You might have heard the phrase ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ before, but what does it mean? Those three R’s are all about helping people around the world practice sustainable living at home. From ideas on water reuse and recycling ideas for home use, these tips can have a major impact with minimal effort.
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle
Reducing means cutting down on the amount of waste we produce in the home and minimising the amount of energy consumed on a daily basis. Reducing can be as simple as taking a second look when you’re doing your weekly shopping –do you really need two packets of labna if you know you only eat one a month? Will that extra loaf of bread dry out and get thrown away?
Even if you find a great deal on a ‘buy one, get one free’ product, think about your actual usage. Not only can this help the environment, but it can also help you control how much you spend on certain items. Your wallet – and the environment – will thank you for keeping a sustainable house. You might be wondering about how to reduce your energy consumption, and at first it may seem impossible. However, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your home green.
Think about your air conditioners and fans –are they always on throughout the entire summer even if the house is empty? Try turning them on to lower settings, and always make sure to turn them off when you leave the house. Bring the household members into the living room together so that you’ll only turn on one air conditioner as opposed to one in each bedroom –it’s an excuse to bring the family together, and it’ll also slash your electric bill in half.
The same goes for lights –remember to only turn them on when needed. Go the extra mile and buy energy-saving light bulbs or batteries. They may be more expensive at first, but they’ll perform better and last longer.
When doing laundry, consider using a lower heat setting. Sometimes, cooler settings get the job done with the same efficiency, and you’ll have saved some energy used for heating the water. Additionally, if you only pop in half loads and then turn on the washing machine, wait for a full load so you don’t waste water and energy.
Just doing those three things alone can make a huge difference in your home, so you can rest assured you’re keeping a green, environmentally friendly and sustainable house.
Why is water reuse becoming so popular as a trend? Because it makes such a big difference with so little effort!
Collect any extra water from the sink, the bath or the shower and use it to water plants –what better excuse to start your new herb garden by the kitchen window?
If you’re not into gardening, no worries. Use the extra water to clean the floor or to keep away bugs!
You might not have tried this, but you could try reusing product packaging –you’ll be making a difference without making a single change to your daily routine. OMO‘s eco packs are small pouches made from eco-friendly packaging with 78 percent less plastic than a standard laundry detergent bottle. Keep your old OMO container and reuse it by pouring the detergent from the eco packs into the bottle.
Our Suggestion:
While they aren’t always marketed properly, there are places where you can recycle old items like paper, plastic, glass, clothes and so much more –even used cooking oil can be recycled!
Ask around and see if any of these organizations are nearby, and send them each category of items separately. Whether you’re recycling your daughter’s old school books, old honey jars or even a torn pair of jeans, you’ll be making a difference, and you’ll find yourself coming up with even more recycling ideas for home use.
One of the best (and most fun!) recycling ideas for home use is to get creative. Use an old kitchen roll tube to make a fun, new doll to add to your child’s bedroom, or use an empty shampoo bottle to make them a one-of-a-kind Ramadan lantern.
You could also create new aprons and clothing rags from old clothes –the ideas are endless!
Living in a more sustainable house and adopting a more sustainable lifestyle isn’t as difficult as it may seem. You don’t need to make big, expensive changes to make a difference –mother Earth is not high maintenance. Sometimes, the smallest changes can have the biggest impact, helping us all do our part for the environment.