5 Simple Ways- Reuseables

Sometimes it can be hard to feel that the little changes can make a difference-but they do. It can be easy to be put off the little things because some would have us believe that the only way to say that you are helping the environment is if you wear only clothes upcycled from op shops, make every single item of food from scratch bought at the farm next door, ride a bike everywhere and shower once a week. If these things float your boat then go for it. If not then know that every little choice you make can make a difference and every positive action, no matter how small, is worth it.

The less stuff we send to landfill the better right? And re-useables are so fun and easy now we have no excuse!

Sanitary pads/cups- Oh yeah. I’m starting with the big one first. I’m never-endingly surprised at the number of women who are disgusted with something their body was born to do. It’s not gross, it’s just life. Grow a pair (of ovaries) and deal with it! We’re all grown ups right? There are SO MANY options for reuseable pads around in various cool prints and styles or if you are crafty you can sew them yourself. Just chuck the used ones in a bucket of water and wash them at the end of your cycle. NO BIG DEAL. Regular pads are full of bleaches and nasty stuff you don’t really want breaking down in landfill let alone brushed up against your best bits.

If you like to be able to swim or sleep without fear of messing up the sheets you could try a menstrual cup. You just empty and rinse it out a couple of times a day. I use one (overshare) and it has changed my life! So no fuss you could almost ride a horse on the beach in a white pants suit.

Coffee cup/water bottle- Now there are a million types of both of these things now that are available everywhere-no excuse for using a paper cup or plastic bottle. Keep a spare in the car if (like me) you are prone to forgetting your fave one. There are water bottle filling stations at most places now so you don’t need to take litres for everyone. Watch this about the story of bottled water and stop pumping money into soft drink company’s pockets.

Lunch/food containers-same as above. A million kinds available from stainless steel to glass to plastic (look for BPA free). The challenge here is to buy what you need and not have a cupboard full of plastics that rarely get used (I’m guilty of this).

Nappies- a fat nappy butt is the cutest. Long gone are the days of terry squares and plastic or PUL covers (though these do the job too-I used that for Tannah’s first 6 months). Modern cloth is a funky baby world of it’s own! All-in-ones, Fitteds, pockets, minkee, bamboo, hand knitted soakers. Oh my heart, it makes me want another baby! There are as many designs and systems and styles of nappies as there are mothers. And you can do it part-time or just at home if you don’t want to commit to full time cloth. Every plastic disposable nappy that has ever been used is still in landfill, having not broken down a smidge. For the people who are grossed out by dealing with cloth I wonder how they feel about all that baby shit rotting away in a pile eeeeeewwwww. It only needs to be a extra couple of loads of washing a week and rinsing off a bit of baby poo into the toilet.

You can buy a set of nappies that will last through multiple kids and there is even a massive market in second hand cloth. Go check out eBay…

Hankies, hand towels, napkins and face wipes- Buy new or make these out of worn out clothes and you can throw a few extra cloths in the regular wash and you won’t need to spend money on disposable versions that use up resources. Too easy!

This post was sponsored by ecostore. Products that are better for your health and for the health of the planet.

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