1.Source plastic-free pet accessories
There are some great plastic alternatives out there. In my store, you’ll find Beco products, which are made from bamboo and rice husks, made into a plant-based resin called PLA. It’s dish washable (at low temperatures), Easy to clean, stylish, and. Best of all, when it’s disposed of, it’s biodegradable. Other plastic alternatives are hemp ropes, also available in my store! Wooden Toys, Natural rubber balls. There’s an absolute goldmine out there! Not only are these better for the environment, but they are also better for your pet as they won’t be ingesting countless fragments of plastic.
2. Buy food in bulk
It’s an unfortunate fact of life that a lot of food is packaged in plastic, if you’re anything like me, this will drive you crazy. There are several ways to get around this. 1. Buy a food that is packaged in recyclable packaging, like our Beco Dry food for dogs. When this is not available, or the food is not appropriate, then my suggestion is to buy in bulk. I own a lot of exotic animals, and their food is infuriatingly difficult to find in plastic-free packaging, so my alternative is to buy in bulk, that means less plastic, because it’s one big box/pot/bag, it’s also cheaper because of shipping costs. Win-win, am I right?
3. Source sustainable foods
I can’t rave enough about our beco food for dogs, it’s sustainable, healthy, grain-free, and packaged in recyclable packaging. For other animals, source a food that is made from natural ingredients, and is free from nasty additives that don’t do your pet any good. For rabbits, I use Burgess Excel Rabbit pellets, and I buy an entire bale of hay from the local farm (much cheaper and no plastic!!), and for the amphibians, I go to the local fishmonger.
4. Use compostable bedding
If you keep small mammals, such as rabbits, ferrets, or rodents then chances are you’ll use a LOT of bedding. The same can be said for horses, chickens, and even cat (litter). For the rabbits, I use wood-based cat litter, and standard barley straw (again bought from the farm), and hay. For Rodents, there are a lot of paper-based and wood-shaving-based beddings that are great. I even use our household paper shredding as bedding for our Degus. All these things are compostable when mixed in with pet droppings (rabbits are excellent natural fertiliser machines), vegetable scraps, and other food and garden waste, makes a great and plentiful source of compost. I compost all our bedding and use it to fertilise our garden. I also use the aquarium water to water the plants, full of nitrates and other minerals, and I have to change the water so often I might as well recycle it! Waste not want not!
5. Grow your own food
Especially for herbivores, but also great for dogs as a healthy addition to their diets. There are so many edible plants, (check for species compatibility, some things are toxic for some animals and not others), and growing herbs, veggies, and wildflowers are great for your pets and for the garden wildlife such as bees and other insects.
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