All week long, you’ve sorted all your trash religiously into bins for plastic, paper, glass, and metal. Come Thursday (or whichever day you’ve designated as the Taking Out Trash Day), you stare in bewilderment at the literal heaps of packages you now must take to the nearest recycle-friendly container. Yup, although sorting your trash for further recycling is already a solid step forward to a more eco-friendly life, there’s still a lot of room to do even better. Enter the zero waste philosophy. Basically, it is what the name says it is – a life where you don’t leave any trash after you! Goodbye heaps of plastic, and au revoir miles of paper!
That’s right, zero waste living sounds like a dream come true to anyone who’s all about preserving our planet Earth, but how to start living zero waste? It isn’t like you’d be very welcome to go to your nearest Walmart with your own jars, cotton bags, and beeswaxed paper to wrap your stuff in! Worry not; you’ll find tons of useful zero waste tips in this article! And you know, you can always start with little steps, like using reusable cloth pieces instead of paper towels, and then adding in more and more zero waste hacks to your daily routine once you feel comfortable enough with those little changes. Still, if you’re more of an ‘all in or nothing’ person, you’ll find these useful tips very doable and easily adaptable to your own life.
Now, ready to glean some info on how a zero waste lifestyle could look? If so, you know the drill – scroll down below until you reach the submissions, read the zero waste tips, and give your vote for the ones that seemed the most enlightening. After all that is well done, share this article with your friends. Who knows, they might be in for a zero waste challenge!
#1 Donate Unused Items In Good Condition To Support The Second-Hand Market
#2 Wash Clothes When They Are Actually Dirty, Instead Of After Only One Wear
#3 Think Second-Hand First When Purchasing Something
#4 Put On A Sweater And Socks Before Turning Up The Heat
#5 Check Out Your Farmers Market
#6 Learn To Repair Something When It Breaks
#7 Line Dry A Load Instead Of Using The Dryer
#8 Pick Up Litter When You’re Out And Dispose Of It Properly
#9 Surround Yourself With Tools And Items That Are Meant To Last A Lifetime. Try To Only Buy Objects Once
#10 Bring Reusable Produce Bags For Fruits And Veggies
#11 Get A Library Card To Support Your Local Sharing Economy
#12 Turn The Water Off While Brushing Your Teeth
#13 Buy More Locally Made Goods
#14 Always Run A Full Dishwasher Or Load Of Clothes
#15 Buy Food Without Packaging Or Minimal Packaging
#16 Meal Plan To Avoid Food Waste
#17 Take Public Transit If Available Or Carpool
#18 Don’t Leave Your House Without A Full Reusable Water Bottle
#19 Use Bar Soap Instead Of Liquid Soap, It Tends To Come With Less Packaging
#20 Learn Where To Properly Dispose Of Items Like Gift Cards, Old Cell Phones, Batteries And Unusable Cords Can Be Turned In
Image source: curtis palmer
#21 Ask Yourself If You Truly Need It Before Making Any Purchases
#22 Start A Backyard Compost
#23 Ditch Paper Towels And Use Tea Towels And Rags
#24 If It’s A 30 Minute Or Less Walk, Get Outside Instead Of Driving
#25 Keep A Bucket In The Shower To Water Plants Or Flush The Toilet
#26 Learn To Regrow Kitchen Scraps
#27 Wash Your Clothes In Cold Water When You Can
#28 Open A Window To Cool Down Your Home Or Air It Out
#29 Bring Your Own To-Go Cup When Getting Coffee On The Run
#30 Eat More Vegetables And Legumes
#31 Keep A Stocked Pantry To Avoid Getting Takeout On Busy Nights
#32 Make Your Morning Cup Of Coffee With A French Press Or Pour Over With A Reusable Filter To Avoid Extra Waste
#33 Turn Old Sheets And Towels Into Handkerchiefs, Rags, Napkins, And Cloth Produce Bags
#34 Store Your Food Properly To Make It Last Longer
#35 Ask For A Real Mug At The Coffee Shop When Staying In
#36 Swap Tea Bags For Loose Leaf Tea In A Reusable Strainer
#37 Try To Avoid Palm Oil
#38 Try Canning To Preserve Food
#39 Don’t Buy Anything Impulsively!
#40 Plant A Small Garden
#41 Unplug Electronics When Not In Use
#42 Find Your Local Cobbler To Repair Tired Shoes
#43 Pack Your Lunch Instead Of Eating Out Every Day
#44 Reduce Your Meat Consumption. If You’re Not Ready To Go Vegetarian Start Small: Try Meatless Monday, Weekday Vegetarian, Or Even Weekday Vegan
#45 Bring Your Own Container For To-Go Food And Leftovers
#46 Swap Your Plastic Toothbrush For A Bamboo Toothbrush
#47 Change Light Bulbs To LEDs
#48 Look Into Collecting Rainwater Or A Greywater System
#49 Serve Dinner With Cloth Napkins
#50 Get Some Houseplants At A Local Nursery To Purify Your Air, Don’t Forget To Return The Little Plastic Pots!
#51 Try To Shrink The Amount You Recycle. Zero Waste Is About Recycling Less Not More
#52 Avoid Receipts When Out, Ask If One Has To Be Printed
#53 Join A Community Garden
#54 Ask For No Straw In Your Drink Order When Out
#55 Surround Yourself With Items That Serve Multiple Purposes To Streamline And Cut Excess Junk
#56 Ditch Plastic Shower Loofahs For A Real Loofah Or A Bamboo Bath Brush
#57 Beware Of Greenwashing, Always Do Your Research
#58 Get Rid Of Pests Naturally
#59 Look Into Rechargeable Batteries Instead Of Disposables
#60 Switch From A Plastic Disposable Razor To A Metal Safety Razor
#61 Build A Zero Waste Kit And Put In The Trunk Of Your Car Or Carry It With You When You’ll Be Out So You’ll Always Be Prepared
#62 Repurpose Stale Bread
#63 Go Paperless For All Your Bills
#64 Use Both Sides Of The Paper!
#65 Always Say No Thank You To Free Promotional Items. They Tend To Be Cheap And Break Easily
#66 Vote With Your Dollars For A Sustainable Future
#67 Learn How To Freeze Your Food Without Plastic So It Doesn’t Go To Waste
#68 Make Homemade Gifts To Give To Friends And Family
#69 Find Your Local Tailor To Help With Clothing Repairs
#70 Instead Of Buying Something When You’re Having A Bad Day, Do Something (Go On A Walk, Take A Yoga Class, Meet Up With A Friend)
#71 Swap Disposable Pads And Tampons For Cloth Pads Or A Menstrual Cup
#72 Try Cloth Diapering
#73 Know Where Everything You Buy Comes From Whether It Be Food, Clothing, Or Other Household Goods
#74 Ask For No Plastic And Reused Packaging Materials For Online Orders
#75 Wrap Presents In Newsprint!
#76 Swap Cotton Rounds For Reusable Rounds
#77 Ditch Plastic Q-Tips For Plastic-Free Or Reusable
#78 Ditch Sponges In Lieu Of Compostable Scrubs Or Brushes
#79 Ditch Tissues For Handkerchiefs
#80 Host A Clothing Swap With Friends
#81 Pick Up A Lonely Banana
#82 Make Your Own Face Mask From Stuff In Your Pantry
#83 Try Wheatless Wednesdays To Cut Back On Intensive Grain Farming
#84 Avoid Junk Mail By Placing A Sticker On Your Box
#85 Make Your Own Febreze Spray To Freshen Your Room For Pennies!
#86 Make Dry Shampoo To Stretch Between Washes
#87 Try Making Your Own Lotion
#88 Swap Little Plastic Chapstick Tubes For DIY Lip Balm
#89 Try Making Tooth Powder To Avoid Unrecyclable Toothpaste Tubes
#90 Try Your Hand At An Easy All-Purpose Cleaning Spray
#91 Try Homemade Mouthwash
#92 Try Elderberry Syrup If You Feel A Cold Coming On Instead Of Immediately Reaching For A Plastic Pill Bottle
#93 Make Your Own Deodorant
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