Sustainable living: 57 ways to create an eco friendly home

Your eco friendly kitchen

Sustainable living starts at the heart of the home: in the kitchen. Most of our suggestions concentrate on ditching single use plastic and using renewable and recyclable options instead.

1. Plastic free bin liners

Swap bin liners from plastic to home compostable or plant based. Look out for greenwashing at the supermarket with brands claiming bags are green when many are still made from 50% plastic or more. Also watch out for bags that can only be composted in industrial composting facilities which are inaccessible for the everyday household but still enable them to claim that the bags are compostable.

2. Plastic free food storage

Every year 150,000 tonnes of plastic wrap ends up in landfill in Australia. To fix it in your house, swap over to plant based home compostable cling wrap, bees wax, silicone container covers, recyclable glass containers with bamboo lids and silicone food pouches.

3. Reusable baking paper

Swap baking paper made from tree’s to reusable silicone baking mats. I started using these last year and would never go back – better protection for your cookware surfaces compared to paper, easy to clean and dishwasher safe!

4. Reusable shopping bags

Start using reusable shopping bags and produce bags. Some fold up into a small square which means you you can fit one or two into your handbag, backed up with a few extras in your car for when you’re doing a bigger grocery shop. It removes the need to ever have to accept a plastic bag from a shop assistant again or use supermarket plastic that will stay on the earth for 200 years longer than the veggies you used it for 🥰

5. Cookware that lasts a lifetime

When your current cookware is at its life’s end (which, let’s face it, is all too soon with a lot of cheap imported goods), consider investing in fewer, higher quality items such as enamelled cast iron bakeware and heavy duty, indestructible pots and pans that come with a lifetime warranty.

6. Reusable cups, straws and recyclable water bottles

In the USA alone, over 50 billion coffee cups are thrown away each year. While many people think because the cups are paper they will break down, in fact 99.75% of cups are lined with polyethylene which is unable to decompose. The USA also uses half a billion plastic straws and uses 50 million water bottles per year. Having a personal keep cup, stainless steel straw and a few glass or stainless steel water bottles will make a big difference to your impact on the planet.

7. Use a long lasting, recyclable dishwashing brush

Most household items are cheap and therefore made from low grade plastic which breaks easily and will stay in landfill for 200+ years. To fix this problem in your house, swap to plastic free bamboo with plant based bristles. These come with replaceable heads to increase the lifetime of the brush and the heads will break down.

8. Swap to washable dishcloths

Most dishcloths and microfibre cleaning clothes are made from plastic, which, as you use them shed micro-plastics into our waterways. You can fix it by opting for organic cotton reusable dishcloths or dishcloths made from plant-based materials like cellulose which break down completely at the end of their life.

9. Use a reusable/recyclable scourer

Many scourers are made from plastic so next time you need a new one, consider buying a plant-based one that will break down naturally instead, such as cellulose, loofah, sisal or jute. I’ve been using a sisal one I got on Etsy a few years ago which works really well and is still going strong.

10. Use eco friendly dishwashing liquids and tablets

Make the switch to a plant-based dishwashing liquid that actually works 😱. I started using Zero last year and found it very good. Even better, they come packaged in bottles made from ocean, beach and landfill waste which you can keep and reuse, ordering refills in pouches made from recycled plastic. Zero also offers great dishwasher tablets.

11. Avoid purchasing food items with unnecessary plastic packaging

If your local supermarket has items packaged when they shouldn’t be (hello Aldi with the glad-wrapped veggies😡). vote with your wallet and choose something you can pop into your produce bag instead. If enough of us do it, hopefully they’ll get the message!

12. Recycle unavoidable plastic

No matter how hard you try, you will end up with plastic packaging of some sort. We are lucky in Australia to have council kerbside pick ups of recyclable materials such as glass, aluminium, paper and cardboard.

For plastics, major supermarkets have plastic bag recycling and a relatively new initiative called Curby allows you to have soft plastics such as chip packets, cling wrap and bread bags picked up from your home. Research what you can do in your area to recycle plastic (and other recyclables) to save it ending up in our waterways or landfill 😇

13. Start a worm farm or compost bin (or both!)

Unless you have a green waste pick up service in your area you’re likely to send about 150kg of food waste to landfill each year. Using a compost or worm farm, you can convert your food scraps into a rich, nutritious fertiliser that feeds your garden instead. There are even compost and worm farms suitable for apartments, which you can use to fertilise your indoor or balcony plants.

14. Install water saving taps

Make the swap to water-efficient taps throughout your house by choosing taps with a good WELS rating (Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards scheme) or the equivalent ratings scheme in your country.

If you’re renovating…

When aiming for sustainable living its important to remember that keeping your existing kitchen is the most eco-friendly option of all, if you decide to do an overhaul:

15. Recycle your old kitchen appliances and fittings

As the saying goes, someone’s trash is someone else’s treasure. If the items you are replacing have any life in them, either sell or donate them to a needy cause so they can have a new life with someone else. Even though they are less efficient, it is more eco-friendly for them to be recycled and reused than thrown in landfill.

16. Buy an energy efficient and water efficient dishwasher

Dishwashers are also rated under the WELS scheme in Australia with the most water efficient dishwashers earning a 6 start WELS rating. Search on the WELS website for your next dishwasher. Similarly, dishwashers sold in Australia are energy rated so between the two ratings systems you can choose the most water and energy efficient model for your home.

17. Swap your gas cooktop for induction

The electricity grids in the USA and Australia are still heavily reliant on fossil fuels and therefore whether you use gas or electric power you are still using fossil fuels. However, more renewables are being brought into the system and at the end of the day induction is the most energy efficient type of cooking. Initiatives such as Green Power enable you to offset your emissions with renewables.

18. Use an energy efficient and water efficient fridge

Refrigerators are rated under the WELS scheme in Australia with the most water efficient fridge’s earning a 6 start WELS rating. Search on the WELS website for your next refrigerator. Similarly, fridge’s sold in Australia are energy rated so between the two ratings systems you can choose the most water and energy efficient model for your home.

19. Install sustainable countertops / bench tops

One of the most popular counter tops used today is natural stone, such as quartz, granite and marble. Unfortunately these surfaces are not sustainable as the materials are finite with ecologically damaging and costly extraction, manufacturing and transport.

Recycled glass bench tops are a far superior environmental choice and offer a similar look to quartz bench tops such as Caesarstone. Other sustainable kitchen bench tops include timber, bamboo and even resin covered paper. It’s important that the sealing varnishes used have no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) which can be toxic.

20. Use an eco-friendly splash back

Sustainable splash backs are made from recycled or renewable materials such as recycled glass, recycled or certified responsibly harvested timber, concrete with recycled content and tiles made with recycled or renewable content.

21. Install sustainable kitchen cabinets

When looking for sustainable kitchen cupboards or doors, recycled and renewable materials are the aim. Some options include recycled or responsibly harvested timbers, bamboo, ply and paper composite.

Your eco friendly laundry

Our sustainable living tips continue into another important space in your home where an eco friendly approach will help the planet and your bank account.

22. Switch to cold washes

If you, like many, use hot water as part of your laundry routine, about 90% of the energy used by your washing machine is for heating the water. Switching to cold washes some or all of the time is a quick win for sustainable living.

23. Stop over-washing your clothes

Up to 25% of each garment’s carbon footprint comes from the way we wash and care for it. Over-washing means shortening the lifespan of your clothes (going into landfill faster) as well as wasting water, detergent, electricity, time and energy! Not only that, many clothing items shed thousands of microfibres when washed, that are too small to be trapped by wastewater treatment plants and go on to pollute rivers and oceans.

Many of us throw clothes in the washing basket on autopilot without assessing each item for actual dirt or smells. Taking your time with choosing what and how often to wash is quick change you can make to help the planet.

24. Use eco friendly laundry detergent

More sustainable laundry detergent is not just about the contents of the bottle, it’s also about the single use plastic you are buying every time you buy detergent (and many other items) at the supermarket.

There are initiatives like Zero in Australia who provide a reusable bottle made from recycled plastic from oceans and beaches. These are filled with eco-friendly detergent and replacement liquid comes in recycled plastic pouches which can be returned to the Zero free of charge for re-use.

An even better alternative is to avoid shipping water at all. Sustainable living companies like Tyrtle in Australia sell eco-friendly washing tablets and other companies are selling very effective detergent strips which are safe for our oceans, work well and are as sustainable as laundry detergent gets.

25. Buy eco friendly fabric softener

Most fabric softeners are bad for the planet because they are made from petroleum-based chemicals which are not biodegradable and are harmful to sea life. Research online for a highly-rated plant based fabric softener or consider making your own as part of your quest for more sustainable living.

26. Ditch your plastic pegs for stainless steel

Plastic pegs exposed to UV radiation, day in and day out, often snap while you’re using them and then hang around in landfill for 200 years after you’ve hung your last load of washing. Stainless steel pegs, particularly marine grade stainless should last for decades and don’t get dirty so there’s no risk of them breaking or staining your clothes with rust or dirt.

27. Air dry your clothes

Clothes dryers are fourth place for the biggest users of electricity in the home. If you’re interested in sustainably living, using your clothes line or clothes airer the vast majority of the time is an easy way to reduce your household’s carbon footprint. While most household’s still want a dryer in the laundry for those rainy days or to get something dry quickly, buy one with a good energy efficiency rating.

28. Swap to sustainable hand wash

Keep your current dispenser and fill it with eco friendly handwash that comes in tablet form so you aren’t shipping water and you’re not continually throwing out plastic.

29. Install a water saving tap

Water efficient taps save not only water but also power due to the electricity used to heat the water. The way water saving tape work is to mix air with the water flow. Taps are water rated, with a 6 star WELS rating being the most efficient available.

If you’re renovating…

While keeping your existing laundry is the best option for sustainable living, if you decide to do an overhaul:

30. Recycle your old laundry appliances and fittings

If you’re swapping for eco friendly items, the first thing to do is make sure your old items with life in them are recycled and reused than thrown in landfill.

31. Upgrade to a water efficient + energy efficient washing machine

Washing machines are both water and energy rated to help you choose the most eco-friendly, efficient option. In Australia the most water efficient washing machines’s sport a 6 start WELS rating. Note that manufacturers sometimes display two energy ratings, one for cold wash and one for warm – only the warm wash rating is required by WELS.

32. Buy an energy efficient dryer

Before investing in a new dryer, make sure its is as energy efficient as possible. Depending on how often you use your dryer (hopefully less after reading this post 😉) you may find a heat pump dryer to be the most efficient for you, although more expensive than a conventional vented dryer.

33. Upgrade to sustainable countertops

Natural stone surfaces such as Caesarstone, marble and granite are popular choices for bathroom vanity tops however are not sustainable due to the finite materials that come with ecologically damaging and costly extraction, manufacturing and transport.

The best eco friendly alternatives are, recycled glass bench tops (similar look to quartz bench tops such as Caesarstone), sustainably sourced timber, bamboo and paper composites. It’s important that the sealing varnishes used have no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) which can be toxic.

34. Swap to eco friendly tiles

As with other eco products for the home, selecting sustainable tiles is all about tiles made from recycled or renewable content, such as recycled glass and renewable clay. There are also green certifications for many hard surfaces including tiles, so you can guard against greenwashing by retailers.

35. Upgrade to sustainable laundry cabinets

Buy laundry cabinets and doors made from recycled and renewable materials, such as recycled or responsibly harvested timbers, bamboo, ply and paper composite.

Your eco friendly bathroom

Sustainable living in your bathroom starts with ditching single use plastic and using renewable and recyclable options instead.

36. Ditch single use plastics

The bathroom is chock full of single use plastics, from bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, handwash through to toothbrushes, disposable razors and ear buds. Below we’ll cover how to go about ditching these for something more sustainable.

37. Swap to a recyclable tooth brush

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38. Start using reusable makeup removal pads

Make up wipes are terrible for the environment, being full of micro-plastics that won’t break down. An estimated 3.4 billion of them go to landfill or, worse, are flushed into our waterways each year. While they are undeniably convenient, these days there are reusable wipes available that you can use with your favourite cleanser (far superior than what a disposable wipe has been soaked in).

39. Swap to sustainable toilet paper

Toilet paper made from recycled or renewable materials are become increasingly available, with bamboo being a common source material due to the speed with which it grows. The most eco friendly toilet paper breaks down super fast when it hits the water and therefore doesn’t clog up our water ways.

40. Buy reusable ear cleaners (yeah you heard that right!)

Around 500 billion single use ear cleaners are used each year, many of them flushed down the toilet (mind-blowing huh?) and ingested and choked on by birds and marine life 😖. While bamboo cotton buds have been available for a while, the latest and greatest is the reusable ear cleaner. Yes, it’s made from glass and polypropylene, which is a plastic, however they should last many years and just you personally could save many hundreds of plastic or bamboo buds hitting landfill or the oceans.

41. Buy eco friendly body wash

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42. Swap to sustainable shampoo and conditioner

As with the other items in your bathroom, continually buying products in plastic is the best way to get started on your sustainable living journey. There are companies doing shampoo and conditioner bars, similar to a small bar of soap, which come in small recyclable cardboard boxes. Two worth trying are Ethique and EarthSuds.

43. Buy sustainable hand wash

Eco friendly hand wash is available in tablet form which you can buy locally or order online. You can stop lugging or shipping water and cease the never ending purchase plastic bottles to get your sustainable living off to the right start.

44. Choose eco friendly shaving gear

Buy a razor for life and replace the blades rather than continually buying short term plastic which will go to landfill. Shaving bars are also a great way to buy plastic free lubricant for shaving.

45. Use eco friendly soap with a soap saver

Eco friendly soap doesn’t hurt the planet so palm free oils and natural ingredients are the way to go. Conserve every last bit of your soap with a soap saver – look for one thats plastic free and home compostable at end of life (its life not yours 😆).

46. Don’t throw anything in the toilet other than toilet paper

It seems many people throw all sorts of stuff down the toilet, from tampons to ear cleaners, face wipes to baby wipes. Swapping to a bin is a quick win for our water ways as well as bird and marine life who choke on this stuff.

47. Upgrade to water efficient taps + shower heads

Showers and taps are amongst the biggest water users in your household, so it makes sense to buy the most water efficient versions to save not only water but also power due to the electricity used to heat the water. Shower heads and taps are both rated for water efficiency by WELS. Aim for 6 stars!

If you’re renovating…

While keeping your existing bathroom is the most eco-friendly option of all, if you decide to do an overhaul:

48. Recycle your old bathroom appliances + fittings

Remember to make sure you recycle rather than thrown your old items into landfill.

49. Swap to a water efficient toilet

Water efficient toilets offer a half flush option and WELS rated toilets limit each flush to 5.5 litres. It’s common for WELS rated toilets to use 3 litres of water for a half flush and 4.5 litres for a full flush. Check reviews of water efficient toilets before buying to ensure they don’t actually waste water by requiring more than one flush!

50. If you buy an heated towel rail, make sure it’s energy efficient.

Heated towel rails are very popular and for good reason – they keep your towels hygienically dry and toasty warm. For the most eco friendly option, only buy the size needed to heat the towels required and make sure your heated towel rail has a built in timer so it turns off automatically after a certain amount of time.

51. Select cabinets made from recycled or renewable materials

When looking for sustainable bathroom or ensuite cabinets and doors, aim for ones made from recycled and renewable materials, such as recycled or responsibly harvested timbers, bamboo, ply and paper composite.

52. Buy eco friendly bench tops

The most popular option for bench tops is natural stone such as quartz. Although very durable and long-lasting they are sourced from finite materials that come with ecologically damaging and costly extraction, manufacturing and transport.

The best eco friendly alternatives are, recycled glass bench tops (similar look to quartz bench tops such as Caesarstone), sustainably sourced timber, bamboo and paper composites. It’s important that the sealing varnishes used have no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) which can be toxic.

53. Choose sustainable tiles

As with other eco products for the home, selecting sustainable tiles is all about tiles made from recycled or renewable content, such as recycled glass and renewable clay. There are also green certifications for many hard surfaces including tiles, so you can guard against greenwashing by retailers.

Your eco friendly bedroom

54. When you need new bedlinen, go eco

The most common fabric used for bedlinen is cotton, however it is one of the most unsustainable fabrics on earth. The water used to produce it, both to irrigate crops and during the spinning process, is astronomical. Estimates have been made that it takes 2700 litres of water to create a a single t-shirt, let alone a set of bed sheets. Not only that, toxic pesticides are used which can adversely affect workers handling the cotton as well as produce runoff which contaminates rivers, lakes, wetlands, and underground aquifers. In a nutshell, avoid cotton and go for certified organic cotton or hemp sheets which use 91% less water and no pesticides.

55. Make your next mattress sustainable

Go for organic, natural materials and recycled materials and able to be recycled at the end of their life. Some mattresses are made from plastics removed from the ocean, so you can have a double impact.

56. Choose environmentally responsible pillows

Pillows that are made from organic and natural materials are the most sustainable option on which to lay your head (and your conscience) to rest.

57. When you need new bedroom furniture, go sustainable.

Sustainable beds, bedheads and bedside tables that are vintage or second hand are the most sustainable option, followed by those made from reclaimed or recycled materials such as timber. It always more eco friendly to avoid trends and choose furniture that is timeless in style and will last the distance, preferably a lifetime. Avoid importing furniture from overseas, as there is a higher likelihood of dubious materials being used, not to mention the environmental impact of long distance transportation.

Building & Renovating

Sustainable living can really come to the fore when you are building and renovating. Check out these articles to learn more about how to create your dream eco home…