Be a Plastic Hero

Did you know that only 16% of plastic is South Africa is recycled? The rest is thrown into dustbins and sent to landfill sites

In honour or Marine week and being more conscious, we have put together some tips to be less harmful to the planet and do our part.

Reduce energy consumption in your home by using energy-intensive appliances less and do your household tasks manually like hang up your washing instead of a tumble dryer and hand washing your dishes instead of the dish washer. Replacing light bulbs with energy saving lighting like LED (light-emitting diode bulbs). Purchase energy saving. Efficient appliances as appliances are responsible for up to 13% of your homes energy use. And simply switching off appliances at the wall that are not in use.

Game & Samsung will be your go-to store when purchasing energy efficient appliances for your home.

Reusable water bottles and coffee cups are great alternatives that assist you on the daily. Not only are you helping the planet, but your accessories are cute as well. Use metal or silicone, glass straws – keep them in a draw at home. Reusable grocery bags. Food covers – fabric ones. Bamboo toothbrushes are biodegradable and won’t harm the earth once you throw it away.

Woolworths, Typo, Cotton On, Le Creuset & Starbucks have great options for reusable alternatives to help you be a little more conscious in your day-to-day life.

Reuse glass jars or containers – organise areas in your home with them. Old material or clothing or bedding or curtains, turn it into shopping bags or aesthetically pleasing cleaning accessories.

If you haven’t found a hobby just yet, maybe this is your time to shine and get a sewing kit of sewing machine from Elna with all the bells a whistles and start making beautiful items from your pre-loved clothing pile.

By creating your own fruit and vegetable garden not only will you have plenty of delicious and fresh food daily but can guarantee than unhealthy and toxic pesticides and chemicals won’t be used that can contribute to the water and air pollution.

Pop in to Pick n Pay, Game and Woolworths to start or add to your garden accessory collection and grow your garden with the array of seed options.

Make use of water saving appliances in your rest rooms like shower-heads or taps, that can efficiently provide water. Hand wash items if necessary and use dishwashers sparingly or only use it when it is fully loaded, clean off dirty dishes before rinsing and don’t leave the taps running unnecessarily when in or outside of your home.

Looking at clothing labels and understanding where your clothes come and processes that goes into making them should become a no brainer. Did you know that linen, cotton and wool are renewable materials? Being a conscious shopper doesn’t mean unfashionable or not on tread – there are many brands that stay ahead of the trends and are cool and fashion conscious.

H&M, Woolworths, Swarovski and Cape Union Mart are just a few brands that are doing their part and will keep stay ahead of the fashion trends.