Pennsylvania Influencers

When you start your journey of transitioning to a zero waste lifestyle, you may feel tempted to buy all of the fun zero waste alternatives. Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Repurpose, and if all else fails, Recycle While it’s better than trash, recycling should not be the goal when going zero waste. If you must buy items, try to avoid single-use items or anything with plastic packaging. Once you have used up the single-use items in your home, you can start purchasing reusable or eco-friendly replacements.

If you are recycling items and not throwing them away, is that zero waste? Instead of single-use or short-term items, those of us living zero waste lifestyles opt for items that can be continuously reused. While composting is the best alternative to food waste, and something many zero waste individuals use, there are some other ways you can reduce your food waste. To get started on your zero waste journey, check out month one in our guide to going zero waste.

While there are so many different things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint, reduce your waste, and be a better consumer, it’s always best to start small. If you’re ready to go fully zero waste, check out month one of our monthly guide to going zero waste. A super-easy way to reduce energy usage in your home is to switch your old incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. Look for companies who avoid fast fashion, sell second-hand, use sustainable materials, use recycled materials, pay ethical wages, avoid palm oil, etc.

In this blog series, I’m going to take you month by month to slowly reduce the waste you produce. focusing on the things you need to do in your first month of going zero waste. when going zero waste is that they go and buy all of the fun zero waste products to try. So, to summarize, here are the things you need to do in the first month of going zero waste.

You’re on your second month in your journey to going zero waste. Either way, this month is going to be a great step in the right direction for your zero waste journey. You’re left with a highly nutritious broth and you’ve taken full advantage of your food scraps. Either reuse the plastic produce bags from your last trip, purchase reusable produce bags, create your own DIY produce bags, or simply put the food in your cart without one.

Cleaning vinegar is a great alternative to standard chemical cleaning products because it is natural, non-toxic, and antibacterial. Below are the three toxic compounds and chemicals found in cleaning products that may convince you to make the switch to cleaning vinegar. It’s hard to know if your cleaning products contain phthalates, as fragrance ingredients are not legally required to be listed. While cleaning vinegar is a great, non-toxic solution to avoid these harmful chemicals, there are some surfaces to avoid.

For the most long-lasting, vibrant colors, make sure to use an animal-based fabric as opposed to something plant-based. To do this, soak your fabric in warm water with a little bit of pH-neutral soap to get rid of anything that may deter the dyes from fully soaking into every fiber of the fabric. For the best results, after washing your fabric, soak it overnight in alum (non-toxic salt) to help the colors set and soak into the fabric, resulting in a more vibrant, long-lasting color. Make sure to continuously check the color of the water while it’s heating to make sure it reaches your desired color.

Below are some zero waste grocery shopping tips that will help you take home less plastic from the grocery store. Bringing your own reusable bags and containers to the grocery store can greatly reduce the amount of plastic you bring home. Bring your own mesh bags for produce, and see if they will let you bring your own containers for other loose items. I hope these zero waste grocery shopping tips will help you reduce the amount of plastic you bring home from the grocery store!

While some of that is out of our control due to where food waste happens in the supply chain, we can still make small changes to reduce our personal food waste. People who reuse leftovers and don’t let their food go to waste save roughly $324 per year. I’m not a huge fan of having to defrost my bread, so I like to eat as much as possible normally before it starts to reach the end of its life. By committing to making these 8 changes this year, you can drastically reduce the amount of food waste you produce.

I love to snack throughout the day, but snacks typically packaged in a ton of plastic. Just to note – most of the items on this list can be purchased in bulk, making them zero waste snacks. Another great zero waste snack that can be found in bulk is trail mix. Fresh fruit and vegetables are naturally zero waste, and grabbing them as a snack is as easy as it gets.