Tee Cee's Tip
Dear Tee Cee, It seems like a lot of Zero Waste tips are focused on the kitchen. I’m wondering if you have any tips to go Zero Waste in the rest of the home.
Dear Zoe,
You can be Zero Waste in just about every room and every part of your life. So many Zero Waste tips are focused on the kitchen because that’s where the majority of daily household waste is generated (think packaging, food, cleaners), and it’s a great place to get started with sustainable lifestyle changes. Here are a few tips to reduce common types of waste throughout your household.
Bathroom
Save trees from being cut just to make toilet paper and facial tissues by purchasing brands with 80-100% post-consumer recycled content. Skip the plastic packaging by utilizing local refill shops for products like shampoos, conditioners, and bathroom cleaners. Try plastic-free soaps, shampoos, and conditioners that come in bar form instead of liquid. Keep harsh chemicals out of the room with DIY cleaners using ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, borax, and dish soap. Get green cleaning recipes at ecocycle.org and search for green cleaning.
Laundry Room
Choose sustainable alternatives to giant plastic jugs of laundry detergent. While the jugs are recyclable, laundry detergent is mostly water, so all that plastic is unnecessary. Try opting for laundry detergent sheets (check the ingredients), detergent powder, or other nontoxic alternatives. Check ewg.org for a complete guide to toxin-free detergents, cleaners, beauty products, and more.
Air-drying clothes saves energy, and it doesn’t take long to dry them in sunny Colorado. When you skip the dryer, you can skip the dryer sheet, but one Zero Waste alternative is to use wool dryer balls with a few drops of essential oils.
Office
Avoid the printer when you can, but If you do need to print, print double-sided and use 100% post-consumer recycled paper! As a reminder, shredded paper can no longer be composted and it is not recyclable in your curbside bin. However, you can shred (and recycle) documents at the City of Longmont’s monthly free shred events. Check longmontcolorado.gov for upcoming dates and info. You can also take paper to be shredded to Eco-cycle’s Center for Hard-to-recycle Materials (CHARM). A full banker box is just $5. Visit ecocycle.org/ charm for more info.
Where else in your household can you reduce waste and practice a sustainable way of life? In the garage or shed? What about the baby’s room? For more sustainable living tips, check out ecocycle.org/ecoliving and follow Eco-cycle on Facebook and Instagram (@ecocycle_zerowaste) for a weekly “Sustainable Swap Saturday” post.