COVID-19 has accumulated a lot of waste, especially within households. There’s a dramatic increase in online orders, creating a jump in waste from packaging. Another contributor is leftover food and to-go containers, the negative implication of supporting local restaurants. These practices have caused a rise in food waste and insecurity.
There’s sadly not much the average consumer can do about the increase in medical waste, given that we’re in the midst of a pandemic. But, there are many little things we can do to make the world a greener place.
It can be difficult to wrap your mind around both a pandemic and climate crisis. I hope to ease a few of those worries by listing tips to live a more sustainable life.
- Reduce your amount of online shopping.
-
This is generating unnecessary waste from what may be unimportant items. Let’s use this time to focus on minimalism and purchasing main necessities.
- Complete all your errands in one trip.
-
This is already recommended by CDC to reduce exposure of coronavirus. It also benefits the environment by reducing carbon emissions going into the atmosphere.
- Stop or greatly reduce your use of single-use items like paper towels, napkins, and plastic water bottles.
-
There is no reason to be wasting non-recyclables, as all of us are at home and can easily use a reusable towel or water bottle.
- Get educated on recycling and compost.
-
Recycling is a staple production that many of us do not spend the time to research. There’s a long list of rules on what is truly recyclable.
Don’t recycle anything smaller than a credit card, as these items will jam the equipment. Clean out your product before recycling, and stop wish cycling. This means stop putting non-recyclables into a recycling container. These items contaminate a full load of recyclables.
This could be a perfect time to start a compost for your food waste. There are resources on the waste management websites for every city with instructions on how to recycle and compost.
- Get outside more, and give back to the earth.
-
Use this time to start gardening fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and more.
There are still a multitude of recommendations on how to live a more sustainable life during the pandemic. These are just a few of my favorites. With more people at home, this can be used as a vital time to develop new habits that are good at treating the earth.