The #ZeroWaste Movement has been one that anyone could agree with in my opinion. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle has been in the forefront of America of the last 10+ years, but the most people forget about the most important – REDUCE!

Reducing your waste is extremely important. Here are a few ways I’ve learned to take baby steps to a #ZeroWaste Lifestyle.

Recycle:

Obviously, reducing is the most important, but recycling in the first place ultimately helped me do that. Once I had a separate bin for my recyclables, I couldn’t believe how much plastic my family was actually using. I felt so guilty of all the years we’d just been throwing this stuff away, which then makes its way into oceans and landfills. Physically seeing all of the plastic helped me get serious about buying less plastic, reusing things I already owned, and lead me to stop using single use plastic. Which leads me to…

Limit your single use plastic:

I get it…sometimes it’s unavoidable. Road trips, babies, toddlers, kids in general, you forgot etc. But if you prepare yourself ahead of time, these occurrences will reduce drastically. Make sure you have a reusable water bottle for you and the kiddos. Academy Sports randomly has great prices on stainless steel cups, kids water bottles, and tumblers. ***Always check your TJMaxx’s/HomeGoods/Marshalls for Hydroflasks for super cheap!

There are also so many travel bamboo cutlery sets and stainless steel straws on Amazon it’s not even funny. For cheap! They even have glass straws (which I bought for my husband, because he has to SEE the clean). For less than $20, you’re coming prepared and saving the planet.

Buy shelf items packaged in glass jars:

This has been a great way for me to reduce AND reuse. A lot of nut butters, pickles, even yoghurts come in glass jars in which you turn around and use to pack for your lunches, storage in your cabinets, or even use them for some sort of DIY project. Glass jars are my fav.

Reusable grocery bags:

So many companies give out free reusable bags, it’s almost annoying…unless you’re ME. Then, you shove them all in the back of your car and bring them in when you grocery shop! It is such a successful feeling when you ACTUALLY REMEMBER TO BRING THEM IN AND USE THEM. This saves so many plastic or paper bags and you’ll feel like a champion, I promise.

Buy less packaged items/Use eco-produce bags:

Notice I said less, not none. Having a family/kids and living in America in 2019 is going to be a transition into #ZeroWaste. Only shopping raw fruits and veggies is hard (but doable). Aim for fresh instead of packaged whenever you get the option. Buy what’s in season so you’re getting the most health benefits AND a longer shelf life! These eco-bags on Amazon are great if you have quite a bit of produce.

Ditch the ziplock bags:

I’ve yet to make this transition because I still have 2 boxes of Ziploc Bags left in my cabinets, but this is what I plan on purchasing after I run out.

Stasher Bags: a little more expensive but probably worth it.

(Re)Zip Bags: haven’t tried but look nice.

Love,

B