Zero waste. Don’t know where to start? Well – here are five simple changes that you can make today to reduce your waste:
- Switch to reusable bags. This is an easy one. Not only do they help the environment by cutting down on single use bags that will basically just float around all American Beauty style for the next thousand years and pollute the oceans, but they are also a lot cuter than plastic bags.
- Refill. The US consumes 1500 water bottles per second. Sad face. So whether you keep a water filter at your desk to fill up a glass to drink from, or you carry a stainless steel water bottle with you, you are preventing a lot of trash.
- BYOB. If you are a daily coffee drinker, (let’s face it, you probably are— Aamericans consume 146 billion cups of coffee per day), then chances are you are buying coffee from a coffee shop in a togo cup. Most of those will end up in a landfill. There is a simple solution, bringing your own reusable cup or mason jar to a coffee shop. As an added bonus, most places will give you a discount on your beverage if you do bring your own container.
- Brush Better. Over 4.7 billion plastic toothbrushes are used each year. Because they are not recyclable, they end up floating in a landfill forever. By making one simple change from plastic toothbrushes to compostable bamboo ones you are not only doing yourself a favor (bamboo is naturally antimicrobial), but you are also doing the environment a solid because when you are done with the brush you can compost it. Not an ounce of trash is produced.
- Embrace secondhand. Textile waste is a huge problem. We consume so much clothing that we are constantly throwing away our old duds. On top of that, every garment produced creates textile waste that winds up in the trash. In 2013 in the US alone over 13 million tons of textiles went into landfills. An easy way to cut down on your textile trash is to shop secondhand. Don’t let that word scare you; not all secondhand is created equal. At the top of the pyramid is upscale consignment. Consignment stores are more selective, therefore it is likely that you will find highquality and gentlyworn designer pieces for a fraction of the price. Next up is vintage which, like consignment, is selective and typically high quality. There is also clothing that people sell for fast cash, and if you play your cards right you can find one of a kind designer outfits for next to nothing. Finally comes donated clothing which is a toss up; you can find some serious gems, but you could also find skid marks. So
it’s important to be patient and shop wisely.
The big picture is that we are producing way too much trash unnecessarily, and we all have the capacity to cut down. These simple changes aren’t just beneficial for the environment, they also mean that you don’t have to take out the trash as frequently. So even if you are not into mamma nature, going wastefree creates more free time in your schedule.
18 comments
Always an inspiration. Thank you.
Thank you so much! Means the world that you enjoy the posts!
Lauren
Good ideas…had NEVER thought of the toothbrushes. Thanks for posting.
Thank you for reading! Glad you like the toothbrushes. My favorite brand is Brush with Bamboo.
Lauren
Thank you for this! I am on my way to being a zero waster 🙂 I would appreciate a haircare/ skincare routine blog post. You've inspired me so much XXX
Great tips, thank you!
Thank you!
I love reading all your tips, but…it's obvious that you could potentially use a lot of water because of this – since you use nothing disposable – everything has to be washed – menstrual pads, mason jars, reusable storage containers for food and drink, etc. If everyone did what you are doing wouldn't the use of water go way, way up?
Thank you for bringing this up- it is a misconception and a comment that I get a lot. At the surface it might seem like a lot of water, right? But when you look a little deeper – disposable products need to be grown/drilled/shipped/manufactured…etc. All of these processes use far more water/energy/resources than manufacturing it one time and using a bit of water to clean it.
Hey where did you get your stainless steel lunchbox? I've been searching and can't find one that seals with clips. Great blog 🙂
What are those mini spoon things pictured?
Thank you for the tips. I made up my mind to be a zero-waster after reading an article about you. It's not so easy in Taiwan but I'll try my best! 🙂
Just new to your blog. Loving it. Wow where did you get that amazing lunchbox? I've been searching for the perfect lunchbox for ages. Great blog. I look forward to all the things we have in common and learning new wonderful tips from you. Lots of love Madeleine (aka NZ Ecochick)
I too am interested in the lunchbox, it would be a good addition to the bamboo utensil set I have
Purchase things made of recycled content, and use and reuse them as much as you can.For instance,use both sides of each page of a notebook before proceeding onward to the following clean notebook.Use unneeded,printed on printer paper for a scratch pad.
Emily Reed.
Great ways to reduce waste! I want to recycle more and to learn my kids how important is for our environment!
Thank you so much
Hi Lauren!
I’m a new blog reader and am excited for all these tips as I’ve been attempting to minimize my own waste for the past couple years on my own. I have a question about clothing though–what do you do with old clothing? Worn shirts, old panties, holey socks–I hate putting them in the trash but have yet to discover a way to get rid of old clothing items that definitely can’t be donated. Any thoughts? Thank you!