In 2018, I became really passionate about trying to change our household into a more sustainable, zero-waste friendly home. I’ve made some small changes to everyday life which all together I hope make a big difference. There’s still more to do and this feels like just the start, so if anyone has tips on where to go from here, drop me a comment! Here are 10 changes I made in 2018:

1. Re-useable Make-up Wipes

Of all the rooms that can be easily changed into a more zero-waste area, the bathroom feels like it has a lot of potential. My first switch last year was to swap out disposable make up remover wipes for re-useable pads – I was sick of filling up the bin every day with such a pointless amount of waste. I now have a big bulk sized bottle of mi-cellar water, and a stack of reuse-able pads which I wash in the machine. I bought 10, which cover me if I’m away on holiday for a while, or am being lazy about putting a wash in. I can honestly say this was my second best zero-waste buy of the year (my first is coming up soon) 😉

Cheeky Wipes: £6.95 for 5 pads

2. Shampoo bar

After I got rid of my pink hair (sad face) and don’t have to be so selective about my shampoo, I popped along to my local Lush and picked up one of their shampoo bars. They smell AMAZING and mine has so far lasted for an age! One bar is equivalent to 3 x 250g bottles! They come in zero-waste packaging and are cruelty free, so all round world-friendly.

Lush: £7.50

3. No chemical cleaners

The other room I thought could do with going eco-friendly was our kitchen. My first switch was to Ecover’s washing up liquid.. and now the whole of our cleaning cupboard is basically Ecover! Their products are plant based, meaning they are biodegradable and don’t harm the world’s water. We now use Ecover dishwasher tablets, washing powder, fabric softener and toilet cleaner. I’ve seen in some supermarkets that you can refill your empty bottles, so waiting patiently for my local to introduce that.

4. Clean power

In the summer, we switched over to clean, renewable energy. Before then, it was something that just hadn’t clicked before – Duh, we were going more eco-friendly, but I totally hadn’t considered power, even though its the most obvious thing. We now get our electricity from Bulb who get their energy from a range of renewable sources. It costs us the same amount of money, and I don’t feel guilty whenever we get our electric bill 🙂

5. Water Bottle

Ok, this is my number 1 zero-waste buy of 2018! I bought my first Chilly’s bottle on a whim, mainly because it was pretty, but since then I take it EVERYWHERE. I have a handy 250ml bottle which fits in my smallest handbag, and a larger 700ml bottle which I use for road trips and keeping in my rucksack for work. My Chilly’s have been around the world with me – you can refill in most London departure lounges, so I’m always well hydrated on a flight..for free! It’s been beneficial not just for the world, but also for me – I drink so much more water now! Having ice cold water at all times is such a nice simple pleasure.

Chilly’: £20 – £35

6. Bamboo sponges

These are my most recent purchase after realising that every time you use a regular sponge it releases microplastics into the water system. I bought Perfetto’s bamboo sponges from Amazon, and so far so good. You need a little bit more elbow grease to get rid of ground on stuff, but they definitely do the job!

Amazon: £5.68 for 2

7. Reuseable Coffee Cup

I have never been someone who goes and buys a coffee on the way to work everyday – firstly, too much money, secondly I’ve only really grown to love coffee in the past few years. Because of this, my coffee cup only gets an outing for road trips, but its been a game changer! Getting up early for weddings or shoots, and taking a nice warm drink with me is such a treat, and something I never get in the car without now (that, and my Chilly’s).

8. Bamboo make up brushes 

I recently went to get some new make up brushes as cycling to work now means I leave a make up bag at work everyday. I didn’t really realise you could buy Bamboo brushes until I walked into Boots and saw them there. I bought a set of Ecotools and absolutely love them. Mine are eye brushes only, but they’re fab! Will definitely be replacing my other make up brushes with the rest of their collection.

9. Bamboo Loo Roll

More bamboo…! My next move will be another bathroom game changer.. bamboo loo roll! Did you know bamboo grows 30x faster than regular trees? Me either until recently!

The Cheeky Panda: £5.22 for 9 rolls

10. Useable Cutlery Set 

For my birthday this year, a friend got me a portable stainless steel cutlery set. It sounds next level nerdy, but actually it’s so useful.  I usually have it in my bag if I am road tripping – I would normally pick up a salad at the services. Now I no longer have to grab their plastic cutlery 🙂

11. Biodegradable phone case 

A few months ago I swapped out my worn and old plastic phone case, for a new, biodegradable phone case from Pela. Yes.. my phone case can go in the compost, how cool is that?! While their phone cases may be slightly pricey, they look great and different editions support various ocean friendly causes. Mine was a Save The Waves special, so some of the profits from my purchase go to helping them. I get good vibes every time I look at my phone! Be prepared for it to take a while to arrive – Pela are a US company.

Pela – $35 – $39

12. Going vegan

I went vegan in November 2017 and am definitely not perfect – I have had a few times where I fell off the wagon, or because of limited options while travelling had to just be veggie. However, I can honestly say that I have never loved food as much as I do now – what I eat is so flavoursome and I feel like after every mouthful my body is saying thanks for giving it something nutritious and natural. I normally avoid conversations about veganism as everyone seems to have a stupidly strong opinion on it, and you normally get taken the piss out of or get into some argument with a meat lover. What I will say is that in a year, the stats speak for themselves: 7,300 lbs of carbon saved, 401,500 gallons of water saved (thats insane!), 10,950 sq ft of forest saved.. and 365 lives saved.

2018 has been full of small, and larger changes but it still feels like I’ve made the tiniest dent in being zero waste. Although we recycle, we still throw away a lot – most of it being unnecessary food packaging, which is my pet peeve! I’m hoping that we see some big changes in the food industry in 2019! I’ll keep on sharing my progress and tips.

To find out more about how I am making my business sustainable, check out my packages page!

Caroline x