Sustainability and Why You Should "Do it Yourself"

When it comes to sustainable living people often think of expensive appliances and electric cars. What we don't always consider are the smaller things that we can do ourselves and how they can effect the quality of our lives. 

Image by Home Thods

Whether you're looking to save money, make higher quality products, or increase the sustainability of your lifestyle, you may want to consider making your products at home.



The problem with store-bought

Many products on today's market use non-recyclable packaging or containers.  Just taking a glance through my brother's bathroom I found that something from all of his products wasn't easily recyclable. 

First, many of the containers were labeled numbers 2, 4, and 5 plastics. These plastics are not widely accepted at recycling centers. While single stream recycling systems may accept a wider variety of plastics, this has been shown to result in higher rates of contamination and lower quality end-product. 

The only containers I found that were recyclable were some beard oils that came in glass jars and Listerine mouthwash in a number 1 plastic bottle. 

This brings me to my next point. Even though those containers were recyclable, their caps were not. Most recyclers will ask you to separate the caps from your bottles because they are usually made out of a different kind of plastic than the container. 

When we make our own products, we have control over the packaging that we use. We have the ability to choose reusable and environmentally friendly options, such as glass jars. 

Image by Nina Nelson

Remember the Waste Hierarchy!

Scientists and academics agree that the most important step to cutting waste & improving sustainability is prevention, or to "refuse" it at purchase. 

Looking at the image below, recycling is the fourth step to proper waste management. While it is far from the priority it is arguably the most widely talked about efforts. 

Image by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Why can't we rely on recycling?

Our recycling system is imperfect. Dual stream doesn't accept a wide enough variety of materials and single stream doesn't produce quality product. 

Waste Management (WM) has stated that the industry is struggling and has shut down facilities or certain functions in specific areas. For example, my local WM sends all plastics to landfill and only recycles paper products. 

It's not just our system that's flawed. As it turns out, human psychology has to do with some of it. According to a study, conducted by Boston University, the way we've been taught to view the act of recycling elicits positive feelings when we engage in the behavior.  The positive feeling emotionally absolves us from our responsibility to the waste and makes us feel better about future waste production. 

To put simply, recycling can make us feel better about creating waste and can lead to high rates of consumption. 

Although, its not all doom and gloom. There are still individuals and organizations popping up across the globe looking at ways to improve recycling.  Unilever is one of them. One of their goals is to help influence a shift toward a circular economy, one that would depend upon recycling and reusing materials rather than sending them to landfill. 


But how is homemade better? 

Your store-bought products are typically mass-produced to lessen the time and money spent making it. However, the only thing cheap about these products is their quality. Makeup and lotions are often overpriced without any reason other than name recognition (read: buyer gullibility). 

Ingredients for DIY Lavender Coconut Lotion

Be honest, what is it that you want to see when you're putting product around your face and on your skin?  A bunch of scientific jargon? Or ingredients that are immediately recognizable to you?

Ingredients for Bath & BodyWorks Eucalyptus
Spearmint Body Lotion

How can someone realistically ensure that the product they are using is sustainably and ethically made when there are over twenty ingredients? 

The average person doesn't have time to meticulously research dozens of chemicals and then weigh the pros and cons of using it. 

Ingredient recognition isn't the only benefit of making your own products. Homemade products are often nicer than store-bought. 

This isn't just limited to lotions and other cosmetic products. Furniture, decor, and food can also be made at a higher quality at home than they can be bought for.  More sustainably and for less money. 



What I love most about DIY projects, it that they can be customized and fitted for your personal tastes. And because you put the effort into doing it yourself you're more likely to cherish the end product. 

Image by Stacie

 
Imagine what you could make out of the things you find in thrift stores. Before today, I never considered that a trunk could serve as a table top. 

If you're not the creative type (like myself) DIY projects are not out of your reach! This past Summer I purchased a table off of a Facebook "Free and For Sale" page.  It was a little scratched up and need a few screws tightened, but it was a solid wood top and four chairs for $40. I was also able to sand it down, strip, and stain it without breaking the bank. 

A couple months ago I was walking through the store and I found the very same table (but with the ugly original stain) selling for $180. I'm always overwhelmed with a sense of giddiness when I find out that my efforts have paid off! 

It's truly empowering to know that you can do things with your own two hands. 

So what do you think? Will you be doing more things yourself?