Zero Waste Ideas
We have lots of ideas for waste elimination in your household and are excited to share them with you. We are also excited to hear about your ideas! Feel free to send us your success stories and we’ll add them to our page.
This one is so easy, but it can be tricky to get your family on board. When possible, reduce flushing. This will save your household money and reduce water waste.
Instead of grass, plant natives, fruits, vegetables or herbs.
Buy local produce and snacks. Mileage on food is a serious problem, so the closer you eat to home, the better it is for your body and the planet.
Thrift! It’s fun and it reduces waste created by fast fashion.
Stop using paper towels. There are so many cute reusable ones out there, but regular old rags will suffice. This helps eliminate deforestation, reduces plastic waste and mileage from shipping. I keep a basket in my kitchen for dirty towels and when it’s full, I wash them with our weekly towels.
Make your own dog treats (our dog loves these and they are so easy to make)! I usually make a double batch and freeze 3/4 of the treats for future use. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Until well combined, mix together 1/2 Cup Peanut Butter, 1/4 Cup stock (any will do— I’ll share my vegetable stock recipe next), 1 ripe banana and 1 cup of whole wheat flour. Roll into tiny balls and bake on a cookie sheet for 16-20 minutes. Allow to cool and then refrigerate to extend shelf life. If you feel fancy and have more time (I’m never this fancy), roll the dough out and cut into squares or cute little shapes.
Make your own vegetable stock. This was a game changer for me. You seriously just use clean scraps from vegetables which you’d usually throw away or compost (onion peels, broccoli stems, carrot peels, etc) and simmer in filtered water for 12-24 hours. I usually add some salt, pepper and garlic powder for extra flavor. I make one vegetable stock for ramen from cabbage, carrots, garlic, ginger, onion and jalapeno scraps and another for general use with whatever other remnants I have lying around. Don’t be surprised when you throw beet scraps in— your broth will be bright red!
Toilet shake. Yes, that’s right— if you want to spruce up your toilet before guests come over (assuming this can be a thing again) or you just want to brighten the smell of your bathroom, you can have this easy mixture on hand. I mix mine in a quart sized mason jar. It’s simply 1 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of citric acid, 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar. Store in a dark, cool space and it should last for 6-12 months.
Make your own hair spray! I’ve been making this hairspray for awhile and have found it works well when I want to throw some curls into my hair. You slice 2-4 lemons and pull out as many seeds as you can. Place them flat into a skillet, cover with distilled water and simmer for 30 minutes. The mixture will cook down into (almost) a gel. Strain. Add 2 tablespoons of vodka. Mix and pour into a spray bottle. Due to the alcohol content, this should last for 2 months. Shake well before each use.
Start composting. It seems daunting at first, but I swear, it becomes fun over time. There are many theories about how to do it correctly, but this really depends on your end goal: are you composting because you want to reduce your imprint and/or because you want compost to feed your garden? If you want to reduce your imprint, you don’t have to be picky about how you do it. Just buy a small indoor compost bin (with holes and a filter on top— these cost around $30 and can be found easily online) and fill it with your leftover produce remains (orange rinds, pits, peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, etc). You’ll be surprised how much this impacts your waste— especially if you cook a lot. When it fills, take it outside to your larger bin (I used to just throw mine into a heap in the back yard, but we have a much smaller yard now and I don’t think my neighbors would appreciate that, so we actually bought a bin). Every now and again, throw in some leaves or paper to help the process along. If you want to compost in order to create a healthy food for your garden, you need to be more meticulous and should research what should go into your bin (seeds, for instance, can be problematic).
Buy a bidet. We just installed one and it’s a game changer. It cost under $100 and we have dramatically reduced our toilet paper consumption (in these times….that’s an excellent goal).
Google diatomaceous earth. Seriously, this stuff is incredible. I bought a big bag of it and have found endless uses for it. It feeds your soil, cleans up messes, works as a substitution for kitty litter, can be used in deodorants, the list goes on.
Make your own sun tea! This isn’t your mother’s sun tea (though that is delicious, as well). This drink is so easy, light and refreshing. My kids love it AND you can use it as a mixer with vodka or gin. First, grab a glass pitcher. Second, zest whatever citrus you have on hand and then squeeze the juice from the fruit. Add both to the pitcher. Third, clean a small bunch of mint (or a combo of other herbs like rosemary, sage or lavender) and add them to the pitcher. Add 1/2 Cup of honey and fill the pitcher with cool water. Stir. Set in the sun for several hours, strain and put it back into the fridge until it’s cold. Yum!