How to Help the Environment on a Student Budget

Living sustainably isn't always easy, many changes we could make to our daily habits often involve extra cost, which isn't tenable on a student budget. Of course, we still want to do everything we can to help the environment, which means being thrifty and careful when making purchases. In this blog, we suggest some eco-friendly alternatives to various items that won't break the bank.

 

Water Bottles

Staying hydrated is important for your health, but buying plastic water bottles is not only bad for the environment, but it can also be more expensive in the long run than buying a reusable water bottle. In the UK each year, we use roughly 13 billion plastic water bottles, but 5.5 billion of them will either be littered or end up in a landfill.

For a small investment in a reusable water bottle, you can drink water throughout the day while also helping the environment by disposing of fewer plastic bottles. Plus, you can easily refill your bottle at cafes or fountains in town.

 

Coffee Cups

Many people enjoy getting a coffee to go from their local cafe, but disposable coffee cups can be damaging to the environment. In the UK, we throw away 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups, and less than 1% of them are actually recycled.

 

A reusable coffee cup is a cheap investment which will mean that fewer disposable coffee cups are thrown away. You may even save yourself money by making your own coffee at home.

Straws

Straws have been a contentious subject over the last few years. Obviously, plastic straws are horrible for the environment, however, they are more structurally sound than the paper straws you can get from takeaways.

The answer? Buy your own set of metal or bamboo straws. Metal straws will last you a very long time, and many come with a cleaning brush to help keep them clean. On the other side, bamboo straws are more structurally sound than paper straws and can be composted when they eventually wear out but can be more expensive.

 

Shopping Bags

Using plastic bags is a completely avoidable problem. Most supermarkets offer a reusable bag for life, or you can buy a fabric tote bag from stationery shops. Not only are these better for the environment, but they're also able to hold much more during your shop.

 

Teabags

Not many people know that a lot of teabags contain plastic, which helps hold the teabag together. This also means that the teabag doesn't decompose after use. It's worth spending some time researching plastic-free teabags or instead, making the change to loose leaf tea.

 

Cotton Pads

Cotton pads are useful to have around for removing makeup and general cleansing, but many aren't biodegradable and are just thrown away. Washable cotton pads are available online and are reused easily. 

 

Wrapping Paper

The effect that wrapping paper has on the environment is insidious, as many of us believe that it's just paper. However, a lot of it is backed with a type of plastic or has plastic glitter over it, which means it's can't be fully recycled and doesn't decompose. 

 

As an alternative, why not use brown paper? You can even decorate it by writing on the paper or using a paper label. This is better for the environment and can create a more personal feel when giving presents.

 

Why Choose Unihousing?

Unhousing is a landlord and accommodation provider near The University of Birmingham since 1984. We own all of our accommodation in the student village of Selly Oak, which means we can provide quick response times to repairs using our team of qualified tradesmen. We deal directly with our tenants from our property office on Bristol Road in Selly Oak, just a short distance from all of our student properties.

 

Unhousing was selected as the Number 1 Student Letting Agent in Birmingham by the UK's biggest fresher community, Unifresher.

 

Contact Unihousing today to find out more!