The sustainable investment buys to pick up this Black Friday

It can be easy to get swept up in the Black Friday madness. One sighting of the word “sale” and before you know it, you’re scrolling through pages upon pages of stock, adding things you absolutely don’t need to your virtual shopping basket without so much as a second thought. 

Certain products can be really expensive though, in which case a festive discount code would probably make a big difference. Shopping in the Black Friday sales isn’t the problem, shopping mindlessly is. Lucky for you there are a few ways to ensure that you make smarter, more considered purchases, and favouring sustainable investment buys is one of them. 

Heated garden bin

Hotbin composters have become more and more popular in recent years. At 32 times faster than a regular compost bin, they produce rich compost in anywhere from 30 to 90 days. Obviously much better for the environment, you can recycle all food and garden waste in them including bones and cooked food waste, pet waste, and bedding. 

How does it work? The unique material properties the heat generated naturally by bacteria as it breaks the waste down in the hotbin. Working as an aerobic composter, air is drawn in through the mesh plate at the bottom and expelled as steam through the valve in the lid. The hatch can easily be removed from the lower part of the bin to remove the compost and the base also includes a tap to draw off leachate (liquid fertiliser) from the unit. 

Usually retailing for close to €300, they’re a good product to pick up during the sales when many places knock quite a generous amount off the price. 

Soda stream machine

Buying endless amounts of plastic bottles is one thing that we can all easily cut down on these days, especially considering many of us have at least one (if not a whole press full) of reusables. For those of you who prefer sparkling drinks, an aarke carbonator is a great investment. The first appliance of its kind with a seamless minimalist stainless steel enclosure, it’s both cordless and electricity-free too. Gas cylinders can be purchased separately and if you buy through The Kind, they even offer a returns scheme where you can €5 off your next purchase. Sounds like it would almost pay for itself really.

While you’ll likely be tempted to try carbonating other drinks such as juice or alcohol too, the advice is to reserve your carbonator for just water because other liquids will contaminate and clog the nozzle – making it virtually impossible to clean. Flavours can always be added afterwards. The aarke carbonator usually retails for around €219. 

Countertop herb garden 

Many people turned to gardening as a source of comfort/entertainment during lockdown last year with countless households across the country attempting to grow their own produce. If living in an apartment/rented accommodation with little outdoor space has limited you, then this is exactly the answer to your troubles. An innovative indoor garden that essentially cares for itself, it works just like a capsule coffee machine just for plants. Instead of coffee pods, you use plant pods (with seeds and nutrients inside) that grow and produce fresh, flavourful herbs, fruits, and vegetables for you. Choose from an assortment of over 60 different pre-seeded plant pods or use your own seeds then sit back and wait. There’s even a companion app you can download to assist you in your quest to becoming a seasoned plant parent.  Usually €139.95, Click & Grow is offering 40% with their Black Friday sale. 

Reusable coffee pods 

As a self-proclaimed coffee fiend, there’s no way I could forgo my morning cuppa. I’ve slowly managed to wean myself down to just one cup a day but any less and I can guarantee that I’d be absolutely no fun to live with. While I tend to make mine using an Italian Moka pot, we do also have a coffee machine. I’m always surprised by just how much waste it creates though. While some brands have started making recyclable/compostable versions, stainless steel reusable pods are still probably the most environmental. According to The Guardian, the world consumes more than two billion pods each year, so anything we can do to help cut down on this is brilliant. 

Ensuring that you have a constant stock of pre-filled pods in the press can be a huge pain too. Reusable pods not only eliminate that need, but you can fill them with your preferred coffee of choice so there’s much more freedom in opting for the latter too. No more trying to guess what each colour pod means and whether you’ll like it or not. Originally €79.90 for a pack of two, they’re down to €54.90 at the minute with free delivery too.