more zero waste swaps i’ve made

Zero waste can many times be seen as overwhelming with pictures of perfect pantries and plastic free homes that make all of their own food and have lots of time that the rest of us don’t seem to have. I have found in the past year or so of working towards a more low waste lifestyle I have found that by making small incremental steps and switching out products as I finish them it is less overwhelming.

I am including some of my other zero waste posts from the past year to check out some of my journey and the things I have already done:

• transitioning to a zero waste/low waste lifestyle
• what I am no longer buying
• zero waste in the workplace
• switching to reusable pads

All these switches has meant that we are only filling up a small garbage can in the kitchen every week when we used to have a massive one that was always full. There are always more changes that can be made however and today I am going to share a few more of them.

1. Handkerchiefs – I grew up with a dad who always had a hanky on him and it was very convenient when we were out and about. I had been given one hanky a few years ago that I had started having in my purse for when I was out of the house and at work and really loved how I always had something to blow my nose into or wipe my hands after eating something at work. I managed to get a few more from my dad that we now keep in a jar in the bathroom. I am hoping to lower how many kleenex’s we are using and lower the only garbage that we make in the bathroom. Plus we have both been sick for the past little bit and a cloth handkerchief is so much more gentle on the nose.
2. Cloth snack bags – While I want to reduce my use of the ziplock bags that we have in the house sometimes you really don’t want to put snacks into a heavy glass container. I found these cloth snack bags at a farmers market and use them pretty much every day to take snacks to work such as dates, fruit, chips, and more. They are so convenient to throw in my lunch bag and make it so I am not buying individually wrapped snacks and instead getting things in big bags or containers that I can divide up.
3. Safety Razor – though I have talked about in previous blog posts I have fully made the switch to a stainless steel safety razor. While it has taken a little bit of adjustment I really like how it feels in my hands and it does give a really nice shave
4. Bulk meal prep – I used to buy individual cups of yogurt, applesauce, and pudding. I am now working to make or buy very large quantities of these things and then prepping a week’s worth into small glass jars that I can take to work and eat. For yogurt this is great because I can switch out the fruit and I putting in there and change it up.

What’s Next?

I always have a list of things in my head going for what I am going to do and change up when I am finished with the products I am currently using. Some of these include:

• Making my own cleaning spray with vinegar and water
• As plastic items in the kitchen wear out replacing them with bamboo or metal depending on its use
• Finding a Canadian alternative to plastic wrapped toilet paper. I love Who Gives a Crap but with the exchange rate and shipping cost it is a bit expensive at the moment

Have you made any low waste swaps lately?