Most people in this day and age recognize the importance of taking care of our environment. To maintain the planet, combat climate change and ensure a future for generations to come, it’s imperative that we all do our part.
Some things are obvious – use less water, recycle and walk or bike when possible. But did you know that you can actually take steps to protect the environment just by switching to eco-friendly products around your apartment?
Follow along for our list of the best eco-friendly products to implement into your daily life.
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1. Multi-use cloth towels
This is a huge one. In the U.S. alone, 13 billion tons of paper towels are used annually. Considering the minuscule weight of just one paper towel, it takes a ton of them to add up to 13 billion tons. Much of this waste ends up sitting permanently in a landfill somewhere.
To save some paper waste, switch to cloth towels for your cleaning needs. They’re easily washable. You’ll even save some money in the long run.
2. Biodegradable trash bags
While a major point of being eco-friendly is eliminating waste altogether, there will inevitably be some trash that you need to throw out. To minimize your impact on the environment, switch to biodegradable trash bags.
Standard trash bags can sit in the landfill for years, leaching harmful chemicals into nearby soil or water. Biodegradable trash bags will eventually disappear and are not as harmful to the environment.
3. Reusable K-Cups
You might have heard some of the recent bad press surrounding the single-use K-Cup pods that are now filling our nation’s landfills. A few years ago, it was reported that there were enough single-use coffee brewing pods in U.S. landfills to circle the globe a full 10 times.
If you’re one of the more than 75 million homes with a single-cup coffee machine, using a reusable coffee brewing pod can help you reduce your strain on the landfills.
These reusable pods are typically made of plastic and have a removable lid, unlike the foil lid of the single-use pods. They can be filled with ground coffee of your choice and washed afterward for continued use.
You can even take your conservation efforts a step further and reuse your old coffee grounds.
4. Natural laundry detergent
A big problem plaguing our ecosystem is the introduction of chemicals into the water system. The countless chemical-based cleaners and detergents that we use in the home eventually wash down a drain and into the water system. One serious offender is laundry detergent.
Luckily, there are several different natural laundry detergent options for the modern consumer. And most are available at your local grocery stores, so it’s easy to make the change to a natural laundry detergent.
Ideally, you’d want to use a plant-based detergent, but there are other eco-friendly products you can sub that will minimize the harm to the environment. Look for products that are non-toxic, non-GMO, hypoallergenic and biodegradable.
5. Long-lasting dish sponge
One of the most dreaded chores is doing the dishes. Perhaps it’s because we do it so often. So often, in fact, that it seems like our sponges don’t last very long.
It would be eco-friendly to extend the life of your dish sponge, but they do get gross after using them too much.
Finding a sponge that will last a long time while remaining clean can help you have a significant impact on the amount of waste your household produces. One great example is the Scrub Daddy sponge. It’s even been described as the best sponge you can buy, because it’s long-lasting, capable of cleaning any food mess and safe for all pans.
While the Scrub Daddy is likely to be available at stores in your locale, you can also look for other long-lasting sponges or eco-friendly kitchen products that may be available to reduce your impact on the environment.
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Source: apartmentguide.com