10 ZERO WASTE TIPS IN SUMMER

There’s nothing better than summertime, right? Soaking up the sun, chilling on the lake, sitting by a bonfire with a beer in hand, having backyard barbecues, and spending time with friends and family on a warm summer evening.

Summer is the ultimate season when it’s all just about having fun and spending time with those who you enjoy being around. Worries and the stress of school, work, and responsibilities fade away with every weekend; nothing else matters other than having a good time.

With every passing day, our planet is slowing becoming ridden with plastic, garbage, pollution, chemicals, and more. You might not know it, but you could be taking part in the destruction of our planet with the things you use every day.

The items you use this summer could be doing more damage than you think. But there are easy swaps for more eco-friendly products that’ll help minimize the impact you have on the environment!

Check out these earth-friendly products you could swap for the things you use on the daily — so you can have an eco-friendly summer!

Non-Chemical Sunscreen

 You do not even care about the environment if you’re still using chemical-ridden sunscreen. A truly, non-chemical and natural sunscreen is the way to go these days!

Recent research and studies show a common chemical in spray-on and lotion sunscreens — oxybenzone — contributes to the coral bleaching, the killing of reefs, and the overall destruction of ocean life.

While you definitely should protect your skin from harmful sun rays, be a more eco-conscious beachgoer this summer by swapping out your normal sunscreen for chemical-free sunscreen or natural sunblock.

Swap your toothbrush

1 billion toothbrushes are thrown away every year in the U.S. That’s enough toothbrushes to stretch around the world 4 times. And 50 million toothbrushes are added to landfills every year in the U.S., but that’s not even the worst part.

Most plastic toothbrushes are made out of polypropylene plastic and nylon, both are which non-renewable fossil fuels. So, with plastic toothbrushes, not only are we filling landfills but using up fossil fuels faster than necessary.

But, don’t look so sad, there is hope! Or, at least, there are bamboo toothbrushes. A simple eco-friendly swap you can make to lessen your toothbrush impact. Stronger and harder than wood, bamboo toothbrushes are reliable, mostly recyclable, and easily compostable. It is dentist approved mini vegan toothbrush. Isn’t it awesome? Get a wooden toothbrush with natural bristles now!

Cook from Home

Avoid food delivery services and attempt cooking at home to stop plastic and cardboard accumulation. And also, in summers always eat freshly cooked food to any discomfort. Ordering in food daily is quite irresponsible if you’re trying to go green. If ordering in isn’t something you can avoid, start small by opting for environmentally-friendly choices you can make like saying ‘no’ to disposable cutleries. And instead, try using ever eco bamboo cutlery for everyday use. And use bamboo cutlery travel set for traveling.

Reusable Water Bottles

Every day, in the United States, 50 million plastic bottles are landfilled. Talk about a lot of waste! Did you know plastic only has a 9 percent recycle rate? That’s about to drop even lower because China has put a ban on plastic imports from the U.S. for recycling.

During summers you tend to drink a lot of water so a simple thing you can do is simply bring your water bottle. Environmentally friendly, durable, safe, and easy-to-clean, large stainless-steel water bottles are an excellent alternative to using plastic water bottles.

Bamboo Straws

Its summertime which means more juices and shakes! You can drink water, juice, shakes, whatever you want to. So why use plastic straws? Bamboo straws can be reused hundreds of times and are biodegradable. At the end of their lifetime, they can be put in compost instead of the rubbish bin. Bamboo straws eliminate the potential for ingesting chemicals that are often used in the process of making other straws. ecofworld Bamboo straws are a great alternative to single-use plastic straws. ecofworld bamboo straws are organic, handmade, biodegradable, 100% natural, durable, sustainable, and – best of all – reusable. Take the Bamboo straws out with you and your family on the go.

On their own, Caribbean Sea alongside

Leave some footprints!

 Before you leave a beach, campsite, or rest stop, why not take a few minutes to pick up some litter? (Include a trash bag in your travel kit in case you are unable to find a waste disposal and recycling bin.) 

When plastic is left near the beach, it will likely end up in the ocean. According to David Suzuki, up to eight million tons of plastic ends up in the sea every year. Seabirds and marine animals can be fatally entangled in plastic waste. They also ingest the microplastics that end up on the sea bottom – it is starting to show up in the seafood we eat. 

The best ways to protect our ocean creatures is to avoid plastic whenever we can and keep our natural spaces clean.

Learn a New Skill

Looking to get the kids off the couch and away from the video games? Learn a new skill in this free time of summer! Oftentimes, your local grocer, library, or hardware store will offer community events to learn skills like repairing electronics, building something new, or mending clothes. All great skills to keep materials at home from ending up in the landfill due to a malfunction. Plus, it’s never a bad idea to have a child who knows how to fix that lawn mower or pasta machine!

Plan a Zero Waste Picnic

Nothing says plastic waste like a picnic. Red Solo cups, plastic cutlery, paper napkins, you know the drill. Thankfully, there are plenty of Zero Waste picnic ideas that are easy and fun for all your attendees! Encourage guests to bring their own dishes from home, use cloth napkins, and make your own drinks that can be poured into reusable water bottles or glasses! Check out the students blog for useful tips..

Recycle & Compost

Help keep more out of landfills! You can easily do this by recycling and composting. Recycling is so easy and is talked about so frequently I won’t spend time talking about it. Instead let’s talk compost! What is it? It’s where you recycle organic material like food scraps and yard debris to make compost which fertilizes lawns and gardens without chemicals. When these items are sent to landfills, they do not decompose naturally and release methane into the air. They are also taking up unnecessary space in landfills!

Eat Ice-cream in a cone!

 There is one zero waste summer treat almost everyone can get behind. Ice cream in a cone! Instead of eating ice cream in a cup eat it in a cone!

You can have summertime fun, enjoy delicious take out, be spontaneous, AND make earth-friendly choices. It doesn’t have to be either-or. So many zero waste products are of high quality and a worthwhile investment. And isn’t it great that local businesses offer so many options now? You can feel good about reducing waste and supporting local. What’s not to love about that?

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