Quick tip: How to make sure everything you can recycle is recycled.

Our apartment is 46m². For those of you who think in feet, that's 495.13 feet². (Apparently... that sounds like a big number to me.) But the point is, the apartment is small. In this space, we have a kitchen garbage, a kitchen bio-waste, an 'office-looking' garbage can in the living room, a garbage in the bathroom and some recycling for paper, cans and bottles, which we keep in the hall closet.

It takes about 3 seconds to get to any of these from where ever you'd be standing, yet I still notice that we throw bits of paper in the living room garbage, and tissues in the bathroom garbage. I know from experience, this only gets worse when you live in a house and are too lazy to go all the way downstairs to properly dispose of paper, tissues, etc.

The solution?
Have recycling and composting options readily available throughout the house.



In the bathroom:
- you can add a folded newspaper to use for composting, or a biodegradable bag (newspapers are better but we only rarely get them)
- Write a little note in the garbage bin (not the bio one) that bio waste doesn't go in there. I did this mostly to remind myself but also for guests!
In the living room:
- we use our garbage for plastic packaging or other non-recyclable waste, cut-up credit cards, etc.

Although it's an easy change, I find it so worthwhile to see every tiny piece of paper or tissue being diverted from the landfill. Especially since it's much easier to make recycled paper than it is to make it from pulp.

Last note: Here's a video and the same step-by-step instructions in a PDF from the City of Ottawa on how to fold a newspaper to use for composting! I was also really impressed with this video for a different shape. I haven't tried them yet (have to get newspaper from somewhere) but I wanna hear about your experiences if you do!

Easy adjustment: Only buy things you really like.

Okay shopaholics, this one is for you, but hear me out first.

An easy life adjustment that would save you space, be good for your bank account and good for the planet is:
Only buy what you really like love.

I myself am still trying hard to put this into practice but I think I'm getting better at it. This is usually how it works:
- I realize I need something (cheese grater, candle, table, etc.)
- I go to the store and buy the first one I see.
- I bring it home and I don't really like it.
- I keep an eye out for a better one.
- I find one and feel guilty having two. (I may or may not keep them both or give one away or even worse, throw the one I don't like out.)
The end.

Alternatively, it could work this way:
- I'm already at the store and see something I like.
- I think for a few minutes how it would look at home or in my closet (or not even.)
- I buy it.
- I bring it home.
- It never gets any use... and even worse, I feel guilty.
The end.

So here's my proposal on how this should work:
- I see or think of something I need.
- I do some research about prices, analyse your closet or kitchen or where ever this thing would go. Check out my favourite websites/stores, like www.etsy.com (They're not paying me to promote them, I just stumbled across it a few weeks ago and think it's a great idea. There are lots of cool things on there.)
- I find something I really love.
- I buy it. I use it. I love it.

I realize I may be coming off as slightly idealistic but I haven't given up on window shopping. I use it as a way of brainstorming for things that I would really love to own and then I keep a look out for them. If you wanna go a step further, step into a second-hand or vintage store every once in awhile and see if someone is selling something you really want to own. This includes waiting and saving up for something that's high quality and will last you longer. Once I started being aware that objects can actually make me happy if I've really, really found something I love, I started being more careful about what I choose to buy.

For example...


...I've been wanting a new strainer for a long time. We own an ugly plastic one, which I really don't like. I don't remember where it came from but I'm guessing we've had it for awhile. My friend showed me her beautiful strainer one day while we were cooking in her kitchen and I've been dreaming of one ever since. I went to Bonus Kirppis on Itsenäisyydenkatu in Tampere and found the perfect one! I actually found two: a red one and a green one, but settled on the green one because it was randomly 2 euros cheaper. I still love it though, and I get a certain pride out of using it. Those are the kinds of objects I want in my life, not the ones that give off guilt for being mistreated or left to gather dust.