How can you do your part? There are several products that earth-conscious consumers can use to minimize their environmental impact.
Reusable Shopping Bags
In cities where plastic bag bans are in effect, reusable shopping bags are the only way to bring your groceries and other items home. Reusable bags can be found everywhere – in grocery stores, retail stores, and even gas stations.
Reusable bags are typically inexpensive to purchase and provide hundreds of uses before needing to be replaced.
When shopping for reusable bags, you’ll find that there a variety of materials to choose from, including:
- Reusable cotton canvas bags
- Jute
- Woven synthetic fibers
- Thick plastic
- Hemp
- Polypropylene
- Nylon
- Polyester
- Recycled PET
Each material has its own advantages and disadvantages, but they all do the same thing: provide an eco-friendly way to carry your items.
Reusable Lunch Bags
Before brown paper bags were available everywhere, people brought their lunches to work and school in reusable bags and boxes. Many people still use lunch boxes today, but a large percentage do not.
Lunch bags come in a variety of sizes, designs, shapes, and materials. And most are surprisingly inexpensive.
Along with reusable bags, there are other items that consumers can purchase to make their lunches virtually waste-free, including:
- Reusable utensils
- Reusable sandwich and snack bags
- Reusable food containers
- Reusable water bottles
- Reusable stainless steel or glass straws
- Cloth napkins
- Reusable to-go boxes
Switching to reusable lunch items can also save money, as there’s no need to continuously purchase more bags.
When you’re ready to dispose of your reusable snack bags, they degrade in less than 45 days.
Eco-Friendly Diaper Bags
Conventional diaper bags come in a variety of materials, including canvas, cotton, leather, vinyl, and polyester. Many of these materials take a toll on the environment to produce.
Eco-friendly diaper bags provide a better alternative. Parents can now purchase bags made of recycled material. Many companies are also offering fashion-forward designs that allow the bag to transition from diaper bag to a tote or purse.
Some bags, like Maggie Bags Diaper Bags, are made from recycled seatbelts. Others, like the Fleurville ReRun, are made from PET-recycled and PVC-free materials. These materials are easier on the environment and healthier for the little one, too.
Eco-Friendly Litter Boxes
Made of plastic, cat litter boxes can be toxic to the environment when thrown away. Now, there are eco-friendly options for cat owners that don’t sacrifice on cleanliness.
Eco-friendly litter boxes are available that are made of 100% recycled material. These are a great option for pet owners on a budget.
One of the most environmentally-friendly options is a self-cleaning litter box. These litter boxes prevent waste by ensuring that only the pet’s waste is dumped.
Some boxes use water to flush and clean the box after each use. These litter boxes use reusable beads that look and feel like disposable cat litter.