My Top 10 Eco-Friendly Habits

The EPA estimates that the average American produces 4.4 pounds of trash per day. That’s 1606 pounds per year.

I recently started ‘chasing’ the idea of a zero-waste lifestyle. It’s a process that starts with tiny steps (I am definitely in the early stage of the process, but I am happy that I educated myself and chose to start. So I’d more correctly consider myself currently living a low waste life. Anywho, I can honestly say it’s one of the best things I’ve done, along with switching to toxin-free makeup, biodegradable oral care and toxin-free beauty care!

The good news is that zero waste has become popular – rather than it just being trendy I think people have figured out that it is satisfying to not create unnecessary waste!

If you are wondering what kind of impact you can have by implementing these simple zero waste tips, the answer is a massive impact!

While there are many facets to zero waste living, below are my top zero waste tips that were simple for me as a newbie zero waster to start implementing:

1. Always carry a reusable water bottle and coffee cup

Sounds simple? That’s because it is, but it’s so impactful. You can save on average of 156 bottles annually by just using an eco-friendly bottle or plastic-free water bottle. This is my all time favorite water bottle.

2. Carry reusable shopping bags and just don’t use produce bags

It is possible to completely eliminate plastic shopping bags, which was a huge source of waste for me going back my entire life – crazy to think about now. Most stores have a paper bag option in the event you forget your reusable bags. If I forget my reusable produce bags then I simply don’t use produce bags.

3. Aim for everyday products that use zero-waste packaging

Again a simple change but aside from food and drink, there are alot of general products we buy often that can be found by brands that utilize zero-waste packaging. When you think about how wasteful and useless packaging is but how harmful the waste produced from the packaging can be, you will start thinking twice and look for alternatives.

4. Reusable Sandwich bags
 Remove all Ziplock from your list.  Instead, get reusable silicone or cotton sandwich baggies or use some other form of usable storage containers that are easy to simple. Shop my favorite reusable snack bags here.

5. Use stainless steel straws
 I always have a metal straw with me. It’s a permanent item in my purse, not only does it make my drink (aka iced tea) extra cold it keeps me from contributing to the plastic straw waste of the world. I am a large collection os metal straws, but here is my favorite reusable straw.

6. Tampons and period pads
Women everywhere consider it “life-changing” by swapping to a menstrual cup (I have the Saalt cup), reusable liner pads, and absorbent period panties like those by Modibodi. I am still not 100% there yet but I do use the Saalt frequently; it takes some getting used to or at least is does for me)

7. Eliminate Paper mailers and junk mail
Opt out of paper mailers. A lot of this is out of your control, but you can cancel phone directories, sign up for paperless billing, and place a “no junk mail” sticker on your mailbox. Check out DMA Choice for more on how to do this.

8. Switch to Biodegradable dental floss
How many MILES AND MILES of plastic thread should one person throw away in their life? Switching to a silk floss, like WooBamboo’s Dental Floss, will reduce miles of waste.

9. Limit laundry washes
Start by cutting back to once a week and stick to cold water washes (which helps preserve the life of your colors anyway).  Then I worked my way up to washing things only when they’re dirty, not just after one wear. I am still trying to teach my kids this concept – too many times I find perfectly clean clothes in the laundry basket after a room cleanup took place! Another way to reduce waste with laundry is to use laundry balls instead of dryyer sheets. I had no idea how faster my clothes would dry using dryer balls! These are the dryer balls I use– great price and works perfectly!

10. Reuse or Repurpose household items
Reusing is an amazing way to reduce waste and save you money! For example, really worn clothes or towels can be cut up and used for rags around the house rather than paper towels.

Don’t forget: zero waste is a journey. 

It’s about making all difference you can make through daily choices.  My tips on this list aren’t about eliminating all waste, because I am too new to the concept myself to suggest full elimination but these tips are simple ways I have found to help reduce my family’s waste impact!