Reducing Our Household Waste

This started as an idea ahead of the holidays. I kept thinking about all the waste associated with gift giving. The packaging, the wrapping, the stuff that ends up in a landfill. What began as a seed to reduce gift-giving waste, turned into me looking at our everyday lives and how we could reduce our consumption and most importantly, our single-use items. 

I’d always considered us a pretty conscious family, but I quickly realized we could be doing better in the things we bought and how we used them. 

Single use plastic bags were a pretty obvious item that I think a lot of us have overused without much thought. But I quickly discovered there are SO many reusable options! We’ve been using the bags from stashers and bumpkins for a couple of months now and I’m happy to say in 2019 I’ve yet to buy a box of single-use bags (see main image). They’re a tiny bit more work (like tiny, they go in the dishwasher as opposed to the recycling) and do the job better than the throw-away ones IMO.

Also for the kitchen I found ways to preserve fruits and veggies. These little containers work perfectly and let me know what I’ve got in the fridge while keeping them fresh. They have a ton of veggie and fruit storage options.

I’d heard a lot of about beeswax wrap as a better option than the plastic stuff, and I gotta say it works great.  I love that it can be used over and over. 

Next to the laundry room. I actually like doing laundry. Not a popular opinion, I know. But I find it instantly rewarding, kind of like painting. Anyway, dryer sheets seemed like the obvious item that could be eliminated. These wool balls work wonders at reducing your drying time and paired with a couple of drops of lavender essential oil make your clothes and sheets and towels smell HEAVENLY. 

This last item was a gift from my brother’s girlfriend. In my work life, I wear a full face of makeup each day. After 18 years in tv, the only way I’ve ever taken it off the first layer, is with a cotton pad. 18 years =  over 4,000 cotton pads in the bin. These microfibre ones are not only machine-washable (and they come with a mesh bag to do so), they do an even better job of getting the goods off. 

I’m a firm believer in small changes making a big difference down the road. And I’m really consciously looking at our day-to-day and how we can throw away/recycle less.  I’m far from perfect and I’ve got more work to do.  But I’m trying and making changes where I can and I encourage you to do the same.