Electric pencil sharpeners

A task performed since generations ago now ‘needs’ technology to do. Pencils are now being sharpened the ‘modern’ way with an electric pencil sharpener that runs on batteries. What happens when these batteries are discarded? The lead and acid within leak into the waters. Sharpening a pencil with a regular sharpener isn’t difficult; just do it the conventional way!

Disposable diapers

In order to reduce the amount of trash, the usage of disposable diapers should be promoted. Although disposable diapers are indeed convenient, it can harm environment in the long run as the plastic used in the making of the diapers do not biodegrade.

Pens

How can I reuse a pen if the ink has already run out, you might be wondering. How about buying just the ink refill instead of getting the whole pen? Perhaps when you are selecting pens to purchase, you could find out too if the manufacturer produces refills for you to purchase in future. This reduces the amount of plastic pen casings that are tossed into the garbage bin each day.

Non-rechargeable batteries

Rechargeable batteries are not very commonly used here but do give these a thought as it is more environmental-friendly to use rechargeable batteries. While they might seem costly, they are definitely more and cost-efficient in the long run.

Disposable cloths

People are getting lazier that they’d rather spend on disposable items than to wash things when they get dirty. There are even some who dispose of floor mats each time when they become dirty. So while it is easy to replace cloths when they are dirty, you could save a lot of resources used to produce new material. If you are concerned about hygiene and such, don’t worry as cloth can be disinfected regularly to eliminate bacterial and viral build-up.

Styrofoam containers

Almost everyone is guilty of using Styrofoam at some point but it is not too late to change if you are still taking out food in these containers. Styrofoam, the trade name commonly used to refer to polystyrene, is Earth’s greatest enemy as they do not biodegrade and remain on Earth for a very long time. On top of that, it is light and often end up in the waters. You should do yourself and your family a favour too by staying away from Styrofoam as the components used in its making have the potential to cause cancer, gastrointestinal effects and irritation to the eyes and skin.

Plastic cups

The ones usually guilty of using paper cups are those who frequent coffee joints. Many of them hold loyalty cards, so it is safe to assume that each member discards at least one plastic cup and straw per week. Why not bring a tumbler with you for your cuppa? Some coffee joints even offer a discount if you bring your own tumbler.

Bottled water

Whenever you go out, even to the mall, it is advisable that you bring along a bottle of water with you. Window shopping can indeed be exhausting, so you’d have a bottle of water to drink from instead of having to purchase bottled water (or other sugary sweet drinks).

It is also interesting to note that there are some households especially consisting of young single urbanites who actually purchase bottled water for their daily consumption. Not only heavy on the pocket, it is so detrimental to Mother Earth thinking about the number of bottles discarded in a lifetime! If you are one of those guilt, install a water filtration system so that you can enjoy drinking from the tap; it’s more convenient too than having to constantly stock up on drinking water.

Bottles of shampoo and body foam

You’d only need to buy a pump bottle of shampoo or body foam once, then you can subsequently buy the refill pouches. Bottles are made of better quality plastic and as such require more processing and materials to produce. Refills cost much less than the products packed in bottles too, so buying refills are surely something you’d want to do.

Facial tissues

Facial tissues indeed create a lot of trash, so much that several schools have bananed its students from using and bringing them to school. We could actually do with less usage of tissues. People might think that using a handkerchief is so yesterday but think about just how much it can save the environment. You would surely have noticed tissues being discarded relentlessly everywhere at malls, restaurants and parks. So use a handkerchief whenever you can and help to minimise trash produced.

Paper billing

With the advancement of technology, there is no need for you to receive your bills, attached with promotional pamphlets, in envelopes anymore. You can view your bills online, which is more convenient on the part of the service provider and yourself too as you don’t have to file your bills anymore nor worry about them being lost in delivery. Switch your billing system to e-billing to minimise the paper usage. Many banks and telecommunications companies provide and encourage a switch to e-billing, so do your share for the environment too.

Little cups of pudding or yogurt

If you are going to consume in large quantities anyway, you might as well buy a large tub of yogurt or pudding which comes in bigger cups instead of those tiny ones. Less plastic packaging is used and you’d save more too by buying in bulk.

Antibacterial wipes

We are not asking that you ‘sacrifice’ yourself to germs and bacteria in the name of being environmental-friendly but if you have been fond of using antibacterial wipes to sanitise your hands, do consider opting for gel hand sanitisers instead. Both provide the same function but one is friendlier on the Earth than the other.

Paper memo

Instead of leaving notes on paper or sticky notes, how about using a whiteboard? There are little ones which can be placed at your workstation. If you want to leave a message for a colleague instead, you could always send an email. This way, no paper is used and there is no risk of notes flown away too.

Clothes on a crazy bargain

How many times have you bought numerous pieces of clothing on sale but never got about to wearing them? The next time you spot something on bargain, think if you’d really need it.

It is undoubtedly not easy to change your habits and lifestyle but do note that every little change makes a difference. Bear in mind that you are not only saving the Earth that you live on but yourself, children and descendents stand to benefit too, thus supporting Chief Seattle, a famous American Indian’s saying, “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”.