Ways to reduce the environmental impact of your house

Do you think being green is difficult? You could be taken aback! You can make small changes in your home's environmental conditions to reduce your personal impact on the climate.

Address the misuse of water

A valuable resource is water. Being mindful of your usage can have a significant environmental impact because, regrettably, its availability is becoming more and more erratic.

Among the easy methods to reduce the amount of water you use are:

• repairing dripping faucets (those little drips add up!)
• Utilise your dishwasher and washing machine exclusively for full loads.
• installation of low-flow rainfall shower heads and faucets, as well as the use of a timer to limit shower durations to five minutes.

Use a smart metre to monitor your energy usage

Digital energy metres record a household's energy consumption and transmit the data to the appropriate electricity supplier. There's usually no requirement for a metre reader to come to your property, and it's more accurate. Furthermore, smart metres can assist you in better understanding how you use energy and may even give you the confidence to reduce your usage.

You won't get access to the data right away if you already own a smart metre. Since each retailer has a different method of getting your data, you will either need to purchase an in-home display or ask your electricity provider how to obtain it.

Create a system for composting

The trash in our landfills is compressed so tightly that food waste takes an absurdly long time to decompose. As a result, too much methane gas is produced and released into the atmosphere, endangering the ecosystem.

By setting up your own composting system, you can contribute to the reduction of waste going to landfills. Food decomposes considerably more quickly in a composting environment and is a wonderful addition to any garden!

If you lack a backyard or sufficient space for a making compost system, take into account:

• bringing up the idea of creating a common area with the body corporation of your building.
• collaborating with a neighbour, friend, or relative who lives close by and has additional room for composting, or
• with ShareWaste, a free web application that lets you look for and get in touch with residents who have compost systems they're willing to allow you to add to.

Invest in reusable materials rather than disposable ones

Straws, takeaway containers, and plastic bags are examples of single-use plastics that are frequently used only once before decomposing—they may require up to 1,000 years to do so. Many times, they are even unrecyclable; coffee cups, for instance, are composed of mixed materials and should be disposed of in a landfill.

Purchasing reusable substitutes can assist you in reducing the amount of plastic waste you produce

Here are a few methods you can use to accomplish this:

• utilising beeswax wraps or reusable containers to store leftovers instead of single-use cling wrap
• swapping out single-use plastic straws for reusable straws made of glass, metal, bamboo, or other materials
• creating your own cleaning solutions (with commonly-available ingredients, such as vinegar and baking soda) as opposed to purchasing ones packaged in plastic containers, and
• Give up your plastic bag collection and get a set of reusable bags that you can bring with you when you go shopping.