6 Tips To Reduce Waste Around The Home

We all want our homes to be perfectly comfortable, yet overbuying can easily create waste whether it’s food, homeware, or overuse of electricity. The good news is, getting properly organized and planning your purchases can help you to reduce waste in no time. For a few pointers, try these six ideas. 

1 . Composting

Even when you plan your meals carefully, there always seems to be a little food waste leftover. Throwing away our food waste means it ends up in landfills where and the conditions do not allow for healthy decomposition. Due to this, methane gas is produced in the process. To reduce the food waste you produce, start a compost pile so that the products are not wasted, but used to fertilize your garden. Growing your own fruits and vegetables allows you to live a more sustainable lifestyle; however, it’s unlikely you’ll want to use chemicals to fertilize your soil. Composting can help you to grow your own healthy plants, and reduce the food waste you send to landfill. It’s best not to use waste items like meats (as these can attract pests). Use decaying organic matter like vegetables, fruits, grass trimmings, eggshells, twigs or coffee grounds etc. 

2. Upgrade Appliances

If you want to waste less energy around your home, it’s a good plan to see if you can stand to upgrade any of your appliances. Older appliances tend to be less energy efficient, so if it’s been a while, you could likely be wasting electricity, gas or water. Companies like Pezz Electrical Services, LLC offer an excellent range of appliance installation services. It’s helpful to look out for energy star rating appliances and get into a strict regime of switching off items which are not in use. Ditch a few of your TV sessions for a nice walk and reap the healthy benefits of a tech detox.

3. Smart Thermostats

Investing in a smart thermostat can be helpful to allow your family to waste less heat and energy around the home. With a smart thermostat, you’ll achieve the ideal temperature and potentially control each room individually. You’ll also easily be able to access data in terms of your usage. Such data can be helpful to detect patterns and see where you can stand to make further savings. Smart thermostats can be controlled wirelessly so you can set timers remotely when you are away from the property. It’s particularly handy to set timers to turn on the heating at the exact time your due to arrive home. Such devices are generally the greenest and could stand to save you money in the long run. 

4. Budget & Plan

When you’re looking to reduce waste around the home, it’s a good idea to go back to your budget and make a few new plans. For example, plan your meals per week and set a stricter food budget. Doing so can help you to both reduce waste and save money. Each time you need to make purchases for the home, consider first whether you can source any of these items second-hand via friends or charity stores. Practices like this will help you to work towards a zero-waste lifestyle. Attempt to reduce your use of packaging by trying zero waste stores which allow you to fill up the same containers, each time. 

5. Declutter & Recycle

Declutter your home and ensure that you recycle or sell the items you do not need so that nothing is wasted. To make your recycling easier, shop mindfully and only choose products that can be recycled, are biodegradable or which have a long lifespan. Most items are made easy to recycle via our waste disposal companies. Yet, with electrical items, you may need to do a little research on safe and legal disposal. For your home ware, prioritize fibers like hemp, jute, bamboo or seagrass. Materials like these are less harmful to the environment in their production and are also easily recycled. 

6. Fix Drafts & Upgrade Insulation

Drafts in your windows and doors result in a waste of energy and high heating bills. Ensure to fix any drafts pronto and also look into upgrading the insulation in your walls and loft if necessary. If you have a newer property, you may not need to make such changes. In this case, look to renewable solutions for your energy provider, to reduce your carbon footprint this way. You’d be surprised how much a few home maintenance projects can help you to improve the energy efficiency of your home!