These are the easiest lifestyle changes you can make to help the environment

With the ever increasing reality of climate change and the impacts it will have on our environment and indefinitely our future, I felt it important to compose a few neat tips on how to do your bit to help save the environment.

The appearance of "what can you do for your environment" has come up a lot on my timeline and I have a collection of saved posts from social media accounts of tips that can help make a change.

It can all be a bit daunting so I thought I could share some of my favourite tips I have seen so far that were new to me. Therefore I put them all in one place – I have even included links to websites where necessary to make it even easier for you. No excuses.

The reality of plastic waste

Did you know that 79 per cent of plastic waste ever created is still in our environment (statistic from recyclenow.com).

Here is a quick 30 second clip from Lush on plastic waste within our oceans.

Most of the advice I am giving today is from an amazing girl called Kat whom I was lucky enough to find on Instagram. It is the passing on of information that is important.

Change your plastic shampoo bottles for shampoo bars

An easy one is your shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. The bottles they come in are 90 per cent plastic and all that will go to a landfill. An amazing alternative are Lush's amazing substitutes for shampoo, conditioner, shower gel, deodorant, even toothpaste and mouthwash.

By replacing your shampoo with one of these little bars you will not only be saving yourself money, but also the environment.

Oh and whilst we are talking about plastic waste if you are still using plastic bottles in 2019 – GET A REUSABLE ONE. There are some great brands out there and they are so quick and easy to find, such as; Chilly's, Jerry and many more. It is such a little change that makes such a massive difference.

Swap your plastic toothbrush with a bamboo one

The next step you can take in reducing your plastic waste is swapping your boring plastic toothbrush for a bamboo one, with companies such as The Pearly White Club – 'The UK's first environmentally friendly toothbrush subscription service' – where you can order an annual subscription of toothbrushes (sent to you every six weeks) for only £30.

The next little tip for you is reusable 'cotton' makeup remover pads. I have seen these advertised by various influencers on my Instagram including Emma Connolly. You can buy them easily from Amazon to replace cotton pads and make-up wipes. Unlike most cotton pads that take up to 40 years to decompose, your new and improved ones can be used again and again by simply popping them in the wash.

Switch out your tampons for environmentally friendly alternatives

Now ladies this one is just for us. Tampons are a contributor to landfill sites and cost us a fortune. There are some alternatives however, one is the menstrual cup which you can buy from the likes of Saalt, which can last you up to 10 years.

The other alternative, is the organic, chemical free tampon and pad company; Freda. If you aren't willing to jump fully into the Cup just yet – as it is one hell of a leap – this is for you.

Eating veggie once a week can make a big difference

Finally, the last tip I shall put in this article as I do not want to overwhelm anyone, is eating veggie once a week. I know cutting meat out of your diet is hard and I will be the first to admit I am not a vegetarian, however, just eating one veggie meal a week instead of meat can make a big difference. There are so many veggie options out there, with so many recipes all over the internet to give you some inspiration – BBC Good Food 10 Easy Vegetarian Student Meals.

Hopefully, this has been a little helpful in putting all those little tips you see over your social media in one place to help you do your bit for our environment.