9 Ways to Drastically Reduce Your Waste
Need a New Year's Resolution? Try reducing your waste!
I remember one of my professors telling our class that his family would throw their trash bags down the river when he was a child. He said that was the norm back then. Trash was an out of sight, out of mind concept. Not much has changed since. Now, once our trash hits the curb, we think it’s gone forever like a magic trick. Poof. Gone. Not our problem.
But it’s now becoming our problem.
The U.S. is on path to run out of room in our 2,000 landfills in less than 15 years. Countries like China have shut their borders to our waste and refuse to be our dumping grounds.
There are now garbage patches twice the size of Texas floating in our oceans. By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in our world’s oceans.
Both our land, and our seas, are finite spaces. Yet we behave like our Earth can sustain infinite amounts of waste. Because of our ignorance, waste is a problem we will deal with for the rest of human existence.
But it’s a problem you can help fix.
How can I help?
It’s pretty simple: try to bring zero-waste habits into your daily life. “Zero-waste” is a lifestyle of living without producing any waste, or drastically minimizing it. What’s awesome about zero-waste, is that not only is it good for the planet, it’s also more economic, and forces you to become more intentional with everything you do. Over the past few months, I’ve been doing some trial and error with zero-waste practices, and I want to share what I’ve learned with you.
Below are 9 ways to drastically minimize your waste. Enjoy!
1) Get a reusable water bottle.
The plastic water bottle industry is complete B.S. Watch this video to see why: The Story of Bottled Water [click the underlined title to get to the video]
Tips:
If you aren’t comfortable with your tap water, I wouldn’t advise buying a Brita because that contributes to even more waste (a large plastic container plus plastic refills). Many refrigerators can provide you with filtered water. If your refrigerator doesn’t have that feature, take a large jug to a water refill station nearby. This strategy can save you money by not buying cases of water!
Try to always have your bottle with you when you leave your home, so you can avoid having to purchase drinks when you’re thirsty, and you can avoid having to use water cups.
2) Use reusable bags at every store.
Tips:
Always keep at least two large reusable bags in your car.
Always tell the cashier BEFORE they start scanning your items that you don’t need a plastic bag.
For the majority of produce, you don’t even need a produce bag. Just throw it in the bag! (Fabolous voice). Why? Because you wash the veggies/fruits before you eat them anyway, or you eat the inside, like with an avocado. It’s foolish to put oranges or avocados in a produce bag. It would be like putting a box of Cheez-It’s in a produce bag. You eat the inside, right?
For produce like broccoli or leafy vegetables, either reuse a produce bag or bring a plastic bag.
Forgot your reusable bags? No worries! Tell the cashier you don’t need your items bagged, and instead place them in your cart. When you get to your car, place your items in the trunk. When you get home, go grab your reusable bags to help if you have a lot to carry.
3) Find grocery stores that have bulk shopping available.
Bulk shopping looks like this:
Essentially you bring your own container, and fill up with whatever food item you need. It’s zero- waste, and you can buy items in bulk which is much more cost-effective. Most places, like the one above, have items like rice, quinoa, all types of beans, quick oats, flour, sugar, all types of nuts, granola, chocolate, coffee, spices, etc.
See if there are any grocery stores/markets nearby that offer this.
Tips:
Old mason or glass jars, Pyrex containers, or reused plastic containers work great.
Make sure to go to the cashier BEFORE you put the food in your container, so they can weigh your jar. Then fill your container. Typically, there is a PLU # for the product, so either write in on the container or mark it in your phone to tell the cashier at checkout.
Avoid buying canned beans. Most bulk stores have an awesome array of uncooked beans. They take longer to cook, but taste much better and have better texture because they aren’t waterlogged. Many canned foods can contain a chemical called BPA, which is an endocrine disruptor that in low doses is hazardous to humans. The majority of canned beans also contain added sodium, which can be avoided with dry beans.
4) Make your own toothpaste.
Hear me out on this one. I’ve always hated how every toothpaste tube is wasteful. I did some research and found that many people actually make their own. It’s truly the easiest thing ever— only 3 ingredients (coconut oil, baking soda and mint essential oil). See the recipe here. You can make it in about a minute. My teeth actually feel cleaner than they did when I used regular tubed toothpaste. The only downside is that it takes a bit to get used to the different consistency. You won’t get the foamy feeling of regular toothpaste. But other than that, I don’t think I will ever go back to those plastic tubes with chemicals I can’t even pronounce!
5) Switch to shampoo, conditioner and soap bars.
I buy shampoo and conditioner bars from Lush and I have had a great experience. They last very long and are great quality. For soap, Lush is also great because their bars don’t come wrapped in plastic like the ones at the store. (I promise this newsletter is ad free!)
Tips:
Never leave the bars in the shower. They will get all gunky and won’t last long. Always take them out after each shower to dry.
Avoid shopping for them online. Shopping online results in packaging waste. Plus, their store employees are great with matching you with a bar that works for your hair type. If there isn’t a LUSH in your area, check out other local stores, they most likely offer blocks of soap that are zero-waste.
6) Avoid buying new items.
Thrift stores are awesome. You’ll be surprised with what they have— kitchen appliances, hangers, suitcases, jeans, sweatpants, books, etc. You can also find nearly anything on eBay or Facebook Marketplace nowadays, usually still in great condition. Try to find people who are local. Buying secondhand is also a huge money-saver.
But, this doesn’t mean go on a buying spree at thrift stores or on Facebook Marketplace. Buy only what you need.
Plug: One of my favorite podcasts and websites, The Minimalists, or theminimalists.com, discusses how to live a meaningful life with less and has completely changed my perspective on the stuff in my life. I would highly recommend taking a listen.
Tips:
Borrow one-time or yearly items from neighbors, friends or family, like a power washer or power tool, instead of buying a brand new one. This helps build community, is more economic, and will result in less “stuff” building up in your home. Another strategy is to buy certain items on eBay or Craigslist, use it, then put it back online if you won’t need it again.
Only buy what you need. Ask yourself before every purchase: Does this item serve a purpose? Does it bring me joy? If no, then don’t buy it. Be honest with yourself.
Look at local thrift stores or Facebook Marketplace before buying a brand new item.
7) Composting
Composting is the key to zero- waste. It’s super easy and will probably have the biggest impact on your waste. There are so many resources out there to help you. Here’s two that helped me:
Tips:
If composting isn’t really up your alley, I would recommend seeing if your town or city has a program that collects food scraps. I know Keene, NH and Somerville, MA have a service that does. If your town doesn’t, ask around your community to see if anyone has a compost you could give scraps to.
8) Avoid buying plastics.
Every time we purchase plastic, we are contributing to climate change. Plastic production is extremely oil and gas intensive. This is why the makers of plastic are actually the nation's largest oil and gas companies.
“The oil industry makes more than $400 billion a year making plastic,” —NPR
In addition, the plastic industry has sold us the idea that recycling plastic actually works. It doesn’t. Only 9% of plastics have been recycled. Why? Because sorting and melting down plastic is very expensive, and plastic degrades very easily, meaning it can’t be recycled more than one or twice. The plastic industry has known this for a very long time, since the 1970s, yet has been paying millions trying to convince the public that recycling works.
An internal study by NPR and PBS Frontline found that “the industry sold the public on an idea it knew wouldn't work — that the majority of plastic could be, and would be, recycled — all while making billions of dollars selling the world new plastic.”
The industry knew that if consumers thought plastic recycling works, they’ll continue to buy plastic. It worked, and continues to work to this day.
Oh, and that recycling sign that appears on plastic? Also B.S. Just because it has the symbol, doesn’t mean it’s recyclable. The majority of municipalities recycle very few plastics, because they actually lose money by doing so, and there’s nowhere to send the plastic. The plastic industry actually lobbied to put the recycling symbol on all plastic, because they needed to save their public image, and they wanted to sell more plastic.
“starting in 1989, oil and plastics executives began a quiet campaign to lobby almost 40 states to mandate that the symbol appear on all plastic — even if there was no way to economically recycle it.” —NPR
A must read by NPR on this topic:
Tips:
Stop buying plastic. Use tips #1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
9) Reduce your food waste.
The average American wastes 238 pounds of food per year. This costs them about $1,800/ year. “For a family of four, it would be the equivalent of taking between $114 and $190 out of your wallet and putting it in the trash each month.” —NRDC
A recent food waste study done in 3 major US cities found that:
“An average of 3.5 pounds of food per person was wasted at home every week across the three cities, and more than two-thirds (68 percent) of that could have been eaten. The most common reason given for wasting edible food was that the food was moldy or spoiled, followed by residents not wanting to eat leftovers.”
“Six of the top ten most commonly wasted edible foods in households were the same in all three cities: coffee, milk, apples, bread, potatoes and pasta.”
Shockingly, the study found that in Denver and NY, the residential sector actually produced more food waste than restaurants and caterers.
Tips to reduce your food waste:
Check your pantry & refrigerator when making a list before you go to the grocery store. Plan out what you actually need for the week. Only allow yourself to get the items on the list. This helps to reduce the likelihood of food going bad in your refrigerator, or buying too much. It also helps save money by avoiding impulse purchases.
After a meal, if the food is edible, don’t throw it away. Always save leftovers for later or for the next day.
For coffee, don’t dump unused coffee down the drain. Save it for tomorrow or for an iced coffee.
Don’t throw away food just because the date says so. For many products, the date is just a recommendation for peak quality. Very often food is fine after the date on the package, even for vegetables or fruit. Trust your nose and common sense.
Bring a reusable container with you when you go out to dinner incase you have leftovers. (This also helps reduce plastic waste!)
Always have a silicone baking scraper handy when cooking, serving, or putting leftovers in a container. (See image below). This is a necessity in minimizing your food waste. Use it for basically everything, like soups, oatmeal, baking, rice, salsa, guacamole, peanut butter, etc. It quite literally gets every last morsel of food.
Source: Google Images
Have any zero-waste tips I didn’t mention? Please share in the comments!
Do not purchase or use disposable masks when you can. (I know some medical facilities insist on it) cloth masks are easily cleaned with soap and water and don't end up in landfills or littering the ground.