Sustainability matters and with recent research showing that 75% of people in the UK made conscious efforts to make more sustainable lifestyle choices during lockdown, now couldn’t be a better time to change your habits.

The smallest change can make the biggest difference to the planet, and if every one of us does the same, huge issues like climate change can be stopped in their tracks.

When it comes to living more sustainably, your eco-friendly mission should begin at home. Read on to discover five simple ways to increase sustainability in your home.

1. Break those energy-wasting habits

Becoming more energy efficient isn’t just beneficial for the planet, it’ll work wonders for your bank balance too.

Energy bills are rising, and to reduce usage and lower your home’s carbon footprint, you can take some easy steps.

Turning off your appliances and lights when they’re not in use can save a significant amount of energy.

You should also use a programmable thermostat to reduce your home’s temperature at night or when you’re not at home.

As well as saving the planet by lowering energy usage, turning down your boiler can unlock significant financial savings as This Is Money explains:

“When you do have to switch on the heating, turning down the thermostat on your boiler to 1 or 2 degrees lower than its normal temperature could save you up to 10% on your bill each month, says Vaillant. Most households have the thermostat set at around 19-20 degrees.

Turning down to 17 or 18 degrees, especially on warmer days, shouldn’t make any noticeable difference, especially if your house is well insulated.”

2. Shop locally for your food

Local produce not only tastes better, but it’s also great for the planet. Local produce, after all, doesn’t require the same (often worldwide) transportation, refrigeration, and storage that the vast amount of supermarket-bought food requires, which lowers the amount of energy used.

At this challenging time, shopping locally at an independent store or farmers’ market provides vital support for your local community too.

3. Recycle, recycle, recycle

Don’t underestimate the power of recycling. By recycling as much as you can at home, you’re preventing a huge amount of waste ending up in a landfill.

Landfill sites aren’t just eyesores, the waste that is stored there generates a significant volume of toxins, leachate, and greenhouse gases which directly damage the planet.

In addition to this, these harmful chemicals seep into groundwater and soil to cause devastating problems for wildlife and the human population.

For household items that can’t be recycled and are in good condition, why not consider reselling or donating them?

3. Grow your own in the garden

A garden is a great place where you can sow more sustainability, and it doesn’t get much eco-friendlier than growing your fruits and vegetables.

Even the smallest garden can yield its produce. Transform an unused corner of your garden into a dedicated vegetable patch or add a container to a sunny windowsill to start your grow mission.

4. Avoid all disposables

Single-use items are causing several environmental issues. Whilst cheap to produce, their non-biodegradable status means they’re extremely difficult to get rid of.

Single-use items tend to stay in landfill for years and with space running out, a vast number of single-use items are sadly ending up in our oceans.

Look for alternatives to single-use items like plastic cutlery, bags, food containers, cups, and razors, and more importantly, say “no” to bottled water.

The single-use plastic bottles used to store bottled water constitute a large part of the world’s plastic pollution problem.

Instead of going for bottled water, invest in a reusable water bottle and fill it with healthy, hydrating and odour-free filtered water.

Shop our range of drinking water filter systems today to enjoy filtered water in your very own home.