Here's a thread of things I do to reduce waste, how much it saves & how often I do it. If it inspires you, awesome. If not, cool.
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I don't eat meat except on the days I cook (2X/wk) and maaaybe one day a weekend on cheat days. Meat is a very inefficient protein anyway, so I get by happily with eggs, cheese, or fish. I love vegetables roasted, steamed, & sauteed. They're cheaper, better, & cause less waste.
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I bought a FinalStraw for my sis and I ($20 each) and was gifted a metal straw from a friend which I use almost DAILY. It has saved me ~400 plastic straws so far, by conservative estimates, most likely more.
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Been using a 24 oz hydroflask for water since 2014 which I got as a gift, and bought another 16 oz discounted for $15 two yrs ago which I also use DAILY for my hot/cold drinks. This has saved me from using hundreds of plastic disposable cups and water bottles.
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I also carry a half gallon container of emergency water in my car so that wherever I go I always have water on hand so I don't need to purchase disposable water bottles when I'm out. This has saved me a LOT of $$ because I don't drink tap.
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Us islanders already know that trick of using plastic bags we get at the stores for trash bags. I was born into this, but I also use my Trader Joe's canvas bag EVERYWHERE. Whatever bags we can't use for that purpose we recycle in those containers you can find outside some stores
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I use mason jars for my breakfasts on the go so I don't have to buy breakfast wrapped in plastic, new tupperware or new glass containers and won't feel bad about breaking it accidentally
They are so cheap and you can get them everywhere!Show this thread -
As much as possible I try to not buy new clothes unless I need it or will use it for a long time. Most of my clothes right now I've been using for 4+years. A lot of what I wear are gifts or hand me downs from my big sis (who has great style luckily for me).
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I don't use paper towels at home. I wipe my hands on cloth towels, my pants/shirt/or deal with wet hands for like two minutes. Voila, it magically dries. This is something many households overlook doing because the disposable paper towel has become so ubiquitous in the kitchen.
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As a household we also buy in bulk whenever we can to save on gas and trips to the stores. We menu plan a week ahead so we know how much we need of everything and go once a week to buy it. We buy our water in 5 gallon reusable containers once a week as well.
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Every time I go to a fancy store that gives me a branded bag, I save it and the tissue paper. I use the bag to organize all the things I have in my closet so my business isn't all everywhere for the world to see. And I use the tissue paper for gifting
Yes I'm THAT Auntie.Show this thread -
In all the online shopping I do, when I get something in a lot of packaging, I message the seller (if they made it) to ask if they can do eco-packaging. Not sure if this really has an impact, but they usually offer me a discount(??). Hopefully it causes them to consider it.
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As much as possible I just try to limit myself from giving my money to companies that don't think twice about the environment and waste. We buy Dawn soap, Simple Green, limit ourselves with eating out at chains, and I support local businesses as much as I can.
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When we moved into the house we're in now, my sist invested in buying energy efficient appliances so the whole downstairs is energy efficient. We also bought blackout curtains to save power on air conditioning, but use daylight rather than lightbulbs when possible.
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I know there are things that I'm missing, but if you have any other tips for me that you found helpful in your life I'm happy for some advice! I didn't include thrifting because it's not something I've done, I feel like I might buy more knowing it's cheaper, which doesnt help lol
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I guess the point of this thread was to show that all the little things you do in your life can really help contribute to the overall picture of using less and wasting less, something that some people just don't ponder at all, but which would help if more people joined in.
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For the future I'd like to wean myself off of palm oil, which is nigh impossible, I know. I'd also like to have my own chickens and farm so I can grow my own produce and eggs, build an off-grid smaller house for my future family, and create businesses that produce less waste.
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This thread was brought to you by a future marine biologist who wants to go into coral reef studies. Yeah, the reefs I want to study will disappear not just in my lifetime, but in my career. This is a casual thread, but this problem we inherited is also very real to me. Pls care.
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