9 ways to ditch the disposables in your life

Adele Jarrett-Kerr is on a mission to reduce her family's environmental impact, one little change at a time. Check out her list of suggestions for how you could do the same by reducing your use of disposable products.

It’s become clear that reducing the amount we throw away is a valuable part of reducing our environmental impact.

I can’t say that we’re doing it all, but here are a few areas we’re challenging ourselves in that you might like to consider too.

Even if we replace some of the disposables in our lives, it will make a difference.

1. Opt for washable nappies
They’re cheaper in the long run, prettier, and won’t sit in landfill for hundreds of years.

With washing factored in, reusable nappies are still the greener option.

Modern styles and washing machines have made them easier than ever to use and because they’re such high-use items, just replacing one disposable nappy a day can be a saving, environmentally and economically.

2. Tote bags for shopping
Pack a tote bag in your rucksack, handbag, or car and you’ll have no need to add to an endless supply of plastic shopping bags.

They’re stronger and more attractive too.

3. Walk with your coffee cup
There are two ways around throwing away a coffee cup (which most likely won’t be recycled anyway): sitting down in the cafe for your coffee, or walking with your own reusable coffee cup.

Since coffee-on-the-go has become such a fixture in our culture, it’s worth looking for a reusable option you’ll enjoy using. From porcelain to glass, there are some innovative models out there.

4. No more paper towels
I rarely have paper towels in my kitchen, preferring to use old rags instead.

We just keep a bucket under the sink to pop them in and fit a rag wash into the laundry routine.

5. Reusable menstrual products
We’ve been sold (literally) disposable pads and tampons as irreplaceable, so many might initially raise an eyebrow at the idea of using a menstrual cup or a cloth sanitary pad.

However, they can be more comfortable, reliable and are arguably safer to use than their disposable alternatives, while being just as simple to use.

Try them and you may well wonder why you didn’t make the change sooner.

6. Try some DIY
From crocheting makeup remover pads to stitching together a cloth bag for your sandwich, to cutting some no-sew napkins out of old scraps with pinking shears, there are lots of easy tutorials on online to help you attempt some easy DIY.

7. Alternative gift wrap
It may come as a surprise to some that not all gift wrap is, in fact, recyclable.

Reusing old newspaper and dressing it up with cloth ribbon or newspaper bows can be stylish and give your gift a little something different.

It’s easy enough to pop a handkerchief into your pocket or bag – possibly one of the simplest switches to make.

9. Invest in a straight razor
This is one we’ve yet to leap into.

How amazing would it be not to keep having to buy disposable razors?

A high-quality old fashioned razor lasts years and years.