LIVING WITH LESS WASTE AND PLASTIC
Kitchen
- Use wooden cutting boards, hand wash them and treat with mineral oil occasionally.
- Use glass or metal containers for leftovers and ingredients, or reusable silicone bags with food wrapped in butcher paper to prevent direct contact.
- Use beeswax wraps for storing food short-term in the fridge.
- For the freezer, the silicone bag + butcher, wax, or unbleached parchment paper combo is still the best.
- Use a wooden dish brush and a solid dish soap block such as this one.
- If you use the dishwasher, use dishwasher tablets made by Also Green instead of plastic-wrapped ones, or simply make your own.
- Replace paper towels with cotton dishcloths.
- Consider this Spray Cleaner Kit by Also Green if you prefer something beyond a warm soapy dishcloth.
- Use a compost bin and set up a simple composting system, especially if you're gardening.
- For cooking, use stainless steel cookware. Avoid non-stick pans at all costs.
- Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.
- Consider not using any smaller garbage bags, and just dumping any trash either straight into a big trash bag, or into a small trash bin with no bag inside, and just rinsing it after dumping everything into a larger trash bin
Food & Water
- If you can, grow your own food. The Square Foot Gardening book is highly recommended.
- For grocery shopping, get reusable 100% cotton produce bags and try to avoid processed food or food wrapped in plastic, make your own pasta, bread, tomato sauce, and more.
- Use a reusable metal water bottle.
- When you're ready, invest in a good quality grain mill such as the KoMo Tyrol Classic, and some soft and hard white wheat grains.
- If one is nearby, shop at bulk stores that let you bring your own containers to fill again and again.
- When buying any type of cheese, ALWAYS buy a block of cheese, never pre-shredded. Not only is it horrible for making sauces, but It's also covered in microplastics and other chemicals.
- Always bring a reusable shopping bag.
Personal Care
- In the shower, swap body wash for a bar of soap with natural ingredients. For hair, massaging the scalp under warm water then rinsing with cold water is better for hair health, but if you want shampoo and conditioner, try the TANIT shampoo and conditioner bars or a similar product.
- Invest in a 100% cotton towel set when you're able.
- Use a bamboo toothbrush and TANIT toothpaste tablets instead of toothpaste in a plastic tube.
- Try this Hand Soap Set by Also Green, it's really good.
- Use a safety razor with replaceable metal blades for minimal waste.
- Use bamboo or silk dental floss.
- Use a natural deodorant such as this one from TANIT.
- For toilet paper, only buy brands that wrap theirs in paper, such as Who Gives A Crap.
Clothes
- Wear socks as little as possible, it's better for the health of your feet.
- When you do wear socks, choose 100% cotton.
- For all other clothing too, try to find pieces made from 100% cotton.
- Consider buying all your clothes secondhand as a cheaper option that still minimizes plastic waste.
Laundry
- Find a laundry basket woven from natural materials instead of one made from plastic.
- Wash clothes in cold water and air dry them whenever possible instead of using the dryer.
- Use Also Green Laundry Sheets as a zero-waste alternative to liquid detergent.
Bedding
- Use bamboo sheets such as these ones from Douglas.
- Also try to find a natural duvet, pillow, and mattress if you can afford it.