Greening Your Work-From-Home Routine

 

PENCINTA ALAM DECEMBER 2020

GREEN LIVING COLUMN

GREENING YOUR WORK-FROM-HOME ROUTINE

By Wong Ee Lynn wongeelynn@yahoo.com / gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com

 

As the world grows more accustomed to the idea that the Covid19 pandemic is here to stay and that the precautions we have adopted as part of “the new normal” are gradually becoming an essential part of our lives and daily routines, we will need to make arrangements for working and studying from home, either as a permanent arrangement, or as something we may need to do intermittently for certain periods of time whenever there is an outbreak and a Movement Control Order and a school closure order is declared.

 

If you are working from home, you may find that it is not as sustainable and economical a lifestyle change as you initially thought it would be. You may find that your electricity use has gone up, or that you are still driving almost daily to eat out or run errands, or that you are accumulating a lot of unwanted plastic and paper packaging from online shopping and food deliveries.

 

Here are ways you can make your work-from-home and online learning situation more sustainable and less wasteful:

 

1.     CARVE OUT A WORKSTATION OR HOME OFFICE FROM YOUR EXISTING SPACE.

 

Ikea and other popular home furnishing stores are full of shoppers buying cheap desks and chairs so that they can create workstations and home offices for working and studying from home. This increases consumption and waste. In addition, we should not be spending money unnecessarily at a time of global economic uncertainty. Cheap furniture is often not built to last and is constructed out of plastic, laminated fibreboard, or Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF), all materials that are not durable, compostable, or biodegradable, and may contain toxic or harmful compounds such as formaldehyde.

 

Instead of buying new furniture, carve out a workspace in your home by decluttering, tidying up, and organizing your existing space. A dining table, dressing table, or breakfast nook will provide you with the space you need once the clutter has been cleared. “Shop” your home for boxes, binders, writing materials, scrap paper, and other office supplies. Choose a spot that already has lighting and a fan, so you don’t have to buy a table lamp or standing fan.

 

 

2.     HAVE A SHARED WORKSPACE WITH FAMILY MEMBERS OR HOUSEMATES.

 

It is only logical that your home energy consumption will increase if each family member is working in his or her own bedroom or a separate workstation, as all the lights, fans, and air-conditioning units will be switched on. Try to see if you can agree on working in a shared space to cut down on energy consumption. Perhaps the dining table or a large table in the living room can be cleared and designated as the family workstation where everyone does their work. Earphones or headphones can be used by those who need to listen to music or webinars as they work. Alternatively, separate workstations can be carved out in areas such as the family room, living room, or dining room, and the bedrooms can be designated as work-free zones, except when someone needs to attend a zoom meeting in a room with the door closed.

 

3.     LIMIT YOUR WORK AND STUDY HOURS.

 

As there are no restrictions as to what time we need to commence and stop working, we may find that we are working late into the night, or on the weekends. This is not only physically and psychologically unhealthy for us as we are then mentally constantly switched on, it can also be bad for the environment if our devices and appliances are constantly left running.

 

Decide on the major tasks you need to complete before the day is over and block off the time for work. Stop when the tasks are complete, and tidy your space and switch off your devices, screens, and appliances entirely. Setting clear boundaries on work hours and rest hours will be better for your health, as well as reduce your energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

4.     VENTILATE, NOT AIR-CONDITION, YOUR SPACE.

 

 

The biggest energy vampire in our homes as we work from home more frequently is almost certainly air-conditioning units.

 

A window air-conditioning unit runs on 1.2 kilowatts. A ceiling fan uses only 30 watts. A fan, therefore, uses less than 1% of the energy it takes to run an air-conditioning unit! Switch to using a fan instead of air-conditioning.

 

If your fan does not feel cool enough, remove clutter out of its way, clean your fan blades regularly, and place your workstation under a ceiling fan or in front of a standing or tabletop fan.

 

Take a cold shower before you start working to keep you alert and feeling refreshed, as well as cool your body down.

 

You can also DIY a “poor man’s air conditioning unit” by putting bottles of ice water in front of your table fan so that it blows cold air in your direction.

 

If the room really is too stuffy and warm without air-conditioning, switch the air-conditioning unit on for around 1 hour until the room cools down. Then switch off the air-conditioning unit and let the fan circulate the cool air in your work area.

 

 

5.     REDUCE TAKEOUTS AND FOOD DELIVERY.

 

Having food delivered to you can save time, especially when you need to focus on work, but it can also have a large carbon footprint and generate waste. Food delivery riders consume fuel to deliver food to you, and the food often comes in excessive plastic and paper packaging. While paper and cardboard food packaging may be compostable and less harmful to wildlife, their production process consumes a lot of land, water, and resources, and requires the cutting down of trees.

 

Practice prepping food in advance for the week, e.g. by cooking larger portions of pasta, rice, soups, and curries, and freezing them (in freezer-friendly reusable containers, not in plastic bags!) so that they can be reheated and consumed throughout the workweek.

 

Freezing food for reheating later also works for when you are buying food from restaurants. Make one trip out to run errands and purchase food every 3-7 days and bring your own containers with you to take out food from your favourite restaurants and food courts. Label your food containers before putting them in the freezer so you remember what you have available and when it was purchased. Leave a note to yourself on your refrigerator door or whiteboard to remind you to eat the food in the freezer or refrigerator.

 

If you have no other choice but to have food delivered to you, choose restaurants that are nearest to you to reduce the amount of fuel used by the delivery riders or drivers. Since you are working from home, be sure to inform the restaurant or delivery platform that you will not be needing disposable utensils. Try to order from restaurants that use compostable food packaging. Plastic takeout containers that are undamaged and have been used only for halal food can be donated to What A Waste Malaysia for their food rescue missions. Wash and dry the containers and match them with their lids, and drop them off at any of What A Waste MY’s designated collection points (Check their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/whatawasteMY/).

 

 

6.     LIMIT DRIVING AND RUNNING ERRANDS TO DESIGNATED DAYS.

 

We should not be driving as much as we used to when we were working in offices, yet here we are, driving out to run errands each day. Combine your errands and get them done on the same day. Instead of driving out to the shops when you need a break from work, do some gardening, engage in housework and home improvement projects that require physical exertion, or take a walk and go plogging when you are bored. Designate at least 1 day a week as a No-Drive or Car-Free Day.

 

 

 

If you found these tips useful and have feedback to share, or if you have ideas of your own on how to make working from home more sustainable, email us at wongeelynn@yahoo.com and gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com!

Breaking Free From Online Shopping

 

PENCINTA ALAM NOVEMBER 2020

GREEN LIVING COLUMN

BREAKING FREE FROM ONLINE SHOPPING

By Wong Ee Lynn wongeelynn@yahoo.com / gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com

 

(Original artwork by Ju Lienne Seet, reproduced with permission. Visit: https://www.facebook.com/cupofju1)

 

When the Movement Control Order was declared as a measure to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, many people found themselves resorting to online shopping on platforms such as Lazada and Shopee in order to purchase items that they were not able to obtain due to the closure of shops. 6 months later, the environmental impact of our online shopping habit is all too apparent as news portals around the world report of an increase in packaging and unwanted consumer goods being disposed of in landfills or dumped in donation bins and charity shops. We know that having an online shopping habit is not good for our wallets or for the environment. What can we do to reduce our reliance on online shopping, and to reduce shopping in general? Here are some tried-and-tested tips that may work:

 

1.     CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT FIRST.

Before you click on the checkout button, think first – what is the impact of this item on the environment? How many times do you think it will be used? What happens to it at the end of its useful life? Can it be easily composted? Is it generally accepted for recycling? Can it be repaired? Is it absolutely essential?

 

2.     REPURPOSE AND REPAIR BEFORE YOU SHOP.

Online shopping is attractive because the items are often so very cheap. This is because someone else is paying the price of these goods. Mother Earth pays the price when items are manufactured without pollution control and environmental quality safeguards. Low-income workers -- often migrants, convicts, and refugees – pay the price with their health and safety by accepting work for very low wages and without health insurance or protective equipment in order to produce cheap toys, clothing, ornaments, and household items. Before buying something new, consider first if the item it is meant to replace could be repaired, and if another item could be repurposed and reused. Electrical and electronic appliances and devices can often be repaired. Glass jars, storage boxes, linens, and clothes can all be cleaned up and given an upgrade and reused around the home.

 

3.     CONSIDER IF YOU ARE ENGAGING IN EMOTIONAL SHOPPING.

People usually shop when they are bored, stressed out, or feeling anxious or depressed, not because they actually need something new. If you find yourself gravitating towards online shopping apps and websites when bored or feeling down, you may need to uninstall the apps, unsubscribe from newsletters and catalogues, and remove websites from your bookmarks and browser. Recognise your emotions for what they are – you are feeling frustrated with work, and a new pair of shoes or set of curtains will not solve your work problems with you. Learn another way to cope with difficult emotions. Find another activity that is pleasurable, and each time you find yourself mindlessly browsing shopping apps or sites, stop yourself and gravitate towards the other more wholesome and productive activity instead. Read a chapter of a book, take a walk, have a cup of tea outdoors, walk your dog, do a puzzle or brain teaser on your phone, do 10 minutes of language practice on a language learning app, or tidy a box or drawer instead.

 

4.     CONSIDER THE NUMBER OF YEARS YOU HAVE EXISTED WITHOUT NEEDING THAT PARTICULAR ITEM.

Advertising is designed to appeal to our insecurities. After viewing an online ad, we often feel as though owning a said item will improve the quality of our lives tremendously. This is often not true, and we know it based on our past experiences. The people around us rarely notice or admire our new clothes, hairstyle, or shoes. Our homes become cluttered once more. Exercise machines end up becoming expensive towel holders and toe-stubbers. Chances are, if we have existed for 30+ number of years without a particular item, we can survive the rest of our lives without it.

 

5.     RESEARCH AND READ ONLINE REVIEWS BEFORE ORDERING SOMETHING.

Do your research and look up reviews of items (down to the brand and model) online  before clicking on the Add To Cart button. Many products fail to deliver on their promises. Many non-medical devices promise to correct your posture, bunions, overbite, poor eyesight, or dry skin, and almost none of them work. You can avoid falling for false advertising with a little diligent research.

 

6.     MAKE YOURSELF A 30-DAY PROMISE

For example, make a deal with yourself that if you run 5 km a day, 5 days a week, for one month, you may finally buy yourself those new running shoes or a treadmill. If you make yourself a healthy breakfast at home every day for 30 days, you may buy the juicer or bullet blender you have been eyeing. By the end of 30 days, you may find that you have succeeded in establishing a new habit without the help of the item you wanted to buy, and decide to forgo buying it altogether.

 

7.     GIVE YOURSELF A ONE-MONTH ONLINE SHOPPING MORATORIUM

Tell yourself: November is No Shopping Month. Inform a partner or close friend as an accountability partner if necessary. This may help you break out of the habit of browsing shopping sites when bored and adding things to your cart simply because they are cheap and may come in useful at a later stage.

 

8.     STOP HOARDING PURCHASES AS GIFTS OR JUST-IN-CASE ITEMS

Many of the things we hoard or pre-buy often end up becoming clutter. Gifts bought months ahead of birthdays and special occasions become obsolete or irrelevant as the date draws closer. Canned food expire before being consumed. Quilt covers and sofa protectors bought in advance turn out not to fit the new quilt or sofa. Buy things as and when they become needed, not in advance just because it is cheap. If something is useful and popular, it will probably still be available when you need it and search for it again.

 

9.     IDENTIFY WHAT YOU ASPIRE TO ACHIEVE WITH A NEW PURCHASE.

Most purchases are aspirational. We buy things for the person we hope to be – we want to be fitter, slimmer, or more well-read, or we want to cook at home more, entertain guests more often, or hike more, so we buy things that we think will help us achieve those goals. But often we can achieve those goals without buying something new. We can go hiking and jogging in the shoes we already have, cook with the utensils we already have, entertain in the home we already have, and read the books we already have. Focus on your goal and the journey, not on the things you do not have that you believe will bring you closer to your goals.

 

10.  BRING YOUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT.

We often browse shopping sites when bored. To break out of this habit, bring your own book or magazine with you when going to places where you may have to wait. Download brain training games, audiobooks, podcasts, and e-books onto your devices. Browse websites related to nature and the environment instead of shopping sites.

 

11.  SAVE THE PICTURES OF THE THINGS YOU WANT TO BUY.

It is natural to like and want new things and beautiful things. But we don’t have to buy and own everything we see. Sometimes, having the pictures to look at and admire is enough to satisfy your need for the particular item. Maybe as time goes by and your tastes change, you will delete the photo from your device without feeling the urge to want to buy it any longer.

 

12.  DIY YOUR OWN.

Many things can be easily DIY-ed with a little creativity. Old furniture and plant pots can be painted and decorated, clothes and tote bags can be jazzed up, and posters can be found online, printed out and framed. DIY-ing your own items will also give you a sense of pride that shopping can’t.

 

If all the tips above fail and you still end up purchasing certain things online because you need them and cannot find them anywhere else, remember to at least recycle the packaging. Black out names and addresses on the package labels. Remove plastic wrapping and bubble wrap carefully so that they can be reused by others. Flatten cardboard boxes for recycling. Offer plastic bags, cardboard boxes, and bubble wrap to local shops, especially zero waste stores and small home-based businesses, that can reuse them. Donate bubble wrap and courier bags to organisations such as Hara Makers and Reimagine Plastic so they can reuse the plastic wrap and bags in their upcycling projects. Donate bubble wrap to craftsmen and artisans, for example, woodcarvers in the Orang Asli community and local potters and sculptors, so they can wrap up fragile purchases for their customers.

 

If you found these tips useful and have feedback to share, or if you have ideas of your own on how to limit online shopping, email us at wongeelynn@yahoo.com and gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com!

Eco Kids Column, Sept 2017: Alternatives to Disposable Cutlery and Plastic Straws

PENCINTA ALAM SEPTEMBER 2017

ECO KIDS COLUMN

ALTERNATIVES TO DISPOSABLE CUTLERY AND PLASTIC STRAWS

By Wong Ee Lynn. wongeelynn@yahoo.com / gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com

 

 

We all know that disposable items, be it diapers, party ware, straws, paper napkins and food takeout containers, are not good for the environment. Far too much energy and resources go into the manufacturing of these single-use products. Most of these products cannot be recycled or composted. Paper plates, plastic bags, plastic food containers, straws and plastic cutlery, even if they bear the recyclable logo (i.e. the triangular Mobius loop), are not accepted for recycling once they are contaminated by food, grease and water.

 

Further, the cost of recycling these items can be much higher than manufacturing new ones from scratch, since it would include the cost of collecting, sorting, washing and processing the used materials, which the manufacturer would not have to do when producing these items from petroleum and other raw materials. As such, most manufacturers would opt not to accept used plastics for recycling. Even if disposables could be recycled or composted, most of its environmental impact occurs ‘upstream’, that is, in manufacturing and transportation, before these products are even used.

 

Once these products are used and thrown away, they end up filling up landfills and making their way into streams, rivers and oceans. Straws and plastic cutlery have been found in the noses, throats and stomachs of turtles, whales and other marine animals. Volunteers participating in beach clean-ups can confirm that a lot of the rubbish collected from beaches consist of plastic cutlery and plastic straws.

 

The reason why plastic cutlery and straws are so widely used are as follows:

1.      It is cheaper than permanent washable metal cutlery and straws or compostable cutlery and straws made from plants.

2.      It is convenient and businesses do not have to worry about collecting used cutlery and straws for washing.

 

However, it is irresponsible and unkind to keep doing something that we know is harmful to the environment and animals just because it is cheap and convenient.

 

Making toys, lampshades, coasters and placemats from used plastic straws and cutlery is NOT a solution since it does not reduce the demand for, or the production of, the said products. Further, once the plastic turns brittle, you would have to throw the items away, and they would still end up in landfills and in our soil and water. It is better not to accept and use disposable plastic cutlery and straws in the first place.

 

Here are some of the alternatives to disposable cutlery and plastic straws:

 

1.      Avoid buying plastic straws or cutlery to use at home or for parties. If you don’t keep them in the house, nobody will be tempted to use them. People often go for the most convenient option out of laziness, so don’t create that option in the first place.

2.      When you are ordering takeout or food delivery, specify “NO CUTLERY OR STRAW, PLEASE.” No restaurant or fast food outlet would turn down your request since it would save them money.

3.      Get in the habit of drinking without a straw. You can safely drink from most cups, glasses, mugs, bottles and cans. Give the tops of canned drinks a quick rinse with water if you have concerns about their cleanliness. There is no guarantee that plastic straws are any cleaner than the cups or cans you are drinking out of. Most plastic straws are handled by human hands in restaurants or exposed to dust and dirt after all.

4.      Paper straws may seem like a compostable and more environmentally-friendly option, but they often require more water, energy and resources to manufacture. Since paper straws are disposable and are produced from wood pulp and therefore require the cutting down of trees, they are still a less-than-ideal alternative to plastic straws.

5.      Bioplastics, or plastics made from plants, algae or microorganisms, may sound like a good alternative to conventional petroleum-based disposable plastic products. The two most common bioplastics used for food containers and disposable tableware are PLA and PHA, which are plastics made from corn. The advantages of bioplastics is that they are made from plants, a renewable resource. They use less energy and emit less carbon dioxide than conventional plastics. They also do not have the same known health risks as petroleum-based plastics. However, there are disadvantages to producing and using bioplastics. Bioplastics can reduce food supply when valuable farming land is used to produce corn and other crops for bioplastics, instead of for growing food crops for humans and animals. Fossil fuel-based fertilisers and pesticides are often used in growing crops for bioplastics. Because bioplastics look similar to conventional plastics, they often end up in recycling bins, where they contaminate conventional plastics in the recycling plants. If bioplastics break down in the landfill, they release methane, a greenhouse gas. Therefore, it is better to avoid switching from conventional disposable plastic products to bioplastics, except when you have no other option available and have to choose between the two.

6.      Invest in a stainless steel, glass or bamboo straw and a set of steel cutlery or a Spork, and bring it with you whenever you go out so that you will not have to accept disposable plastic cutlery or straws. Remember to inform the service staff at the point of ordering your food that you do not want a straw or disposable cutlery. Do not inform them only after your food or drink has arrived.

7.      You may wish to bring an extra set of steel cutlery to lend to a friend when you go out to eat, especially when you eat at fast food outlets, food courts or food truck stops. Take a bag or container with you to bring the used cutlery home for washing if there is no soap and water where you are going.

8.      If you are travelling to a place where hygiene and clean water supply is an issue, bring some compostable bamboo or plant-based cutlery and straws with you and use these instead. You may also wish to bring biodegradable plates and cups with you when buying food and beverages from roadside stalls to avoid having to accept plastic bags, Styrofoam food containers or less-than-clean plates and cutlery.

9.      If your neighbourhood food court or school canteen is using disposable cutlery, write to the food court or canteen operator to persuade them to switch to washable, reusable and durable cutlery. Tell them how much money they will save in the long run from replacing disposables with reusables.

10.  Write to your favourite restaurants and cafes or leave a message on their Facebook pages requesting them to replace disposable plastic straws with reusable steel straws, bamboo straws or natural and compostable alternatives such as reeds, vegan candy tubes such as Twizzlers with the ends snipped off (as recommended by eco-friendly lifestyle guru Danny Seo) and papaya leaf stems (as practiced by Down-To-Earth restaurant in Ubud, Bali).

 

It may take you a while to adjust to not using a straw or disposable cutlery, and having to remember to carry your reusable straws and cutlery with you, but your efforts will go a long way towards preventing wildlife deaths and plastic pollution.

 

 

 

(Image from the Tak Nak Straw Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TakNakStraw/)

 

The Hive Bulk Foods Shop Visit and Other Zero Waste Tips

PENCINTA ALAM JUNE 2017

GREEN LIVING COLUMN
THE HIVE BULK FOODS SHOP VISIT AND OTHER ZERO-WASTE TIPS
By Wong Ee Lynn
(wongeelynn@yahoo.com / gl.mnselangor@yahoo.com)

 

Hidden away in a tidy and welcoming house in Jalan Telawi 9, Bangsar, is The Hive Bulk Foods, a cooperative that works with local organic farmers and the Orang Asli community. It offers organic groceries, packaging-free grains, cereals and seeds in bulk (customers bring their own jars and containers) and sustainable, low-waste products including personal care products and household cleaning products.

 

Set up by zero-waste blogger and activist Claire Sancelot, The Hive Bulk Foods carries items that are not easily available in Malaysia such as shampoo bars (do away with the plastic pump bottles and extra fuel miles needed to transport them!), compostable bamboo toothbrushes (since conventional plastic toothbrushes are NOT recyclable and should not be put into the recycling bins!), washable and reusable sanitary pads, reusable stainless steel straws and travel-sized cutleries to replace disposable utensils.

 

From the food section, customers are able to purchase packaging-free spices, dehydrated fruits, nuts, cereal, granola, rice, cacao nibs, coffee grounds, rolled oats, grains, herbal teas, Himalayan salt, and many varieties of organic flour, among others.

 

Shops such as The Hive Bulk Foods offer consumers more sustainable options to conventional groceries and goods. From a social justice point of view, The Hive empowers local organic farmers and producers, including the Orang Asli communities, and contributes to the local economy while cutting down on the fuel miles of transporting organic products from distant places.

 

Some of the products may appear expensive. However, one must take into account the fact that conventional goods and industries are often heavily subsidized and therefore cheaper, and consumers do not have to bear the cradle-to-grave costs of producing, using and disposing of conventional products such as plastic bags and disposable diapers.

 

If the public had to pay for the cost of cleaning up waterways, reforesting degraded land, rehabilitating wildlife and building and maintaining landfills, people would change their minds very quickly about going for the more convenient but more damaging options! Also, in the long run, reusable items such as tiffin carriers, handkerchiefs, cloth kitchen towels, cloth diapers and reusable cloth sanitary pads will serve you better than single-use products and save you money.

 

The Hive Bulk Foods’ official website is www.thehivebulkfoods.com and their Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/thehivebulkfoods/.

 

The shop is located at 16, Telawi 9, Bangsar and is open from 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. from Mondays to Saturdays. They are closed on Sundays.

 

Here are ways we can all make zero-waste adjustments to our lives whether or not we live near a cool cooperative like The Hive Bulk Foods:

1.      Determine what it is that you are disposing the most of. Those items should be your priority. Therefore, you should be more concerned over the plastic-and-foil coffee pods and disposable diapers that you discard daily, than about purchasing a bamboo bicycle, organic cotton bedsheets, or item of furniture that is used for decades.

 

2.      Replace these items that you most frequently dispose of with the washable and reusable alternatives. To make the habit of using washable and reusable items work for you, you may find that you will need to purchase or make enough of the reusable item, and keep enough of it in places where they are most needed. Therefore, keep plenty of kitchen rags and towels in the kitchen, and have enough handkerchiefs, cloth sanitary pads and cloth diapers to last you at least a week. These items do not take up much space in the washing machine or washbasin and soon become just as convenient as using disposables, once you get in the habit of using them daily. Besides, tissue paper, wet wipes, paper towels, disposable diapers and disposable sanitary pads all require a lot of water, resources and fuel to produce, package and transport to you and deal with once they are disposed of. Having to wash reusable items is therefore still less wasteful and damaging to the environment than using disposable items.

 

3.      Replace 3-in-1 beverage mixes (generally, coffee, tea and breakfast beverages) with loose tea leaves, herbal tea mixes or coffee grounds, preferably organic and fairtrade / UTZ-certified. Those plastic-and-foil sachets that beverage mixes come in cannot be recycled and very soon adds up. Get in the habit of making and mixing your own drinks instead of relying on the convenient but unhealthy, wasteful and environmentally-damaging habit of buying pre-mixed drinks in plastic sachets.

 

4.      If you are using contact lenses, consider switching to glasses or opting for corrective eye surgery. Using contact lenses requires you to purchase lenses, cleaning solutions and disinfectants that come in a lot of packaging.

 

5.      If there are no packaging-free shopping options where you live, buy items that you use the most of in bulk and in the largest size packaging available. Opt for packaging that is recyclable or reusable, for example, pet food in large lidded pails that can be used for other purposes, or laundry detergent powder in large buckets that can be refilled with loose soap powder in refill packs.

 

6.      Bring your reusable shopping bags, handkerchief, beverage bottle and food container with you whenever you leave the house. Keep a few extras in your bag or car just in case.

 

7.      If you are in the habit of using disposable wet wipes, consider making your own reusable ones here: http://mnsgreenliving.blogspot.my/2015/06/greener-alternatives-to-wet-wipes.html

 

8.      Opt to dine in rather than take away your food to reduce packaging. When purchasing drinks in paper or plastic cups, request for ‘no lid and no straw’ to cut down on plastic waste.

 

9.      Store food in lidded jars and containers, rather than use clingfilm and kitchen foil. Some websites recommend beeswax cloth reusable ‘clingwrap’ and cloth snack bags. Do go with the option that is the most convenient and practical for you. It would also make sense for you to use the containers and empty jars that you already have, rather than buy something new.

 

10.  In the bathroom, use a face flannel rather than makeup remover wipes and cotton balls, and exfoliate yourself with a pumice stone or salt or sugar scrub instead of commercial cleansers containing microbeads.