5 Little Changes You Can Make to Help the Environment

The project of saving the planet can seem a little daunting sometimes. Whether we’re searching every corner of our home for old bags for life, cleaning out a little yoghurt pot or scanning the back of a water bottle for the right symbol, we’re always hit with the same invasive thought: am I really making a difference?

Alone? Maybe not. But if everyone’s thinking the same thing then, together, we just might be! On that note, here are some little changes that we can all make to help the environment.

Get yourself a metal straw

One of the key recycling initiatives in recent years has been about eliminating single-use plastics. The world produces 335 million metric tonnes of plastic every year. Only a very small percentage of that gets recycled, with the rest either ending up in oceans or piling up in landfills. Single-use plastic straws make up a much larger chunk of that statistic than you might think, so get yourself a metal straw!

Buy loose fruit and veg

One simple way we can all use less plastic is by buying loose fruit and vegetables. Much of the produce we buy doesn’t need to be packaged and, in line with this, some high-street chains like M&S have launched lines of loose fruit and vegetables, giving shoppers more options.

A second benefit of this is that we can buy the amount we need – not the amount that’s been packaged. Ultimately, this will help to combat food waste.

Ditch the fast fashion mindset 

“Mindset” is the key word here. Some fast fashion brands are capable of creating clothes which can stand the test of time but, due to their seasonal nature, we rarely keep them long enough to find this out. So, rather than just buying an outlandish top which you know will make you shudder in a year’s time – buy clothes to keep.

If you can buy quality – even better. You’ll have less clothes, sure, but the ones you have will last for years – maybe decades.

Eat less meat and dairy

Cutting down on your dairy and meat intake, even if it’s just a modest reduction, could have a positive impact on the environment. 5.2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide is produced annually by the meat industry, so even a dent in this figure would amount to huge reduction.

Help local wildlife

Helping the environment isn’t all about waste reduction, you can do your bit whilst pottering around in the garden. 

If you’re a fan of wildlife, there’s a whole host of things that you can do. Hedgehogs numbers are in decline in the UK, so if you’re lucky enough to have them in your garden, supplement their natural diet by leaving out food such as tinned dog or cat food, crushed dog biscuits or sunflower hearts.

And if you would like to make your garden frog friendly, why not create a little pond?

 

Enfield Skips are an environmentally conscious skip hire company, recycling at least 90% of the waste we receive. For more information on our services across Enfield, Cheshunt, Hoddesdon, Potter’s Bar, Finchley, Barnet, Broxbourne and beyond, please contact a member of our team today!