Category: Eco Living

My eco topics category is my latest addition to my blog. I decided to make changes to my lifestyle in 2018 because I knew we needed to take steps to become more eco-friendly. It began with the change to reusable nappies and wipes and from there I made a promise to continue to try and find other ways to improve our wasteful ways and at the same time offer up tips, advice and hopefully inspire others.

Making these changes has had such a positive impact on us as a family. We are enjoying finding new ways of doing things, we love talking about it with others and we are saving money too! Such a win! Eco topics are now a huge passion of mine and I hope you will enjoy them as much as we are.

How to Create a More Sustainable Garden Without Sacrificing Style

Posted on August 20, 2026August 20, 2026 by Emma Reed

*Collaborative Post

Nine years. That’s how long the average pressure-treated garden fence panel actually lasts before it needs replacing, according to most timber merchants I’ve spoken to over the years.

Nine years, then it’s back to the tip. Multiply that by every garden in a street, a town, a country, and you start to see the problem.

I used to think sustainable gardening meant giving something up. Fewer choices. Duller colours. A slightly apologetic-looking patio. Turns out that’s not really true, or at least it doesn’t have to be.

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Why Secondhand Baby Gear Isn’t Always Greener

Posted on July 24, 2026July 24, 2026 by Emma Reed

*Collaborative Post

Most parents who care about the environment default to the same rule: buy secondhand wherever you can. It’s a good instinct, and for plenty of baby items, it’s the right call. But it doesn’t hold up in every case, and the reasons why are rarely talked about. Follow along as we look at when a pre-loved bargain actually costs the planet more than buying something new.

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Eco-Friendly Creative Hobbies for Families

Posted on July 16, 2026July 16, 2026 by Emma Reed

*Collaborative Post

When you start trying to live more sustainably, you audit the obvious rooms first. The kitchen gets its refills and its compost caddy, the bathroom gets its bars and its bamboo, and you feel quite pleased with yourself. Then half term arrives, you panic buy a craft kit to fill a rainy afternoon, and by Friday the whole thing is in the bin, glitter and all. The craft cupboard was my eco blind spot for years, and I suspect I am not alone. It took an actual clear out, and the slightly horrifying bag of dried up pens and broken plastic that came out of it, for me to apply the same thinking to our hobbies that we apply to everything else in this house.

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Swapping the Car for Inline Skates: A Low-Carbon Way to Get Around Locally

Posted on July 8, 2026 by Emma Reed

*Collaborative Post

Families across the United Kingdom rely heavily on vehicles for short, repetitive journeys. The morning school run and quick visits to the local grocer frequently involve turning an ignition key, yet depending on cars for distances under two miles generates a disproportionate spike in local carbon emissions. Government transport data reveals that nearly a quarter of all trips made by residents are under a single mile. Replacing these micro-journeys with active alternatives offers an immediate way for households to shrink their carbon footprint. While cycling and walking remain the standard choices, many are discovering that strapping on a pair of inline skates provides a surprisingly efficient mode of transport.

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garden with beautiful flowers and a butterfly

8 Simple Ways to Make Your Garden More Eco-Friendly This Year

Posted on June 30, 2026June 30, 2026 by Emma Reed

*Collaborative Post

Creating a sustainable garden doesn’t mean you have to completely rip up your lawn or spend a fortune on solar-powered composting gadgets. Honestly, the most effective eco-friendly habits are usually the simplest (and cheapest) ones. Whether you’re trying to grow a few veggies, want to see more bees in your yard, or just want a greener outdoor space, small tweaks make a massive difference.

The easiest place to start is right under your feet. Getting some decent quality compost into your soil gives your plants the best possible start, meaning they use nutrients more efficiently and need way less coddling.

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Mighty Mouthcare new V2 dispenser with 2 new home compostable refill tubes sat on a bathroom sink

Mighty Mouthcare Review of The New and Improved V2 Dispenser and Refills for 2026

Posted on June 18, 2026August 17, 2026 by Emma Reed

*Affiliate Code

Last summer, we were contacted by Mighty Mouthcare to review their brand new refillable toothpaste. Having been living more sustainably for the last 9 years or so, finding an eco toothpaste that works, tastes good and is affordable was proving quite difficult at the time so I jumped for joy when I read the words “Refillable Toothpaste”. This was something many people had been longing for. And if you head over and read my review, you will see that we were over the moon with the product and became customers. So, when it came to 2026 and the brand shared that they were making improvements to the refill and dispenser I was quite surprised. We had always found the current items to work well but others had fed back a few niggles and being the type of company that they are, they listened (I knew I liked them!) They didn’t disregard these pointers, instead they worked with them to create a new and improved V2 dispenser and refill tubes. We have had ours for a few months now, so I thought I would write up a new review and include the relevant information for this 2026 model. (stick around to the end for a discount code)

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someone holding paper for recycling to help to reduce waste

How I Significantly Reduced My Household Waste and How You Can Too

Posted on June 12, 2026June 13, 2026 by Emma Reed

This last year has seen many councils across the UK make some significant changes to their household waste collections, with one of the most controversial for my area being the introduction of a food waste caddy. This had people up in arms over smell, maggots, having too many bins, remembering what can go in there and so on, but… After a few weeks of use, the mindset was clearly changed for most residents, and I have since seen online comments praising these new bins, saying what a difference they have made to the ordinary waste bin and how smooth the transition was. We have now been informed that from the autumn our ordinary household waste bin will be collected bi-weekly instead of weekly. Great, I thought, we need to catch up with other counties who have had this in place for years, along with the food waste bin, but others online had other thoughts (again). I get that change can be hard and that if you aren’t aware of other ways in which to reduce your waste, the concept of reducing collections may be worrying so I wanted to share how I have significantly reduced my household waste over the last 8 years and how you can do so too.

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