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Eco-Friendly Home + Personal Care Brands

With all the extra time at home, we’ve been going through cleaning/laundry/personal care supplies a bit faster than usual. And while I’ve had to let go of some of my usual low waste items — cleaning supplies hasn’t been one of them! These days, there are so many brands coming out with items that help reduce the amount of plastic out in the world.

Here are some of my favorites:

Blueland: Dissolvable tabs in compostable wrappers available for all purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, glass cleaner, hand soap. Dishwasher and laundry tablets are now available as well!
What I use: All the tabs!… // Continue reading.

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Zero Waste in the Time of COVID-19

What does the low/zero waste lifestyle look like for you during this time? I’m assuming different, right? For me, there’s definitely been some additional waste such as:
– Takeout containers (some trash, some can be recycled) and drink cups (since we are currently not allowed to bring our own) since I want to support local restaurants (that I would’ve eaten out at during normal times).
– Grocery bags (use some of these as trash can liners, recycle the rest at Target or Lowes bag drop-offs) since our local stores won’t let us use our own bags right now.

I know a lot of the science says it’s okay to still bring your own bags/containers — however, most places and people are not all that comfortable with that idea right now (which I completely understand).… // Continue reading.

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Little Thoughts: [Very] Imperfect Zero Wasting

I’ve always been an “imperfect” zero/low waster. I do my best and am as mindful as possible but I don’t drive myself crazy over it. During this time, I’ve allowed myself to be very imperfect and to be okay with it. Yes, our household is producing more waste these days. More take out containers (some can be recycled, some can be composted, and some are trash) to support local businesses. More packaged goods and packaging from delivery boxes to support social distancing efforts and to avoid going to the store as much as possible.

On the other hand, with all the cooking that we’re doing, we’re composting more than ever.… // Continue reading.

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Zero Waste Shaving Tips

It finally happened — I made the plunge into using a safety razor! My husband has been on the safety razor train for over a year now but I still had a ton of regular razor blades to get through. Instead of throwing something out so I could use a zero waste alternative, I vowed to get through all my old shaving supplies before moving on to a safety razor.

Last week — my plastic razor broke and I decided to make the switch. I purchased a vintage (a 1950s Gilette one just like my husband’s) safety razor off of Etsy for about $15.… // Continue reading.

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A Less Wasteful Gift Wrapping Guide

Brown paper packages tied up with strings… these are a few of my favorite things!

***Updated for 2019!***

Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! Happy gift giving! So you picked out the perfect, thoughtful, mindful, gift — now what? I, like many others, love seeing beautifully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. I also love watching the joy on people’s faces as they slowly (or not so slowly) unwrap their gifts. So how can we present beautiful gifts without producing waste that goes to the landfill? Here are your options! 

The Bad
First off — check to make sure your local recycling facility accepts wrapping paper.… // Continue reading.