A year ago I was aiming for updates on this on going project about every 3 months. It's been over 12. So that's going really well! But, we really have been working on making changes, some have really stuck with us and seem just second nature now! And there are still many more I'd like to make!
In September I read Don't Be Trashy: A Practical Guide to Living with Less Waste and More Joy: A Minimalism Book by Tara McKenna. It's the first book I've read in this genre in a few months and while there wasn't anything shockingly new, it did help renew my energy towards continuing this lower waste journey we're on. I've found that it's very help for me to read one of these a few times a year just to be reminded of what changes we can make and how they do, slowly, make a difference.
I've long been trying to throw away less and yell at other people to recycle more (more than one person has told me that they recycle more and throw away less because of my efforts! Yelling works!) but really digging into this zero-waste movement started in the spring of 2021. That's when I had read enough related books on the subject to really make me reconsider things we could and should be doing. Prior posts on the subject:
{4} Books I Have Read That Have Changed What I Thought About Being Green (May 2021)
{10} Green Changes We're Making (May 2021)
More Green Changes, Three Months Later (September 2021)
Now, ideally, companies would make their products much more compostable, recyclable, reusable, easier to repair, and have much less packaging. It often feels like my little changes like switching away from foil wrapped tea bags to loose tea really have much of a difference compared to changes that could be made by big companies. However, just because we can't make the biggest changes doesn't mean we can't do anything. We still use some single use plastic but we have greatly cut back. We are more conscious about packages and my kids know, as long as we stay in environments where the tap water remains VERY drinkable...they better not even think about touching a bottle of water, much less drinking it. (Matt & I ran a 10k at the start of the month and we took our own reuseable water bottles in our gear checked bag so we wouldn't have to take one of the plastic bottles of water at the finish line. Although I was very thirsty and tempted! And then Matt drank his free beer before any water...)
Following up with changes I wanted to make a year ago:
1) Online Shopping and Shipping Materials
We have cut our online shopping a bit with largely giving up Amazon, we pick up items at Target or Lowes or the auto parts store or something instead. That helps. I am still a VERY frequent shopper at Target and LOVE drive-up. It saves me so much time and money. Still trying to figure out a balance between the plastic bags I get at Target drive-up vs. the time/money I save by not going in the store (as if I never make impulse purchases through the app...) But I am conscienous of items that are hard to ship like candles or picture frames and only try to buy those in store or via drive-up, to save on A LOT of packaging.
2) Taking My Own Containers to Stores
This is one I have been doing,
to local stores at least. I got glass, sealable, storage containers
that I take to the meat market for our ground beef. The biggest one I
have can hold 3 pounds, for the rare times we throw a party and need
more we do end up getting it in a plastic bag, but for our usual
suppers, we've greatly cut back on packaging there! Plus, you don't
have to worry about the meat juices leaking all over the fridge when
it's being thawed!
I also have been buying my loose tea leaves from the same shop where I get my bars of soap (without packaging!) I've been taking my own glass jars (ones I already had!) in to have them filled. The owner has been great about weighing it out for me and that saves a little more packaging!
We could take containers along to restaurants for leftovers (I almost always have leftovers) but this isn't one I've ever remembered to do. Some day!!
3) Silk Floss
Don't Be Trashy mentioned that silk floss breaks easily but this is still one I would like to try. Really, I'm being the most green by rarely flossing but that's probably something I should change. And Matt is a regular flosser.
4) Bamboo Scrubbers
I haven't done but this I am still interested in them!
5) Giving Up Microwave Meals
I have successfully given up my microwave meals, haven't bought those in
nearly a year! I've been freezing big batches of soup (although I just
broke FOUR colored mason jars by overfilling them, one of many stupid
mistakes I've made lately). I eat A LOT of soup in the fall/winter/spring and making a big batch on days we are home really helps for the mornings we aren't!
6) Reusing Water
This is another one I'd still like to try but, really, I'm mostly just impatient for the water to cool. I think I need to look for a small bucket I could put under our bathroom vanity to at least collect some of the water from warming up the shower. And then maybe I just need to learn to be patience with water from making mac n cheese or other pasta. Although it would also involve getting out ANOTHER pot to wash so...that's my other excuse. Plus, we don't water our outside plants in the winter, a season we are fast approaching. But we are a "if it's brown flush it down, if it's yellow let it mellow" family and pasta water or such could be used for times when the toilet probably needs flushed.
New changes I'm interested in!
1) Homemade deodorant
My sister almost has my talked into making my own deodorant and using that, saving on gobs of packaging, I'm sure. I still have quite a few sticks of Secret in the cabinet that I'd like to use up but the fall/winter when I'm hardly running and it's not hot enough to sweat much seems like a good time to make the switch. I am tempted.
2) Safety Razor
These are razors where you just switch out the blade and then can metal recycle the whole blade. I am a bit nervous because I read somewhere that these are easier to cut yourself with and I seem to do a pretty good job of that with the plastic razors I'm currently using. However, it seems like a fairly easy swap to make. The razor with replacement heads I had been using for 10+ years has run out so now I'm going through fully disposable razors I've had, once I've used everything up I'll probably replace with one of these.
3) Natural Loofahs
I forget exactly what these are called but my sister was just telling me about these gourds (??) she is growing where they have a natural loofah when dried out? She said she accidentally grew a ton so I am interested in trying those once they are ready!
4) Bar Dish Soap
My local soap shop just started selling these so we are trying it out! It hasn't been as sudsy as the liquid we had been using but I think it's still getting the dishes clean! From what I can tell!
5) Metal Toothpaste Tubes
My niece-in-law introduced me to some we liked but then Target stopped selling it. I found it on Amazon for just a little more than Target so I bought 6. The idea is that you can metal recycle the tube once the toothpaste is gone...but we've been using this for over 6 months and I have yet to clean out any of the tubes...but I still have them all! (It was Hey Humans! - affiliate link)
Those are some things we are working on, thinking about trying, more small swaps we're working on making! Even if it's slow and small progress, we're still plodding along!
I'm curious if you have any other swaps or ideas that intrigue you! Let's throw less away together!
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