4 ways to reduce your waste as a new parent

We know that being a new parent isn't always easy, and living an eco-friendly lifestyle as a new parent might seem even more daunting.

But the good news is you can do your bit for the planet without making a massive effort. An easy way to help cut your waste, is to think about how you can reduce, reuse, recycle and repurpose. If we all made just one or two small changes, it could collectively make a huge difference to the future of the planet.

Here are four easy things you can do today to help reduce your waste and create a better tomorrow.

1. Accept hand-me-downs

With babies outgrowing seven clothing sizes in just two years, baby clothing is the ultimate fast fashion! Sadly, many baby clothes that have only been worn a few times end up in overflowing landfills. You can help prevent this by accepting hand-me-down baby clothes from friends and family and ensuring you pass on your baby’s clothes so they can be reused. If you don’t know anyone you can swap or share baby clothes with, Bundlee is an affordable baby rental clothing company designed to save waste and space in the home.

2.Buy plastic-free wipes

Reduce your plastic waste by opting for plastic-free baby wipes. 90% of wipes in the UK contain hidden plastic and these plastic-containing wipes can take up to 100 years to break down in landfill. Pura’s wipes are 100% plastic-free, skin safe and affordable so you don’t have to choose between caring for your baby or your planet.

3.Recycle your packaging

You’ve probably realised by now that babies need a lot of stuff. And most of that stuff comes wrapped in mountains of packaging. When you’re sleep deprived and busy looking after your baby, it’s tempting to simply toss all your packaging in one bin. But a lot of packaging can be recycled and repurposed. Try to recycle what you can by separating your rubbish and popping relevant items into your home recycle bin. Most companies offer baby wipe and nappy packaging that is recyclable, but not at home. So often this means taking the packs to your local supermarket where is can be recycled with other soft plastics. This does require a bit more effort, but you could make it simpler by collecting all this type of packaging in one of your reusable carrier bags then taking this to supermarket on your next trip.

4:Share toys

Baby toys are often made with plastic. They are expensive and take up a lot of space. So sharing or reusing toys via borrowing or renting can benefit you and your planet. It also contributes to the creation of a circular economy – by sharing we reduce the need for manufacturing new toys, which conserves resources and energy and reduces waste.  Like with baby clothes, you can accept hand-me-downs or swap toys with friends and family or try a rental service like Toy Box Club. Created by Mums, this service aims to help other parents keep their homes cleaner and greener. Before delivery to your house, all toys undergo a rigorous cleaning process using non-toxic and bio-degradable cleaning products so you can also be assured they’re clean and safe for your baby.

Good luck, we’d love to hear how you get on. Don’t forgot to share any waste saving tips with us via our social channels.