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10 things that are not needed at home

The items that we buy daily to live comfortably can have a great negative impact on health and nature. Before any purchase decision, whether for a good or a service, we should stop to think, first, if it is something really necessary, and then, if there are no better options for our health, sustainability and ecology.

Video: 4 toxic containers that you should avoid for your health

4-toxic-packaging-you-should-avoid

1. Microplastics

Tiny plastic beads can be found in many conventional scrubs and shower gels. Because wastewater treatment plants cannot adequately filter these microplastics, they enter the groundwater almost unhindered. There it mixes with other pollutants and most likely ends up in sludge dumps or in the sea.

Microplastics are dangerous to fish and waterfowl because they ingest the particles with their food. And all this despite the fact that plastic particles in care products are completely superfluous, unnecessary!

In addition to cosmetics, another source of microplastics is clothing made of synthetic fibers, which shed continuously, especially during washing.

To avoid them, buy natural cosmetics and fashion with natural fabrics.

2. Fresh fiber toilet paper

Everyone likes toilet paper to be nice, soft, and as cheap as possible. Very few are interested in what material it is made of, and that is bad, because Trees are cut down to make conventional toilet paper.

If you don’t want to flush our forests down the toilet, you’re better off buying recycled toilet paper. Don’t worry, today’s range of recycled toilet paper doesn’t have much in common with the gray, scratchy paper we all remember from yesteryear.

3. Aluminum foil

Lots of people use aluminum foil to wrap food, but it’s not a good idea, Aluminum production is extremely polluting, due to its high energy consumption, as well as being a potential health hazard.

aluminum foil it can represent a health risk if it comes into contact with acidic, fatty, alkaline or salty foods. These attack the metal, which means aluminum ions can be released and enter the food.

Although aluminum is practical and often seems indispensable, its production has a negative impact on the environment and consumes a great deal of energy.

There are comfortable wrappings based on parchment paper, beeswax or cloth. Glass containers are another option.

4. Nuclear power

You are probably not an advocate of nuclear power. And you probably don’t like coal-fired power plants polluting our air, either. If you have not yet switched to a green electricity provider, you must do so urgently.

Because with a conventional electricity tariff you support nuclear and coal energy, whether you like it or not. With real green electricity, on the other hand, you promote the energy transition.

By contracting green electricity you make sure that your supplier acquires it from clean energy producers. However, you should know that due to the complexity of electrical power distribution, power will continue to arrive at your home from nuclear power plants, because all the energy is mixed.

We will only be able to get rid of nuclear energy when all the atomic power plants close down and this will happen sooner if we all contract green energy.

5. Harmful detergents

It’s nice when your clothes come out of the washing machine bright white. It’s not so good when the detergent you trust uses questionable ingredients such as persistent surfactants, stabilizers, optical brighteners, chemical bleaches, preservatives, and microplastics.

Since wastewater treatment plants cannot completely filter out microplastics and other contaminants, they accumulate in the soil and water. Over there they harm plants and animals and can also endanger groundwater.

Choose detergents with a European green label or, even better, organic detergents in your certified product store. Look for the ones with the seal Ecocert.

6. Cheap milk

Whether milk is healthy or even makes you sick is up for debate, but the truth is, you shouldn’t buy cheap milk. With milk priced too low, farmers must balance to cover production costs. This means that they will buy the cheapest feed, that the animals will live more crowded, etc.

If you drink cow’s milk, Look for local organic milk. And value if you go to vegetable milk. They are not nutritionally equivalent products, but they do have advantages: they do not contain saturated fat or cholesterol.

7. Coffee in capsules

That every cup of coffee you drink produces aluminum or plastic waste is nonsense. In addition, this coffee is up to four times more expensive than if you prepare an organic and fair trade coffee.

As convenient as it may seem to you, it is better not to buy a coffee machine in capsules. If you already have one, there are refillable steel capsules and compostable capsules. But consider going tofilter coffee, healthier.

8. Chemical Drain Cleaner

teaches us that clogged drains are treated with a chemical blow. Although plungers are effective, they often contain caustic substances such as sodium hydroxide or sodium hypochlorite, which can damage pipes and our health.

the vapors irritate mucous membranes and highly toxic chlorine gas can be produced if accidentally mixed with acid. Wastewater is also contaminated by chemical pipe cleaners.

One solution is disassemble the siphon to unblock it, when this is possible. You don’t need a plumber to do it. Other options are the usual pressure plunger and the wires that you will find in hardware stores.

9. Water in plastic bottles

Transporting plastic bottles is very expensive and is associated with too many CO2 emissions, the gas that by excess is heating the planet. On the other hand, one cannot be sure that elements of the plastic composition have not passed into the water.

The healthiest and most sustainable thing is to use tap water, which can always be filtered to improve its quality if it does not seem satisfactory to you.

10. Unsolicited advertising

brochures and flyers in the mailbox are annoying and often end up in the trash without reading. Its production unnecessarily consumes a lot of paper and energy. A simple “no ads please” label on the mailbox will do wonders and hopefully reduce the amount of unnecessary print ads in the long run.

Without excuses

“Changing electricity provider is too complicated”, “I would buy in an organic store, but the supermarket is around the corner and it is cheaper”, “the coffee capsules are very comfortable to use”. It is true that sustainable consumption sometimes requires a little more thought and planning, but isn’t it worth doing for your health and the planet? Taking into account the consequences of everything we do is part of a more conscious and responsible life.

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