I realized that I still have old work clothes that are too small, so I cut them up into squares and voilà! Only put objects in the recycling bin that are actually recyclable in your city. For more stackable leftover storage options, these glass ‘tupperware’ are awesome for storing leftovers within minimal amounts of plastic involved (the lid is plastic but doesn’t touch the food unless you go overboard and overfill the container. And as you can see from the tips above, it doesn’t require any sort of sacrifice on your part—just a little bit of planning and a commitment to alternate moving materials. At this point, you shouldn’t need any more convincing about why it’s important for all of us to try to live a lower waste lifestyle. A good example of this is when I was looking to buy rags for my new place. For Zero Waste alternatives, please shop your home or the local thrift shop. However if you needed a new phone, you could definitely still buy a second-hand phone but the warranty is a little more important for that. As always, do your research when hiring a moving company and reach out to at least three different providers to compare quotes and best practices. Add ingredients to a glass jar with a tight lid. You can also use this same concept with cooking oil bottles, laundry detergent, and really anything that you can refill at a bulk food store or zero waste shop. And even if you’ve been consciously living a minimalist lifestyle for years, there’s still a good chance that you’ll have some things to get rid of. Clothes, furniture, electronics, linen, books, home décor—you name it, you can usually donate it.

Hi there, Let me know in the comments! Beeswrap is a must-have for any zero waste kitchen. Beeswrap! Your email address will not be published. Because if you wipe your kid’s face with rough denim, it may not go over well. Keep it! One of the zero waste tips I was given by a group of pro zero wasters, was to take things slow and make small changes every day.

If you get a pit in your stomach just thinking about throwing out yards and yards of packing tape and air-filled plastic wrap, you’ll be happy to know that there’s a growing market of sustainable, compostable, and biodegradable packing supplies. You need to know what to cut down on before you can reduce waste. During my second year of university I had to do this. For instance, I suffered from painful dry skin my whole adult life and, all of a sudden, it’s not a problem! But does it have to be? Stevie Van Horn recently began renting this apartment in Brooklyn’s Fort Green neighborhood—employing “zero-waste” philosophies when decorating the interior. This really gives us a huge opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes and how they avoided some of the problems when first living zero waste.

You can find different topics on how to live a sustainable life, and other guides on how to recycle different materials, how to make your own products, where to find fantastic zero waste goods, etc. The next month cut it down to $75, then eventually down to $0. So, let’s dive in to this zero waste kitchen guide!

Endocrine disruptors leech into food and drinks through plastic, especially when the plastic undergoes an intense temperature shift, like a hot cup of coffee in a plastic to-go mug. And it’s easier to do than you might assume.

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Things like metal tiffin containers are great for lunches, mason jars are perfect for storing ingredients purchased when bulk shopping, and also for leftovers. If you need soap or shampoo, get bars of soap and shampoo bars. Everything outlined here is easy, approachable, and doesn’t require a ton of extra effort or work, but it *does* make a huge difference in the environmental footprint we’re leaving behind with each meal we prepare. But with over-the-counter food, they usually wrap it in wax paper or something similar. You can even add the solution to a pump soap dispenser. More and more grocery stores are expanding their bulk sections, and you can shop for pretty much any dry ingredient there, from rice to beans to nuts to dried fruit to granola to flour to sugar…the bulk section has it all! There’s no need to rush into things and start from scratch by throwing everything out, then buying all of the “green” products that you see advertised. Just because something has a recycling label doesn’t mean its recyclable in your town, so check in on your city’s policies. so you can pick it up with a reusable bag, they’ll let you do that no problem. If you already have a bottle of shampoo or soap dispenser bottle, use it up then get a bar next time.
Also, this is not sponsored and has no affiliate links or anything like that, I just genuinely love all the stuff I linked to and really want you guys to get your zero waste kitchen groove-on!

So that’s what we’re going to do, let’s jump into it with these 21 unique zero waste tips and learn how to solve these common problems.

I would really only recommend this tip if you’re okay with no warranty. I have ranted and raved against using plastic bags, but if you have kids that you pack lunches for and really, realllly like using ziplock bags for those, then I have a proposal for you. All you have to do is scrub the tinfoil down with a dish brush; use hot water and dish soap, then use it again. When you don’t ask, you hold the power. I will look into products that use zero-waste packaging like bars. You could save them the hassle of wrapping it by giving them your reusable container to put the food in. Whether you go zero waste or just low waste with your move, there are always things that you can do to reduce your negative impact on the environment during a relocation. Now, I know what you’re thinking.
There’s no need to rush into things and start from scratch by throwing everything out, then buying all of the “green” products that you see advertised. If you’re unfamiliar with zero waste, it basically means reducing the amount of garbage you create, replacing disposable items with re-usable ones, and having recycling and the garbage can as a last-resort. , Your email address will not be published. What Can You Expect from a Green Moving Company? Q and A with Spencer Brown, How to Dispose of Hazardous Waste Before You Move. I’ve made the changes you mentioned above in my kitchen (except I’ve cut out ziplock bags altogether) and have changed my body care routine altogether. “Use a reusable bag, take a reusable drink bottle with you, say no to straws.”. She said it was even cheaper than buying a new bottle from the supermarket! And changing the way you shop and taking advantage of the bulk section is waaaaay more cost-effective than buying pre-packaged ingredients, too. These are great! The worm will eat any sort of vegetable or fruit scraps, old bread, stale rice…just avoid putting any acidic items like citrus in there, or anything really oily. This works really well because once you’ve eaten all of the berries, or made the banana bread, you can just clean the bag and use it again! Read Eco Friendly Way to Remove Nail Polish. Once you’re done eating the frozen food, wash the plastic bag out really well. For more zero waste guides + tips, I highly recommend checking out my friend Consciously Chloe’s blog, she is the zero waste kitchen queen and a wealth of information about the subject. As I said earlier, the key takeaway from all of these zero waste tips is to go through your trash. Before you buy something, make it a habit to ask yourself if you’re able to make that product from something you own to serve the same purpose. Personalize this recipe by altering ingredient ratios for desired results.

Thank you for this very interesting article. These problems are so common because we all have to do some of the same activities like grocery shopping for example. Well that’s boring, we’ve all heard that a million times before. If you live near a zero waste shop you can also bring your empty shampoo & conditioner bottles and fill them back up!

We all need to be more environmentally-conscious. This is a super easy way to avoid using a plastic bottle each time. They have a drawstring at the top to keep everything nice and secured inside, and I’ve weighed them down with heavy giant sweet potatoes and they haven’t shown any signs of breakage. Refill the jar with water. Often times there will be paper bags by the mushrooms in the produce department, so just grab those and use them for all the other produce you’re shopping for. The second option is to use paper bags. There’s almost always a better alternative for unwanted items than simply throwing them out. That’s an amazing reason to live more sustainably, you’re a great role model! If you live in a small space and want something compact with no smell, I highly recommend worm bin composting. It’s super easy, saves you the cost of buying more of them, and saves 30 plastic bags from going in the landfill each month. San Francisco, California, United States About Blog We are responsible consumers who buy in bulk, ... Chicago, Illinois, United States About Blog A journal of trash-free life in Chicago, with simple and practical tips for zero waste, sustainable living. Write down a list of the things that are actually recyclable (whether it’s the recycling category number or the type of container) and tape the list above your recycling bin or on the inside cabinet door of where your recycling bin is stored. for month one. Just jot down the things you throw out in your notes on your phone. It lets me know how much you enjoy these posts . To wash it, just rinse it in some warm soapy water by hand and hang on a towel rack to dry (don’t use really hot water, though, because it can melt off the wax). There’s no need to rush into things and start from scratch by throwing everything out, then buying all of the “eco” products that you see advertised. Bulk shopping is the besssttttttt. If you're curious about the person behind the content, here are a few things I enjoy: There are things that I have noticed that I didn’t expect. This is actually one of my favourite things to do while cooking; make way more dinner than you can eat, store it, then portion it into snacks for the week. The result is a growing list of green moving companies that allow you to minimize your footprint as much as possible during your actual transport. There are so many things that come with cat ownership that can lead to a mountain of trash. Clothing, towels, and bedding are all perfect for padding bins and wrapping up fragile items. My mom has always done that just to be conscientious of spending and all, and it works better than store bought things like paper towels. It’s amazing! Whether it’s food, plastic packaging, old clothes, or anything else. Add These Smart Home Devices to Your New Place, The Green Moving Movement? If not, Amazon always has your back. The food, the litter, the treats, and the toys all have some sort of environmental impact.

Hanging out with friends, watching The Office (14 times so far), and a good Moscow Mule! As I’m sure you know, the textbooks are crazy expensive and are usually super big. They even pack and ship it in mason jars. Many plastic contains compounds called endocrine disruptors, whose chemical make-up is very similar to the hormones we have in our body.