Low Waste Swaps | Zero Waste Swaps

Using reusable items in your life can help in more than one way. You can save your wallet, save your body from toxins and help the environment too!

Every time I would throw away an empty plastic bottle of water, paper towel, saran wrap, etc. my heart would sink. Not only was I throwing out something that would end up in a landfill, I was throwing out money. Using reusable items has saved us in several ways. These are just a few examples:

HOW USING REUSABLE ITEMS CAN SAVE YOU MONEY, WASTE & YOUR HEALTH

SAVING YOU MONEY

Paper towels, cases of bottled water, saran wrap, aluminum foil, feminine items, Ziploc bags…all of these things cost money and they’re disposable. Every time we use one and toss it out, we waste money. By using reusable items, you’re getting much more mileage from your dollar. For instance, instead of using disposable zipper bags, we put our food in glass Pyrex containers. It costs a little more on the front end but they last for so much longer than a box of zipper bags will. They pay for themselves quickly!

SAVING WASTE

It’s just like saving money, you’re no longer buying one use items to throw away. Like, paper towels to clean up messes. In our house, we use huck towels. I purchased 2 packs of 50 almost 2 years ago and they’re still going strong. They last forever, wash up great and I’m not throwing out money each week by buying paper towels. That alone is a huge amount of waste saved! Add to that lots of the other disposable items you can swap out, it adds up quickly to a lot less going to a landfill.

SAVING YOUR BODY FROM TOXINS

Some disposable items: feminine products, dryer sheets, snack bags, plastic water bottles all contain things that we are better off without. Most feminine products are full of terrible things you never want absorbing through your most intimate areas! Dryer sheets are one of the worst offenders in polluting the air in your home. Water bottles left in the sun or allowed to get have been shown to leech harmful toxins in to the water.

MY FAVORITE REUSABLE ITEM SWAPS

STAINLESS STEEL AND GLASS STRAWS

I know we’ve all seen videos of sea turtles dying from plastic straws getting stuck in their noses. It’s heartbreaking! It’s also one of those things that are very small and nobody thinks anything about it because it’s just one little straw, right? The problem is, when 6 billion people think it’s just one little straw, they add up fast. We have stainless steel straws we use in the house and portable ones for on the go. They’re easy swaps and they last so you don’t have to keep buying them throughout the year. There’s no worrying about a plastic straw sitting in your drink in the car, getting hot and leeching out toxins from the plastic either.

SNACK BAGS

I love making snacks for days when we’re out and about. It saves money and keeps us from picking up snacks that are full of ingredients my family doesn’t need. Glass containers are heavy and can break but in the last few years companies have been making these amazing silicone bags. They come in all shapes and sizes and there’s no worry about them leeching toxins if they get hot in your bag at the park. They’re inexpensive and we love them!

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLES

Another great item to keep in your life! You’re not throwing away plastic water bottles and you don’t have to worry about them getting hot in the car. You can pack up drinks for on the go and you don’t have to worry about stopping somewhere. Save money, save time and save yourself all the garbage you’re going to be putting in your body if you grab a cheap fruit juice or soda! Win win!

DIVA CUP

This one is just for us ladies. First off, disposable feminine products are full of horrible toxins: aluminum, alcohols, fragrance additives and hydrocarbons to name a few. These toxins are absorbing through our most intimate of areas! They can cause serious complications in your body. With a cup you don’t have to worry about leaks, frequent bathroom trips or any of the multitude of issues that come with disposable feminine products.

BEESWAX WRAPS

These are great and you can even DIY them! They’re easy to clean and they mold to the container you’re using them with by the heat of your hands. You can’t use these in the oven like you would aluminum foil but you don’t want to use aluminum foil anyway.

DRYER BALLS

These can easily replace those nasty dryer sheets that are polluting the air inside your home. If you’re having issues with static electricity you can just attach a safety pin to them. They last through a ton of washes and will easily pay for themselves quickly. If you want your clothes to have scent, you can add a few drops of your favorite essential oils on the dryer balls in the last 10 minutes of the cycle.

So tell me, have you made any reusable swaps? I’d love to hear about it!

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