Plastic pollution is one of the fastest growing problems on our planet. Humans have produced huge amounts of plastic over the last 60-70 years, and because plastic is made to be durable and last a long time, it will potentially stay around for hundreds of years eventually ending up in the ground and sea. The …
Most of us wear an item of clothing made of cotton every day, sleep in cotton sheets or use cotton wool as part of our daily beauty routine. But how much do we know about how cotton is grown and how it affects the environment? Humans have used cotton for thousands of years. Cotton balls …
Palm oil is a kind of vegetable oil derived from the fruit of oil palm trees. 66 million tonnes of palm oil is produced each year, making it the most commonly used vegetable oil. Originating from West Africa, it is now grown throughout Africa, Asia and North and South America, with Indonesia and Malaysia exporting …
In the first few months alone, babies typically use between six and 12 nappies a day (up to 372 a month). That’s an awful lot of laundry if you use reusable nappies, on top of all the baby clothes and bedding you’ll also be washing every day. Being a parent of a small baby can …
Polystyrene is found everywhere in our homes and work places. Takeaway food containers and coffee cups are often made from polystyrene, and every time we buy electronic goods or fragile items in a shop or online, it’s likely they’ll be protected by polystyrene packaging. It’s cheap to produce and versatile enough to be used in …
For years, plastic seemed like the perfect material. Cheap to produce and easy to make into almost anything, humans have produced an estimated 8.3 billion tons of plastic since the 1950s (source). However, we are slowly realising the danger plastic is posing to our planet. Roughly eight million tonnes of plastic waste ends up in …
Recycling everyday household items is mostly straightforward these days. Our bathrooms are full of items that can be fully recycled once we’ve finished using them, and most local authorities will collect and recycle bathroom waste such as toilet roll tubes and empty shampoo bottles. However, there’s one part of our daily bathroom routine that creates …
Having glossy, great-looking hair makes most of us feel fabulous and boosts our confidence, but soft, manageable hair isn’t always easy to achieve. Several factors can determine the condition and appearance of our hair, including our natural hair type, and how we treat our hair. Colouring, chemical treatments and also environmental factors (such as extreme …
Soap was first made back in Babylon in around 2800 BC, and we now use millions of tonnes of soap every year. Some of us prefer to use a traditional bar of soap when we bathe or wash our hands, and there’s certainly a lot less waste for the environment if we use a bar …
Most of us are becoming increasingly aware of the negative impact of waste on our environment. Local councils provide us with different bins for our recycling, usually divided into garden waste, paper and cardboard, and plastics. There are also options for recycling other household items (white goods, electronic items etc.) at our local recycling centres. …
