14 Affordable Ways to Go Almost Zero Waste
Zero waste living is living in such a way that considers the entire lifecycle of a product. So instead of buying your everyday essentials in plastic packaging that will take 500 years to decompose, you purchase them in biodegradable packaging. Or better yet—at a refill shop…
However, this aspirational lifestyle can seem very out-of-reach for most people. From the amount of time it requires, to the resources available in your area, to the money it takes to sustain.
But don’t worry, this isn’t an article about how to fit a year’s worth of waste into a mason jar. It’s quite the opposite, actually. This article will tell you how to adopt an (almost) zero-waste lifestyle in the most simple and budget-friendly way possible.
14 Simple Ways to Go Almost Zero-Waste (on a budget)
Wondering how you can implement an (almost) zero-waste lifestyle on a budget?
Here are 14 simple and affordable ways to make it happen…
1. Look At What You Already Have & Ask Yourself: How Can I Upcycle This?
Look at what you already have and ask yourself the question: How can I repurpose this?
Empty herb jar? Start buying your herbs in bulk at Sprouts so that you can refill and reuse that jar again.
Empty pasta sauce jar? Put your dry goods in it (think: rice, beans, almond flour, and coconut sugar). Pssst: All of these can be bought in the bulk aisle at Sprouts, too.
Zip-lock baggie that’s still in good condition? Rinse that baby out, let it air dry, and use it again.
2. Use a Reusable Water Bottle, Always
An average of 50 billion plastic water bottles are sold in the U.S. every year—equating to over one million plastic bottles being purchased every single minute (1). The easiest way to reverse this? With a reusable water bottle that you can reuse thousands of times.
Want more ideas on how to use less plastic? Read this article next: 38 Simple Plastic-Free Product Swaps You Can Make to Better the Earth
3. Bring a Travel Coffee Mug to Coffee Shops
If you find yourself going to a coffee shop multiple times a week, get in the habit of bringing a travel coffee mug with you.
So instead of getting your iced latte in a plastic cup; or your hot beverage in a plastic-lined paper cup, you can have the barista make it in your own reusable cup. If everyone in the world did this, roughly 600 billion coffee cups would be saved from entering a landfill (2).
4. Use Reusable Dishes & Flatware
If you’re one who eats out every day for lunch, this one is for you.
Instead of using a plastic fork, spoon, and knife every single day, bring ones from home that you can wash afterward and reuse.
If you’re hosting a party, picnic, or gathering and are still wanting the convenience of single-use paper plates and flatware, get ones that say “100% compostable”. This will ensure that the paper plate properly biodegrades in a landfill rather than decomposing. Here’s a great option on Amazon.
5. Bring Your Own To-Go Containers When Eating Out
If you find yourself having leftovers every time you eat out, bring your own to-go container instead of asking for one. This will not only prevent you from having to use a single-use styrofoam container, it will also cut back on food waste, too.
6. Pack a Lunch & Snacks for Work, Play, & Travel
If you eat out five times a week, that’s a lot of unnecessary waste generated by one person. Think about it: The container that the food comes in, the plastic flatware provided, the excess napkins, the ketchup, mustard, or sauce packets…
This next week, try cutting your eating-out habits from five times to two. You can do this by packing a lunch in reusable food containers and bringing your own flatware.
7. Clean with Washable Microfiber Cloths
Instead of going through an entire roll of paper towels to clean your house, use microfiber cloths that you can wash and reuse hundreds of times.
8. Use Bars of Soap—for all the things
There’s literally a bar of soap for everything these days…
Hand soap bars. Body soap bars. Dish soap bars. Shampoo bars. Conditioner bars. Shaving bars. Underarm bars. If you were to switch to all of these, you’d be saving dozens of plastic containers from going to a landfill every year.
9. Shop at Refill Shops for Household, Toiletry, & Cleaning Essentials
For hundreds of years, people would buy their toiletry and household items from refill shops. That is until the rise of the supermarket in the 1900s. Thankfully, zero-waste shops are making a comeback—with more and more independent shops opening every month.
Refill shops sell everyday household and toiletry items (think: all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash). But here’s the catch: You bring your own container to “refill”. By doing so, you’re eliminating the incessant plastic packaging that seeps into your kitchen, bathroom, and cleaning supply cabinet.
Use this resource to find refill shops near you.
10. When Grocery Shopping, Challenge Yourself to be as Package-Free & Plastic-Free as Possible
Have you ever considered how many of your groceries are unnecessarily wrapped in plastic?
From fruit and vegetables to fish and meat to snacks, supplements, and gum. Luckily, there are simple things you can do to cut back on this…
Invest in reusable grocery bags, produce bags, and grain bags.
Purchase your fruits and vegetables without packaging. This is doable with the exception of berries.
Buy in the bulk section. You can get most of your dry goods (and herbs and spices) here. I buy in bulk at my local Sprouts.
11. Compost Your Food Waste Instead of Throwing It Away
Did you know that food waste contributes to one-third of the waste that ends up in landfills (3)?
Because of this, more and more cities are offering composting services. Some areas (like Colorado and Arkansas) offer a composting pick-up service that provides you with a 5-gallon container for you to throw your food waste into, and then someone picks it up each week and takes it to a local composting facility. While other areas (like California) offer composting bins in apartment complexes where you can just drop off your bagged food waste.
12. Avoid Fast Fashion Trends
Are you always after the latest trend? Slow down your fashion sense by shopping at second-hand clothing stores. A simple Google search for “second hand clothing stores near me” will pull a list of stores up.
Another option is shopping from brands that are sustainable and ethical. Here’s a great article about 35 Ethical And Sustainable Clothing Brands Betting Against Fast Fashion.
13. Make an Amazon List & Purchase Everything You Need at Once
We live in a time where Amazon is people’s go-to way of shopping. And for good reason—it’s fast, reliable, and oftentimes very affordable.
Here’s how to make your Amazon shopping sprees a lot less wasteful: Instead of buying something off of Amazon as soon as you need it, add those items to your cart over the course of a week or two and then make your purchase. And don’t forget to tap the box that says “Tap here to reduce delivery trips”. This will deliver all of your items in one box rather than multiple.
14. When Washing Your Hands Outside of the House, Opt for a Hand Dryer Over Paper Towels
There are a few environmental benefits to hand dryers: 1) Less paper is used, which means less waste is ending up in a landfill. 2) Less deforestation is required.
So the next time you’re out and about and need to wash your hands—and there’s a hand dryer available—use the hand dryer.
The Bottom Line
My logic for all of this…
Pick one or two tips that would have a massive impact on your personal life. If you go to a coffee shop every morning, pick tip #3. If you buy $100 in groceries every week, pick tip #10. If you have a refill shop near you, pick tip #9.
The habits that I believe everyone can adopt are the following: Using a reusable water bottle (tip #2), cleaning with reusable cloths (tip #7), making an Amazon list (tip #13), and using a hand dryer when possible (tip #14).
Let me know in the comments below…which tip are you going to implement this week?
Caroline Nicks
On a mission to leave places better than she found them, Caroline spends her time with her hubs and parti poodle researching how to live a less wasteful life, picking up trash on her beach walks, and tending to her 32 houseplants.
