4 Game-Changing Sustainability Tips for 2024
With 2023 behind us, there’s no better time to look at expanding our sustainable horizons. It’s all about forming habits that stick, integrating tools that ease the transition, and above all, making it a team effort among friends, families, and communities. Because just like getting fit, when you involve friends you have a better chance of succeeding.
Here are four sustainable tips to not just keep on your radar but integrate into your day as we move forward into 2024.
Sustainability tips 1: The Compost Revolution: Reducing Waste, Growing Green
A single family household can cut back 50-80% of its waste through composting. It’s both earth-friendly and pocket friendly! Investing in a compost bin is more than just a smart move for your home garden – it’s a money-saving initiative that reduces organic waste. Even if you don’t want to compost at home Greyhound Recycling can do it for you.
Composting enriches soil, helps retain moisture, and keeps food scraps out of incineration, which is a good thing for the environment.
How to Start Composting at Home?
- Select a compost bin that suits your space and needs.
- Familiarize yourself with what you can and can’t compost – avoiding meat, dairy, and oil-based foods is a good start.
- Regularly turn or mix your compost to aerate it and speed up the decomposition process.
Your garden will thank you for the nutrient-dense organic matter, and your weekly waste disposal will leave a lighter footprint.
Sustainability tips 2. Reduce your waste: The Greyhound App to the Rescue
It’s not always easy to gauge just how much waste we generate, especially at home. This year, why not turn to technology to track your environmental impact?
Step 1: Download The Greyhound Recycling App
The Greyhound Recycling app is more than just a bin collection schedule. It provides an annual waste report, breaking down what you’ve sent to incineration, recycling and compost every week, every year.
Step 2: Setting a New Goal
Using the insights from Greyhound’s report, challenge your household to produce less waste in 2024. Set monthly or yearly targets for reducing your waste, and watch as your impact grows smaller.
Step 3: Engage with the Community
Nothing grows change like a little friendly competition. Share your goals on social media, and challenge your friends and family to do better, using Greyhound’s yearly report as a benchmark for progress.
3. Zero-Waste Shopping Made Simple
The zero-waste lifestyle is becoming popular, and for good reason. Buying package-free items not only reduces waste but also supports local businesses and farmers.
The Bulk Shopping Experience
Invest in reusable containers – glass jars, cloth bags, and even upcycled packaging – and head to your local bulk store. Shop for dried goods, refill on cleaning products, and even bring your own containers for meat, cheese, and dairy.
Sustainable Subscriptions
Regular deliveries of household essentials can save time and lessen your carbon footprint. Look for subscription services that use minimal, recyclable packaging and that support zero-waste practices.
Community Food Initiatives
Community food programmes are the unsung heroes of the sharing economy. They provide a place for local businesses and individuals to share surplus food, reducing waste and helping those in need.
4. Harness the Power of Solar Energy
Renewable energy is the future, and solar power is one of the most accessible options for homeowners. Reducing your reliance on the grid not only lowers your carbon footprint, but it can also lead to substantial savings on your energy bills.
The Solar Panel Investment
Investing in solar panels might require an initial financial outlay, but the long-term benefits for both the environment and your wallet are undeniable. Many countries offer incentives and subsidies to homeowners looking to make the switch, making it more affordable than you might think.
The Home Storage Solution
A home battery, like those offered by Tesla and other companies, can store excess energy for use during peak times or outages, making you less reliant on the grid. It also ensures that your home stays powered by clean energy, day and night.
Monitoring and Savings
Solar panel providers offer apps to monitor your energy production and usage, giving you insights into your household’s power consumption. This helps you make smarter choices about when and how you use electricity, further reducing your environmental impact.