Small changes for the New Year - from Mrs Green's Eco Store in Chesterfield

Some people are good at setting goals and sticking to them, however, for the majority of people our New Year’s Resolutions have fallen by the wayside by the end of January, or

maybe even sooner.

The ladies at Mrs Green’s Eco Store have some advice on small changes we can all make towards being more sustainable and eco-friendlier in the coming year.

Each year more people and companies are making a conscious effort to become more environmentally friendly, this can be achieved by just a few small actions from each of us, and the beginning of 2022 seems like a great place to start.

Straight after Christmas we all tend to have lots more waste, paper, food, bottles, cards etc. which can all be disposed of consciously. Excess food can be donated to local food banks, provided it is still within its use by date.

Christmas cards can be recycled in your home recycling bins (please remove all foil, glitter or stick-on decorations) or used again to make new cards for next year if you are good at crafting.

Don’t be afraid to regift something you may have been given for Christmas that you will never make use of. We know in the past this has appeared extremely rude and ungrateful; however, we are now in an age of trying to be more sustainable and trying to buy less ‘stuff’ it is now perfectly acceptable and positively encouraged to put items to good use that would previously have been needlessly stored or thrown away.

One of the easiest and most impactful resolutions you can make is to only buy items you really need, or to try to buy things second hand, there is such an excellent choice of second hand, vintage and charity shops on our high streets filled with preloved items. If buying new clothing look out for the many sustainable brands now available, who have consciously and ethically sourced items.

Other small changes you can adopt are to remember to take reusable shopping bags with you when you visit the shops, or if you are ordering your food shop online to opt for a ‘no bag’ delivery.

Invest in a reusable drinks cup which can be filled at home or most local cafes will now allow you to use your own cup/bottle. Some of the bigger high street coffee outlets offer a discount if you use your own cup, so it will soon pay for itself.

Use eco friendly toilet paper and kitchen roll. It requires at least 17 trees and 90 thousand litres of water to make 1 tonne of paper roll. As the average person uses 100 toilet rolls per

year, using regular toilet paper is not a sustainable option. Switch to toilet paper and kitchen roll made from bamboo. As bamboo grows up to 39 inches within a 24-hour period it is a much more sustainable option. This is widely available in supermarkets or can be ordered online and delivered to your door, so you don’t have to carry bulky items when shopping.

These are just some of the small changes we can each decide to make on our sustainable journey, and to help us keep our resolution to become more eco friendly. Take a look at mrsgreensecostore.com for more inspiration, and have a great New Year.

Mrs Green's Eco Store

Unit 4 R/O MOT Station, Littlemoor, Chesterfield