We’ve been composting as part of our efforts to get our garden up and running and it has got me thinking about other ways to reduce waste. While I feel like a zero-waste lifestyle is quite a commitment, today I’m sharing a few beginner tips to reduce household waste. I’ve always been an avid recycler, so I’m excited to see if I can implement some of these habits in our household to do my small part to make an impact on waste.

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Beginner Tips to Reduce Household Waste

Recycle – Seems like an easy one but it’s important to make sure you’re recycling properly. In my area, recycling has to be clean and loose in the bin (not bagged) with boxes flattened. Plastic grocery store bags and wet paper are not allowed. Plastic bags, cords and other tanglers shut down our recycling equipment every day, reducing the amount of recycling that can be processed.

Compost – Did you know some places are legally required to compost? If you have a garden then composting your food waste is a no brainer. But even if you don’t have a garden you can still compost. You can use compost for potted plants, spread it in landscaping or even donate it to a local garden or farm. I just bought this countertop compost bin. It will live in the kitchen and when it’s full I’ll empty it into our large tumbling composter in the garden.

Homemade Cleaners –  Make homemade, nontoxic cleaning spray with used citrus rinds. Simply soak the citrus in vinegar for 2-3 weeks, strain the concentrate and mix 1/2 concentrate with 1/2 purified water and funnel into a reusable glass spray bottle. You can use any citrus and add herbs or herbal essential oil. Another great green cleaning solution is castile soap, which I talked about my love for recently.

Products to Help you Reduce Household Waste

• “Unpaper” Towels – Reusable linen “unpaper” towels can be used in place of paper towels. There are so many options out there but these are my favorites. It’s a huge bonus that they’re cuter than a regular ole role of paper towels! Dot & Army is a super cute online shop that has a great selection of less-waste products including “unpaper” towels and cloth everyday napkins. I’m hosting a giveaway on Instagram for a set of 4 of Dot & Army linen dinner napkins so stay tuned for details on that.

• Reusable Zip Lock Bags – These reusable (re)zip bags are a great way to cut back on plastic consumption and save money in the long run. They come in a variety of sizes and colors and are dishwasher safe.

Cloth Bowl Covers – I recently purchased these fabric food covers and love them! They replace saran wrap and are way less annoying to use and cuter to look at, too. Beeswax food wraps are another great option but I haven’t tried them yet.

• Produce Bags – I have these reusable mesh produce bags and take them to the grocery store with me to use in place of plastic produce bags. Sometimes I forget to take them but I’m really trying to get in the habit!

Other Waste Free Products:

What do you guys think? Are these tips to reduce household waste doable in your digs?

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