Thanks to the hugely successful, though disturbing, ABC series, the War on Waste, Australians are switching on to the need to reduce waste at home. But what about when we’re on holiday? The war on waste doesn’t need to stop when we leave home. We can also wage a war on waste while travelling by taking a few simple measures. Here are six of the best ways to avoid waste while travelling.
1. Carry your own toiletries
One of the best ways to reduce travel waste is to carry and use your own toiletries. According to this 2017 article from The Telegraph, millions of half-used little shampoo bottles and bars of soap are discarded by hotels each year. Most of it sadly ends up in landfill. Some hotels now use larger dispensers for shampoo, shower gel and hand soap, but the little plastic bottles are still a common feature in hotel bathrooms. You can avoid adding to the waste problem by carrying your own toiletries and leaving the little bottles where they are.
2. Avoid bottled water
Another way to wage war on waste while travelling is to avoid purchasing bottled water. According to this article from The Guardian, more than a million plastic bottles are discarded around the world every minute. It is an environmental disaster. And we Australians are among the worst offenders. Cool Australia reports Australians spent around $2 billion in bottled water in 2015. And we have good clean drinking water available to us from taps. Sure, not everywhere in the world has safe, clean drinking water. But wherever possible, avoid purchasing bottled water and carry a reusable drink bottle.
I like the CamelBak BPA free bottles. They are sturdy and easy to clean. Some have purification systems. When you have to pack your drink bottle in your checked luggage, these bottles can also be useful for storing small items that can get lost in. They are also a good place to put your toothpaste or shampoo in case they leak. Keeping toiletries inside your drink bottle will stop shampoo ending up all over your clothes if the lid comes off during a flight.
If you’re worried about the bulk of carrying a water bottle, check out the range of flat bottles available from Platypus.
3. Don’t take the brochures
If you’re anything like me, you start planning your next holiday before the one you’re on has even finished. That can mean collecting information about things to do on the next trip. And that means gathering brochures. Most of them end up in the recycling bin once I’m sick of them cluttering up my home.
A good way to avoid brochure waste – and hopefully save some trees – is to use your tablet or smart phone to photograph the information you want to keep and leave the paper brochures behind. Also photograph or write down URLs printed on the brochures to help you find the relevant information online when you get back home. This way you get the information you need without the clutter and waste.
4. Don’t leave home without a reusable bag
The message is finally getting through that single-use plastic bags suck. Most of us are slowly forming the habit of carrying reusable shopping bags to the supermarket. The same thing applies when travelling. Don’t leave home without at least one reusable bag in your luggage.
They can be used not only for picking up some groceries on the road, they can also double as a laundry bag or be stuffed with clothes to fashion a pillow. I prefer the stuffable bags from Aussie company Onya. The bags are made from a parachute type material and can easily be put in the washing machine if they get dirty. For something a bit more weather proof, Sea to Summit also has a range of packable bags.
The Sea to Summit sling bag is also an ideal plan B if you get busted for having carry-on luggage that’s too big or too heavy and you are forced to check it in. The sling bag is perfect for carrying your in-flight essentials including your wallet, passport, phone and book and the zipper will stop your stuff falling out and rolling down the aisle of the plane.
5. Add travel cutlery to your kit
Another way to avoid waste while travelling is to say no to single use cutlery and crockery. One Green Planet estimates six million tons of non-durable (with a useful life of less than three years) plastic is discarded each year. And across Asia, Tripsavvy reports, up to 20 million trees a year die for single- use chopsticks and some may contain toxic chemicals.
It doesn’t take much effort to carry a set of reusable chopsticks or some travel cutlery in your luggage. My favourite is the Spork from Swedish company, Light My Fire. They are readily available in Australia. I like the little carry case you can get for the Spork that will keep it clean in the bottom of my handbag. Sea to Summit also has a version of the Spork.
Take it a step further by also packing some reusable crockery. The collapsible range of dinner wear from Sea to Summit is a terrific space saver that will also help you save the planet.
6. Say no to fresh towels every day
We can also avoid the waste of water and energy while travelling. Most major hotel chains now offer guests the option of re-using their towels rather than having a new one each day. Generally the signal to cleaning staff is towel on the floor or in the bath means you want a new one and towel hung on the rail means you’ll keep it. It takes a matter of seconds to hang a towel on the rail. And, according to the Smithsonian Institute, this simple act really does make a difference, saving both water and energy. None of use changes our towel every day at home, so we really shouldn’t need a new towel every day while travelling. So, if the hotel you are staying in asks you to re-use your towel, do it.
