From the kitchen to the bathroom, being environmentally ethical starts at home! With most of our lives being paused at the moment, why not incorporate some of these helpful sustainable suggestions into your daily life?
The extent of waste that is compiled in the bathroom is so large, just think of how often you have to replace your restroom waste bin! An interesting, and unthought-of, way to incorporate ethics into your lifestyle is through a reusable cotton swab! Although this comes as a little bit of a shock, incorporating this reusable silicone washable swab into your lifestyle is an easy alliteration. LastSwab is a reusable, sustainable and sanitary alternative to cotton swabs, buds, and Q-tips. It helps combat the billions of single-use cotton swabs that are produced every day. It is easily cleaned with soap and water and makes sustainability a no stress inclusion in your life!
If you calculated up all the used ziplock bags and plastic wraps throughout your month, much like me, I believe you would have a thoughtless collection of non-biodegradable plastic stockpiling in your brain! This doesn’t have to be normal, and neither does expansive food waste! Beeswax wraps are an easy change that helps you get one step closer to a zero-waste lifestyle. This back to school bundle from Nature Bees Wraps is great for kids!
For a fun activity, you can also attempt to make beeswax wraps at home by following these easy steps below!
The ingredients you will need are 100% cotton fabric scraps, 4 tbsp Jojoba Oil, ¾ cup food-grade Pine Resin, parchment paper, and finally the main ingredient, 2 cups of Beeswax Pellets. The tools you will need are 1 mason jar, a large pot for boiling, a paintbrush and string and clothespins to hang fabric!
- First put the Jojoba Oil, Pine Resin, and Beeswax inside the Mason jar; then put enough water in the large pot to go past the ingredients in the jar.
- Turn the burner up and set the water to boil, and in about 10 minutes the contents of the jar should be partially melted. Continue stirring until all the ingredients in the jar are liquid, should be 30-40 minutes.
- Then preheat your oven to 350° F, and get to cutting your cotton scraps into desired squares. Once the oven is ready, line baking sheets with parchment paper and lay out your fabric pieces.
- Next, grab your paintbrush and layer the beeswax mixture onto the top side of the fabric pieces until they are saturated.
- Bake in the oven for 3 minutes. Once the timer goes off, take out your pan and flip the fabric with tongs then repeat the layering of beeswax and repeat the baking process.
- Once done, hang the wraps on clothespins until dry!
Another, less crafty, way to gain this less plastic cluttered kitchen, is through the fun and vibrant colours and styles found in the brand Go Sili! Go Sili offers a sustainable silicone solution to eliminate plastic waste in the kitchen. They offer Reusable Straws, Cups/Lids, Food Storage, and Toddler-Friendly Feeding Tools! All of their products make sustainability a vibrant, fun, and encouraging life change that is easy to hop into. My favourite is the Marbled Straw Tumbler in 24oz; which is adorable and a step towards saving the environment! They have a great sale happening right now, so be sure to check them out for school essentials.