I’m still on my zero-waste journey despite my radio silence on the blog (more active on Instagram) and wanted to share with you my top 10 swaps for going zero-waste of at least to reduce waste. These are the things I’m thriving to do every single day so that they will become my second nature. It is still sometimes hard to remember to bring reusable produce bags with me to the store (especially when you didn’t plan on going grocery shopping in the first place), or tupperware to take home leftovers after dining out. When buying prepared foods at the store I always try to find an option that’s packaged in glass instead of plastic (kimchi, sauerkraut, vegan mayo etc.) so I can reuse the container at home for dry goods storage among other uses. Certain habits such as bringing my stainless steel coffee/tea cup with me every day and not using plastic to transport/store my food has already become a thing. Slowly but surely.
TOP 10 SWAPS FOR GOING ZERO-WASTE
- Use real stuff. Most packaged food items are highly processed. Shop at farmers market and bulk stores and bring your own containers
- Paper towels – I use paper towels only for yucky cleanups such as cat puke and poop. Happens quite bit. (Swedish compostable dish cloth)
- Plastic wrap – Silicone freezer bags are awesome, as well as reusable sandwich bags (also bees wrap or vegan khala cloths)
- Toothbrush – (bamboo brush is compostable)
- DIY cleaning products (you’ll save sooo much money!). Or get this all-in-one multipurpose cleaner from Branch Basics that tested top notch on Environmental Working Group. It is a concentrate so one bottle will last forever. I also get my dish soap and laundry powder from Fillgood.co that fills up my glass containers once a month, zero-waste style. Meliora is another amazing brand and I use their all-purpose soap flakes that I add just one teaspoon into a big glass bottle and fill it with water. Done. One tiny canister of soap flakes lasts a very long time and costs only $2.69.
- Dish scrubs -There are compostable ones! (bamboo pot scraper, spaghetti scrub, sponge)
- Tupperware/Take-out – Bring your own glass/stainless steel dish
- Tissues – (handkerchief, works better for allergies than traditional, bleached paper tissue)
- Composting – (16% methane comes from landfills)
- Female hygiene products – THINX! I’ve been using these period panties for a few months now and love them! Get $10 off here!
