A Dundee family is taking a creative approach to zero waste living – including using an old belt as a loo roll holder.
Caroline Bentley, 39, breathes life into items destined for the bin or the charity shop as part of her drive to live a more sustainable life.
“I really enjoy seeing things with a different set of eyes and saying ‘I need something that does this job, how can I use something I’ve already got?'”
She lives in the city with husband Jamie, 37, and sons Rigo, 9, and Coen, 7.
Caroline has a zero waste approach at work and at home.
She runs a Dundee food project which uses surplus food to cook meals for the local food bank.
The meals are packed up for freezing in donated old takeaway cartons, which she has put through the dishwasher.
“It is a great idea to use what’s already in the system.
“A lot of eco-friendly stuff is about that.
“Just using what you have is better and cheaper, and easier.”
Our Saving the planet one step at a time series has been looking at how families have made realistic changes to lessen their impact on the environment.
Caroline believes reusing what you already have, rather than buying new things, is an achievable way to help the planet.
And she shares with us her innovative tips for living a more zero waste lifestyle.
Old belt or Instagram worthy bathroom accessory?
For example, Caroline fashioned a stylish toilet roll holder out of an old belt.
“In my bathroom, we needed something to hang the toilet roll on.
“I looked and I couldn’t find anything pretty.
“So I used a belt. It’s yellow and we’ve got a blue wall, and they go together.”
“Now every time I change the loo roll I think ‘that’s my belt, that didn’t really work as a belt anymore, but it suits the place perfectly.'”
Caroline has even found a use for the mounds of old socks that her boys have worn out.
“Their socks wear through all the time. I cut the socks into a big spiral of fabric and used that as yarn.”
She now has a chic plant holder made from a coconut half and hung up with old socks.
But living sustainably is harder if you have a busy schedule
In addition to wearing second hand clothes and mending garments rather than throwing them out, Caroline also makes her own soap and cleaning products.
But trying everything at once can be a bit intimidating to those who have yet to attempt a more zero waste approach.
She advises making “little easy changes”.
“It doesn’t take a big change in action, but it maybe takes a change in thinking.”
Cutting down on plastic and embarking on a zero waste journey does have its challenges.
And Caroline admits it has been harder to shop sustainably since she returned to work.
“When I didn’t have so many work commitments, I found it so much easier to spend time shopping around.
“When I was working more, it just wasn’t feasible to do that. It was more about picking up what you could and being as low waste as possible.”
