By Alice Bingham

In collaboration with The Clean Collective

Okay so we all watched the news a while back, when the Australian supermarkets decided it was time for customers to start bringing their own bags or paying a small fee for a reusable bag. It got me thinking though, the “war on waste” is so much more to me than just bringing my own bags to the weekly shop. I sat down and thought, “what else can I do personally to tread a little lighter on this earth I live on?”

I have to be completely honest, this journey has been a transition in our household, rather that a sudden big overnight change. Baby steps, but each small change has allowed me to feel like I really am starting to give the planet a little hug and a big fat I’m sorry. The last 18 months a lot has changed in our house hold. I make a lot of my cleaning products with homemade remedies and essential oils. Our baby and beauty toiletries are also all made by me or I buy a good quality organic product that I trust. Our medicine cabinet has had a clean up and major makeover and I could not be happier. I am happy with the small changes we are making and am proud to say that my self conscious is too. Plus it’s really important to me, to teach my little ones about the war on waste.

Recently on my instagram @aliceinhealthyland, I shared my fridge with my following on my insta story. There was one reply that really stood out to me. Someone telling me that they were a little disappointed to see how much food we brought that was wrapped in plastic. At first I was a little thrown back and told them, I had not done our usual shop at the spray free market as it was raining. Then even at my organic store they wrapped half watermelons in plastic, blah, blah. Cut myself some slack right? Well yes, but also it did make me open my eyes a little more and look a little deeper into how I personally can change these habits that are so cemented in us.

Here are some of the small changes we have been doing. Some for ages and some are some new new habits I have learnt from the guidance of team at The Clean Collective.

I have been using a Keep Cup for my daily takeaway hot drink for ages now. In fact most coffee places will give you a bonus for bringing your own. So far I have had, a small discount, a free hot drink, a bliss ball,  or an extra shot of coffee, all for bringing a my cup along. #winning. I also am loving my new Frank Green one, it has a great option for tea leafs as well as coffee. DID YOU KNOW? (Well I didn’t until yesterday) that a majority of our tea bags have plastic in them to make the bag…. WHAT THE? I am now a tea leaf girl for life. Thanks for sharing that on your insta @thecleancollective. If I am going to make a hot drink at work, I keep my own mug in my locker. Instead of using the hospitals lunch room, dreaded polystyrene cup…

Taking my own water bottle every where I go, including for the kiddies too. To the gym, to the shops, to the park, to coffee etc. This means its less tempting to buy a plastic bottle of water. Or I will buy a VOSS glass if I must. I love my Swell one. Its light and carries enough water to survive me to my next pit stop haha.

My lunchbox has have a major makeover. I use a reusable lunch box filled with either glass containers or stainless steel ones to store my food in. Plus I do think the stainless steel ones look very luxe. Plus they don’t allow any nasties to leach into our food. Loving my container by U-Konserve. I need to get more in different sizes. All my fruit and snacks like rice cakes are now wrapped in beeswax wraps. Yes they are so easy to clean and super easy to use.

Bringing my own shopping bags to the markets or food shop. I have been doing this for ages now, long before the big news break here in Aussie supermarkets. There are some really great options for shopping bags. In fact they have become quite a trend. Plus I think the checkout person packs them neater than a plastic bag. Yay!! We now not only take grocery bags, we also bring our own organic cotton mesh produce bags to the markets or supermarket. If we don’t have enough we just loosely put them in the bag or share once they have been weight. We have been loving the Ever Eco  draw string ones., they are big enough to fit plenty of the same veggies in them.

These are all of course small changes I have made. I know I can do more, we all can. I am learning and with learning I am changing.

For more tips on how you can reduce waste in your household or tread a little lighter on the earth, check out The Clean Collective at www.cleancollective.com, I will also be sharing tips on my platforms as well and continuing to share my journey with you all. As to me, I believe it is an important one.

For a a extra special thank you to my following for reading this blog. The Clean Collective have offered my following a discount that you can use at the checkout. Use ALICE5 of your future purchase.

Thank you for reading!

Big love,

Alice x