5 Easy Zero Waste Swaps
The idea of just stopping the way you have been doing something for years and changing it up can be daunting. Especially when it is a habit. It doesn’t have to be! And I’m not just saying that because it sounds nice. Changing your habits, routines, etc can be challenging! I take things ONE STEP AT A TIME. Living a lower waste lifestyle IS something you can do! And I say “lower waste” because zero waste is HARD and that doesn’t just happen overnight. There is a lot of time and energy that goes into it. This does not have to be an all or nothing thing. Choose just ONE THING that you think you can handle and start there. Every single swap you make helps this planet.
Here are the 5 easiest swaps I made!
1 - Disposable Paper Towels to Reusable Cloth Paper Towels.
This one is so easy. What do you use paper towels for most? Wiping up spills? Napkins? Cleaning rags? Drying hands?
YOU CAN USE WASHABLE CLOTH TOWELS FOR ALL OF THESE! Keep them in a basket on your counter where your paper towels used to be and then just toss them into the laundry instead of the trash!
Bonus - once these get too stained/used - they make excellent cleaning rags!
2 - Paper Napkins to Cloth Napkins
Another easy swap! Same idea as the paper towels. Unless there’s something really messy to eat - I usually leave my napkin on the table for the day and toss it in the wash at the end of the day. It’s less garbage in the landfill and they come in every color/print imaginable. Also - ran out of cloth “paper” towels? Use a cloth napkin. They are all interchangeable in my house!
Another fun idea for these is to assign each family member a print/color. Kids especially love this because then they get to choose which one is THEIR napkin!
3 - Plastic Snack Bags to Washable Snack Bags
These are probably my favorite swap. They are SO CUTE! I pack my kid’s lunch with these. I pack my own lunch. We bring them with us in the car for snacks. I use them as a bread bag. I use them to store food in the fridge.
You don’t even have to use them for food! Get creative with them and use them over and over. Dog treats, corral tea bags, store crayons in them, the possibilities are endless! I love love love them and I’ll never go back!
4 - Disposable Cotton Rounds to Washable Face Rounds
This is the one that I was surprised at how easy it was to make the swap! I was going through a couple of cotton rounds a day and it just didn’t occur to me that it was creating a lot of waste over time.
So when I started making and using washable face rounds I remember thinking “Wow. That was easy!” I keep them in a mason jar on my bathroom counter and when I’m done using one I throw it into a mesh wash bag. For a long time I used a mesh drawstring bag that used to hold my husband’s golf balls. Now I use my own wash bag creations though, and the golf balls have a home again :)
I even use these for first aid! If I need a quick clean up with hydrogen peroxide, or alcohol, or even just using warm water and soap! I do keep my ‘first aid’ rounds separate from the ones I use on my eyes just in case, but they are truly multi-purpose items!
5 - Disposable Dish Sponges to Washable Dish Sponges
This was another one that surprised me at how easy it was to make the swap!
When you are using disposable dish sponges it is recommended to dispose of your sponge every two weeks or sooner. That’s AT LEAST 25 sponges each year that goes straight to the landfill! Personally, I have been rotating the same 6 washable dish sponges for the past YEAR! They are definitely showing signs of use, but they are continuously doing their job and NOT clogging up landfills!
And, once they get to be a little too used up for dishes - I’ll probably use them for another year for cleaning really dirty jobs around the house.
I’m going to repeat myself here: even making ONE SINGLE SWAP helps!
For example: You decide to swap face rounds. Let’s say you use 2/day - one in the morning and one at night. That’s 730 cotton rounds per year that end up in the landfill! You can swap those out reusable face rounds and re-use those face rounds for months or even years!
Not to mention that almost all disposable cotton rounds are wrapped in plastic, and that plastic can take decades, if not centuries to break down!
Here’s an article from the WWF about the life-cycle of plastics if you’d like to read more!