Did you know that every year we dump over 2 billion tons of waste onto the planet? This includes construction waste, industrial waste, household waste, plastic waste, electronic waste, radioactive waste, sewage and run-off waste. In fact, 99% of the things we purchase are turned into trash within 6 months. So it’s no surprise that people who are particularly concerned about the state of our planet have dedicated themselves to limiting their impact on the Earth and keeping their waste to a minimum.
Allow me to introduce you to the Zero Waste subreddit. This group, which currently has over 875k members, is full of responsible citizens who are dedicated to minimizing their overall environmental impact. We’ve gone through the page to find some of the most inspiring tips, tricks and pics that might encourage you to reduce your impact as well and shared them down below. Keep reading to also find an interview with rocket scientist, author and zero waste expert, Dr. Anita Vandyke. Be sure to upvote the posts that make you want to preserve Mother Earth, and let us know in the comments if you have any more suggestions for how to reduce your carbon footprint. Then if you want even more eco-inspiration, you can check out Bored Panda’s last article featuring the same subreddit right here.
#1 Merry Christmas
Two entrepreneurs started a side hustle renting Christmas trees to reduce the number that end up in landfill. Every Jan, they replant your tree back on their farm so you can rent it again next Xmas. When your tree hits 7 ft, it’s retired and planted back in its original forest.
Image source: AndyAndieFreude
#2 It’s About Time! Let’s Do This Everywhere. So Much Good Food Goes To Waste In The U.S
Image source: ihatejoelkim
#3 I Cleaned Up A Polluted Stream, And The Stream Was Happy
Image source: Daniel_Toben
#4 Two Brothers Have Been Sending The Same Birthday Card Back And Forth Since 1973
Image source: theladyastrid
#5 LEGO Starts To Pack Their Sets In The Paper Bags Instead Of The Plastic Ones
Image source: edgarix
#6 Recycled Purse Saves Twitter User From Losing Everything In A Mugging
Image source: hanfrish
#7 I Needed To See This Today. Maybe You Did Too
Image source: Aware Animals
#8 Honestly Never Thought Of This But I Will Be Doing This In The Future! What A Great Idea
“I saw a post the other day by a lady who said she always grabs vintage casserole dishes when she sees them at thrift stores or yard sales and uses them when she brings a meal to someone! She said often they are cheaper than disposable ones and the family can either keep for themselves or pass on to someone else who needs a meal in the future! So in the spirit of reduce, reuse, renew & recycle… I thought this was a neat idea worth sharing!”
Image source: Rayne2522
#9 Medals From E-Waste
“Japan made all of the medals for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics out of discarded smartphones and laptops. More people need to know about this.”
Image source: gyeomiepie
#10 I Wove My Old Study Notes Into A Basket
Image source: Strelitzia_bloom
#11 A Coffee Shop In Kent, UK, Has Made The Brave Decision To Only Serve Customers Who Bring Their Own Cup To The Store, And To Illustrate Why They Are Doing This They Filled Their Store Floor With Disposable Cups
Image source: Dabmasterrick
#12 Ice Cream Served In A Cup Made Out Of A Banana Leaf. India
Image source: _fy5ht_
#13 All Bottled Water Should Be Banned And Water Dispensers Should Be Everywhere
Image source: PrashantThapliyal
#14 Tn Rep Kent Calfee Doing His Part For Zero Waste, Gave Me A Giggle
Image source: The_Purrletariat
#15 I Had Some Pieces Of Denim Leftover After Shortening Some Jeans And Braided It Into A Dog Toy. Good Way To Get Rid Of Fabric Scraps
Image source: BodyLotionInTheOcean
#16 That’s One Way To Lessen The Amount Gifts Needed
Image source: WarmLeading
#17 Simple Yet Effective!
Image source: Impressive-Lack-4352
#18 I Work For A Farmers Market And Take All The “Bad” Fruits And Veggies/Produce Scraps/Old Food To An Animal Sanctuary For The Critters To Enjoy!
Image source: thegingerwerewolf
#19 Sewed These Beach Bags Using My Old Shower Curtain Instead Of Throwing It Out!
Image source: PatchH95
#20 In Jest, But Still My Favorite Way To Use Old Bananas
Image source: Half-A-Cookie
#21 My Thrifted Wine Glass “Set”. If One Breaks I Can Easily Replace It As None Is Alike
Image source: MadLyne11
#22 Aldi Brand Of Spaghetti Sauce Priano Designed For Reuse As A Measuring Glass
Image source: Shark_Lady
#23 My Zero Waste Specialist. Hardly Any Vegetable Scraps In This Family Go In The Bin Anymore! And No He’s Not Alone His Partner Is Just Shy Of Cameras
Image source: woahshitman
#24 Ordered Some Seedlings From An Online Nursery, And Was Pleasantly Surprised To Find They Arrived Plastic Free
Image source: Bengalsandbernese
#25 Why Can’t We Do This In The U.s?!?
Image source: mayatalluluh
#26 This Store In Poland Allows You To Buy Frozen Veggies And Dumplings In Bulk And Weigh Them Instead Of Prepackaged Boxes
Image source: Sh1n1ngM4n
#27 A Cafe In Anglesea Victoria, Reusing Milk Cartons As Cup Trays
Image source: Tanedluna
#28 I (28f) Have Had The Same Laundry Basket My Entire Life. One Of The Handles Has Been Cracking More And More For A Few Years. Rather Than Buy A New One, I Made A Crochet Handle To Hold It Together
Image source: bifalif
#29 Clip What You Need Garden In A Grocery Store
Image source: Slightlybedraggled14
#30 My Local Supermarket Added This Bag Wall Recently Near The Main Entrance
Image source: icedragonj
#31 Plastic Free Picnic Set From Early 1900s
Image source: yoki-gold
#32 I Was Looking Online For A Product That Would Safely Hold My House Key While Jogging. Then I Remembered I Had Such A Product Already
Image source: DualSask
#33 My Late Grandparents Used To Send Us Giant Packs Of Apples In These Containers That My Parents Have Been Using As Xmas Ornament Cases For Decades
Image source: PickleFridgeChildren
#34 I Make Cat Toys From Repurposed Yarn. I Have Been Able To Remove A Lot Of Yarn, Pillows, And Stuffed Animals From Landfill
Image source: ToeBean_Queen
#35 Do You Have A Rats Nest Of Cables? Do You Poop?
Image source: deprecatedcoder
#36 I Love Seeing The Rise Of Reusable Period Undies In Supermarkets Around Australia! A Couple Of Years A Go There Wouldn’t Have Been Any
Image source: soap2636
#37 That’s Actually Pretty Neat! One Step Closer (Though I Think I’d Prefer A Container And You Can Get Select Your Dried Pasta By Weight… But Still, Progress)!
Image source: sirkidd2003
#38 Bicycle.. Way To Utopia…
Image source: @8Prabal
#39 Bread Clip Made Of Paper, Not Plastic
Image source: m1chgo
#40 This Brick Is 90% Trash. My Workshop Is Working Towards Complete Zero Waste By Turning Our Trash Into Machinable Stock
This is 90% trash and 10% liquid resin. With a plastic granulator we hope to change that efficiency even more. In fact, in Japan they are doing similar things by burning their trash and mixing the ash with resins and concretes to build buildings. We want to get there too with our own projects and our own trash.
I teach engineering and manufacturing in the Dallas area.
Image source: xombie25
#41 Gave My Mop A New Lease On Life With Old Socks That Were Destined For The Bin!
Image source: [deleted]
#42 If You Struggle With Food Waste Going Bad In The Fridge, Wrap Your Leftovers In Puff Pastry And Chuck In The Freezer. Easy Snacks! No More Sad Leftover Curries That Never Get Eaten!
Image source: HollyBethQ
#43 The Body Shop In Stockholm Has This Now
Image source: Nyxie27
#44 Definitely The Coolest Alternative To Cling & Aluminium Foil I’ve Ever Come Across
Image source: Mayiani
#45 Bought My Own Collapsible Container To Pack My Leftovers For The First Time And It Felt Great
Image source: lilluffy
#46 My Kid Starts Preschool This Week, And The School Asks For Zero Waste Lunches
Image source: Bingo_Bronson
#47 Small Steps. This Best Western Did Away With The Small Bottles Of Shampoo And Body Wash. This Is In The Shower
Image source: Emebust
#48 Broccoli Stalks Are Good For Broth But Also Great For Pets. He Loves The Crunchy Texture And Flavor
Image source: cheapskateaficionado
#49 Discussion: Shorten Your Food Chain
Image source: LimitGroundbreaking2
#50 I Know It’s Not “Zero Waste” But This Lil Souvenir From A Field Trip To The Landfill Nearly A Decade Ago Has Been Helping Us Have Less Toothpaste Waste Since Then!
Image source: Lamidip
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