Reduce Your Waste Today!

Reduce Your Waste Today

Protecting the environment can seem terrifying and overwhelming at some times, and it can feel so hopeless that we should give up. But fear not! Just remember that it can be extremely simple to reduce your footprint and help protect the great outdoors for today and tomorrow.

1. Tackle the 3 most common single use plastics: bags, straws, and bottles.
1. The big 3 are the largest contributors to our waste, but they dont have to be. Replace each item with a reusable alternative: cloth bags, backpacks, a reusable water bottle or coffee mug, or a steel straw. Many reusable bags can pack down small enough to fit easily in a purse or even into a vehicle’s glove compartment. LAMOSE offers a bottle carrier that can clip onto a bag or onto a belt, and can be safely left in a without worry. You could refuse bags or straws at establishments that offer them. These are extremely simple changes that can have a great impact toyour waste footprint.
2. Photo credit: thetakeout.com
2. Learn to cook
1. Cooking is a great skill to have. Knowing how to make a few simple -- yet delicious -- dishes keeps you from getting take home boxes or fast food containers that may or may not be recyclable, and it can help your wallet! You will also be able to control exactly what you put into your body, no more guessing about where that burger is made. Not to mention, cooking is a great opportunity to bond with your spouse or kids, or it could help you score points with your significant other! Make them a meal and their heart is all yours.
2. Photo credit: allrecipes.com
3. This delicious looking salmon takes 15 minutes to make!
4. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/1947/everyday-cooking/quick-and-easy/
3. Purchase items that come in sustainable packaging.
1. Everyone hates clamshell packaging. You know what they look like, the clear plastic case that encases products, the dreaded coffin that takes a blowtorch, a chainsaw, and a pickaxe to open. Cardboard boxes are much more pleasant to handle and look at, not to mention recyclable! Many bulk stores out there often allow you to use purchase things in your own glass containers, or reusable sacks that let you bypass packaging all together!gmage credit: southpack.com
2. While effective for displaying products, clamshell packaging is a pain to open!
4. Take up gardening
1. A hobby is just a word for the things we do in our spare time. Why not have fun and be able to grow your own food? Many assume that gardening requires a backyard measuring several hundred meters or a green thumb. But the Internet is an excellent resource to find ways to grow crops in tiny spaces, or find step by step processes to take care of plants. It gives you a bit of bragging material as well!
2. Image credit: themicrogardener.com

1. https://themicrogardener.com/about/what-is-micro-gardening/
1. Buy quality products, maintain them, and repair them
1. What is better? Buying something cheap that you will have to replace every few weeks, months, or years, or purchasing something that is designed to last a lifetime? When you buy quality items, they often come with reliable warranties, or from small companies who are focused on creating a quality product, and they often end up being cheaper in the long run when compared to settling for the cheaper alternative. You will have to plan your money a bit smarter than normal, but that is another useful life skill to learn and to have in your back pocket.

Waste reduction can be simple, and it can give you a chance to increase your skillset or reduce your spending! Remember, we only have this one Earth, and it is our duty to protect it for ourselves and the next generations to come. Together we can make a difference. #LAMOSEGo