How to Reduce Waste + Live a Greener Lifestyle
A few years ago, I started feeling unsettled about little things I never used to pay attention to:
The amount of trash I was taking out of my apartment every day.
The amount of expired food or sad greens I never got to eating, being thrown out.
All the plastic delivery / to-go containers of food that are so common in NYC.
The amount of paper towels I went through.
Plastic waterbottles in workout classes.
The countless coffee cups / lids / iced coffee straws.
Why I started transitioning the way I live
Chalk it up to getting older and feeling more of a responsibility to this earth we call my home, but my conscious knew it was time to start changing the way I lived. My endocrine issues with my Hashimoto's were the other major catalysts that made me spring to action to be a more conscious consumer and to clean up my lifestyle. But previously? I had eschewed all the ways to reduce my carbon footprint that I had then deemed too "extreme" and impractical to adopt into my life.
First, I tried to rationalize my lack of action by telling myself that one person couldn't make that big a difference; after all, I never littered, I brought totes to the grocery store, I recycled, so how much waste could I be producing? (spoiler alert-- alarmingly a lot).
Secondly, whenever someone already living waste-free or 100% green would talk about "easy" steps to take, it still felt like a lot to me; it intimidated me out of even trying, because it seemed like people were saying you were a horrible person if you walked out of a grocery store with a plastic bag.
The answer to doing this? ONE STEP AT A TIME
When I look back at all the swaps and practices I've adopted over the past few years, I'm proud at my efforts but I continually realize more changes I can and want make moving forward. For the person just starting out, I know this entire list can seem intimidating, but it's really just about starting and doing what feels possible for you. It doesn't matter how small, just begin-- and once those swaps become a naturally effortless part of your routine you don't think twice about, think about the next change you can make.
The rate of climate change is also staggeringly alarming. Our wildlife and oceans are suffering in a way that is just excruciating to watch. A lot of the fish we consume have microplastics, because our oceans are so polluted.
The vast majority of carbon emissions in our country do come from corporations and the transportation system here in the U.S. So it’s easy to think that it’s futile to fight against climate change in our individual actions, but if everyone thinks that way, we only accelerate things faster. There are so many different ways
"But Minna, so much of this stuff is expensive! How can I do this on a budget?"
A common obstacle for a lot of people going greener is money. I will totally say that there are certain things that will undoubtedly be more expensive, like body care in compostable packaging, recycled/green toilet paper compared to the traditional stuff, but there are also accessible swaps like cloth towels (Ikea has dish towels that have lasted me for 7 years and counting, at <$1/towel) versus paper towels, a water filtration system + using a reuseable waterbottle versus buying plastic waterbottles, food saver tools, etc. – some of which may feel like a bit more of an investment at first, but actually save you major $$$ and your health in the long run.
Then of course, there are plenty of free ways to make a positive impact on your carbon footprint too! I am still FAR from perfect and being able to fit my life's waste into a mason jar, but hey I'm doing my best and continually am a work in progress.
I'm dividing up this guide into 5 sections: FOOD WASTE, HOUSEHOLD STAPLES, EVERY DAY ACTIONS, BUYING HABITS, PERSONAL CARE.
1. FOOD WASTE
COMPOSTING
Honestly one of the biggest game changers-- until I started doing this, I had NO idea how much of my trash was coming from food scraps, waste, etc.
Produce skins/peels (avocado skins/pits, banana peels, strawberry tops, coffee grounds (+ my biodegradable pourover filters!) pulp from juicing + nut milks, etc), scraps, leftovers, greens that went slimy, parts of veggies I can't eat or don't like like hard stalks, egg shells, and even dead flowers + greenery are accepted in food scrap programs- and boy do they add up. The average person throws away 290lb of food per year, and not only is food waste is the biggest component in landfills, but it also releases methane, which is 28x more potent than carbon dioxide!
For those of us in urban living environments, step 1 is to get a compost container of sorts-- you can definitely use mason jars, leftover yogurt tubs, etc., but it can stink up the fridge. I loved my first compost bin with a charcoal filter that I kept in my fridge (but you can keep it out if you don't have room in there) to collect scraps throughout the week, then every Saturday or whenever it's full, I drop off my compost at one of the farmer’s markets with collection bins. If you're in any other city, literally just google "compost drop off locations near me" and you'll easily find a program or even one that picks it up from your home. Now that I have a 2-person household, I upgraded to this larger bin that also ventilates a bit better, to keep from smelling on the countertop, and line it with these compostable liner bags.
If you live in an apartment or condo, I also highly recommend contacting your building management to see if they’re open to enrolling in curbside composting pickup, as part of their waste management program! I got two buildings I lived in enrolled, and got several friends to get their buildings to do it as well.
If you live in a place with a backyard, you can set up a little composting section of your yard— plus, the benefit of this? Compost is SO helpful for the soil and anything agricultural because it reduces your need for fertilizer and water if you are gardening or simply maintaining a lawn.
When we lived in California, food waste was collected just in yard waste bins, which was super convenient. Now in NJ, we have enrolled in a composting program – I hope to get going on backyard composting one day soon.
Also important to note! Man-made compostable items (compostable cups, silverware, bags, etc) are NOT compostable in most backyard systems and need to be composted properly in an industrial composting facility (where city programs collect and process their compost). People often mistake that they can just bury a cup in their backyard if it's compostable, but it will not break down for hundreds of years, similar to landfill waste.
FOOD STORAGE
Say goodbye to your cling-wrap, ziplocs, and other plastic-filled things that not only add to waste, but also can be an endocrine disruptor for your health! My favorite eco-swaps:
Switch over to glasslock containers. Costco also has great sets, if you’re a member there, or Caraway has some fancy aesthetic ones in beautiful colors.
Use these medical-grade silicone Stasher Bags instead of plastic ziplocs. I frequently hunt their sale section for better prices, because I don’t care about what color my stasher bags are!
Use food huggers (for avocados or other things) or Bee’s Wrap for differently shaped foods
Use stretch lids (large + small) to cover bowls, jars, etc instead of aluminum or plastic-wrap.
Another thing I've noticed really helps keep my produce fresh in my drawers longer is using these ethylene absorbing pods-- hello, saving $$ on not wasting food!
UPCYCLE YOUR FOOD
Got sad looking leftover veggies, etc? Learn how to upcycle your meals-- grain bowls, salads, and soups are great ways to throw together a fridge-cleanout for a healthy and delicious meal. This recipe for freekeh fried rice (from 2014 on my blog LOL, don't make fun of my lack of white balance in those photos) is a great way to throw together any leftover grains, veggies, and protein for a good dinner. I also show you a fun way to use veggie scraps to make broth to use as a base for soups in this video here! Also, learn how to quick pickle simple things when veggies are looking a little sad / end of life! Lately I've been loving pickling red onions to throw on salads, avo toast, bowls, etc.
2. HOUSEHOLD STAPLES
FILTERED WATER
This is a big one. I am a firm advocate for investing in the highest quality water filter you can get-- for your health and your wallet. Imagine buying a single $2 waterbottle every day of the year: that is more than the cost of the reverse osmosis system I have. Especially with the SCOTUS Chevron ruling, a water filtration system is one of the best investments for your health and avoidance of plastics you can get.
DISHTOWELS / MICROFIBER CLOTHS
I was always taught to use paper towels sparingly because they're pricey (thanks, Mom!) but it is astonishing how much money and waste I've saved by buying dishtowels from Ikea and microfiber cloths for cleaning. I also love these Geometry kitchen tea towels – my MIL gifted a set to us one year, and I’ve collected a few more since! I started with a small collection of reuseable towels, and have added to it over the years – now I just run a laundry cycle with them after I run out every couple weeks! Now, the only time we use paper towels is for super germy things, or things like bacon grease.
GREEN CLEANING PRODUCTS
Dish soap, multi-surface cleaner, laundry detergent, bathroom cleaners-- try to look into the brands you buy to make sure the ingredients are biodegradable and not full of synthetics that pollute our oceans and water systems. I also much prefer to buy concentrates, because they are way more budget-friendly per use, and more eco-friendly by wasting space on just added water in their bottles.
My favorite cleaning system I’ve been using is Branch Basics— they have a starter kit that provides a bottle of concentrate + 5 empty bottles for different purposes (laundry, foaming cleaner, all-purpose, bathroom, streak-free); and that way, you can just reorder the concentrate bottle (which each make 12 cleaner bottles + 64 loads of laundry!) so you’re not purchasing so many single-use cleaner bottles. They also were kind enough to offer 10% off for you guys with code LIVINGMINNALY! As for disinfecting solutions, I LOVE hypochlorous acid – found this company that makes little pods and a tool to freshly make bottles at home, since they’re most effective when made within the last 6 months.
For sponges, I like using these cellulose + plant-based sponges (that are also compostable!).
When it comes to cleaning my hardwood floors,I love Aunt Fannie’s wood cleaner concentrate and using it with a microfiber mop.
DISPOSABLES- USE RECYCLED ITEMS
Like I said, I still do create waste-- I'm definitely not perfect at this yet. But for the waste I do create, I try to use products that are created using recycled products or are compostable material-- like these trash bags for the kitchen, or if I end up with a rogue plastic bag from the grocery store during an unplanned stop, I always reuse it as a garbage bag. I use 100% recycled toilet paper. For baking + roasting if I need parchment paper, I use this unbleached and fully biodegradable parchment paper.
3. EVERY DAY LITTLE ACTIONS
BYOB
A reuseable water bottle is something everyone should have-- it also helps remind you to stay hydrated throughout the day, and you can bring your filtered water from home! (PSA: try not to drink that has been sitting in your waterbottle for more than 24 hours-- feed that water to your plants, and then wash your bottle thoroughly with a bottle brush
Then for coffee/tea drinkers, there is a collapsible coffee cup that I love for travel, then this beautiful ceramic travel mug (it has a great splash guard, for sipping while driving or in bumpy trains). For straws, we use stainless steel straws at home.
For packing lunch— this bowl for meals and this silverware set (has chopsticks too!) will have you being the coolest, eco-friendliest kid on the block!
GROCERY TOTES + PRODUCE BAGS
I feel like people have no shortage of totes nowadays-- I try to always keep one folded and tucked in my backpack (or keep one in your car if you have a car!) in case I make an unplanned stop for groceries or other errands. I've also now started to keep these produce bags folded in my tote bags for groeceries-- I used to not use those plastic produce bags altogether in an effort to reduce waste, but then I read this article about how vile grocery carts are, I almost threw up and immediately bought produce bags. MOST IMPORTANTLY THOUGH: make sure to wash your grocery produce + tote bags REGULARLY-- especially if you have meats/seafoods/produce rolling around in there, germs like E.coli and such can harbor in there.
RECYCLING PROPERLY
Recycling is no good unless it’s actually done properly— rinse out your cans, bottles, etc. before discarding them, and look up if something truly can be recycled. If you need help, here are 2 great resources to look up what you can recycle: recycling 101 and A-Z guide.
4. BUYING HABITS
GROCERY SHOPPING
Shop in those bulk bins, buy in bulk (yay Costco!), grind your own nut butters right at the store and reuse your glass jars, and try to buy items that come in recyclable or biodegradable packaging.
SUPPORT BUSINESSES THAT COMPOST, DONATE FOOD, PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY
There are a ton of restaurants that make sure to donate all their leftover food for the day and that compost properly, and I love that because the volume of food they go through in a day eclipses any of our individual consumption-- so support those practices! If you also haven’t downloaded the Too Good To Go app, I highly recommend it – they partner with restaurants to sell their perfectly good end of day items for a fraction of the price. Curbing food waste AND killer takeout for cheap – win-win!
CLOTHING- FAST FASHION, SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION PRACTICES
When it comes to clothing, I really don't support fast/cheap/trendy fashion. It's terrible for the environment, our wallets, and we all end up wondering what we were thinking when we bought that high-low skirt of 2012.
In all seriousness though, I try to put my dollars towards companies that produce materials that are better for our health, that use sustainable practices (natural dyes, eco-conscious factories, sourcing), have ethical labor practices, value transparency, and are true lasting quality with style that is timeless for me. But lastly, the truest way to be more sustainable about fashion / clothing is to buy second-hand, take care/repair your clothing, and most of all, practice your spending habits and shopping less overall!
5. PERSONAL CARE
PERIOD HEALTH
For people who menstruate and are able to use period cups, I highly recommend them (I no longer use one because of my Endo pain). Big fan of Saalt’s cups and discs, as they are super comfortable and have different sizes depending on your needs. The health benefits, personal benefits, insanely cost-effective compared to buying a million organic tampons/pads, the eco-friendliness, it's just an all around win. Just make sure to sterilize them REGULARLY (they can be boiled in water!).
SKINCARE + PRODUCTS
I used to use those plastic dental floss single-use things, but now use this one with nHA (good for your enamel) that you can buy refills of, to be eco-friendlier. I also try to buy beauty products that come in recyclable glass or compostable packaging, or bulk refills – and places like The Detox Market participate in recycling programs like Pact, for packaging parts like pumps and sprayers that curbside recycling won’t take. Also, big proponent of cleansing oils instead of makeup remover wipes – it’s no waste, and better for your skin anyway (this one is my classic favorite).
