For most of us at college, living sustainably takes a backseat with all of the other things we have to worry about. Fortunately, there are some easy ways to tweak your habits and live greener.
Reusable K-Cups
My Keurig is one of the biggest contributions to maintaining my sanity during college, but it always bothered me that I was throwing away at least one of those little plastic cups every day. It wasn’t until my third year of college that I discovered reusable and recyclable K-Cups. Reusable K-Cups basically turn your Keurig into a regular coffee pot without the paper filters and the guesswork with the portions, but you do have to buy the coffee grounds separately. Sure, this extra step might seem like a hassle, but it actually allows for more freedom in your choice of morning coffee, since not all coffee brands and flavors come in K-Cup packages. You just have to fill your K-Cup with the coffee grounds, put it in the Keurig and let it do its thing. Then, you throw away the grounds (or compost them if you can) and rinse out the K-Cup. If this still sounds like too much work, then recyclable K-Cups are totally an option. They come with a biodegradable pocket inside the plastic cup to catch the coffee grounds, so all you have to do is pull out that pocket, throw it away, then recycle the plastic cup.
Eco-Friendly Tampons
Unless you’re one of those crazy athletes who doesn’t get their period regularly, you probably go through around twenty tampons every month. This means throwing away all those plastic applicators, and if every woman does this, those applicators pile up in landfills pretty quickly. Switching from tampons with applicators to tampons without them is an easy way to really cut down on all the waste.
Ask for Paper Bags Instead of Plastic
When you go grocery shopping, ask the bagger for paper instead of plastic! It’s a super easy swap to make, and it makes a huge difference. A common misconception is that those plastic bags are recyclable, but they actually aren’t. They just end up in the landfill with the rest of the eternal garbage.
Actually Sort Your Recycling
A lot of times, when you put all of your recycling into one can, it actually ends up getting thrown away. The people at the recycling plant don’t have time to sort all of the recycling lumped together, and since the recycling process is different for different material, they have to throw it away. Taking the time to sort the recycling in the first place can take care of all of that.
Pay Attention to Your Apartment Appliances
When you’re doing your laundry, adjust the settings on your washer/dryer to fit your laundry load. For instance, you can set your washer to use less water for smaller loads. You can also set your dishwasher to not use heat when drying the dishes. This saves a lot of energy and water, and it’s good practice for when you’re paying extra fees for utilities, because it ends up being cheaper too.
Turn Off Your Power Strips When You’re Gone
Let’s be honest, we all use power strips in our dorm rooms even if we’re technically not supposed to. These rooms just don’t have enough outlets for all of our charging needs! Luckily, this makes it a whole lot easier to turn off your electronics when you leave your room. Everyone knows you’re supposed to turn off your lights before you leave, but people always forget about their charging electronics. If you use a power strip, you can switch it off or unplug it before you leave your room with no problem.