Zero Waste Blog

Are you obsessed with paper towels? Well apparently you're not the only one! The Atlantic wrote an article in 2018 titled "Americans are weirdly obsessed with paper towels" and the numbers back it up. Out of every country in the world, we spend way more money on paper towels. In fact, we spend as much on paper towels as every other country in the world combined! That's a LOT of trash! All of that paper towel use ends up making a lot of waste! According to the Environmental Pr

Did you know that every year in the U.S. we throw out enough plastic wrap to cover the entire state of Texas? Yuck. The silly thing is, plastic wrap is totally avoidable and easy to replace! There are so many ways to avoid keeping plastic wrap in your kitchen without leaving your leftovers open in the fridge. My favorite option? Beeswax wraps. Designed to imitate plastic wrap, beeswax wraps are 100% natural, 100% plastic free, and 100% compostable at the end of their lives. M

Sewing with scraps of different fabrics is usually associated with patchwork quilts. In fact though, the choice can be much broader and depends on the size of the cut of each piece. We’ve collected 9 ideas (from the cat's house to the picnic basket) which are perfect projects to use up those fabric scraps even for beginners. Now you no longer have to throw away the scraps of the fabric you collect! You can use them for creative ideas instead. Author: Dmitrieva Iren. Iren is a

There is something so satisfying about that perfectly sweet, yet savory muffin that leaves you just full enough to be the ideal snack. Thinking back to my childhood, I remember craving those gas station muffins that were the size of my fist, if not bigger, and filled with so much artificial sugar. Now though that I realize just how awful those were for my body, I tend to stick with making muffins at home. Recently, I've been making these red quinoa cranberry muffins just abou

Ever crave a quick meal but hate picking it up in that disposable container? Do you feel like your only choice is eating at home in order to avoid plastic waste? Recently, I sat down with the owner of GO Box to find out how this Porland company is implementing reusable containers in the local fast food industry. Laura Weiss, the founder of GO Box, started the company back in 2011 with the idea of reducing waste in the fast food industry. With food trucks especially popular in

It seems like every pantry these days is filled with beautiful glass jars layered with colorful bulk goods. And rightfully so! Buying in bulk dramatically reduces the need for plastic packaging and can also save you money if done systematically. But how, you might ask, do you actually buy in your own jars? In this blog post I'll walk you through step by step how to tare your jars and purchase items in bulk. By the end of this tutorial, buying goodies in your own jar will be a

In honor of the completion of Plastic Free July, I've compiled a list of the thirty-one practices you should take up today to ditch plastic for good! How many of these do you already do? Tip #1: Don't rely on recycling! Relying on recycling doesn't always work in your favor. There is only a 30% recycling rate in the US and it is an energy intensive process. You can read more about why I don't think recycling is the answer in a separate post! Tip #2: Buy food without packaging

Food Waste In the U.S. alone approximately 30-40% of food produced is wasted and never consumed. That averages out to wasting 20 pounds per person per month. World wide, the statistics are similar with the entire population wasting over $1 trillion worth of food each year and 24% of all calories produced lost before they could be consumed. This disregard for the value in our food is causing millions of people to go hungry each day and causing unnecessary waste in our already

When you choose to start reducing the waste in your life, it tends to make you hyper aware of every bit of trash around you. Or at least that was what happened to me. Suddenly I was noticing trash thrown out at my house, at work, on the street, and by friends and family. It was a really difficult time to manage my desire to educate people on waste and also recognize that not everyone was invested like I was. In order to avoid causing harm to the important relationships in you

It happens to me every year – someone on my Christmas list that I completely forgot about and need to get a gift ready ASAP. Given that Christmas is two days away, I thought it would be a good time to break out my last-minute gift list, with a zero waste twist of course! The following items can be made at home relatively easily in an hour or less for each one. Most of the items you probably already have or can easily find at a health foods store nearby. 1. Cookie Recipe in a

BeeEco Wraps are my new favorite item in the kitchen! Not only are they gorgeous, unique, and smell like delicious beeswax, but they are totally eco-friendly! Get this: BeeEco Wraps are designed to replace plastic wrap! A mixture of beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin is infused into organic cotton cloth to create a malleable cloth. The wraps are then dyed in gorgeous patterns to add a colorful touch to your kitchen! When the wraps are warm, they are pliable and able to mold

Creating a plastic free and waste free kitchen is no easy task. Over time, however, slowly replacing items with sustainable alternatives with become easier and easier. The following is a list of products that I recommend you switch to in order to decrease your trash production, limit your chemical usage, and support good companies. I always believe in buying items second hand whenever possible so please visit your local thrift shops, Buy Nothing groups, and Next Door communit