Six of the best ways to reduce waste while travelling

How to swap out your travelling supplies to reduce waste. Photo / Unsplash

While travelling can be a wonderful experience that opens our eyes to the wonders of our destinations, we’re also becoming increasingly aware of its environmental impacts. Both the small- and large-scale actions we take can contribute to issues of pollution and environmental damage. With this awareness comes a feeling of responsibility – how do we tread lightly in the places we visit?

This list breaks down a few handy items that can make your footprints a bit lighter. Of course, it’s best to make use of the bits you already have or buy NZ-made goods to fill out your travel kit.

Reusable drink bottle

The humble drink bottle is a must-take item on so many trips, important for keeping you well and hydrated throughout long activity-filled days. While, of course, you’re going to be filling and re-filling with water, a good quality, insulated water bottle can also make for helpful multi-purpose use. They can hold tea, coffee, smoothies, juice, fizzy drinks and even soup, meaning you save one-use cups all around the globe.

Lunch box

This is another crucial item for saving the waste that comes with eating out. While there are many food companies starting to take advantage of cardboard and compostable packaging, it’s not always easy to find the correct means of disposal. By bringing along your own container for things like sushi and takeaway salads, you’ll save yourself the trouble and manage the waste that you’d be creating.

Swap out for eco-friendly products

There are now full ranges of products that allow you to drop the bottles and tubes for your toiletries. Solid shampoos, conditioners, cleansers, lip balms and shaving bars can save you the excess plastic packaging, as well as space in your bag – they travel well in a single bag and will last for much longer.

Pick locally-made souvenirs

It can be tempting to grab some of the adorable and sometimes kitsch goodies sitting in a gift shop. However, those goodies don’t always come from the most sustainable production lines. For a gift or souvenir that’s a little more meaningful, you might want to look at creations from local businesses. They often allude to more interesting stories and result from interesting processes of craftsmanship. The token of your trip will likely be a little sweeter.

Secondhand books

A holiday or a long-haul travel journey is a great opportunity to catch up on all the good reads you’ve been meaning to get to. But rather than ordering new from a big online retailer, how about hitting your local secondhand bookshop instead? There is often something quite sentimental about browsing shelves of pre-loved books and seeing the inscriptions people have left for each other. While this sets a nice tone for your intrepid reading, it also saves picking up a totally new book, keeping older ones in circulation for longer.

Tote bag

It’s always a good idea to carry reusable bags on your travels, whether you’re venturing to a totally new country or a different NZ city. They often come in handy in the most unexpected circumstances – maybe you’re looking to haul some groceries or shopped a bit too hard at your destination. Save on plastic with a sturdy bag, which should fold up to a tiny square in your usual handbag or daypack.