Equip yourself with a reusable water bottle, a few grocery totes, cloth bags, jars, and refillable bottles for everyday use.
Remember the 5Rs framework: Refuse what you don’t need, Reduce what you do, Reuse what you can, Recycle mindfully, and Rot (compost) whatever’s left. It’s a mindset shift, not just a to-do list.
Need motivation? Explore documentaries, podcasts, or online communities that focus on low-waste living. The Ecoiki blog also shares real-life stories, how-tos, and tips from people on the same journey.
Kitchen
Welcome alternatives to disposables (paper towels, garbage liners, wax paper, aluminum sheets, disposable plates, cups, etc.…):
Swap paper towels for reusable rags, swap sandwich baggies for kitchen towels or stainless containers,
drop garbage liners all together (wet waste is compostable anyways).
Buy in bulk or at the counter, bring cloth bags (dry goods),
jars (wet items such as meat, deli, fish, cheese, oil, peanut butter) and
bottles (liquids: oil, soy sauce, shampoo, conditioner).
If you cannot find an item in bulk, find a supplier (bring your jar to the ice cream shop, a pillow case to the bakery for your bread,
or your bottles to the winery/brewery)… or make it (mayo, salad dressing, hot sauce, jams, hummus, cookies, canned tomatoes).
Shop the farmer’s market: they’ll take the egg carton and the berries baskets back for reuse.
Your veggies will also most likely be free of plastic and stickers there too.
Learn to love your tap water.
Use bulk liquid Castile soap as a dish/hand cleaner, baking soda as a scrubber
(in a spice shaker) with a
compostable cleaning brush. Purchase dishwasher detergent in bulk.
Turn your current trash can into a big compost keeper. Use your current tiny compost keeper as a trash can.
Reinvent your leftovers before they go bad. Go through your recipe binder and only keep the recipes that can be
achieved with zero waste in mind.
Invest in a pressure cooker (halves the cooking time).
YOU CAN ALSO… Reuse single-side printed paper for grocery shopping and errands list, use your lettuce cleaning water to water plants,
open your oven after baking in the winter (cool your oven, warm your house)…
Bathroom
Use 100% recycled and unbleached toilet paper individually wrapped in paper (buy it from your local restaurant and hotel supply store and save big);
The hardcore can alternatively use a washlet and washcloths.
Use an alum stone or straight baking soda as deodorant.
For shaving, (re)use a safety razor and shaving soap
(any soap will do but Bea’s fave is Alep soap).
Refill your bottles with bulk shampoo and conditioner.
To go longer between washes, substitute dry shampoo for cornstarch (in bulk).
For body/face soap, find a package-free solid soap.
For a mask, use bulk clays (French, Kaolin, Bentonite…) mixed with water or vinegar.
Brush your teeth with baking soda (in a spice shaker)
and a wooden compostable toothbrush.
Reduce your cosmetics and consider homemade substitutes.
Invest in a menstrual cup and perhaps reusable liners.
All you need for your nails is a nail clipper,
glass shining file and homemade balm in the book.
Forget about Q-tips, they are not good for you anyways.
YOU CAN ALSO… read Bea’s blogpost on saving water, or
compost hair and nail clippings, put a brick in your toilet tank, collect shower warm-up water to reuse,
use vinegar and baking soda for zero waste cleaning…
