Although we may think our decisions are little, they have a much bigger impact than we can imagine. The production of waste is one of them - everything we throw out in the bin seems to disappear from our homes, but it stays on the planet for a very, very long time. In fact, most of it has never left. 

In this blog, we’ll be sharing some small, eco-friendly changes you can make in your daily lives to reduce your waste, carbon footprint, and your expenses. 

1. Buy In Bulk

Buying in bulk has a long list of benefits:

• It eliminates the need for unnecessary single-use plastic
• Buying in bulk also means that you’ll contribute to decreasing the environmental and economic costs of travel - simply because these products require much less packaging components that have to be produced, transported and assembled. 
• You’re able to buy exactly what you need; encouraging you to be more mindful about your consumption of food - making you waste less of it. Also, because of this your food will stay fresher!
• Buying in bulk is a lot cheaper since you’re not paying for all that excess packaging. This means all you’re paying for is exactly what you’ll be consuming. 

Refillery and Alfalfa House are our two favourite bulk shops!

2. Shop Local 

You may have heard about this one before...but not many truly get why it’s so important to buy from local businesses and farmers. Buying local means that you’ll be getting the freshest produce with significantly less carbon footprint. Local produce doesn’t barely require transport or packaging - especially if you use your own reusable bags to come visit. Most of the time, local produce also means it’s been grown without any nasty chemicals or pesticides; making them a much healthier choice for you and the planet.  

We have plenty of markets and local stores in Sydney. In the Inner West, Glebe Markets, Sydney Vegan Market, Paddington Markets and the Olive Tree Market are our go-to's. 

3. Buy second-hand items and donate your used items

Trends and the desire to buy new things can sometimes get the best of us....and the earth’s resources. Before you find something new, consider looking in a second-hand store for it first. The garment industry is one of the biggest contributors of water, air and air pollution as well as the exploitation of workers, so being able to give a second, third, or tenth life to a piece of clothing will be forever thanked by the planet.  

Besides, you know what they say: one man's trash is another man's treasure! The things you find at second hand carry the most personality and stories with them; why not find something original there?

Have you been to Vinnies? There’s hundreds of them all over Australia and they’re full of good stuff. We’re also frequent customers at the Redcross Shop in Newtown (@newtown_redcrossshop)

4. Repair, instead of buy new

We know it can be a nightmare when the coffee maker breaks. In fact, it can be so annoying that all you want to do is buy a new one straight away. But repairing your broken things, may they be electronics, clothes, or furniture, is an incredible way of reducing waste and overconsumption. Let’s not get sucked in throwaway culture! Let’s get into the habit of giving things a second chance :)

Reverse Garbage is an incredible creative reuse centre that aims to reduce waste and educate through workshops and by seeing the creative potential of leftover materials and turning them into something new...and beautiful.

5. Compost!

Ah, our favourite thing to do at Oleu Life. Composting your fruit and veg scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds and grass can help improve the quality of the soil in your backyard, making your own veggie plants thrive from organic goodness. At the same time, saving your food scraps from going into landfills reduces methane emissions, and lowers your carbon footprint by a bunch. 

Check out Compost Revolution to get a discount on all kinds of worm farms, compost bins or bokashi!

There you have it, five small changes with a big impact. Let’s work together in giving respect to the world we live in; little efforts go a long way!