Are you fed up with all the pressure of Valentine’s Day? How about skipping the traditional Valentine’s Day celebration this year and instead spend the day with the fluffy/furry/feathered friend you can always count on – your pet.
According to the Pet Food Manufacturers’ Association’s (PFMA) 2017 Pet Population report 44% of UK’s households have pets and the population of pets in the UK stands at around 54 million. Your household produces more waste by owning pets – but don’t worry, we are here to help you AND your pet go zero waste.
Here are some useful tips for you to live a more zero waste, pet-friendly life:
1. Replace your pet’s plastic bowl with a more sustainable and long-lasting stainless-steel pet bowl or a glass pet bowl. By doing so, you also avoid toxic additives in your pet’s food.
2. Consider what kind of pet food you buy. There are two things you must be aware of. First, consider and examine the different kinds of brands there are. Look preferably for brands with sustainability programs. Second, look for recyclable packaging. Furthermore, you can also consider making your own treats for your pet – you can easily find a recipe online (e.g. here).
3. D.I.Y as often as you can. It is always a great idea to reuse and upcycle items you no longer need to create something new for your pet. For instance, you could make toys for your pet by upcycling items you no longer find useful for yourself or reuse your child’s old stuffed animals as toys for your pet.
4. Recycle you pet’s waste. TerraCycle offers a Zero Waste Box that allows you to correctly dispose of waste from your pet. With our Pet Food Packaging Zero Waste Box you can recycle any pouch, bag, box, or container that was used for packaging pet food. The box accepts empty and non-recyclable pet food packaging including packaging from treats and vitamins for dogs, cats, hamsters, horses, birds, or any other domesticated animal.
TerraCycle also offers a box for non-food pet products with our Pet Products (non-food) and Toys Zero Waste Box. With this box you can recycle accessories like pet toys, chews, tugs, clippers, bedding, leashes, muzzles, brushes, pet bowls and any related pet care packaging for products used to groom, maintain, and wash pets.
As you can see, there are several possibilities for you to recycle your pet-related waste. So don’t be afraid to spoil your pet a little extra on Valentine’s Day.