Does the grocery store seem a little "plastic-wrapped" lately? During the past 35 years, the amount of waste each person creates has almost doubled from 2.7 to 4.4 pounds per day and most of it comes from a simple trip to your local grocer. Use these tips to bring less waste home and save some money too! Remember, you don't need to collect trash in a mason jar or make your own toothpaste to start living a zero waste life, you just need to make a few sustainable swaps!
1. Avoid Frozen Dinners.
When buying a meal in the box, you not only pay for dinner, you pay for the outside packaging, the plastic wrapping, the foil tray, and the manufacturing to produce the product. Making food from scratch not only saves you money, but saves your health too.
2. Don't Buy Precut Vegetables/Fruits.
Precut fruits and vegetables always come in a plastic container. Not only is it more expensive but the cheapest option is right near it. Chop up those veggies yourself and experience richer flavor and less plastic. Don't forget, most vegetables can be regrown from scraps. You can also take it a step further by using a Produce Bag to bring your goodies home! In other countries, this type of packaging is not allowed and banana leaves are used instead, interesting!
3. Detergents and Cleaners.
Most places in the home can be cleaned with vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, rubbing alcohol, and more. Not only do these options save you money, but it's more cost effective than driving to the store and buying another plastic bottle. If making cleaners is not your thing, buy concentrates and mix batches to stretch the product.
4. Create a "Trash-Can Rule" in Your Home.
This challenge is to aim to fill no more than 2 kitchen sized trash cans every week. Recycling packages is key to this solution and not shopping excessively packaged products at the grocery store. This is also a great way to start exploring the benefits of composting. (Keep an eye out for that blog soon!)
5. Stop. Buying. Bottled. Water.
Of course, this really doesn't need to be said. Plastic bottles are taking over landfills. There are millions of gallons of water used in the plastic-making and water-bottling process. Two gallons of water are wasted in the purification process for every gallon that goes into bottles, does that even make sense? What's worse is that only 10% of those bottles are recycled, so skip the water isle, add a water purifier to your home, buy a reusable tumbler, and get to being hydrated!
Keep following our blog to learn more about Zero Waste and Sustainability tips, plus awesome ways you can use our products!
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