Making environmentally conscious shopping choices

Being environmentally friendly can be tricky to maintain, especially when everything seems to come wrapped in plastic (that can take anywhere from 20 to 500 years to decompose!). It can also be difficult to know where to start, or what things can even be made to be reusable. Therefore this article will aim to show a few ways you can create some environmentally friendly shopping choices, as well as save a bit of money in the process!

Reusable Cups

If you’re anything like me, an iced coffee treat has quickly become a near-everyday occurrence and can add up to a lot of wasted one-use plastic. However, investing in a reusable cup can mean you’ll save not only money, as many coffee shops often give a small discount if you bring in your own cup but also to reduce plastic waste and pollution. In as little as 10 uses, a reusable cup has a lower carbon equivalent than using the same number of disposable ones and over its lifetime, over 10.3kg of CO2e can be saved. If Costa is your coffee shop of choice, they also give double points for every time you use your reusable cup so for every 4 drinks (instead of 8), you buy you’ll get a free one. Along with this, investing in a water bottle and a reusable straw can help to save even more plastic as well as remind you to drink more water, especially as the weather warms up.

Laundry Alternatives

Laundry pods are evidenced to contain PVA, a plastic which is not biodegradable and with over 20 million pods used every year, they’re another area that can be improved upon environmentally. Eco eggs are a great alternative. They’re a laundry egg which is both a detergent and conditioner. It is also quoted to not contain nasty enzymes, chlorine bleaches, phosphates, parabens, SLS/SLES or palm oil. They last for around 70 washes meaning they can also save you money, as a new egg is around £10 with re-fills costing around £5. In addition, another company called SMOL do a range of refillable and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. They also offer free trials via their website too!

Food Shopping

Another helpful switch to make is in the supermarket. Food is usually always wrapped in plastic and can be hard to avoid. Even when buying loose fruit or vegetables, these are often picked up in plastic bags. To try and reduce plastic use in your next shop, try using the market for fresh fruit and vegetables, they’re often cheaper and grown locally too! Lincoln has a stand on the High Street that is there Friday through Sunday. Additionally, instead of plastic bags, cloth ones can be bought for around 30p in most shops and reused each time. There are also two fully eco shops located in Lincoln! One is at the top of Steep Hill, but if you understandably don’t fancy the walk there’s also one located above Rock Retro Vintage. You can get lots of different refillable foods, such as sweets, spices, nuts and cereals. They also have lots of reusable products so it’s differently worth checking it out to give you some ideas on how to make your shopping more environmentally conscious!