My 'Zero Waste' Swaps for a More Sustainable Life

After reusable bags for when out shopping reusable water bottles and coffee mugs are simple first swaps for most people. We all usually own some kind of reusable version already. It’s just about finding what works for us and being sure to carry it with us. Then it becomes even more convenient, better for the wallet and the environemnt.

Carry your water bottle everywhere, to work, the gym, especially the airport! If you feel it takes up too much space there are brands that make silicone collapsible options (there are also collapsible silicone bowls/boxes with tops that are great for restaurant leftovers).

‘Ziplock’ bags are easily replaced these days with many brands creating reusable silicone ziptop bags if you don’t find the glass or plastic Tupperware you already have a good alternative for your uses.

I just stopped using saran wrap and tin foil by using what I had around the house. My saran wrap replacements are dishware that already has tops for it and the silicone bags. If this doesn’t work for you there are bee’s wax wraps that get multiple uses and silicon lids that can work on various size dishes. My tin foil replacement is to just use the trays without it or add a silicone baking mat if needed.

Note silicone products are biodegradable or recyclable when they degrade and cannot be reused any longer.

I can’t believe how long it took me to make this swap which it’s so much better than what I was using before! This is one swap even friends who are hesitant to change their products love! Sponges are gross! They make your hands smell after you use them and don’t last very long. Wooden dish brushes scrub better and last a full year, not to mention you don’t have to worry about your hands smelling gross after using. They also make it easy to use a castile soap bar instead of liquid dish soap. The wood brushes are compostable and some even come with just replacing the head so even less is wasted and castile soap is packaged in paper and has less transportation cost.

If you still have trouble with needing to get a good scrub a plastic pan scraper that can last forever fixes that issue and is even easier than using a sponge and won’t scratch your dishes like steel wool.

I switched my dishwasher detergent to pods that don’t use plastic (which would add microplastics to the water) and are packaged in paper. It’s super convenient, takes up less space, and is better for the planet. Boxes of detergent are an alternative as well but I find they can harden sometimes and having the pods avoids that issue for me. I am also going to try their laundry detergent once I’m out of what I already have, so I can order 2 products off the same site.

If you are a heavy napkin or paper towel user it’s easy to switch to using some kind of cloth napkin or towels that can be washed and reused. If you don’t already have something handy to make this swap you can also purchase products that are cloth ‘paper’ towels. My mom had material we used to cut up and hem into ‘paper’ towels shown in the photo.

We use so many products to take care of our bodies. My favorite swaps produce less waste but are also made without chemicals and take up less space! I love that I can keep my space clearer and cleaner this way. There are also such a wide variety of options available today to fit anyone’s needs.

For hand soap in the bathroom I use the same Castile bars of soap I clean dishes with or purchase locally made soap so I support small businesses and the product doesn’t travel as far.

Changing my shampoo and conditioner to bars was one of my early swaps. Shampoo and Conditioner today is often liquid in giant plastic bottles and full of chemicals we put on our scalps. It takes up so much space, you’re always running out, and the weight of transporting it adds to its impact beyond the plastic waste (more than 552 million shampoo bottles are used each year!). [I will note here I never used body wash or other fancy skin products so I already used just a bar of soap and haven’t change it]

Swapping to a menstrual cup was also an early swap for me. I had issues using tampons and didn’t love pads either. I debated between period underwear and a cup but felt for me the cup worked in a greater number of situations. This is a huge money saver too! The cup or underwear can last for quite a while and costs a fraction of what you’d spend in a year of pads/tampons. It also takes up much less space (I know I’m repeating myself but it’s lovely in a small house to save space).

Next, I tried to find less wasteful toilet paper. Sadly, my local grocery stores weren’t carrying toilet paper made out of recycled paper even in plastic packaging. I took my search online and found a company that packaged in paper and used recycled paper in their products. I will say this swap is a tiny bit more expensive but the large quantity it comes in is very convenient.

This one took me a bit longer to get to but it shouldn’t have! A safety razor over disposables is fantastic. It is so much cheaper! Upfront you may spend a bit more depending on what kind you think will work for you but blades are dirt cheap and I likely won’t need more for another 15-20 years! I will use leftover disposables when I travel through. I selected a safety razor that is already at an angle and doesn’t put the blade directly on your skin so switching was easier a more traditional style has a bit more of a learning curve but gets a closer shave and is less money upfront.

Target recently started carrying a toothpaste that comes in aluminum (which is almost infinitely recyclable and the stats for it actually being recycled are high) and has fluoride. If you don’t care about fluoride then other options exist in aluminum or as toothy tabs (don’t get them wet though!).

For hand sanitizer, I purchase a product that comes in aluminum packaging that you can ship back for the company to refill making it a closed-loop system. There are other brands that use aluminum without the take-back program as well. There are also a variety of options for travel-size containers including spray options that are refillable.

Deodorant, important enough to get its own section. There are now quite a few options out there depending on what you’re looking for and what ends up working for you that are more sustainable. The nice thing here is these are also all aluminum-free and natural deodorants as well. It does take a little bit of time to adjust and you might smell a bit more at first but they do work! They do NOT include antiperspirant (stops your sweat) but sweating is natural in your armpits and can help you sweat less elsewhere.

I’ve been using byHumankind for months and do enjoy it, some people find Native more effective for them, and I’m going to try the deodorant by Ethique since I already order my shampoo and things there.