1. Take a “no new clothes” pledge.
The US alone throws away 25 billion pounds of clothing every. single. year. Fast-fashion items are poorly-made on purpose to get you running back for more tank tops once your old ones fall apart. It’s a vicious, wasteful cycle, and you have the power to not be a part of it.
Start 2018 off right by going through your wardrobe, donating or selling items you don’t wear or need anymore, and begin making new outfit combinations with what you already have. And if you do find throughout the year that there are holes in your wardrobe, shop for items secondhand.
2. Nix plastic water bottles and single-use coffee cups.
The average American goes through 167 plastic water bottles and about 500 disposable cups annually. That’s a lot of unnecessary trash.
Getting yourself a reusable water bottle and coffee cup is one of the most simple zero waste changes you can make. Plus making coffee at home and taking it in your cup with you, or filling up a bottle of water for free instead of buying a new bottle each time you’re thirsty, will save you lots of money in the long run.
3. Eat less takeout.
Raise your hand if you think Seamless is the best invention since sliced bread?
Falling into the habit of ordering takeout – especially when you can order it in your underwear and it gets delivered right to your door – is easy. But with most takeout comes plastic takeout containers, plastic cutlery, unnecessary single-use napkins, little packets of sauce, etc.
Make an effort in 2018 to cook and eat more at home, or if you do wish to eat from a restaurant, get it to stay and bring your own plastic-free container with you if you end up with leftovers you wish to take home.
4. Revamp your dental hygiene routine.
Over 50 million pounds of plastic toothbrushes end up in landfills in the US each year. So what’s the alternative? Switch to a bamboo toothbrush, which has a compostable handle.
Floss also has its issues. Most plastic floss containers are rarely recyclable or recycled, plus many types of floss are coated with a substance to help it glide more easily through your teeth, but acts as a chemical contaminant (yuck). Switch to a 100% natural floss that comes in a refillable container.
Last up on the dental hygiene list – toothpaste. Toothpaste tubes are mainly non-recyclable, and many toothpastes include ingredients you probably can’t even pronounce. No one wants that in their mouth! Make your own toothpaste (here’s my favorite recipe) and keep it stored in a small glass jar.
5. Learn to grocery shop zero waste.
Grocery shopping package free is easier than you think. It just takes adopting new habits.
When hitting the grocery or farmer’s market, bring reusable bags with you to avoid plastic bags when checking out. Focus on unpackaged items like fresh fruits and vegetables, and skip the plastic produce bags in favor of bringing along your own cloth or net bags. Also, certain items like bananas, oranges or anything with a hard rind or skin truly don’t even need to be put in a bag.
Bring along some mason jars or cotton produce bags for bulk items like pasta, legumes and nuts. And if you do need to get some packaged items, look for items packed in glass and metal, like a jar of pickles, that is 100% recyclable.
Grocery shopping zero waste also might mean making extra trips, like getting your meat from a local butcher that wraps it up in paper rather than buying pre-packaged chicken breasts that come in styrofoam and plastic. But you’ll feel exponentially better knowing that your purchases 1) are supporting a local business and 2) are better for the environment.
6. Get a safety razor.
In the US, 2 billion non-recyclable razors are tossed each year. An easy solution to this is switching to an all-metal safety razor with recyclable blades. Not only do you still get a close, clean shave, the cost for refill blades is a fraction of what you’d pay for plastic razor refills.
7. Vow to never use a plastic bag again.
About 365 plastic bags pass through the hands of a single consumer each year. By switching to only reusable bags, you can make a huge impact.
Stock up on a variety of bags made from natural materials like cotton and canvas and keep them stocked in a basket by your door, in your car, in your work bag – basically make it so you’re never without a bag in case of a last-minute purchase or errand run.
8. Make your own cleaning products.
Have you ever read the back label on your household cleaning products? Many store-bought cleaners are filled with chemicals that we think we need to “kill germs”, when in reality, there are great natural alternatives to store-bought products that aren’t harmful to your body, but kick bacteria’s butt.
Here’s a great recipe for an all-natural, all-purpose cleaner that’s only three ingredients.
Buying your ingredients in bulk, or in the largest containers you can find, mixing them up yourself and filling up a reusable glass spray bottle will also cut down on the amount of plastic spray bottles you’d normally go through by buying products from a store.
9. Stop buying disposable paper towels.
Paper towels are one of those items that most of us have grown accustomed to, but are completely unnecessary. If every American reduced the number of paper towels they use by just one per day, we would divert 571,230,000 pounds of paper waste each year. Now imagine if you got rid of paper towels completely.
Get yourself a stack of reusable and washable rags to do the dirty work. You can even make your own cleaning rags by cutting up old t-shirts or bath towels that are too stained to wear or use for bathing anymore.
If you use paper towels in your bathroom to dry your hands, simply replace it with a hand towel. Easy!
10. Learn to let your fridge go empty.
Have you ever lost track of a piece of fruit or a vegetable in the back of your jam-packed produce drawer and only discovered it a few weeks later due to the rancid rotting smell? Losing track of the perishable food in our refrigerator is a big contributor to our individual food waste.
Here’s a trick, don’t buy new food until you’ve eaten almost everything perishable in your fridge. By letting your fridge go nearly bare, you’ll be able to see exactly what you have and won’t lose track of anything. Rather than thinking about what you want to eat and buying food based off of that, look at what you currently have and figure out what you can make with it that sounds appetizing.
Less trips to the grocery also means less money spent on food.
11. Skip the plastic straw.
Americans go through 1.6 non-recyclable plastic straws per person a day. And here’s the most outrageous part about that – straws, for the most part, are completely unnecessary!
Next time you’re eating at a restaurant, before you order anything, inform your waiter that you’re straw-free table. Or get yourself a reusable bamboo or stainless steel straw if you like to sip from one, or get a cold drink to-go.
12. Make your own beauty products.
The beauty industry is far from perfect in the realm of zero waste. To avoid unnecessary plastic or non-recyclable packaging, or products with funky ingredients, learn to make your own products from all-natural ingredients and store them in glass jars or small stainless steel containers.
Here’s a recipe for a creamy whipped body butter and one for deodorant.
13. Learn to say “no”.
One of the easiest ways to join the zero waste movement? Just say “no”.
Say “no” to unnecessary purchases, say “no” to free gifts with purchase that you don’t actually want, say “no” to that piece of plastic-wrapped candy in the snack drawer at work, say “no” to disposable drying towels in the bathroom and shake your hands dry instead. So much of going zero waste is just learning what waste you’re creating through habits you’ve become accustomed to in your life, but don’t actually need.
Feeling inspired? Share your zero waste resolutions by tagging @trashisfortossers in your Instagram posts, and using the hashtag #zerowasteresolutions!
35 comments
Nice thought
Hey! I’m in the process of my zero waste journey and I’ve come across some kind of weird questions! What do I do with the stuff that comes out of my vacuum (I have a canister one so I don’t need bags) can it go in the compost? And same thing with the hair from my hair brush (gross sorry I know) can that be composted? Thanks!!
I don’t know if it can be composted but I put my hairbrush hair in the garden- birds use our hairs in building their nests!
Miriam, that is disgusting but really cool
What’s disgusting about it? It’s just hair, no dirtier than anything else you’ll find in a garden.
As long as you pick up any bits of plastic or metal bits off the floor, all the dust, hair, crumbs and other lint can be composted from the vacuum. I’ve been doing that for several months now and it composts well.
Ooo Reyna thanks for that. I’ve been wondering the same thing too!
Your hair can’t be composted since they don’t degrade. Almost every hair since the beginning of humans are still on Earth. Saw this in biology. Tho, it’s tru that bird can use them 🙂
Hi! Hair can be composted because is a natural protein. I have a worm composte and it gets integred completly after a few months (my hair and the one of my dogs jiji).
Hi! Do you know where I can get non plastic dental floss in Spain?
Hi Lauren 🙂
First, I want to thank you for your great tips and ideas. I started with small steps and changed already a lot of my habits. But I’ve actually got a question about going zero waste in my cleaning routine… I have a normal vacuum cleaner with a bag in it. So my first question is: do you know any bags you can recycle? And second: can I compost the dust, hair and all that stuff? Thank you for your answer.
I just have one question. I do really want to make these changes and I am going to vow no plastics at home, What do I do with the plastics boxes I have?
I don’t know if it can be composted but I put my hairbrush hair in the garden- birds use our hairs in building their nests!
Hey!
Trying to become a zero waste Girl here and your blog has given great support! Something I currently wonder about is dishwasher tablets/detergent… Any tips on how they could be made more zero waste/chemical-free? I can give up heaps of things to attain a zero waste lifestyle, but the dishwasher isn’t one of them.
Try checking out Castille soap – it’s organic, and often you can buy it from refill dispensers in the right kinds of shops – it can be used for almost anything around the home if you dilute it right and/or add a few extra ingredients from around the home
A recipe I’ve found: ‘Mix 8 oz of Citrus Castile Soap with one cup of water and two teaspoons of lemon juice and shake gently.
To use add one tablespoon of the above mixture into the OPEN compartment of your dishwasher and add a cup of white vinegar to the CLOSED compartment. Add more vinegar if your water is hard.’
Good luck!
There are a few dishwasher detergent recipes on YouTube! I haven’t tried them (my apartment doesn’t have a dishwasher) but they apparently last forever! Just a table spoon or so per wash. I’d check them out and see if it would be a good swap for you!
There are loads of recipes online to make dishwasher tablets. You can Google it.
Maybe look into soap nuts! Some online stores sell dishwashing detergent and other variants made from soap nuts which are all natural as well as compostable. This makes the water reusable for plant watering. Hope that helps
I use an eco-friendly powder detergent in the dishwasher which comes in a paper box as opposed to liquid in a plastic container or the pods. I also select the lightest wash setting possible and don’t use the heated dry option in order to save on energy and water.
🙂
IT is sooo easy to make your own dishwasher liquid, there are tons of recipes on Pinterest or even just google, and just include the words “chemical free” with your search! I put mine in an old Parmesan cheese container 😅
you are really inspiring! i was wondering: i’m trying to not use plastic bags, but where i live, we use the plastic bags from the store as trash bags later. we aren’t able to go zere waste yet so are there any alternative to plastic bags for trash?
Ask for a paper bag at the store. But if you are cutting down on waste you won’t have to change your trash bags that often
I had a few questions about going zero waste as well.
1. Underwear and socks. I don’t know how to sew and I don’t want to buy these used, any suggestions?
2. I recently got an iud and was told not to use a menstrual cup anymore (it can suck your iud out) any suggestions? I’m not really into pads either.
Hi Laure !
Trying to start 2018 with less waste to at some point be able to live completely zero waste. I love that you say it’s a step by step process and the one thing i’m having the most difficulty with right now is getting rid of paper towels.
I have a dog that isn’t completely potty trained so I have to use training mats and paper towels to clean when she has an “accident”.
What would you suggest I do with this? I can’t use rags and put them in the wash every time as it contaminates the machine as well.
I love your ideas! Do you know of a recipe for diy eyebrow gel? It’s the only makeup I’m attached to and I hate going through plastic tube after plastic tube! I’m sure there’s a clear, sticky concoction that I could make. Just thought you might know of something…
I don’t have one for eyebrow gel. However, I use an angled eye brush and a dark eyeshadow. Wet the brush mix in the eyeshadow color of choice then paint while creamy! Hope that helps? I do the same for eyeliner.
I’m just throwing a bone here but maybe try to make a mixture of aloe vera and sugar? Sugar should make it sticky. Shea butter?
Instead of using paper towels in the kitchen to clean up any spills, I use biodegradable clothes that I can add to my compost!! It may be slightly more expensive but it is totally worth it knowing that it is one less thing going in the bin.
Thank you trash is for tossers for inspiring me to reduce my waste this year!!
Okay, so this is probably a weird question but I have cats. I clean their litter box twice a day but that involves needing plastic bags to put their waste into…do you have any recommendations on how to get around this?? I go through so many plastic bags weekly its crazy!
Hey Megan try biodegradable bags on Amazon. They are affordable! & come in large counts. Hope this helps! Me and my boyfriend just got em and we love em. 8.00 for 120 bags.
Hy this is Amir from Hyderabad, I am doing research on ‘Environmental Pollution’, I really got inspired by your zero waste lifestyle, I will try to follow as much as I can. You have got very strong will power that you have taken initiative in this regard. I am subscribing your blog and wanted to be intouch with you. If you would guide me in my research I wuld be very thankful to you.
I like the zero waste resolutions. All ideas are very creative. I think I will go with the learn to grocery shop zero waste at first.
If if forget to bring your reusable bag to the supermarket, just use an empty banana box from the supermarket 😉
Hi Lauren, I am very inspired by your lifestyle. We have already started doing most things on this list but I was wondering what you do about some situations.
For example: Non recyclable plastic covers that come with clothes; plastic boxes that accompany electronics such as a bluetooth speaker or a phone or thin plastic films that comes wrapped around things like board games or other utilities.
I believe you can buy compostable trash bags made from potato starch or paper that are more environmentally friendly.