Tag: carbon footprint Page 5 of 6

As the cost of living continues to rise around the world, more and more people are looking for ways to save money and reduce their expenses.

However, not everyone realizes that saving money can also have a positive impact on the environment.

It’s easy to think of eco-friendly choices as expensive or inconvenient, but the truth is that there are many simple actions we can take in our daily lives that can help us save money while also reducing our carbon footprint.

I used to be like many people – I didn’t realize how my spending habits could affect the environment.

But as I learned more about the impact of human activity on the planet, I began to see that every small action counts.

In this post, I want to share ten easy and practical ways that anyone can save money while also helping to combat global warming.

By making small changes to our daily routines, we can all do our part to create a more sustainable future for ourselves and for generations to come.

Making your own coffee is more cost-effective than buying from coffee shops.
Packing your lunch in reusable containers with your cutlery can reduce unnecessary waste.
Takeaway meals can be much more expensive compared to home-cooked meals.
Reducing food waste is critical to combating climate change and preserving the environment.
Shopping secondhand gives used items a second life instead of contributing to the ever-growing amount of waste in landfills.
The best way to avoid shopping temptations is to limit our shopping trips, both physically and virtually.
Reducing water usage saves us money on water bills but also helps to reduce the pressure on the environment.
Reducing our electricity usage lowers our energy bills and contributes to a healthier environment.
Reducing meat consumption decreases demand for meat products and encourages the production of non-meat alternatives.
Whenever possible, walk to your destination instead of driving.

Make your own coffee at home

Do you rely on takeaway coffee to get your caffeine fix?

Unfortunately, most takeaway coffee cups cannot be recycled and often end up in landfills.

So, making your own coffee at home or bringing it with you in a reusable flask is an easy and eco-friendly solution. Not only is it better for the environment, but it’s also more cost-effective than buying from coffee shops.

In fact, coffee prices in the UK have risen by more than 25% in the past two years due to inflation, energy costs, and shipping expenses for businesses.

It’s unlikely that this trend will slow down anytime soon, so setting a monthly coffee budget and making your own coffee can save you money in the long run.

pour-over coffee maker and a french press

By bringing your own coffee in a reusable flask, you can also reduce your consumption of single-use coffee cups and help to decrease the amount of waste ending up in landfills.

So, next time you’re craving a cup of coffee, consider making it yourself or bringing it with you in a reusable flask to save money and reduce your environmental impact.

Pack lunch for work

Bringing your own lunch to work may not always be possible, depending on your job type and whether there are facilities available, such as a fridge or microwave.

However, when it is feasible, packing your lunch is a great way to save money and reduce your environmental impact.

Eating out or buying meal deals often involves the use of single-use plastic cutlery and plastic packaging, which can end up in landfills or harm marine life.

By packing your lunch in reusable containers with your cutlery, you can reduce unnecessary waste and help the environment.

healthy lunchboxes — Photo by Antoni Shkraba on Pexels.com

Moreover, packing your own lunch allows you to choose healthier options and control what goes into your meal.

Many ready-made meals sold in cafes or supermarkets contain high levels of salt and fat. So, by making your own lunch, you can ensure that it is both healthy and affordable.

Order less takeaway food

Ordering takeaway food is a convenient and popular choice for many people, especially with the rise of food delivery apps, such as Just Eat or Deliveroo.

However, the packaging used for these meals, such as plastic containers, cutlery, polystyrene boxes and brown bags, are often made of non-recyclable materials, which ultimately end up in landfills or oceans, harming the environment.

Moreover, delivering these meals by scooters or cars adds to the already high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.

But that’s not the only issue with takeaway food!

In addition to its environmental impact, it can also be bad for your health. Most takeaway meals are high in salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats, which can lead to various health problems if you consume them too often.

Moreover, we all know that takeaway meals can be much more expensive compared to home-cooked meals.

So, try to reduce the number of times you order takeaway foods.

When ordering, think about how you can minimise your environmental impacts. For example, choose restaurants that use environmentally friendly packaging and delivery methods.

If you plan to collect your takeaway food yourself, it’s a good idea to call the restaurant beforehand and ask if you can bring your own reusable containers to use for your order. Here are some tips for using your own containers for takeaway food.

Reduce food waste

When was the last time you threw away food because it was past its use-by or best-before date or because it looked off?

Or perhaps you’re the kind of person who skips the first and last slice of bread and unconsciously tosses them away?

There are many reasons people waste food, but most of them are due to a lack of awareness about the catastrophic impact that food waste can have on the environment.

According to WEF (World Economic Forum), food waste is the largest component of US landfills, even more than any other material.

When food rots, it produces methane gas, which is a potent greenhouse gas with a global warming potential around 28 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year timescale.

This means that reducing food waste is a critical step towards combating climate change and preserving the environment for future generations.

While there are plenty of tips on reducing food waste, such as planning meals and using leftovers, the size of our fridge and freezer is often overlooked.

Larger fridges tend to encourage overbuying, as we fill them up to feel satisfied and secure in having plenty of food at our disposal.

However, using up the food we have can be more challenging, as we may forget about items that get buried in the back or tucked away in drawers.

As a result, a smaller fridge can be part of the solution to reducing food waste!

With less space to store food, we become more mindful of what we have and are more likely to use it up before it goes bad.

So when it’s time to purchase a new fridge, consider downsizing as a way to help reduce your food waste and environmental footprint.

Another thing worth keeping in mind is the use-by and best-before dates on food packaging.

It’s important to know that these dates are mostly used to indicate food quality rather than safety. While some foods, like meat and dairy products, may require specific dates for safety reasons, with fresh produce like vegetables and fruits, best-before dates are often unnecessary.

I’m glad to see that in recent years, more and more supermarkets have started removing best-before dates on fresh food.

As consumers, we should certainly embrace this movement and learn to rely on our senses to determine if a food item is still good to eat instead of automatically throwing it away once it has passed its date.

You can use your sense of smell and sight to assess the quality of a food item. If it smells bad or has gone mouldy, it’s best to discard it.

However, if it looks and smells fine, it may still be safe to eat. In fact, many food items can still be consumed safely even after their expiration date!

The WRAP provides a useful guideline on how long different types of food can be safely consumed after the date on the package has passed.

By learning how to properly interpret these dates and trust our senses, we can reduce food waste and save money while helping the environment.

Shop secondhand

Whenever I need to buy non-food items like clothes, accessories, or furniture, I always start by checking out the charity shops in my town.

It’s become a habit for me to embrace the concept of shopping secondhand, especially at stores run by charities.

adult book book store bookcase — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Not only do I feel good about my money going towards a good cause, but I also love the thrill of finding unique and one-of-a-kind items that I wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Plus, by shopping secondhand, I’m giving these items a second life instead of contributing to the ever-growing amount of waste in landfills.

I even shop at second-hand stores for birthday presents! It’s a great way to give a thoughtful gift without breaking the bank. I’ve found some amazing vintage pieces that my friends and family have absolutely loved.

Do you know not all the goods at those stores are used?

The secondhand stores run by charities often receive donated goods from brand companies, and those goods are brand new but sold at much lower prices in the charity shop.

Sometimes people donate their Christmas presents or birthday gifts to charity shops because they don’t think it’s something that suits their style or something they’ll use, so you can find brand new items at a fraction of their original price.

So if you haven’t tried shopping secondhand, give it a go! You never know what treasures you might find, and you’ll be doing your part to reduce waste and support charities at the same time.

Limit your shopping trips

Do you often find yourself leaving the store with more items than you intended to buy?

It’s easy to get tempted by deals, discounts, and rewards programs offered by shops and supermarkets. Even the background music can affect our spending behaviour.

As an impulse buyer myself, I’ve learned that the best way to avoid these temptations is to limit my shopping trips, both physically and virtually.

Before heading out to the store or browsing online, make a list of the items you need and stick to it.

Try to avoid making unplanned stops at the store, and if you do need to go, make a list and stick with it.

Shopping with a friend who can keep you accountable can also be helpful.

Another tip is to unsubscribe from marketing emails and unfollow stores on social media that often tempt you to buy things you don’t need.

By limiting your exposure to these marketing tactics, you’ll be less likely to make impulse purchases.

Remember, the less you shop, the less you spend, and the more you reduce your carbon footprint, contributing to a brighter future for the environment and future generations.

Reduce your water usage

Access to clean and safe drinking water is a privilege that not everyone has.

With 2 billion people globally lacking access to safe water, it’s more important than ever for those of us who do have access to take steps to reduce our water usage.

Here are some simple actions you can take to reduce your water usage:

Fix water leaks in your home
Take shorter showers
Do laundry less frequently
Save water from hand washing or face cleaning and reuse it

By reducing our water usage, we not only save money on water bills but also help to reduce the pressure on the environment caused by overconsumption and climate change.

Let’s do our part to conserve this precious resource and contribute to a more sustainable future for all.

Reduce energy consumption

The increasing cost of living and inflation have forced many of us to take a closer look at our energy consumption.

By reducing our electricity and gas usage, we can not only lower our energy bills but also contribute to a healthier environment.

Here are some simple tips to help you reduce your energy consumption:

Use energy-efficient LED bulbs instead of traditional incandescent bulbs.
Turn off lights when leaving a room, and unplug devices when not in use.
Adjust your thermostat when leaving the house or when you’re asleep to save energy.
Wash your laundry with cold water to reduce energy use.
Upgrade to more energy-efficient appliances and consider double-glazed windows/doors to reduce heat loss.
Seal cracks around your home to prevent heat from escaping.

By taking these steps, we can help reduce our reliance on traditional energy sources like fossil fuels, natural gas, and coal.

This not only helps to save money but also helps to reduce our carbon footprint and create a healthier planet for future generations.

Eat less meat

Not only are plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, and tofu often cheaper than meat, but they are also better for the environment.

The meat industry is a significant contributor to climate change through deforestation, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

By reducing our meat consumption, we can decrease demand for meat products and encourage the production of non-meat alternatives.

Consider going meatless for a few days a week and try out some new plant-based recipes. Your wallet and the planet will thank you!

Drive less

As we all know, how we travel from A to B can harm the planet.

So, if possible, walk to your destination instead of driving.

Walking has numerous benefits for our physical and mental health, and it’s a zero-emission mode of transportation.

If walking isn’t possible due to distance or the purpose of your trip, consider using public transportation if it’s available in your area.

If you’re a commuter, carpooling is another option to reduce the negative impact on the environment.

Remember, owning a car can be expensive, not just in terms of petrol, but also insurance, MOT, breakdown coverage, and environmental impacts.

The car industry relies heavily on fossil fuels and produces a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

By reducing our driving, we can save money and protect the environment. So, let’s all do our part and drive less whenever possible!

pleasant woman preparing stuff for moving

Move Green: 10 Easy Tips for an Eco-Friendly Relocation!

By Rachel

On February 17, 2023

In Eco-friendly lifestyle

Moving to a new home is known to be one of the most stressful events in life, and I never thought I would have to go through it.

I was content with my current living situation and had a great relationship with my neighbours.

However, life has a funny way of throwing unexpected changes our way, and at the end of 2022, I found myself moving into a new place.

Throughout the process, I learned the importance of making eco-friendly choices when moving homes.

So, in this post, I want to share ten sustainable moving tips to help make your future move less stressful for both you and the planet.

Declutter as far in advance as possible

When it comes to making your move more sustainable, decluttering your belongings is a crucial step.

My number one tip is to start decluttering way ahead of the moving date.

While many of us know we should declutter before packing, it’s better to do it much earlier than we plan to move.

Even if you think you might move someday, start decluttering your home NOW!

This will ensure you have ample time to go through all of your belongings and find new homes for the things you no longer need or use.

Trust me, when you begin a house-hunting process, you won’t have the energy or time to declutter your home thoroughly.

My personal experience with decluttering began when my husband and I were living in a small bungalow.

Despite our small living space, we had accumulated many things over the years that were stored away in three lofts – two big and one small.

Then, one day, I stumbled upon a book called ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: A simple, effective way to banish clutter forever‘ by Marie Kondo.

Marie is a tidying expert, and her book taught me the importance of decluttering not just for the sake of organizing but for creating a more peaceful and joyful living environment.

After reading Marie’s book, we started decluttering our living space and lofts. I donated a lot of clothes to charities and only kept the items that brought me joy.

As Marie Kondo says, ‘My criterion for deciding to keep an item is that we should feel a thrill of joy when we touch it‘. This is especially true when it comes to clothes and accessories.

As for the things in our lofts, we only kept a few of them and gave away the rest to our neighbours, family, and friends.

When giving things away, be strategic about finding multiple sources to give to, maximizing the chance of giving those things a second life.

Decluttering is not just about organizing your belongings; it’s also about being mindful of the impact your possessions have on the environment.

Almost everything we consume takes a lot of natural resources to produce, and we shouldn’t take that for granted because the Earth’s resources are limited.

Furthermore, when things end up in landfills, they generate unnecessary greenhouse emissions.

According to statistics, worldwide landfill waste is responsible for about 11% of global methane emissions, and this figure is expected to be even higher in the next decade.

By giving ourselves ample time to declutter, we can ensure that our belongings do not end up in landfills, and we can take a sustainable approach to relocate.

empty jars — I gave them to a teacher who plans to use them in her school project

Reuse packing materials and original boxes

Are you one of the 53% of online shoppers in the US and the UK who buy consumer electronics, such as TVs, computers, and mobile phones, four times a year?

If so, you may have noticed that these electronics are often packed with the highest standard to ensure they arrive in immaculate condition.

When you receive a delivery like this, it’s important to unpack it carefully and save the packing materials, such as bubble wrap, foam peanuts, and packing papers, for future use.

It’s also a good idea to keep the original boxes for big items, as they can serve two purposes.

First, you can use the box to return the item if it’s faulty or you change your mind about the purchase. Second, you can use the box when you move, as it’s the perfect size for those big items.

This same principle can apply to kitchen appliances, too. If you’re concerned that the boxes will take up too much space in your home, simply unfold them neatly and store them away.

Another way to collect packing materials is by reusing them from gifts you receive. Fragile items like glassware, ceramic pots, and photo frames are often wrapped tightly in bubble wrap or kraft paper.

Instead of throwing away these materials, unwrap your gifts gently and save the packing materials for future use. Remember the 3Rs for the environment: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

By making a habit of saving packing materials from your online deliveries and gifts, you can reduce waste and save money in the long run.

Plus, you can start this practice well ahead of beginning your property search.

Repurpose your old bed sheets

Don’t throw away your old bed sheets just yet!

While they may wear out or develop holes after a few years, they can still be incredibly useful, especially when it comes to moving home.

Instead of getting rid of them, consider repurposing them.

Ripped bed sheets, old jeans, and tablecloths can be great cushioning materials for fragile items during a move. You can use them to wrap and protect delicate items like glassware or picture frames.

In addition, they can be draped over sofas or chairs to prevent damage during transport.

Furthermore, when disassembling your bed on your moving day, you can use your old bed sheets to cover your mattress or bed frame.

This will not only protect your bed from scratches or other damage, but it will also keep it clean during the move.

So before you toss your old bed sheets, think about how you can repurpose them for your next move. They may come in handy when you least expect it!

Pack with the things you already have

When you have a moving date in mind, you might feel the urge to start buying packing materials right away.

However, take a moment to consider what you already have on hand that you can use for packing. Using existing items is not only cost-effective, but it’s also an eco-friendly choice.

Here are some common household items that can be repurposed for packing:

Luggage, suitcases, and Amazon boxes are great for packing clothes or heavy items.
Gloves are useful for packing small jewellery, such as rings or earrings.
Laundry baskets can be used to pack toiletries or cleaning products.
Cooking pots make for great packing material for bowls or plates, while pans can be used for cutlery.
Towels, blankets, or scarves can protect delicate items.
Papers or soft linen can be used for wrapping dishes or glassware.
Grocery shopping bags are a great option for packing pantry staples.
Bin bags can be used for packing shoes.
If you’re moving furniture, consider temporarily removing the drawers and using them to store your books, CDs, or DVDs.
Indoor bins can be used to pack general tools, while outdoor bins can be used for garden tools.

Utilizing these items saves money and reduces waste while still packing your belongings safely and efficiently.

towels to protect fragile items — glasses wrapped with paper

Get free moving boxes from your local shops

Moving can be an expensive process, and one of the most significant expenses is the cost of boxes.

On average, you might need 8-10 medium-sized boxes for each room, but by following a few simple tips below, you can significantly reduce the number of boxes you need.

However, if you still need additional boxes, don’t rush to order them online. Instead, consider reaching out to your friends, family, co-workers, or local shops to get free moving boxes.

Most shops, including supermarket chains and DIY stores, are happy to give away cardboard boxes as long as you ask.

When visiting a shop, it’s worth checking their delivery times as they tend to unpack many of their goods after delivery.

By arriving when they have nearly finished unpacking, you are more likely to get sturdy boxes.

In addition to regular boxes, you can also get wine bottle boxes with cell dividers for free. These boxes are typically made from strong double-wall cardboard and come with dividers that are perfect for storing wine, beer, or any glass oil or sauce bottles.

By following these tips, you can save money on moving boxes. You may even find that you don’t need to buy any boxes for your move.

folded cardboard boxes — free boxes from the local shops

If you are moving long distances and need sturdier boxes, you can consider renting reusable plastic crates, which are easier to stack, load, and transport, and provide better protection for fragile items during transit.

Prioritise important documents

When it comes to packing for a move, it’s important to prioritize the items that are most valuable and difficult to replace.

That’s why you should start by packing all of your important documents, such as birth certificates, passports, driving licenses, and any vital information from your GP, bank, solicitors, and insurance companies.

It’s best to keep these items separate from the rest of your belongings and load them into your car rather than leaving them to travel with the removal company etc.

To ensure the safety of our important documents during our move, I packed them about a month before our moving date.

By doing so, I could ensure that they were secure and wouldn’t get mixed up with my other belongings on the day of the move.

I packed them in my carry-on luggage, which allowed me to keep them with me at all times during the move. This gave me peace of mind, knowing that these important documents were always within reach.

Pack off-season items second

If you’re moving in the summertime, consider packing your winter clothes, scarves, and gloves a month ahead of time, as well as other occasional-use items such as movie box sets, books, tools, sentimental items, family photo albums, and seasonal decorations like Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas decorations.

By doing this, you’ll have fewer things to pack as your move date approaches, which can help reduce your stress levels.

Buy and sell second-hand furniture when moving home

Selling or buying second-hand furniture can be a smart move when you’re moving to a new home.

Some pieces might not fit in your new place, so it’s worth considering whether you can sell or buy items from the previous or new owners.

If you’re in the property chain, you can ask the new owner of your current house if they’re interested in buying any of your furniture.

Contacting the buyer can be tricky, but your listing agent may be able to pass on their contact information once their offer has been accepted.

If your agent is hesitant to share the buyer’s contact information, you can email them details of the furniture you want to sell and ask them to forward the information to the buyer.

Additionally, you can consider selling larger items like washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, TV stands, or wardrobes if they don’t fit in your new place.

You can also inquire about buying furniture from the seller of your new home. For instance, if you’re moving into an older house, ask the current owner if they’re willing to sell any furniture.

This approach worked well for us when we moved from a smaller to a larger place. We purchased three pieces of furniture from the seller and were grateful that they left their built-in washing machine and dishwasher.

By selling items that don’t fit in with your new places and buying second-hand, you can move fewer belongings, meaning you won’t need a large moving van.

Furthermore, selling unwanted items to a new owner instead of disposing of them in a landfill is much more eco-friendly.

a large van for house moving — We hired this van for our moving, finishing everything in two moving loads.

Minimise food waste

Moving homes is already stressful enough without the added burden of wasting food.

Did you know that food waste is responsible for around 8% to 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions?

To avoid this, it’s important to plan ahead and come up with a meal plan based on the contents of your fridge and freezer at least two weeks before your moving date.

By doing so, you can use up as much of your chilled, frozen, and pantry foods as possible, leaving you with less to take with you.

To further minimize waste, try to avoid making regular trips to the supermarket in the days leading up to your move.

Instead, finish up what you have and then do your grocery shopping once you’ve settled into your new place.

And if you still have chilled or frozen foods that you can’t take with you, consider asking your neighbours if they’d like to have them. You might be surprised by how open-minded people can be about accepting still-good food.

In fact, I did this myself on the night before our moving date!

I gave a few bags of frozen food to my neighbour, who was more than happy to accept them even though some had already been opened.

The next day, I prepared breakfast and lunch using the remaining items in our fridge, which meant we didn’t waste any food.

By minimizing food waste, we not only help the planet but also reduce the guilt of food waste.

Prepare first-day essentials for a smooth move

After weeks of anticipation and planning, the day of your move has finally arrived!

To make the moving process smoother, ensure that you have gathered all your packed boxes in one place on your moving day.

This will make it easier for the removal men or any friends and neighbours to help you load the van and ensure that nothing gets left behind.

things ready to be loaded for house moving — I have all the packed boxes in one place

On the day of the move, it’s also important to pack your first-day essentials separately, as you may not have the energy to unpack everything immediately after arriving at your new home.

Some key first-day essentials to consider include:

Toiletries: Pack two rolls of toilet paper, a hand towel, a bath towel, hand soap, a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and shower gel.
Bedroom items: Prepare a change of clothes for your first night and any sleep aids you may need to ensure a good night’s rest.
Kitchen essentials: Pack a kettle, mugs, tea, coffee, sugar, plates and cutlery for each member of the family, dishcloth, dish liquid, dish sponge, kitchen towel, and a hand towel.
Cleaning supplies: Bring all-purpose cleaning products, cleaning cloths, two bin bags, and a dustpan and brush.
Miscellaneous items: Don’t forget an emergency first-aid kit, a basic tool kit, phone chargers, and a pair of scissors to open boxes.

Having these first-day survival kits on hand will save you from making last-minute trips to the store. You won’t be forced to purchase items that may not be environmentally friendly due to time constraints.

Being prepared will help you start your new chapter off on the right foot.

Congratulations on making it this far in the house-moving process! Best of luck with the next steps.

Going Green: Starting With Your Morning Coffee

By Rachel

On September 27, 2022

In Eco-friendly lifestyle

Are you a coffee person? While sipping our morning coffee, have you ever thought about whether this calming ritual adds a burden to our precious planet? According to Insider.com, nine things we do daily are hurting our environment, one of which is drinking coffee.

Health-wise, drinking coffee in moderation has a lot of benefits. However, all the byproducts of coffee cultivation, processing and consumption have led to deforestation, soil erosion, and water and plastic pollution. As consumers, there might not be much we can do about coffee production, but we can certainly look into our coffee consumption habits and see how we can go greener and reduce the consequences of climate change. Remember, no matter how small steps are, we can all do something good for the Earth.

When buying a bag of coffee

I used to buy coffee bags purely based on their price. But, in recent years, I learned about fairtrade coffee and decided to do my bit to support this positive social movement. That should be good enough, right? Not really! It would be even better if our coffee bags came with the logo of ‘Certified B Corporation’ (aka B Corp).

A certified B corporation proves that its entire operation is committed to sustainability and social impact, from how the company sources materials to whether they’re putting environmental good before profit. On the other hand, fairtrade focuses more on the workers behind the products to give them fair wages and working conditions. So, by purchasing coffee bags with both logos on, we’re voting with our dollars to bring a better world.

Should the coffee package be a factor influencing our buying decision? Probably not at the moment. Whether the coffee bag is a flat-bottom, vacuum-sealed, or ‘biodegradable’ bag, they don’t make much difference in recycling. None of them can be recycled in our home recycling bins.

When making a cup of coffee

Coffee can be brewed in several ways, such as French press, pour-over coffee maker and stovetop espresso maker, aka Moka pot etc. I used to make coffee with a Tassimo machine. But then I learned that single-serve coffee pods aren’t eco-friendly, and I stopped using the machine entirely.

According to the Independent, coffee capsules are among the worst domestic waste; each month, almost 30,000 of them go to landfills. Their packaging waste is another concern, too. Moreover, the production of aluminium capsules is toxic to the environment and tons of waste are also generated during the production. Although some of the materials used in the pods, such as aluminium and plastic parts, can be recycled. But it’s very time-consuming to take them apart and recycle them separately. And that’s why most of them end up in the dumping ground.

coffee capsules in close up photography — Photo by Daniel Fontes on Pexels.com

In the last few years, more coffee pod manufacturers acknowledged the importance of addressing environmental issues. For example, Nespresso claimed their pods are fully recyclable and provided four ways for their customers to send back their single-used capsules. However, the data from 2021 shows that the recycling rate for Nespresso pods is only 30%, which means there is STILL a lot of them that end up in the dump.

How about those coffee pods labelled as ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable’? Unfortunately, it doesn’t mean you can compost them in your home compost bin. Strictly speaking, those types of pods can only be adequately decomposed by industrial composting facilities, and not every city or town accommodates a facility like that, even in developed countries.

So, to me, much more eco-friendly ways of making coffee are traditional ways, such as using the pour-over coffee maker or French press. See the picture above. With those two tools, I can just use ground coffee from the coffee bag and pour hot water over the coffee. There’s no additional waste created except for the used coffee grounds, which I always compost in my garden compost bin.

Taste-wise, I prefer the coffee flavour from the pour-over coffee maker because the coffee has a more mellow aftertaste, not as bitter as the ones brewed in the French press. Moreover, a pour-over coffee pot requires much less water when cleaning than a French press. The French press plunger and metal mesh/filter need a good amount of water to clean them thoroughly.

When getting a coffee takeaway

I can count the number of times I get a coffee takeaway a year on the fingers of one hand. Whenever I travel somewhere, I bring my homemade coffee in a flask. It saves money and is more environmentally friendly, i.e. I don’t need to consume coffee from a single-use paper cup.

white and brown paper cups — Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

The carbon emission from disposable paper cups is concerning. Statistics show that the US throws away 50 billion coffee cups annually. The UK isn’t doing any better on this either: every year, 2.5 billion coffee cups end in the tip. Those coffee cups are coated with plastic to laminate the inside. When pouring hot water into a paper cup, it could release microplastics into the drink. Even worse, those paper cups can’t be recycled at home; they can only be recycled at the ‘designated’ coffee cup recycling bin.

So, if you need to have your cup of coffee on the go, a more eco-conscious solution is to bring your own flask or travel mug, which is better for your health, too. Most UK coffee chains accept reusable cups from their customers, including Costa, Starbucks and Pret a Manger. Costa even went a step further. They let their customers borrow reusable cups from their participating stores, and the customers can return the cups later, at a time that suits them.

Final thoughts

From buying more ethical coffee bags to how we consume coffee at home or in the coffee shop, we all need to be more eco-friendly. Even though some coffee materials and packaging are recyclable, a more sustainable way of living for us is not to generate unnecessary waste in the first place. We must consider every aspect of our living, from buying and eating to consuming, to reduce our environmental impact. Every decision and action of ours will ultimately influence whether we can build a greener future.

What do you usually look for in a bag of coffee? How do you brew coffee at home? What other hot drinks do you typically have if you don’t drink coffee? And what can you do to make your hot drink more eco-friendly? I’d like to hear from you. Leave your comments below.

Save the Planet & Live Sustainably