It has been gradual, but over the last couple years we've been making small changes toward reducing waste - inspired by the Zero Waste Family and the fact that after an entire year they only produced one mason jar full of trash (if you can believe that!). I am the first to admit that we will likely never even come close to such an accomplishment, but I immediately recognized that we could do much better than a big trash bag full of garbage every few days.
We've all heard that we should Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, but my favorite "R" is actually one I just learned about recently and that is to REFUSE. Say "no, thank you" to the free pen at the trade show or hotel, stop entering those raffle contests, and don't buy any more cheap plastic toys that you know your child will forget about in 2.4 seconds! Already being a type-A "purger" at heart, this motto has really hit home with me. I strive to have all our rooms and closets clean and neatly organized, but guess what - I would have to spend a lot less time doing that cleaning and organizing if we had less unnecessary stuff! So I am doing my best to stop those garbage bags full of unnecessary trash and Goodwill offerings before they even happen.
So in light of this new motto (and Earth Day today!) here are 10 ways we're working to "reduce" our footprint that others can easily adopt:
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Cloth Napkins.Want to Save this Recipe?
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Ditching paper napkins was something I considered for a long time before I actually did it. Then once we made the switch (and I realized how easy it was!), I couldn't believe I had waited so long. The first step for me was to clear out a drawer in the kitchen to store our new cloth napkins (they take up a lot more room than a little stack of paper ones). So I finally dedicated a day to getting rid of more unnecessary stuff, ordered some attractive napkins that didn't appear to hold too many wrinkles (because I knew ironing them was an unrealistic expectation), and came up with a new routine. We decided we didn't need a "fresh" napkin every single meal so in-between uses we just hang our colorful new napkins on the back of our chairs. I also created a new spot in the laundry room for the dirty ones that I just add to a load of laundry as needed. And let me tell you what - this new routine is easy peasy and not only do we save money on not buying paper napkins, but we also enjoy the more "upscale" feel of using real napkins at the table!
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Reusable Grocery Bags.
This is nothing new, but what's new for me is that I finally have a good grocery bag "system" (so I don't constantly have bags scattered across the back of my car and in some cases throughout the house), and I also finally got the hang of this new routine so I remember to actually bring my bags into the store with me. My grocery bag system is big/strong enough to hold a week's worth of groceries - so I never run out of room. It took some getting used to, but I finally have this one down!
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Mesh Produce Bags.
I was finally doing so well with the reusable grocery bags I decided to take things a step further and get some reusable produce bags as well. But I admit I've forgotten to bring/use them the last couple times I've gone grocery shopping. I do have the best of intentions though and am determined to make this part of my new routine as well!
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- Less Bottled Water.
If I were to say NO more plastic bottles of water I would just be lying to myself. Let's face it sometimes you just need disposable (for example it was a requirement that I send a disposable marked bottle with my kids for field day).
Also sometimes I am already super late and flying out the door and don't feel like I can spare the extra minute to fill up my own water - and maybe I went running that morning so I am super parched. That may sound ridiculous, but that is just reality on a rare occasion. I will say though that we have reduced our disposable bottled water purchases a great deal, which is not only less wasteful but also a great way to save a little money as well. And that's in part because of how much I LOVE my reusable thermos cup. I seriously bring this thing almost everywhere I go including trips when I bring it empty through airport security so I can fill it up on the other side. The best part about this cup is that it's insulated and will literally keep ice for almost 24 hours, which - for someone like me who loves super cold water - is quite the incentive to choose this over the plastic bottled stuff that will be lukewarm in an hour! My thermos also does not "sweat" or leak so really a great all around investment if you are looking to make the switch.
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Buying in Bulk + Glass Jars.
Let's face it - the more processed food you buy the more packaging ends up in the trash. If you buy in bulk it's typically cheaper and you can store everything in your own reusable glass jars, which I also think looks kind of pretty in the pantry. :) I am not going to lie though when my neighbor recently came over she looked in my pantry and said, "Where is all your food?" I laughed because she was looking at it! I guess it's quite a different look than all the typical packages.
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Cloth Dish Rags.
I have a feeling I am little late getting on this bandwagon, but up until recently we were cleaning our counters with paper towels. I have some slight germaphobe tendencies therefore I usually feel like our sponge (that I regularly wash in the dishwasher) is probably dirtier than it is clean. But once again, for me it's all about coming up with a new system, and I've finally settled on one I am comfortable with and can keep up with here. I bought enough reusable microfiber dish rags to have a fresh one each day. I just plop them in the little basket of dirty reusable napkins I mentioned earlier, and all is well in the world. :)
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Recycle More.
We've always recycled, but were admittedly never very "hard core" about it. After a free little tour of our local recycling center last summer - along with some education on what can and can't be recycled - we finally kicked things into high gear. Down to the cardboard toilet paper rolls all the way in the upstairs bathroom we are much more diligent about not just trashing everything in sight.
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Compost.
Composting - or as some call it "rot" - is another one of those ideas we considered, and watched other people do, for a long time before trying it ourselves. And getting a compost bin for Christmas last year was exactly the push we needed to get started. I was surprised at how quickly we caught on to what to save (carrot peels, coffee grinds, egg shells, etc.) without accidentally putting those things down the drain, but what we still haven't quite caught on to yet is how to actually turn that waste into nice pile of beautiful compost instead of...umm, muck. We think we need more "brown" stuff, but we haven't quite nailed down the right combination just yet so to be honest our composting is currently on hold until we figure this thing out. Advice in the comments is welcome!
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Stop Junk Mail.
Another area where we've really been wanting to "reduce" is all those catalogs that oftentimes go straight into the recycle bin (which is certainly better than the trash, but still not as good as not getting them at all)! So we recently set up a free account with Catalog Choice and have already opted out of about 20 or so catalogs. They say it may take up to 90 days to take effect...does anyone else use this service or recommend another?
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Refuse.
As I mentioned above...my new favorite way to be less wasteful is to refuse anything that may become waste in the first place! One great way to do this is to "gift" experiences rather than more stuff. Consider going on a small trip together or giving tickets to a special ball game or a fun concert for birthdays. I also love the idea of asking party guests to donate to a charity (Bright Blessings would be a great one) instead of giving presents to the host - although I have not been able to convince my children to try this out yet. I am still holding out hope that one day they will agree it is a great idea!
Mesh Produce Bags.
Also sometimes I am already super late and flying out the door and don't feel like I can spare the extra minute to fill up my own water - and maybe I went running that morning so I am super parched. That may sound ridiculous, but that is just reality on a rare occasion. I will say though that we have reduced our disposable bottled water purchases a great deal, which is not only less wasteful but also a great way to save a little money as well. And that's in part because of how much I LOVE my 
Buying in Bulk + Glass Jars.
Cloth Dish Rags.
Recycle More.
Compost.
Stop Junk Mail.
Refuse.-
In addition to the suggestions above we also try to send an almost waste-free lunch to school everyday as well. Please share your own tips on being less wasteful in the comments below!
Abby Eggler says
I wish I didn't have to go to work today, as I'd rather get started with some of your awesome ideas here! Thank you for simplifying the process and sharing your experiences!! I'm so excited to jump in!!!
Melanie says
I am always surprised at the amount of cleaning people do with paper towels! this would never have occurred to me: we just grew up using rags and old t-shirts and then washing them. I'm glad you have switched :)
Mary K says
I find if I help my kids pick a charity for their party guests to donate to, a charity where they either get to visit or one where they "get something" for their donation, then it becomes fun and they have never argued with me about it. We often pick a local animal shelter and ask their party guests to bring animal food or other items on the shelter's wish list. Then we get to pack it up and take it over. We have a few different shelters to chose from so the kids get excited to see new places. The staff (at all the places we've been) has been so sweet and so grateful for the donations. They make a big deal over my child and what a great thing they did. We always get a "tour" and they let us pet the animals. In one case (the Upstate NY House Rabbit Society), you pick a specific rabbit and they send a sponsorship card with information and a picture and letter (as if it was dictated by the rabbit). AND they send follow up notes for a year. Kiva.org was also a great one as my kids could read about different people in different countries and decide which idea they wanted to sponsor. Then when the micro-loan gets repaid they can re-loan it again, so it is truly a gift that they can keep giving. Make it fun and you might get them to try it.
Sherri says
With composting, our wet trash isn't in the garbage anymore so we no longer use and buy trash bags. We just dump our dry trash into our curbside container. We have to put that to the curb about every three to four weeks.
Karen says
I spent the summer of '72 in France, staying with a working class French family for ten days during that time. The French waste nothing! At the first meal, I was given a cloth napkin, and afterwards everyone folded his or hers and placed it in a basket in the center of the table. Each person remembered the color of his/her napkin. I was shocked at the practice, but after a few days, it made sense to me. I was 17 at the time. My French family thought it strange that I bathed and washed my hair every day!
Elisa says
Love this post! We are down to one garbage bag a week, and that's with a kid in pull ups. We buy in
bulk, composting has been the biggest help. We have commercial composting and all of our
food scraps, paper towels, napkins, egg cartons and even cardboard pizza boxes all go in with yard waste and are picked up by the city. Between that and recycling, we have very little waste. Every city + town should have this option.
Cindy says
We have our laundry room upstairs. I put a container in there for convenient recycling. Don't ask me why it's so hard to walk a box downstairs! This one simple thing made a huge difference. There are a lot of bathroom items to recycle: boxes from tissues, medicines, etc - plastic containers of hair products and makeup. Having the basket so handy helped our family.
Christine Webster says
Pretty cloth napkins and a GREAT cause:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/126726357/patchwork-cloth-napkin-set-refugee-made
Anna-Katrin says
I love the idea of asking for donations to a charity instead of gifts. I actually found a way to get my daughter on board with that this year (her 5th birthday). She is a cat lover but we had to find a new home for ours after her baby brother was born and we discovered that he is severely allergic. So, in lieu of gifts we asked that her friends bring a donation of cat food or toys, and then she and I planned a special "date" to bring everything to a local shelter and "help out"/play with the kitties. The special alone time with mom and the cats was enough of a gift for her, and she also still got a few special things from us and her grandparents, so overall I think everyone was hapy!
Shannon R says
we, too, use wood pellets in our composter. We have a compost bucket in the house on the kitchen counter. a gallon sized pail? - when full we dump in composter with a scoop full of wood pellets.
Joyce says
Cloth Napkins. Years ago, I inherited some from my grandmother. Some were hers and some were from HER mother (my great-grandmother who had passed before I was born). I stopped buying paper napkins probably 10 years ago when I came across the box of long-forgotten napkins that my grandmother had given me. We use them wrinkled when I don't feel like ironing (my least favorite chore), but when we have company, I press them with nice sharp folds. Not only do I feel good about not buying the paper ones, it warms my heart to be using something from the past that were then used at each and every meal. These lovely napkins will certainly be passed on to my daughter when I am done with them. LOVE this site! So much to take it. Thank you!
Shannon says
I love your site, and these are certainly great ways to reduce things...but I'm actually quite sad that you buy bottled water at all! I understand in a pinch you may have to buy some (like you said for your child's field day), but I personally think bottled water should be outlawed. What a waste of our planet's resources. I hope more people will start carrying reusable water bottles, and I'm very heartened by the new water fountains that will fit Nalgene-sized bottles (I'm a geologist and have always carried Nalgene bottles-my own shameless marketing plug there). Thanks for your blog, keep up good work!
hgirl says
so what do you do for water storage for emergencies if you don't have bottled water?
Linda says
I try to make my grocery in the same order as the grocery store I go to most of the time. That way I don't have to bounce back and forth at the store and I tend to get what I went for.
Christina says
As for reducing birthday party gifts and having the kids buy into it - try a "5 and 5" party. Ask party guests in lieu of gifts to bring two five dollar bills - one goes to a charity of the child's choosing and one goes towards a bigger gift of the child's choosing. My kids got into it as they liked picking which charity they would support and they liked buying one bigger gift that they wanted/needed. And the bonus: Mom's will thank you for making it easier for them!
Allison says
Thank you so much for the catalog website! I used gather all my catalogs once a year and start calling the companies individually to stop the service, only to have it reactivated if I did go online and buy something from them. I have entered about 10 this morning, here's hoping it helps!
I love the donations idea for birthday presents bc really my kids don't need anything else (between grandparents, each other, parents & aunts they get plenty), so last year with my December birthday kids they collected for Toys for Tots in lieu of presents. They were both really proud to take their donation to the mall where Santa gave them a special sticker for their donation! I got the idea from your fellow Charlotte bloggers Ashley & Lisa from The Dose of Reality when their girls collected animal needs for your local shelter!
Ellen says
At our locally owned natural foods grocery store you can use your own containers for bulk foods. They weigh them at customer service for the "tare weight" so doesnt matter if you want to use heavy glass jars or whatever. I use rubbermaid/large yougurt tubs and then tranfer to glass at home (I afraid of shopping cart full of glass alow with my toddler and preschooler!). Its so nice not to have bags/boxes/packaging not to throw out. Also I refilled a big cardboard oats container there too.
Sadie Pomroy says
Cloth Napkins--YES! I collect old books on etiquette and there is a whole chapter in one on cloth napkins, and how they are used for the day unless excessively soiled. How to fold them, where to put them at the end of the meal, it's fascinating!
Cloth dish rags--I've been using inexpensive wash clothes for dish rags for years. When the washcloth is too ragged to put in the bathroom, it gets re-purposed as a dish rag, cleaning rag, whatever.
Junk mail--use the catalogs you still get as "brown" for your compost!
Jamarys Hwang says
As far as your composting, you need the right balance of nitrogen and oxygen and all other stuff. Just food is not enough. So put your grass clippings, black and white news paper(shred) and maybe order some organic compost accelarator. That helps alot. My biggest problem with composting is that we always get an infestation of fruit flies. ANy ideas how to get rid of fruit flies?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jamarys. The fruit flies actually help with the process. So, as long as this is an outside compost container, you should just be able to let them do their thing. ~Amy
Janice Plemon says
Great ideas! I went on a personal crusade to rid our mailbox of the stacks of junk mail that came every week. Credit card offers were the worst offender. I opened each offer, took out the return postage paid envelope, wrote a nice note which said " We never use credit cards. Please take us off your mailing list. All future mailings will be returned to you in your postage paid envelope." The original envelope and all other contents were mailed back to them. It was amazing how quickly the mailings stopped. It has been several years since we have been solicited.
liz says
We try to use glass in place of plastic where we can, but I have not found a good way to keep vegi's fresh in the fridge. Do the produce bags do well in the fridge?
This winter a lot of tangerines came in wooden crates. We reuse these in our fridge for fruits. It is easy for our toddler to grab what she needs, and our shelves look organized.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Liz. I love my produce bags but have not found them to extend freshness. ~Amy
Gwen says
Tupperware has a product called Fridge Mates that works really well. My hand picked strawberries lasted 10 days in the fridge.
Juli says
I love this post and want to try several of these ideas. I did get my 4 year old on board with having kids bring one gently used book to donate to a local charity at his birthday party instead of gifts. We did tell him that his parents and grandparents would still buy him a present, so that helped convince him. It was a win/win because it was a good cause and we didn't have to find room for so many new toys.
Dee says
Thank you for sharing these tips, especially the one about junk mail and Catalog Choice. I just signed up and entered 4 publications to be removed from their mailing list. I knew there had to be a better way than calling each company! Thank you so much.
Lisa says
For the germ phobia and dish cloths...Norwex would be great for you :). Their dish cloths have an anti-bac agent in them and no chemicals are needed :)
Irene says
Also you can try your regular in the microwave for 15 to 25 sec. Careful it will be VERY hot.
Amy Manion says
My husband bought me a Joraform composter last summer and it is the best--so easy. I love mine so much. It does not smell and when one side is filled up you can start adding to the other side. The way it is constructed means no pests and it also turns to dirt really quickly (in about six weeks) because it is so heavily insulated. The handles right on the composter are better than a crank handle. I bought a big bag of wood pellets for just a couple of bucks (they are what you would put in a pellet burning stove). They are the "brown". You just add a scoop of them with the kitchen scraps and my compost is never soupy or mucky. The only drawback is the price, but worth every penny in my opinion because I wouldn't compost if it was time-consuming, messy, or smelly. I love my Joraform composter so much I gave one to my parents for Christmas. Thanks for your blog. I love it!!
Lynda Stabler says
It's not that hard to find recipes on the Internet for composting. As for the brown you need...what are you doing with the toilet rolls?
Anyway, here is one link for compost:
http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/making-compost-black-gold-for-your-organic-garden.html
Heather Nelson says
Great post! As I read this, I was reminded a lot of Colin Beavan's book "No Impact Man". Small changes are what breed the bigger ones...thanks for the awareness!
Esther says
I'm now googling where to buy a spaghetti holder. My parents have pasta jars at home, but I've not thought about spaghetti with it being a wierd shape for storage. But now I am rectifying that. In terms of your compost try shredding paper/cardboard in there and giving it a stir (lovely thought I know). :) Thanks for the advice.
Rebecca says
One place I am having trouble eliminating waste is parchment paper and tinfoil. I use a lot of both. How do you heat up leftovers in oven without tin foil or drying the food out? Also, any thoughts on slipways instead of parchment paper? Is it safe?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Rebecca. Glass bake ware with lids is inexpensive and versatile and is what I use to reheat. Can you please explain what slipways are? Silicone? ~Amy
Rachael says
Until your unwanted magazines stop, you can remove all identifying information and take them to hospital waiting rooms.
Kate says
Go to http://www.the-dma.org to opt out of virtually all junk mail. It gets your name off the lists that are sold for mailings. There is also a way to opt out of receiving all credit card & insurance offers. I forget the site but google it. I never get any unwanted junk mail, ever! :). Great tips, thanks for the artlcle.
Jamie says
I too am doing most things on your list plus using "mama cloth" and a diva cup. Reusable sandwich bags, lunch bags, and the like. I also did away with paper towels and paper napkins. My problem now is how to keep the cloth napkins nicely displayed on the kitchen table, ready for use.... it's just a big pile right now!
linda says
get a square basket, fold and stack. Really cheap way and you can find the basket at a yard sale or thrift store
Michelle says
Good luck with getting the children to want guests to give money to charity rather than receiving a gift. :) On a serious note, I just found your blog, and really appreciate the great ideas. I am going to check out cultures for health now.
DC says
For "browns" in your compost, buy a bag of wood shavings or a bale of straw and add a bit along with every "green". The bonus is that they'll soak up water from the wetter stuff and keep your compost bin from turning into a sleazy fruit fly motel.
Practical Suburban Mom says
Great tips! I think about this a lot too because we create so.much.waste! :/
Reanna says
Years ago my mom found the cutest bag knitted out of...plastic store bags! This person collected bags from the different stores and then made one bag from each pile. So, the Albertson's bag was blue and white, the Safeway bag was tan and red, the Rosauer's bag was green - you get the picture. Unfortunately, I left it behind at my hairdresser's one day and she lost it. I check with her from time to time but it has not resurfaced yet...
Anyway, any knitters or crocheters out there - here is another idea for reusing stuff. And if anybody wants to make one and send me a replacement, I'll gladly give you my address. :) Seriously. :)
R
linda says
Just cut the bags in strips, loop together, and crochet. Really easy
J.E. says
HINT: Take care using reusable grocery bags, not allowing cross-contamination! Hadn't given this much thought 'til seeing this mentioned on "The Drs." TV show. GOOD POINT!
Also, egg shells can cause a real problem in a garbage disposal!
Brigett says
sandwich wraps
http://www.facebook.com/boogabags
Brigett says
Oh, one other thing I did was started using these super cute sandwich wraps which fold out to make placemats!
Brigett says
Yes, we started using real napkns too and I found most of mine at yardsales. We found some plain white on sale at Walmart which the kids decorated with paint stamps. I have not yet mastered the reusable grocery bags, but think you have motivated me to try!
I also have even cut out pads/tampons and have been using a Meluna Cup. So much better and more comfy than tampons.
Oh, and yes, we had the same problems with our compost, but added more brown-we trimmed our bushes and added that and it is much better now!
Michelle says
Catalog Choice does eventually work but as soon as you order something online, the catalogs start coming again.