Despite concerns over the safety of Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) coming from scientists and research groups such as EWG these chemicals continue to be the darlings of manufacturers of household products because they're cheap and they perform a simple task really well.

You might be wondering whether the energy used to make and wash a cloth napkin is higher than the energy it takes to manufacture a paper towel which is why I did some digging and found that if you use your cloth towels and napkins mindfully, then cloth is definitely the greener way to go.

Over the next few weeks I'll be writing about ways to reduce waste at home, based on the 5 R's - Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Respect. These are not meant to be hard and fast rules because it's hard to get it right all the time but hopefully you will find practical tips and ideas to use and it's good to remember that every little bit helps.

Did you know that the average person wraps 20 gifts at Christmas? If just 3 of those were wrapped in reused paper or a paper alternative, the paper saved would cover 45,000 football fields.