Waste less and do more in 2024! Discover 100 easy ways to reignite your routines, minimise the mundane and trim the trivial to-dos. Without. Even. Trying.
100 ways to save time and waste
- 1. Reduce shower time by a minute. And try a cold shower every now and then. It’s as refreshing on your skin as it is on your bills, promise!
- 2. Turn off lights when leaving a room. This will save energy, money, and the time it takes to replace your bulbs.
- 3. Save and use reusable shopping bags to avoid pointless single-use plastics.
- 4. Always carry a reusable water bottle to cut down on the million plastic bottles bought every minute.
- 5. Look into what you can recycle around your house.
- 6. Compost your food scraps.
- 7. Plant a tree and watch it grow!
- 8. Shop at local farmers’ markets.
- 9. Use a refillable coffee cup for on-the-go caffeine fixes.
- 10. Walk or cycle instead of driving.
- 11. Unplug chargers when not in use. If you leave them plugged in, it’ll still drain power from your socket.
- 12. Start a herb garden.
- 13. Fix leaky taps.
- 14. Support sustainable fashion brands.
- 15. Join a milkround and get fresh drinks in return and reusable glass bottles.
- 16. Reduce your meat consumption by trying vegan and veggie recipes.
- 17. Take an interest in the stories behind your food and where it comes from.
- 18. Choose energy-efficient appliances.
- 19. Reuse glass jars and containers. Reusing our glass bottles has helped prevent over 85 million plastic bottles from polluting the planet.
- 20. Turn off your computer at night. This will prolong its lifeand stop you from checking those pesky work emails in the evening.
- 21. Repair, repurpose, donate or sell old clothing.
- 22. Plan and prep meals in advance to save time and headspace throughout the week.
- 23. Use eco-friendly cleaning products.
- 24. Use a reusable lunchbox and save money by avoiding buying lunch each time you’re in the office.
- 25. Install energy-efficient LED bulbs to save electricity.
- 26. Support local businesses in your community.
- 27. Reduce food waste by getting what you need, when you need it.
- 28. Choose public transportation over driving on your own.
- 29. Shop on secondhand clothing apps like Vinted.
- 30. Cut back on fast fashion purchases.
- 31. Buy digital magazines and books rather than new print versions to save paper and clutter. This also means you get to read them instantly!
- 32. Fix broken items instead of replacing them.
- 33. Buy eco-friendly pet products.
- 34. Collect rainwater for plants.
- 35. Eat seasonal foods to preserve biodiversity, reduce food miles, and increase nutritional value.
- 36. Use a reusable straw.
- 37. Reduce screen brightness to save energy (and your eyeballs!).
- 38. Use reusable, washable cloth napkins.
- 39. Repair, repurpose and upcycle furniture.
- 40. Reduce e-waste by recycling old electronics.
- 41. Stop using single-use plastics like plastic cutlery.
- 42. Reduce car idling time.
- 43. Use eco-friendly natural paint when decorating.
- 44. Carpool with friends or coworkers.
- 45. Unsubscribe from junk and marketing emails to avoid the temptation of buying stuff you don’t need.
- 46. Choose eco-friendly personal care products like Wild’s refillable deodorant.
- 47. Reduce paper waste by swapping paper receipts for digital receipts.
- 48. Support wildlife conservation, rewilding, and reforestation efforts.
- 49. Choose eco-friendly travel by swapping planes for trains.
- 50. Start a neighbourhood clean-up group.
- 51. Do a local park or beach clean.
- 52. Get toilet paper delivered to your house on a subscription, so you’re never caught short!
- 53. Support ethical chocolate brands.
- 54. Redesign your garden to support local wildlife.
- 55. Choose products with home-compostable packaging.
- 57. Support renewable energy sources.
- 58. Reduce disposable razors.
- 59. Support responsible sourcing of coffee.
- 60. Use an eco-friendly phone case.
- 61. Support sustainable jewelry brands.
- 62. Choose eco-friendly laundry products.
- 63. Reduce disposable party decorations.
- 64. Minimise clutter and maximise your free time and savings by unsubscribing from unnecessary mail.
- 65. Use digital calendars for easy scheduling and reminders, without creating extra paper waste at the end of the year.
- 66. Do your grocery shopping online to save time and reduce travel emissions.
- 67. Use a smart meter to track your energy usage and bills.
- 68. Make your own compost bin for organic waste.
- 69. Sign up for internet banking and go paperless with your bills for extra convenience, organisation, and paper reduction.
- 70. Make digital notes to stay organised without relying on pages and pages of paper.
- 71. Save time and fuel by doing online and at-home workouts instead of trekking to the gym.
- 72. Wash clothes in cold water to save energy.
- 73. Always leave a tote bag or reusable shopping bag in your car, just in case you need one.
- 74. Choose a green energy provider for a more sustainable power source.
- 75. Gift experiences, rather than presents, to create more memories and reduce the energy and materials needed to manufacture products and items.
- 76. Embrace remote working to save commuting time and reduce your carbon footprint.
- 77. Use apps like Citymapper to save time and find the most convenient (and sustainable) directions and travel plans.
- 78. Create a capsule wardrobe for quick, sustainable outfit choices and save more space in your wardrobe.
- 79. Send digital, paperless invitations to save paper, time, and money on stamps.
- 80. Grow your own fruit and veg from scraps.
- 81. Invest in smart home automation to manage your energy as efficiently as possible.
- 82. Buy an airfryer to save time and energy when cooking.
- 83. Use reusable makeup wipes to create less waste and more convenience.
- 84. Wrap gifts in reusable fabric or recycled paper.
- 85. Embrace plant-based products to try something new that’s both healthy and sustainable.
- 86. Get your groceries delivered to save time and reduce travel emissions.
- 87. Set your refrigerator to energy-saving modes to conserve electricity.
- 88. Use reusable ice cubes to cut down on single-use packaging.
- 89. Get your everyday essentials on a repeat weekly delivery so you don’t have to waste time thinking about staying stocked up on milk, bread, eggs and more.
- 90. Buy cereal in returnable pots to cut down on unnecessary packaging.
- 91. If you’re unsure about buying something, sleep on it and see if you still want it the next day.
- 92. Use lamps or candles instead of the big light. This will create more of a soothing atmosphere, while also saving energy.
- 93. Sharpen your knives so they don’t go blunt. This will mean you won’t have to replace them, therefore saving money, materials, and resources.
- 94. Set time limits for your apps and leave your phone on the other side of the room when you go to bed. This will limit screentime, saving battery power, energy and your own sanity!
- 95. Get older shoes cleaned and resoled.
- 96. Turn your heating down one degree. It’s remarkable how much a difference this makes to your energy efficiency and bills!
- 97. Use roundups in your online banking to save money without noticing.
- 98. Shop little and often to buy food when it’s fresh, for maximum flavour and minimum waste.
- 99. Mute your work emails and Slack notifications out of work hours.
- 100. Reread this list in one month’s time!
Waste less and do more in 2024
Join our milkround for fresh, sustainable groceries at your door!
