Home-owners, it seems, always have all the fun in making their homes more eco-friendly with their lawns and backyards and whatnot. However, this does not mean renters don’t get to enjoy this fun yet helpful activity too!
Although apartments don’t offer much space unlike houses do, this must not stop you from making your apartment and your stuff friendly to the environment.
Here are 5 ways in getting the job done:
Recycle properly
There are some apartment buildings that offer recycling solutions monthly and some that don’t. If your apartment doesn’t recycle, you can ask your landlord about it and perhaps convince the other tenants as well to recycle the proper way. If your apartment does recycle, then you just have to be aware of the recycling rules and most importantly, the right materials. Recycling the wrong materials definitely causes more waste than you’d think.
Alternatively, you can drop off your recyclable materials to your city recycling center. For materials like plastic bags and glass that don’t normally go through the recycling service, you can also just drop them off at the grocery store for them to reuse.
Reduce food waste
Every year, Americans throw 63 million tons of food away, and this number increases especially during the holidays. Society nowadays is problematic – we buy more than we need, and the food excess will be left rotten while other people in the world are in need of them.
Having an apartment does not exactly give you the right to control everything. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands and start looking for ways on how to be eco-friendly. One of the many great ways to start is minimizing your food waste – the most environmentally adverse habit we’re all guilty of. To do so, begin with only buying what you need and what you’ll consume but you have to ensure the expiry dates so you’d know when to use them. Also, store your food in the right way to prevent them from being spoiled before their expiry dates. This is also good for leftovers so you can eat them afterwards at the right time!
In addition to that, having compost bins sitting right on your kitchen counter is also a good way to go. Even though you don’t have a garden to use it with, this is a better option than throwing your food waste away in the trash. Alongside recycling and regulating trash, waste management centers also offer a drop-off composting facility. If you have this option, then you must take advantage of this.
Control the temperature naturally
Minimizing the usage of your heating and cooling system is another great way to make your apartment home more eco-friendly without making any major changes. Although it may be a little bit demanding to put on extra socks and layers, it is a good habit that is beneficial not only for the environment but for you as well. Contributing something to protect the environment is a pretty good feeling, and you won’t have to pay a portion of the bills every month!
Here are some tips to keep your home warm without using the heater:
- Cover windows with clear insulation film
- Use cloth draft stoppers
- Use thermal window curtains
- Opt for energy providers like solar and wind
Clean green
Instead of using commercial cleaning products with adverse chemical effects that support capitalism, you can use salt, baking soda, borax, and the classic wonder cleaner, vinegar as alternatives. To make this even more eco-friendly, purchase these items in biodegradable packaging for you to reuse later on such as spray bottles.
However, always keep in mind that some surfaces might be too sensitive for these things. They can sometimes cause a chemical reaction that you and your landlord wouldn’t be so happy to find.
Upgrade light bulbs
LED light bulbs, having acquired quick popularity, not only use less energy to operate, but also waste less energy. It is an absolute waste to have ordinary light bulbs in your home as they produce more heat than light. They can also be dangerous. However, LEDs, while producing more light than heat, lasts up to 25 times longer. They are much cheaper and safer which obviously wins as the right to reside in an eco-friendly home.
Even if you don’t have a yard and can’t choose the materials you want used in your apartment, you can still get in on the sustainable household trends too and not just home-owners! By following these simple steps, you protect the environment thus you protect humanity. Do your part for Mother Nature!
