How to reduce household waste? Efficient sorting in the various bins to recycle glass, paper, cardboard, metal and plastic can help you. Here are simple actions to put in place in your kitchen, your bathroom and more generally, your daily life.
Composting biodegradable waste
Did you know that a third of household waste is biodegradable? From 1 January 2024, it will be mandatory to recycle biodegradable waste. Organic food waste is ideal for making compost to reuse in a garden or for your indoor plants.
To do this, there are several solutions:
- If you are at home: install a composter in your garden or a chicken coop (chickens are very fond of food scraps).
- If you apparently live, opt for a vermicomposter. You can also try the "bokashi", an airtight composter from Japan.
- Some condominiums also offer bins in common areas.
- Finally, communities will be required to sort waste. Some cities therefore offer collective composters in the streets. Check with your town hall.
Buy products in bulk
Many stores now offer food or household products sold in bulk or in recyclable packaging. To do your shopping in bulk, especially in organic or specialized stores, remember to bring your own reusable containers. Also invest in cloth shopping bags: most supermarkets no longer carry plastic bags.
Avoiding food waste
Each French person throws away an average of 20 kg of food per year, including 7 kg of food still packaged. To avoid this mess, you can:
- Establish a menu of the week and buy just the necessary for your meals.
- Make soups, quiches, etc. when your vegetables start to look gray.
- Or jams, cakes or pies with your distraught fruit.
Cooking yourself is one of the keys to reducing waste in the kitchen and avoiding ready-made food packaging.
Use the basics for cleaning
For a more natural household, a few basic cleaning products may be enough: white vinegar, baking soda, soda crystals, Meudon white, Marseille soap or black soap, lemon, essential oils. The Internet is full of recipes to make your own cleaning (or beauty) products, from window washers to laundry and DIY dishwasher tablets.
Read alsoLabels, allergens: 4 criteria for choosing your laundry
Reduce purchases of disposable products
Say goodbye to cotton swabs, tissues and paper towels, which make up about 8% of your waste. Replace them with durable elements: reusable tea towels or wipes, washable make-up remover pads, washable sanitary napkins or menstrual panties, washable diapers, tissue tissues, earpicks (oriculi), reusable wax-coated fabrics... Most of the essentials of everyday life have a lasting equivalent.
Read alsoFive simple ideas to end plastic packaging
Focus on large format products
Bet on large format or family size containers (for example for shower gel, laundry, etc.) and refill them once empty. Opt for reusable formats as much as possible to save money and avoid wasting raw materials (paper, water, oil, etc.).
Move to solid
Many cosmetics and body care brands now offer a range of solid hygiene products: soap, shampoo, makeup remover, toothpaste, etc. with the aim of eliminating unnecessary overpackaging. Enjoy.
Read alsoTowards a green revolution in your bathroom: yes to zero waste solid products!
Put a Stop-Pub sticker on your mailbox
Using a Stop Ad on a mailbox is a simple gesture that avoids up to 35 kilos of waste per year. Your town hall can provide you with one for free, or you can make one yourself. To throw away less paper, avoid overprinting.
Drink tap water
To limit the use of plastic in your home and reduce waste, drink tap water instead of bottled water. If you are not satisfied with the taste of the water of city water, know that there are several alternatives to purify it and obtain water without taste or smell pleasant to consume. In the same idea, invest in reusable water bottles, rather than buying small plastic bottles.
Changing your habits
The French are used to regularly buying new products and throwing away objects that no longer work. To limit your household waste:
- Fix what can be fixed.
- Borrow items you rarely use.
- Resell or give away what no longer serves you.
Throw away less is possible: these tips will allow you to halve the household waste in your garbage can.
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