this will be the last package I buy.” I knew that using makeup remover wipes every time I took off my makeup wasn’t ecologically or financially sound. I tried using a makeup remover and cotton pads but still wasn’t satisfied with the waste and cost of this practice. I attempted to use face wash and a washcloth (flannel facecloth) but found the washcloth didn’t truly remove all my makeup, particularly on my eyes.
Fortunately, I found Face Halo.
Environmental Consequences of Makeup Wipes
The main issue with makeup wipes is that they are not simply paper. Due to the fact that they typically contain plastic and toxic chemicals, they cannot biodegrade and are harmful to your body and the environment.
The widespread usage of makeup wipes causes major issues such as harmful waste floods, polluting beaches, and clogging sewers.
What is Face Halo?
They are makeup remover pads with HaloTech fiber strands that remove makeup and clean your skin.
How Does Face Halo Work?
Take your Face Halo (they’re small pads about the size of your palm), wet it, and gently wipe your face.
You literally only need water, that’s all! You can wash each pad up to 200 times.
Should I Reaaalllyyy Get on Board?
Yes! I know sometimes buying something online can seem like more of a hassle than just grabbing a pack of wipes, but believe me, it is well worth it. It cleans better than makeup wipes and is the eco choice.
Don’t just go on my word… Face Halo is praised by many including celebrities such as Naomi Watts and publications like InStyle, Refinery 29, and Vogue.
Do you make any small daily changes to benefit the environment?
Also by Bella: I Tried The Low FODMAP Diet For Bloating & Stomach Pain—How It Changed My Life
Related: Going #PlasticFree? Try These 5 Luxe Eco Brands, From Tea To Vegan Lipstick
I Tried A Life Without Plastic For One Week & It Was Eye-Opening
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Photo: Meireles Neto on Unsplash, eCO2 Greeting, Keep Cup, S’well, Face Halo
