Baby Steps to Reducing Waste
I will be the first to admit that sometimes I wish I could still be ignorant about the amount of trash we human beings produce.....
It would make life blissfully simplified if I could. But unfortunately the damage has been done. Growing up in Texas we rarely recycled anything other than aluminum cans. If it ain't broke, don't fix it; and if it is broke then just toss it was the order of the day for us as well as every other family I knew growing up. As an adult I casually looked into recycling but it wasn't an option at our apartment complex and the recycling center nearest to where we lived was rarely open, so into the trash nearly everything went. I look back now and feel sick to my stomach thinking about how many trips I made to the dumpster during the week in out 7 year sojourn there. I was blissfully unaware of how much waste we were actually creating.
Moving to Northern California has opened my eyes to how wasteful I was being in so many ways, and not just with how I was handling my trash. In this post I wanted to share some of the ways I have changed things in my life to help cut waste (and save money!) I don't have the resources to change everything all at once, but I am able to take note of the areas in my life I can feasibly work on and build on from there. I have always cared in a vague way about taking care of the environment but it was mainly just a faint sentiment probably left over from my days of watching Captain Planet as a 90's child. For me my main motivation for reducing waste in the beginning was one of practicality. Wasting money, however, has always been a pet peeve of mine and saving money is in some ways a by-product of being less wasteful. So without further rambling on my part lets hop into the 6 things that we have done to reduce or waste.
#1 Menstrual Cup
Did you know that the average menstruating person goes through 250-300 pounds of pads, tampons and their associated wrappers & applicators in their lifetime? The cost of which can vary depending on how heavy our cycle is and a variety of other variables, and let's not forget that in many states these products are still taxed. **insert angry booing noises here... **
I knew none of this starting out but I did know that I had heard through the grapevine that menstrual cups made periods much more simple and easy to deal with so I started doing some research to see which one would work best for me. So imagine my moment of revelation when it clicked that every tampon applicator and pad/wrapper I had ever used from age 13 (yes, my mom agrees that I was a last bloomer. Her friends also concurred....) up until age 26 are sitting in the landfill somewhere not going anywhere.
So I finally took the plunge and went with the Diva Cup. There are many different types and brands of reusable cups and pads to be had out there and while Diva Cup has worked amazingly well for me, you will need to consider your own personal needs and select accordingly. My cup has greatly reduced the annoyance factor of my period in so many ways. I went from running to the ladies several times a day to change my tampons to inserting my cup in the morning whilst in the shower and removing at the end of my work day to wash and re-insert. I find it to be a million times more comfortable than tampons and infinity times more clean than pads. I haven't spent one single penny on period products since switching, except for the Diva Wash that I use to clean my cup (and you don't even need to use a specific wash, any mild unscented water based soap will work just fine). Even if waste wasn't something I was concerned about I would never go back again.
#2 Reusable Shopping Bags
After the Diva Cup revelation I started looking for other ways I could reduce what I put in the trash. Here in the Bay Area plastic grocery bags are mostly a thing of the past but it wasn't so in Texas so I always had a huge sack monster living in the coat closet that I just kept adding to each time I grocery shopped. It was getting out of hand so after convincing my husband to jump on board the band wagon we purchased our first set of cloth bags from Amazon. These bags have served us relatively well but after several years they are starting to tear at the handles and sides. Currently we are loving these bags from Walmart which are a great size for fitting lots of groceries. If you want to be super thrifty you can also make your own shopping bags via this fun tutorial.
#3 Reusable Straws
I love keeping reusable straws in the car for when we decide to grab a bite on the go or stop for Boba on the weekend. Despite popular belief, straws are still used widely in California at fast food places but you have to ask for them if you are dining in a sit down restaurant. If you are curious about the pros and cons of doing away with straws all together you should check out this video for a very interesting viewpoint. For us plastic straws aren't a necessity so we try not to use them. We keep mainly steel and silicon straws, I prefer the steel ones and my husband likes the silicon ones.
#4 Reusable Bags
This is one things I haven't found a perfect substitute for. So far the ones I have tried just don't have good longevity even though I hand wash them. The ones I currently use are a good size for sandwiches and have held up pretty well but the zippers come detached on the snack bag version which I'm not a fan of. I do still have zip lock bags and I rewash & reuse them until they rip or start leaking. I never would have thought I could get so many uses from them which makes me feel a little bit better when I do finally have to throw them out.
#5 Water Bottles
I would say this is the most common and basic thing you can do in your day to day life to reduce the trash you make. There are so many types of bottles to choose from to suite your every wish. I don't prefer the glass ones because I have a fun talent for breaking things, so I much prefer the steel or plastic versions (I do make sure that if I use a plastic bottle that it is recyclable, duh.) You can check out my favorite big bottle for work here, my favorite steel one for travel and everyday here.
#6 Eat at home, Meal Plan, Pantry Cook
I know I am not the only one who has fallen prey to the lure of getting take away after a long day at work and letting the groceries I bought for the week languish and perish because I never used them. Moving to the Bay Area and living on one income for a large portion of last year helped to cure that habit relatively quickly. We now try to limit our eating out to once or twice on the weekends only. Now that I am back at work it is a tad bit harder to psych myself up to cook every night but thats where meal planning comes in. I meal plan on the weekend, taking into consideration our work schedules and choosing dinner accordingly. This way I know exactly what I am eating and there's no guess work involved after my brain has been fried at work. Meal planning based on what you already have in your pantry, fridge and freezer not only helps you resist the sweet temptation of eating out but it helps you use up food before it spoils or expires which helps save a ton of money on your grocery bill! Besides that you aren't having to toss all those single use utensils and containers as a by product of the convenience of eating out.
Those are just some of the biggest little things we have done to change for the better. I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have as well. Hope this was useful, informative or entertaining. Until next time! Bye!
Moving to Northern California has opened my eyes to how wasteful I was being in so many ways, and not just with how I was handling my trash. In this post I wanted to share some of the ways I have changed things in my life to help cut waste (and save money!) I don't have the resources to change everything all at once, but I am able to take note of the areas in my life I can feasibly work on and build on from there. I have always cared in a vague way about taking care of the environment but it was mainly just a faint sentiment probably left over from my days of watching Captain Planet as a 90's child. For me my main motivation for reducing waste in the beginning was one of practicality. Wasting money, however, has always been a pet peeve of mine and saving money is in some ways a by-product of being less wasteful. So without further rambling on my part lets hop into the 6 things that we have done to reduce or waste.
#1 Menstrual Cup
Did you know that the average menstruating person goes through 250-300 pounds of pads, tampons and their associated wrappers & applicators in their lifetime? The cost of which can vary depending on how heavy our cycle is and a variety of other variables, and let's not forget that in many states these products are still taxed. **insert angry booing noises here... **
I knew none of this starting out but I did know that I had heard through the grapevine that menstrual cups made periods much more simple and easy to deal with so I started doing some research to see which one would work best for me. So imagine my moment of revelation when it clicked that every tampon applicator and pad/wrapper I had ever used from age 13 (yes, my mom agrees that I was a last bloomer. Her friends also concurred....) up until age 26 are sitting in the landfill somewhere not going anywhere.
So I finally took the plunge and went with the Diva Cup. There are many different types and brands of reusable cups and pads to be had out there and while Diva Cup has worked amazingly well for me, you will need to consider your own personal needs and select accordingly. My cup has greatly reduced the annoyance factor of my period in so many ways. I went from running to the ladies several times a day to change my tampons to inserting my cup in the morning whilst in the shower and removing at the end of my work day to wash and re-insert. I find it to be a million times more comfortable than tampons and infinity times more clean than pads. I haven't spent one single penny on period products since switching, except for the Diva Wash that I use to clean my cup (and you don't even need to use a specific wash, any mild unscented water based soap will work just fine). Even if waste wasn't something I was concerned about I would never go back again.
#2 Reusable Shopping Bags
After the Diva Cup revelation I started looking for other ways I could reduce what I put in the trash. Here in the Bay Area plastic grocery bags are mostly a thing of the past but it wasn't so in Texas so I always had a huge sack monster living in the coat closet that I just kept adding to each time I grocery shopped. It was getting out of hand so after convincing my husband to jump on board the band wagon we purchased our first set of cloth bags from Amazon. These bags have served us relatively well but after several years they are starting to tear at the handles and sides. Currently we are loving these bags from Walmart which are a great size for fitting lots of groceries. If you want to be super thrifty you can also make your own shopping bags via this fun tutorial.
#3 Reusable Straws
#4 Reusable Bags
This is one things I haven't found a perfect substitute for. So far the ones I have tried just don't have good longevity even though I hand wash them. The ones I currently use are a good size for sandwiches and have held up pretty well but the zippers come detached on the snack bag version which I'm not a fan of. I do still have zip lock bags and I rewash & reuse them until they rip or start leaking. I never would have thought I could get so many uses from them which makes me feel a little bit better when I do finally have to throw them out.
#5 Water Bottles
I would say this is the most common and basic thing you can do in your day to day life to reduce the trash you make. There are so many types of bottles to choose from to suite your every wish. I don't prefer the glass ones because I have a fun talent for breaking things, so I much prefer the steel or plastic versions (I do make sure that if I use a plastic bottle that it is recyclable, duh.) You can check out my favorite big bottle for work here, my favorite steel one for travel and everyday here.
#6 Eat at home, Meal Plan, Pantry Cook
I know I am not the only one who has fallen prey to the lure of getting take away after a long day at work and letting the groceries I bought for the week languish and perish because I never used them. Moving to the Bay Area and living on one income for a large portion of last year helped to cure that habit relatively quickly. We now try to limit our eating out to once or twice on the weekends only. Now that I am back at work it is a tad bit harder to psych myself up to cook every night but thats where meal planning comes in. I meal plan on the weekend, taking into consideration our work schedules and choosing dinner accordingly. This way I know exactly what I am eating and there's no guess work involved after my brain has been fried at work. Meal planning based on what you already have in your pantry, fridge and freezer not only helps you resist the sweet temptation of eating out but it helps you use up food before it spoils or expires which helps save a ton of money on your grocery bill! Besides that you aren't having to toss all those single use utensils and containers as a by product of the convenience of eating out.
Those are just some of the biggest little things we have done to change for the better. I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have as well. Hope this was useful, informative or entertaining. Until next time! Bye!
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