Beginner Zero Waste Swaps you HAVE to Try in 2024!
Happy New Year! The perfect time for habit change, so why not make your life more eco-friendly? Let’s dive into 24 ways to live zero waste in 2024. Actually, this is 24 things to STOP doing in 24 and there are way more than 24 swaps;)
Even if you aren’t a beginner, you still may find a swap or habit change you haven’t tried yet. Let’s go!
Reusable water bottle
A CLASSIC zero waste swap. This was my first zero waste swap, technically before I lived zero waste, just because it saves so much money. You don’t even need a fancy filter, though you can get some reusable ones, too. Tap water is generally very safe. Imagine if you cut out 2 plastic bottles per day. That’s 730 bottles per year PER PERSON! This simple swap can save you some serious cash and reduce a vast amount of waste.
My favorite is from Klean Kanteen, shop here!
Reusable grocery bags
As we get further and further into the fight against waste, this swap CAN save you money. More and more stores, states, and countries are implementing bag taxes and some stores even give you a discount for bringing your own bag, as our local Sprouts did in Las Vegas.
There are also so many options depending on your needs:
Thrift some
Lotus Trolley Bags that fit right in your cart and include a freezer bag
Baggu bags are made from recycled materials and pack down nice and small to keep in your purse, car, or bag
Or, you can just simply go bagless without buying anything new. Use laundry baskets, reused boxes, or just load them back into your cart and chuck them in your car.
Reusable produce bags
This swap you can also just simply omit, you don’t NEED produce bags. We haven’t used them in literal years and probably won’t go back to them. However, if you do want a swap to keep your produce cleaner and more organized, try finding some second-hand, making some yourself out of scrap materials, or buying some cotton or hemp bags over plastic ones to really reduce your impact. The thinner the material the better since this may add weight to your produce.
Reusable coffee cup
Another swap that can technically MAKE you money since plenty of local cafes (please support local, stop supporting terrible companies like Starbucks) offer discounts for using your own cup. I’ve seen some cafes offer up to a whole $1 off!
But, of course, we’re here for the waste-saving, too. If you’re an avid coffee or tea drinker, this can reduce a lot of non-recyclable waste. That’s right, “paper” coffee cups are not recyclable. They’re lined in plastic and are actually carton board which is very hard to recycle and not widely accepted for recycling. So, the less we use, the better!
Klean Kanteen carries some and I like that they are reusable and also non-breakable!
Silicone baking mat
Easily the swap that saves me the most time and, of course, waste. This saves me time by not having to line baking sheets and not having to scrape crusted-on baked gunk off my baking trays. They’re non-stick, reusable, and also help you save money by not having to buy as much oil and/or parchment paper. I love this swap so much and use it so frequently from oven-roasted veggies to baked goods and even freezing items!
Misto
Speaking of the kitchen, this swap is also a huge waste-reducer for those who like to cook and bake and use lots of spray oil (like Pam, the popular brand). This reduces how many aerosol bottles you have to buy (which actually are not always accepted for recycling due to their combustibility). Plus, it’s easy to use with little-to-no learning curve which is why I suggest it for beginners, even if it doesn’t reduce the most waste among these other swaps.
Reusable cutlery, dishes, and cups
I know some people will say this is a no-brainer, but it is quite common (especially in the US) for folks to use disposable plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery. I understand if you NEED to due to a busy schedule, disability, illness, etc. But if you’re able-bodied and have just a few minutes to space (especially if you have a dishwasher) I highly encourage you to use reusables for serving meals. Even snacks. If not for the planet, do it to save money. I’m sure you already have dishes, but if not, thrift stores sell them for super cheap. Sure, packs of disposables aren’t that expensive one time, but the costs add up. Another benefit is your trash won’t fill up as quickly ;)
Recycled or bamboo toilet paper
It’s really easy to change your toilet paper. It requires no change to your routine or habit change! The only difference is it might cost a little bit more. I did a full price breakdown in this video, so you can check it out here. I love how easy this swap is and how much waste it can save. Trees are super resource intensive to grow and cut down, all to wipe our butts? Let’s be more sustainable about stuff we’re just throwing away.
I prefer recycled as it’s very important to support the recycling industry when possible, but bamboo does require fewer resources to grow than trees. Who Gives a Crap sells both!
Bamboo toothbrush and Eco Toothpaste
Toothbrushes and traditional toothpaste are not recyclable, so everyone we use is still on the planet. While toothpaste tabs and other eco-toothpastes may be a bit of a learning curve and some time to get used to them, bamboo toothbrushes really aren’t that hard to get used to. In fact, I prefer bamboo at this point!
My favorite eco-toothpastes are Hello and Tom’s of Maine which are in 100% plastic. That doesn’t sound good, but most toothpaste is in plastic-aluminum packaging meaning it’s not recyclable at all but 100% plastic CAN be recycled. I also like them since they have fluoride in them, which is unfortunately hard to find in eco toothpastes.
Other toothpaste options are Hey Humans and David’s which come in aluminum and several brands of toothpaste tabs. This is the most talked about brand from others, they’re not my cup of tea due to texture so do what you will with that.
Also shoutout to my fav reusable floss pick from Quip (below)!
Refillable shampoo and conditioner or shampoo and conditioner bars
There are so many zero-waste shampoo and conditioner options depending on if you like a bar, liquid, or powder (yes, shampoo powder, not dry shampoo). Most of these options are concentrated meaning you don’t need to use as much and they last longer than their plastic-bottle counterparts. Here are my favorite options:
Plaine Products refillable shampoo and conditioner you just end back to them
The Coconut Crush shampoo bar
Modern Kind shampoo powder
Refillable deodorant or deodorant in cardboard
Deodorant is something we all use every day and their containers are usually not accepted for recycling making them quite unsustainable. But, we want to be stink-free. Here are my favorite options:
Wild deodorant refills in their reusable deodorant case (use code WILDSIMPLE)
Native deodorant in cardboard
Ditch the paper towels and use rags instead
This is easily one of the lowest-cost swaps on this list since you can use what you have! Sure, you can buy new rags, but why bother when you probably already have a drawer full or can make some cleaning rags out of old clothing like shirts? This low-cost swap can also save you tons of money by not having to buy paper towels to dry your hands, clean up spills, and clean the house.
Swap plastic sponges for bioplastic ones or a wooden dishbrush
Another common household item that is not recyclable at the end of its life is sponges. Instead, swap to a bioplastic sponge or a wooden dish brush both of which can be composted at the end of their lives, or at least isn’t pollutive to create or throw away. Plus, they just look nicer, more elegant, and chic, and most dish brushes come with brush replacements meaning you will save waste by not having to buy the entire brush over and over again.
Here is my favorite bioplastic sponge from TruEarth
And my favorite wooden dish brush from Earth Hero
Try eco-friendly laundry detergent
There are SO many laundry detergents out there that reduce your waste on varying levels, it kind of depends on what you’re looking for! Do you want it to be fully recyclable? Mess free? Do you care if it contains PVA which doesn’t break down in our water? Do you want a powder or a liquid instead? Here are some options I recommend:
Kind Laundry sheets: my favorite laundry sheet though I don’t use them anymore due to their use of PVA. I am not comfortable risking it, but plenty of people are. Learn more about PVA here.
Dirty Labs liquid detergent that comes in aluminum and is 100% recyclable. I do wish they refilled them, though
Meliora laundry powder in fully recyclable and compostable packaging, they even sell in bulk and take back their buckets for reuse
Learn how to recycle correctly
Perhaps I should have made this #1. Now, recycling isn’t going to save the planet and it’s a broken system. But, why is it broken? Two reasons: it’s not incentivized by the government and we as customers recycle so badly. The better we recycle, the more we follow the rules, the better the system will become. Before you buy anything, learn how to recycle correctly for your region. Everywhere is different, so call your center for your local rules and learn more about general recycling in this YouTube Playlist.
Try eco-friendly hand soap
While plenty of traditional hand soaps come in recyclable bottles, the ingredients matter too. Plus, the pumps from foaming and liquid hand soap are NOT recyclable. So, opt for hand soap bars or refills. Here are some good ones:
Clean Cult liquid hand soap refills, you can refill your existing pump bottle or get their glass one
Foaming hand soap refill tablets from Meliora, refill your existing pump or get theirs
Hand soap bar from Earth Hero
Swap to eco-friendly shaving
It’s crazy to think about how much waste shaving can create when using disposable razors, shaving cream in non-recyclable packaging, and water usage. But, it doesn’t have to be that way. With a simple safety razor, you can cut nearly all this waste!
My favorite razor is from Leaf Shave and Dan agrees with me! I use one for my legs and he uses one for his face and it works great for all areas. They even have a blade recycling program making these razors LITERALLY zero waste!
This is Dan’s favorite shave soap. It’s a bar from Badger (via Earth Hero) that foams up with you add a little bit of water and brush on with a shave brush. It’s also truly zero waste!
Stop using plastic zipper bags
They are not recyclable, not easy to reuse, and honestly can add up over years and years of use. Plus, we use them for such short amounts of time, it’s wild to think we pay to use them for just a few minutes to hours. Here are some reusable options instead:
Stop using plastic wrap
Another food option we use in the kitchen that is non-recyclable and can add up over the long run. Instead, let’s use something reusable to prevent waste and save money!
Reusable bags (see above)
Containers you already have
Plate over the bowl
Save water
It’s as simple as that! From small actions like shutting the water off when you brush your teeth to more “extreme” actions like shortening your shower. There are so many ways to conserve water which is important no matter where you live, drought area or not. This habit change can not only save a precious resource but also can save you money, so why not try it out? Learn more ways to conserve water in this video.
Save energy
The same applies for saving energy: it not only saves resources and prevents emissions, it also can save you money. You can turn the lights off when you leave a room, switch to LED lightbulbs, and even unplug devices that are not in use. Learn more about energy conservation in this video.
Use reusable makeup remover wipes
These can be used for more things than just taking makeup off such as applying toner, facial cleanser, and more! I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, but once again, this swap can not only save waste, but money, too. Take good care of your makeup remover wipes and never buy more again!
Try second-hand shopping this year
It would be AMAZING if you bought only used this year (of course, maybe not undergarments, but you do you, maybe you can find some new-in-package). But, even if you just buy a few things used this year instead of new, that can reduce a lot of waste. Thrifting is important so that fewer new things have to be mined and created using harmful practices and creating waste. You can learn more about the importance of thrifting in this video.
Plan your grocery trip to avoid food waste
I’m no meal-prepper but I am a meal planner. I like to know exactly what I need at the grocery store to, surprise surprise, save money and waste. If I went to the grocery store without a plan, the chances of some of that food going to waste are much higher than buying exactly what I need for the week and exactly what I have a plan to use that week. And, food waste is literally throwing money away! Learn more about the importance of not wasting food in this video.
Use what you have
This wouldn’t be a zero-waste post without talking about using what you already have. You don’t need the newest, trendiest water bottle, jar set, or coffee cup when you likely already have something you can use at home. Perhaps you already have a reusable water bottle at home, it’s just not a Klean Kanteen. Perhaps you can use up all your Ziploc bags before buying Stasher bags. You can use an old jar as a to-go coffee cup for now. The most sustainable thing is the thing we already own. While all of these products I listed today ARE sustainable, sustainable products still have to be made, packaged, and shipped which is inherently wasteful. Using what you have and shopping secondhand are THE most eco-friendly things you can do.
Me using what I have for my sourdough station vs buying new equipment!
Thank you so much for reading along, I appreciate your time and I hope you learned something in this post. I hope you have a great start to your zero-waste New Year and if you want more zero-waste goals for the New Year, check out this post.
Let me know what questions you have about starting your zero waste journey below and always remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
