As we approach Christmas, expectations of rampant consumerism is rife. A typical UK household spends around £2500 a month but in the run up to Christmas, this increases dramatically. The Bank of England estimates that households increase their spending by over £800 during December. 

So whilst people in the UK go barmy for the latest deals for products which will only see the light of day a couple of times, here’s 7 sustainable alternatives you can use every day.

Bamboo Toothbrushes

Plastic has become synonymous with toothbrushes and it’s not hard to see why. They are durable and incredibly cheap meaning manufacturers have long opted to produce our toothbrushes with plastic without having the foresight to see how they are polluting the Earth.

Switching to bamboo is a simple decision. Whilst boasting many of the same qualities and functionality as plastic, bamboo toothbrushes have the added benefit of being 100% biodegradable. It’s said that if this simple every-day swap was adopted by everyone in the world, 23 billion toothbrushes would be saved from landfill and our oceans annually.

Reusable straws 

Governments around the world are banning single-use plastic straws but what’s going to take their place? Many companies are opting to replace plastic with paper but whilst this seems to be an eco-alternative on the outside, we’re overlooking the energy used and impact on deforestation paper straws has.

The issue with paper is that not only do we source it from Canada’s ancient forests but many times, due to contamination, the straws can’t actually be recycled as some people might think.

Anything made to be used once is probably not worth having. The alternative? Bamboo straws not only solve the problem of deforestation (it’s the quickest growing plant on Earth) but because of its natural antimicrobial properties, it can be reused many times. Moreover, once the straws come to the end of their lifecycle, they can be safely absorbed back into soil.

There are other choices available include steel, glass and silicone but these options are not biodegradable.

Reusable coffee cup

You might be shocked to find that many billions of coffee cups are thrown away each year in the UK. Not only do these cups end up in landfill, taking years to break down but they also pose a major littering issue for local communities.

Moreover, a single takeaway cup requires 0.6 litres of water to create and has a subsequent carbon footprint of equal to over 60 grammes of carbon dioxide. Now, times this by a few billion and you can start to realise the massive issue we have at hand.

So what’s the solution?

Changing to a reusable bamboo coffee cup can save over 150 cups going to landfill (based on consumers using takeaway cups 3 times a week) each year. This is equal to 90 litres of water and 9kg of carbon dioxide saved per person - just by reusing a cup! Whilst this might seem like a low number when compared to the billions being thrown away, be aware that the more people who adopt the reuse attitude, the more cups we’ll ultimately be saving from landfill.

Bamboo toilet roll

Regular toilet roll is the last product you think of when it comes to products that have a damaging effect on the environment. On the contrary, toilet paper manufacturing is a shockingly wasteful process. Some of the issues with the process include deforestation and major water waste.

An alternative you can try is bamboo toilet paper. Bamboo toilet paper is biodegradable and sustainable to produce. The more households who use this material in the bathroom, the better.

Cotton buds

Another item on this list that is starting to be outlawed is single use cotton buds. Many billions of cotton buds are used annually around the UK with many ending up at landfill. Another issue we face is when people flush cotton buds down the toilet. Due to their inability to biodegrade, when plastic cotton buds are flushed down the toilet they form masses which eventually leads to blocked drains.

Are cotton buds really that necessary? If you insist on using them, it’s better to get a biodegradable version such as bamboo cotton buds. You’ll also want to make sure the cotton used is organic - regular cotton has a massive polluting effect on the planet.

Reusable cutlery

Whilst it might be convenient, plastic cutlery is terrible for the environment. Not only are they dirty to produce but they can’t be recycled (even if you think they can) due to them being contaminated after use. With billions of these non-recyclable items being used every year, we need to start using alternatives. In 2014, it was estimated that 5 TRILLION pieces of food and drink related plastic was found present in our oceans - this is devastating for marine life.

Recently introduced to the UK, bamboo cutlery sets are the perfect way to steer away from plastic pollution. You’ll usually find sets that include a knife, fork, spoon, chopsticks and a straw leaving you with no excuse to use plastic versions. Not only are the cutlery sets biodegradable, their durability ensures they will last you for many years.

Bamboo Chopping Board

When choosing a new chopping board, many people think they have 2 options available to them - wood or plastic. The issue with these materials is that they involve deforestation, air pollution or an unnecessary amount of energy to create.

Bamboo is a prime candidate to take over from these materials. Sustainably sourced and easy to extract, chopping boards made from bamboo have a host of other benefits attached to them too.

Having a tensile strength greater than steel (this particular type of bamboo withstands compression even better than concrete!) makes a bamboo chopping board super practical for everyday use.

Whilst having access to affordable eco-friendly alternatives is amazing, the greatest impact we can have is by choosing reusable options. This requires a change of attitude more so than a change of product type. If we can all start to adopt this attitude, less products will be created for waste and the world will ultimately be a greener place.

Want to learn more about goBambu and all the lovely green goodies they have to offer? You can find them over on Facebook and Instagram, or you can even discover even more great content with them over on their greener living blog!