Want to reduce your waste? Here are 10 things you can do!

It is a good idea to have a handkerchief with you. In this way, you will be able to use it if you get a runny nose or if you need to wipe your hands. Nowadays there are so many designs out there that you can pick and choose, plus they are not expensive at all!

Get yourself a woven cotton cloth for drying up dishes or collecting dust. It cuts your time in half, as well as your usual waste. A bonus is that you can also use it for wrapping some food on the go.

Look for some stainless or glass food containers. They are not heavy and are recyclable. You will see that they fix many of the problems you might have come across – sauces staining the plastic bags, or if the food is still hot – the same bag leaching into the food, which is dangerous.

Plastic bottles are horrible for the environment – you are almost impossible to recycle and always end up in landfills. An easy way to reduce your plastic bottle waste is to buy a reusable one and fill it with tap water. There are so many beautiful designs that it will even be like a stylish accessory. 

Another huge problem is the usage of plastic bags. They wind up in landfills and endanger our marine life. It is very easy to change to a cloth one and in order to have it always around when you might need it – try putting it in the trunk of your car.  

You might have noticed while at the grocery store that there are so many items in plastic bags or boxes. If you want to reduce your waste you should try going to the farmers market. If there isn’t one near you, you can always have your own bags with you and not buy groceries that are already packaged. 

Rags and sponges collect a lot of bacteria that like damp and warm places. Another way to cut waste and be more hygienic is to use brushes. If you have to clean some jars or bottles and it is hard to reach every spot with the brush, you can use rags and wash them regularly. Put them in the sun to dry as in this way there will be no bacteria left. You don’t have to worry when the time comes to throw the brush away since it is recyclable. 

A good practice is to replace your toothbrush every 3 months which sums up to 40 in 10 years. This is so much waste! Luckily, we have bamboo ones that are compostable. 

One more thing that could be done is to replace aluminum foil with moldable waxed fabric or a silicone mat for when you decide to bake or for freezing.

Finally, you should know that composting is crucial for cutting waste. You can look for a public compost in your area or create your own. Believe me when I say that it is worth it.