I have started making a few small changes towards becoming 'more zero waste' ... I want to use 'zero waste' very lighting because using the word zero leaves very little room for error. I just want to make some changes that I feel will be easy enough to maintain on a daily basis even when I am feeling rushed or pressed for time. The list I have made below focus's more on kitchen essentials.
Some of the items below I already own and have been using for a while. Others I want to begin using. I will explain more below ...
Washable & Reusable Micro fiber Sponge: This was an easy one for me. I bought a package of two and wash them often, eliminating any need to purchase disposable sponges ever again. They work great and are much healthier for your kitchen and dishes because they are washed so often!
Reusable Metal Straws: I have been using these for a year now and love them. I use them to drink water from my reusable Nalgene water bottle.
Reusable Water Bottle: I have been using a reusable water bottle for years and years. I can't even remember the last time I bought water bottles from the store. I have been considering switching to a reusable glass water bottle, but for now this is fine :)
Pyrex Glass Food Storage: These are used so much in my kitchen they are rarely stored. They go from fridge, to dishwasher, to fridge again and again. They have held up great too!
Stasher bags: This is the newest addition to my kitchen essentials kit. I freeze sliced banana for smoothies everyday all day so I decided to start with one of these Stasher bags and go from there. Ideally, I will have a complete collection of these for all my fridge and freezer food storage needs. They are pricey so I will slowly collect these over time - I want to purchase all the different colours ... black for my husband to take baked goods to work too :)
Bee's Wrap: I recently received a small size sample of this Bee's Wrap and I just love it! I want to purchase more in all different sizes - again a pricer item I will collect over time.
Foldable Reusable Bag: I have a few of these now in my zero waste kit. I love how they fold small and can easily fit into my purse. I will wash them and there good as new - they are such a great investment ... I now make it a habit to put right back in purse after they have been washed I am almost never without one in the store!
Glass Straws: This is another new addition to my zero waste kit. I know I mentioned metal straws earlier but I will use these for smoothies since the metal ones are not as thick - so it has been nice having both options :)
Reusable Produce bags: When I first purchased these I was so excited used them all the time to actually buy my produce ... but for some reason I just haven't made it a habit to remember to bring to store .. that being said I still use them all the time. I will use them to store produce in my fridge. I also shop at a grocery store that provides biodegradable product bags and shopping bags so I feel a little better about that at least and use the biodegradable produce bag in compost pail. I also stash some in my diaper bag - they come in so handy so at least they are being used a couple times.
Some items pictured below are on my wish list also moving forward to more zero waste living...
These reusable 'paper towels' from A Beautiful Mess blog are amazing. I want to purchase these for my kitchen and say good bye to disposable paper towels!
I also want to purchase bags like these for using at bulk stores for things like oats and flour. The produce bags I currently own are perforated so not ideal for flours, etc.
Now I realize this is barely scratching the surface of what else needs to change in my home when it comes to zero waste. I still have tin foil, plastic wrap, and parchment paper in my drawers. I really do not like how much we still rely on paper towels, so those reusable ones are next on my list! I still use zipper bags to store extra meat, bread, and baked goods in freezer ... but like I said earlier I want to slowly build a Stasher collection to replace those zipper bags ...
Also, I should mention I am home a lot since being a stay at home mom and I rarely get take out -- almost all our meals are made at home. So as of now I wasn't too concern about plastic cutlery or reusable coffee cups because I almost never use these anyway ...
I definitely want to move towards a more zero waste bathroom too ... but for now this is where I am starting.
Until next time...
xo