We all want to do our best for the planet, and making sure we use sustainable, reusable products is a great way to do that. But if you’re anything like me, remembering to take your reusable bags shopping or your Huskup when you go to the coffee shop isn’t always easy. Here we’ve put together some great tips and tricks to help us all remember our reusables. Plus, we’ve included some extra suggestions on ways to up your sustainability credentials!
Make Sure Have What You Need:
This might sound pretty obvious but making sure you actually own the reusables you need really is the first step.
Some things to ask yourself:
- Do you have enough reusable shopping bags to do your weekly food shop?
- What about produce bags for your loose fruit and veg?
- Have you got a spare Huskup for when you leave the other one at the office?
- What about a good reusable water bottle to help keep you hydrated in this lovely hot weather?
- Do you have reusable cutlery and a reusable straw to pop in your bag?
Making sure you have everything you need will set you up for success. It will mean you’re less likely to find yourself in a position where you need to buy a plastic carrier bag or disposable coffee cup. Plus it’s nice to treat yourself, especially when you’re treating Mother Nature too!
Get Organised:
Organisation is absolutely the foundation of successfully switching over to sustainable alternatives. Making sure you put things where you need them will be a massive help on your journey.
For example, put your Huskup next to the kettle or coffee machine the night before so it’s ready to use. Or, if you’re going to stop by the coffee shop, put it with your keys and wallet. Maybe try keeping your shopping and produce bags in the boot of your car or a couple folded up in your handbag.
I always try to keep a set of reusable cutlery and a straw in my bag so they’re always there when I need them.
If your reusables are to hand you are much more likely to use them and not fall back into old habits!
Get Everyone Involved:
Getting your whole family, household or even office involved can make being sustainable so much easier. By working together you can replace all the disposable, single-use things like plastic cups and cutlery with reusable alternatives.
You could even get custom branded Huskups for your company and foster a real culture of sustainability. Whether it’s at home or in the workplace, having people around you that are trying to be sustainable can really give you a boost. You’re also there to remind each other and hold each other accountable for your commitment.
Plus, the more people that get behind sustainability the better for the planet!
Make a Sustainable “Grab Bag”:
Keeping a “grab bag” of sustainable, reusable essentials in your desk drawer or glovebox means you’ll always have the things you need to hand. Even if your memory is as bad as mine!
Include things like a reusable cup, collapsible water bottle, reusable cutlery, and straw and put it all in a reusable shopping or tote bag. Why not include some extras too so you can lend them to friends and family to save even more single-use plastics going to landfill!
“Grab bags” of reusable essentials can also make nice sustainable gifts and are a really great way to get others involved in being more sustainable.
Add Your Reusables To Your Mental Checklist:
Another good way to remember your reusables is to get in the habit of adding them to the mental checklist you do before you leave the house.
Phone, wallet, keys, Huskup. Shopping bags, purse, car keys, shopping list. Make it your leaving-the-house-sustainability mantra and it will soon become second nature.
Give yourself a little bit of time to stop and think about what you might need to take before going out for the day.
- Are you going to stop for coffee?
- Maybe get something to eat?
- Doing a bit of shopping?
Then think about the things you might be using for these activities and make sure you take your reusable alternatives!
Write Yourself Notes:
If all else fails, write yourself some notes and stick them where you can’t miss them! I put little notes on the front door, the fridge, the kettle, and even my steering wheel to remind me of things I need to do. Basically, I put them anywhere I am going to have to look before I leave the house or drive away. I like to use bright coloured sticky notes so they really are unmissable! You can now even get sticky notes that are made from 100% recycled paper.
Another way I help myself remember to take my reusable shopping and produce bags is to add them to the top of my shopping list. This way they’re the first thing I see when I check the list before leaving the house.
Sometimes just the act of writing something down can help you to remember it, whether you look too much at the note again or not.
The More You Do It, The Easier It Will Be:
I know this sounds really obvious but it is true. The more you practice doing something, the more it becomes a habit and the easier it is to keep it up. But it isn’t just about the frequency, it’s also about bringing sustainability into every part of your life.
A good way to do this is by looking are areas of your life that produce a lot of single-use waste. One of the areas that we found produced a lot of waste was our weekly shop. So much of the packaging was single-use and non-recyclable. Although we had swapped to reusable shopping and produce bags we wanted to take our efforts further.
Taking Reusables To The Next Level:
We decided a good way to do this was by swapping out our local supermarket for local zero waste or low waste refill shops wherever possible. This way we reduced our consumption of single-use and non-recyclable plastics. It has also helped us to reduce our food waste as we’re only buying the amounts we need instead of standard packet weights.
We love the refill options available today such as Refillable and Re.Store. These two are both based in Bath, but there are lots of options just like them popping up all over the country as more and more people make the switch to sustainability.
There are even some mobile shops doing the rounds in some areas like Earthkind based in Devon.
So, there you have our top tips and tricks for remembering your reusables. We really hope these ideas can help you on your journey toward sustainability. And remember, it is a journey, no one gets it right all of the time. Just try your best, and don’t forget your Huskup!
