Cutting Back on Waste

I’ve been working on this post for a long time and with today being Earth Day, thought it was time to finally finish it! Something I’ve become really passionate about over the last year is cutting back on waste. We’ve made a lot of changes in our routines and in our home and it feels great to be more aware of our choices and their impact.

I’ve found the best way to get started is to pick one area of your home and start there. Take note of things you are doing & using on a daily basis and swap them out for more reusable options.

We are by no means perfect, but we feel really great about the changes we’ve been able to make in the past year…

KITCHEN / FOOD

— Cloth napkins: At home we stopped using paper napkins and instead use cloth napkins—it feels so much nicer! We have a mix of napkins from Heather Taylor Home, Wynne Ware and the ones we made for our wedding. I’ve been eyeing these simple stripe napkins to add to our collection.

— Reusable mugs: Bring your coffee from home or bring your own mug. I got a Stojo collapsible mug and take it to coffee shops instead of taking a to-go cup—it collapses so you can fit it easily inside a purse (just be sure it’s free of liquid!)

— Produce bags: Bring your own bags for produce (or go without entirely). I love this set of bags or you can even use dust bags from clothing, handbags or shoes.

— Straws: By now I think we all know how bad straws are for the environment. I have a reusable set of metal straws and keep some at home and some at work. If you’re not into metal or the taste of it bothers you, these chic glass straws are a fun alternative.

— Reusable bottles: There’s really no need to ever be using a plastic water bottle. I love my S’well bottle and take it with me to work, on photoshoots and while traveling. It’s a big goal of mine this year to not use any plastic beverage bottles!

— Reusable bags: I am obsessed with Baggu’s reusable bags and gave them to everyone last year for Christmas. They fold up super flat, making them easy to keep in your bag, pocket or car. I always have one (sometimes two!) tucked into my purse and love the feeling of not needing to take a bag. P.S. their baby size is perfect for toting your lunch.

— Ziploc bags: We’ve also cut out plastic Ziploc bags and are instead using these Stasher bags. There are similar cheaper versions, but we’ve found the Stasher ones hold up better, especially if you are doing things like freezing, etc.

BATHROOM / self-care

— Bamboo rounds: While I love my skincare routine, I didn’t love all the cotton rounds I was using and discarding. I switched to these reusable bamboo rounds and love them. They’re so soft and luxurious feeling. I use them a couple times (rinse in between each use) and then wash them in the laundry in a delicates bag.

— Body lotion: I am dying to try one of Kate McLeod’s body stones! Made of natural ingredients, the body stone is a full-body moisturizer in the shape of a stone and it melts on contact with your skin. It comes in a nice bamboo container and you just reorder refills when you need them.

— Shower sponge: Not sure what took me so long to switch to a natural sea sponge instead of using a plastic loofah, but I am so glad I did! They are sooo much softer and better for the planet. They are also biodegradable, sustainably sourced and naturally bacteria inhibiting, so it doesn’t get smelly or gross.

— Refillable items: By Humankind is doing really amazing things—they are creating zero-waste, natural formula bath & body products, in the most minimal and beautiful ways. I’ve tried their refillable deodorant and really liked it and am curious about trying their mouthwash tablets (just drop into a glass of water!) and their shampoo & conditioner bars.

LAUNDRY / cleaning

— Laundry: We replaced dyer sheets with wool dryer balls a couple years ago and recently converted to Dropps for our laundry detergent. Dropps comes in zero-waste packaging and the detergent doesn’t have any fillers or dyes and you aren’t using any wasteful plastic packaging.

— Cleaning supplies: I’m eager to try this innovative cleaning product line, Blueland. They send you a glass bottle for each cleaning spray and then you simply make the spray by combining their tablets with water. You can keep using the glass bottle forever and purchase the tablet refills. They even make a foaming hand soap!

— Paper towels: We try to use paper towels as minimally as possible. We use old cloths or towels for cleaning and I recently came across these unpaper towels that you can wash and reuse over over.

MISC.

In addition to making a lot of product swaps, we’ve also been changing a lot of our habits to create less waste:

— Recycling textiles: We collect fabric and take it to our local farmer’s market for proper recycling. They take clothing, linens and even things like belts and shoes. Look up your local green market to see if they offer a similar thing. (Note: ours is currently paused due to Covid-19.)

— Composting: We are trying to compost more this year—we keep it in a bag in our freezer so it doesn’t smell or attract bugs and then take it to the farmer’s market.

— Shopping: I’ve been becoming much more intentional with my shopping over the last year, choosing pieces that are made with better materials or things I know I’ll wear for a long time. I’ve also been shopping more secondhand from places like The Real Real, Etsy and Na Nin Vintage.

— Recycling beauty products: I’ve been recycling my empty beauty products through Credo Beauty / Terracycle.

— Searching: I switched my default search engine to Ecosia, which uses their profits to plant trees around the world where they’re needed most. It’s a small thing, but we are all doing a ton of web searching, so might as well do some good with it!

— Think old: I often think about how past generations did things and use that to inform some of my decisions. For example, they used cloth napkins, rags for cleaning—they didn’t have all the excess / disposable products we have now.

— Following: If you are looking to learn more about sustainability and climate change, I highly recommend following Haley Boyd. She shares a ton of amazing resources and information on her account. I’m inspired by her to spend $1 to plant a tree for every purchase I make!

I’d love to hear about what you are doing to improve your habits and create less waste!