As we read on my previous article called  Why The Circular Economy Matters, we know, we are far from this circular future and there are a bunch of social and environmental issues we must address, but don’t worry, as individuals we can contribute to make a change and we can slowly adapt practices that will help to change the world for the better. 

I have jam-packed loads of opportunities and ideas to transform your lifestyle and how to apply circular economy principles into our daily lives.

At Home:

Here we have the power to decide what and where we buy, and believe or not, our behaviour as consumers has a great impact on the society and also on the business, they decide their future strategies based on us, the consumers!

In my house there is a rule: First: always try to avoid any type of waste, if not possible think of giving it a second life.

We buy our dry food (Chickpeas, Lentils, Spaguetis, any Nuts…) in bulk shops – By doing so we give a second life to all the glass containers that enter at home for food storage as well as all the paper or plastic bags we use for going shopping. This was one of the first things that we implemented. We searched for the bulk shop near us once, and then we just go every 3 months as everytime we go, we pack loads of goodies. These types of products last for a long time so you can keep them in your pantry in bags.

If your shopping items come in bags, reuse them! You can carry things within them, I use the lettuce bags to carry my tupper to work, in case something leaks. They are easy to clean, or once we use them to cover the floor when I want to paint a lamp. Use your imagination, and before you throw them out think “Can I give a second life to it?”

If we cannot give a second life, donate! We even donate the jars to the Bulk Shop so any other customer can use them. Our last resource is bringing them to the recycle centre because we know that in order to be recycled it will need energy and some other type of resources, so we always try to reuse before recycling.

Try to always have reusable bags with you, and bring them for your shopping trips.

Whenever possible, refuse single-use items, like plastic wrapped fruit/vegetable in the supermarket or cutlery on your take away food order. We always choose non plastic wrap items when shopping whenever is possible, and if we have any plastic cutlery we always wash them and reuse them, on trips or hikes…it is always convenient to have them.

Before taking some sponsor items, first think “Do I really need another pen/bottle/keyholder at home?” 

Week meals plan: in our case, it helps us to avoid overbuying food or products that will likely just end up as trash later on. I am not going to lie, sometimes life happens and you have overcooked for the week. In those cases, we try in the evenings to check the fridge and think beforehand if that would be eaten or not on time and  freeze it before it gets bad.

Buying secondhand items instead of new ones whenever possible. There is a big stigma about second hand items: It is gross, old, smelly…but those concepts are far from reality. Second Hand shops are great places to find beautiful gems. In order to normalise it, I would invite you to visit Second Hand Shops within your area and/or download second hand Apps. This will help you to get first familiar with the shops and the apps and second, comfortable going there and having a look, so eventually you will start finding things that are  interesting for you and your style.

Repairing broken objects before replacing them with new versions. I am lucky because my father is a good handyman, so everytime something breaks I can call him, and ask him for his imagination and wisdom…so far he has fixed my straightener and my luggage wheels…and 100 more things along my childhood, I am sure!

Have you ever upcycle anything? I love Pinterest where I can get new ideas on how to transform something old into new! I normally try to use what I have at home, so pink plastic pots become super trendy white-robe pots, or an ugly brown lamp is now grey and it will become gold in the next weeks because my boyfriend broke it in pieces. So although we glue all the pieces, I feel it needs a fresh new style.

It is true that we all need a declutter moment, it is good for our mind and also space, you need to let go of things that do not serve you anymore, but be careful with the intention. Donating unwanted items to charity shops or freecycle initiatives so that they can be used by someone else is a really good initiative but not if you just do it so you can replace them with new things straight away. Charity or Second Hand shops do a great job, but do you know what happens with your clothes if no one buys them? Oxfam said more than 70% of clothing donated globally will end up being sold to buyers in developing economies. We need to understand that Charity shops are not a dumping ground for the things you no longer want.

Composting organic materials such as food scraps and garden waste is a great way to keep these resources out of landfills while also creating nutrient-rich soil that can benefit local gardens and parks. Did you know when food breaks down without oxygen (in the landfills), it produces greenhouse gases (primarily methane)? Why not be part of the circular cycle and give back to Earth some nutrients from our compost? Composting is an easy way to reduce our waste in landfills, and therefore to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. If you do not have that service in your area, check the community gardens or maybe think about composting yourself, it is easier than you think and you will save money on bins.

In the Workplace: 

We are social creatures, and it is unbelievable how, either by example or just by starting a conversation, we can influence the people around us. If you multiply your acts by 20 or 200 or 2000, the impact is incredible. Before the pandemic, I used to switch off my screen as well as my colleagues if they were not in the office and they forgot to do it, by just doing that act of kindness, people saw me and they started doing it as well. So unconsciously I set an example. I keep doing that at work and at home, not just to reduce electricity bills but also because it will be good for the environment.

In an ideal world, companies should strive to use fewer virgin resources where possible; but let’s be honest not always is this the case.

Have you ever considered bringing sustainability into conversation in the meetings or in conversations with colleagues: Are we having any sustainability initiatives? Can I cooperate on that project? Or does the company have any strategies to move to more sustainable/circular production? You will see the impact and how many opportunities will happen.

Sometimes companies appreciate initiatives that help them to move to more sustainable behavior and also help them to save money.

Some sustainable changes could be just as utilising digital solutions wherever feasible (e. g., making use of cloud computing rather than physical servers. Now the majority of those cloud computing can give you the impact of your digital footprint as well as they work in renewable energy) or could involve investing in higher quality products made from recycled materials. If companies see it is important for their employees, they will start to think of alternatives, and by creating innovative approaches that are resource efficient, benefit nature and ensure that our supply chains are ethical.

Sometimes companies appreciate initiatives that help them to move to more sustainable behavior and also help them to save money. Some companies will make a huge impact just by reducing the packaging or switching from single-use plastics to recyclable alternatives. Taking initiatives to reduce the amount of materials they use and packaging they produce, could result in less waste that needs to be disposed of or recycled.

Do you have a green initiative at your workplace? Join it and see how you can promote good practices within your colleagues. If you do not have one, why not create one? It is a great way to get to know your colleagues from different departments, create a good community and encourage people to implement sustainable initiatives like bringing in reusable lunch containers instead of disposable ones or carpooling.

Simple steps businesses should consider are to look into ways that existing resources such as equipment parts, furniture and office supplies can be reused before being thrown away or replaced with new ones. This not only helps to save money but also reduces the need for additional manufacturing processes which would lead to an increased environmental impact from production emissions and wasted energy resources.

In the Community: 

As I mentioned, it is easy to contribute to a better society, communities could strive to increase access points for repair services as well as set up recycling programs which allow people’s old electronics and other goods to be safely disposed off without ending up in landfill sites. So why not set up recycling programs at schools or workplaces? How easy would it be to advocate for increased access points for repair services so that people are able to fix their broken gadgets instead of having to buy completely new replacements all the time?.

Organising events like clothing swaps which encourage members of the community or even between your friends and family to swap clothes rather than purchasing new garments every time. Who has never done  this as a teenager? How fun was it to go to your mum or sister’s wardrobe to wear something to that event or date?

Let’s conclude by saying that, despite over a decade of strong progress, increased education, and commitments from governments and companies around the world, we are still a long way off getting to a fully circular future. But this is where the opportunity lies. Circular economy model offers numerous opportunities  for businesses, consumers and the environment alike. This will challenge you to think differently and help you create a future that works better than today.

Through these efforts we can all work towards creating closed loops where resources are reused over and over again with little or no waste – helping us build a more sustainable world together.

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