Working toward these zero waste goals in your own household

Danielle Klaff
Apr 24, 2019
3 min read

Updated: May 28, 2019

Shopping

Not buying anything disposable.

No soda in cans (which means we’re probably less likely to get cancer from aspartame).

No water in plastic bottles (which means we get to keep our endocrines undisrupted).

No coffee in disposable cups.

No throwaway plastic razors and blade cartridges.

Using non-disposable feminine-hygiene products that aren’t bad for women and are good for the planet.

Taking our own reusable containers to takeout joints

Buying milk in returnable, reusable glass bottles.

Shopping for honey and pickled veggies and other goods in jars only from merchants who will take back the jars and reuse them.

Return egg boxes to their vendors for reuse.

Using neither paper nor plastic bags and bringing our own reusable bags when grocery shopping.

Not buying anything in packaging, if you have to, buy in bulk.

Bring mason jars to the grocery store to hold bulk items or foods from the deli counter

Forgetting about pre-packaged, processed food of any description.

Giving our second-hand clothes away to charities.

Offering products we no longer need on Freecycle instead of throwing them away.

Collecting used paper and using the other side.

Carrying reusable cloths for everything from blowing my nose to drying my hands to wrapping up takeaway baked goods.

Carrying my ultra-cool reusable cup and water bottle (which is a glass jar I diverted from the landfill and got for free).

Buying no candy bars, gum, lollypops or ice cream that is individually packaged.

Making my own household cleaners to avoid all the throwaway plastic bottles.

Using baking soda from a recyclable container to brush my teeth.

Using baking soda for shampoo to avoid plastic shampoo bottles.

At Home

Cancelling our magazine and newspaper subscriptions and reading online (you can still make a donation to support the media organizations you value).

Putting an end to the junk mail tree killing.

Keeping a worm bin to compost our food scraps into nourishment that can be returned to the earth instead of toxins that seep from the landfills.

Switching to real—meaning cloth—diapers - bamboo or cotton

When going out

Politely asking restaurant servers to take away paper and plastic napkins, placemats, straws, cups and single-serving containers.

In the Office

Bring Your Lunch - according to RecycleWorks.org, disposable lunches (to-go packaging, plastic utensils, etc) generate 100 pounds of trash per person annually.

Go digital - the average office worker uses almost a kilo of paper per day! Take notes on your laptop and communicate with your colleague’s via e-mail rather than using paper.

Recycle! Unless your office has gone completely paper-less, chances are there are stacks of paper that could be recycled. While reusable water bottles are the BEST option, any plastic water bottles should be recycled as well. Introduce a recycling bin to your office.

Here are the new ‘R’s ‘according to Zero Waste guru Bea Johnson, and her successful book ‘Zero Waste Home’

Refuse what you do not need.

Reduce what you do need.

Reuse by using reusables.

Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse.

Rot (compost) the rest.

Refuse

Turn down freebies from conferences, fairs, and parties. Every time you take one, you create a demand to make more. Do you really need another “free” pen?

Reduce

Declutter your home, and donate to your local thrift shop. You’ll lighten your load and make precious resources available to those looking to buy second-hand.

Reduce your shopping trips and keep a shopping list. The less you bring home, the less waste you’ll have to deal with.

Reuse

Swap disposables for reusables (start using handkerchiefs, refillable bottles, shopping totes, cloth napkins, rags, etc.). You might find that you don’t miss your paper towels, but rather enjoy the savings.

Avoid grocery shopping waste: Bring reusable cloth bags (for bulk aisles), and jars (for wet items like cheese and deli foods) to the store and your local market

Recycle

Know your city’s recycling policies and locations—but think of recycling as a last resort. Have you refused, reduced, or reused first? Question the need and life-cycle of your purchases. Shopping is voting.

Buy primarily in bulk or second-hand, but if you must buy new, choose glass, metal, or cardboard. Avoid plastic: Much of it gets shipped across the world for recycling and often ends up in the landfill or the ocean.