Be A Climate Hero by Swapping These 4 Products

The constant news stories about how plastic is polluting our environment and bodies can feel overwhelming. It seems like the problem is too big for any of us make a difference! Don’t put that ‘made from recyclable material’ cape away yet, though. You can be a Climate Hero by making small, simple swaps in the products you use every day. While they may seem like tiny changes, it will definitely add up over time especially if you use these items a lot.

1. Coffee Pods

In my house, we love our caffeine. We have at least ten different tea varieties in our cupboard, and we received a pod coffee machine for our wedding that we use every day. If you use Nespresso pods, check for recycling points near you. Personally, I couldn’t stand the thought of throwing out dozens of aluminium pods every week, so we opted for Republica coffee pods, which decompose at the same rate as an orange peel.

2. Tea Bags

Here’s the good news on the tea front. While tea bags are often made and sealed with plastic, many brands are finding alternatives that don’t contain plastic. My two favourite tea brands, Twinings and T2, have both gone plastic-free when it comes to tea bags, as well as Pukka, and Lipton’s Quality Black and Intense ranges. Sadly Bushells, Nerada, Madura and Tetley all currently use some plastic in their tea bags. If you want to play it safe, opt for loose-leaf tea!

3. Wet Wipes

If you follow the Electrodry blog you might have heard about the catastrophe that is the wet wipe. Although marketed as ‘flushable’, wet wipes contain plastic and don’t break down in sewers. Instead, they congeal into ‘fatbergs’, block pipes and wreak environmental chaos. Just this year, a fatberg was discovered in an England sewer that was the size of five buses! But thankfully, there are plenty of alternatives. For removing makeup, try the MakeUp Eraser or use makeup remover on a face washer or reusable cotton pad. For baby wipes, try any of the many biodegradable eco versions or reusable options.

4. Cling Wrap

I love the capacity for cling wrap to cover my food in the fridge, but there’s so much I don’t love about it. It sticks to itself, and it always feels like such a waste to cover half an avocado in cling wrap when I know it will get used later in the day. Enter beeswax wraps! These wraps are generally cotton or other fabric mixed with beeswax and oil, making the wrap waterproof and clingy (like cling wrap). Get the convenience of cling wrap without the waste!