Things That Should Be in Your Zero Waste Starter Kit
Most of the world will probably agree that 2022 will be a year for new beginnings.
One great way to approach that is by finally getting started with that zero waste lifestyle you have been thinking a lot about. Yes, it’s a commitment, and often when people see or hear that word they think ‘hard’, but it doesn’t have to be! It couldn’t be harder than the discipline it takes to wear a mask or protecting yourself & others from the spread of covid, right? We promise you it’s not, and there are many ways to make it easy. The most important thing is having the right supportive tools handy at all times. Keep reading for 5 examples of things that should be in your zero waste starter kit and will help you make this life change simple!
Zero Waste Starter Kit Essentials
Straws. It seems like a weird thing to prioritize at first, but straws actually make up a large percentage of the plastic waste populating our beaches and oceans. With all of the iced coffee, juice, smoothies, and even iced water that people drink on the regular, cafes & restaurants could have their own recycling bins specifically dedicated to straws. That’s why there are so many reusable and biodegradable straws on the market now. Choose from straws made out of grass, corn, rice, coconut, or sugarcane so they will break down in the trash. Or, get something you can use over and over made out of something like stainless steel or food-grade silicone.
Food & Beverage Storage. When packing lunches or storing away leftovers, so many people tend to use plastic bags. Trade those out for glass & steel containers and/or reusable storage bags made out of silicone. Companies have really gotten creative with what they make reusable bags out of to eliminate waste. For example, Khala reusable vegan food wraps are made with cotton-hemp fabric that is infused with consciously-sourced soy wax, jojoba & coconut oil, and tree resin.
Soap Replacements. Another way we build up plastic waste in our homes is with all of the plastic soap bottles we use & throw away daily. Eliminate the plastic by using:
Reusable Bags & Towels. It’s so simple to replace disposable shopping bags with reusable cloth ones. Plastic bags also make up the majority of the pile of plastic waste that just keeps growing larger in the ocean, so this easy switch is WORTH IT.
Same goes for paper towels, how many of those do you think you use in a day? Start keeping track, it’s a lot. Switch to reusable dishcloths and your trash can won’t fill up nearly as fast!
Reusable Coffee & Tea Filters. If you’re a coffee and/or tea drinker, this is another area where a lot of unnecessary paper is used. There are quite a lot of reusable options on the market, such as washable cloth coffee filters & stainless steel tea infusers.
Zero Waste Clothing
Once you have replaced the bulk of your daily waste that we discussed above, the next wave to level up in a zero-waste lifestyle is your clothing. Many people don’t realize it, but the production of clothing items creates a lot of harmful waste for the planet. At swaggr, we use recycled plastic bottles to produce our socks so they don’t just end up taking forever to break down on a beach or in an ocean somewhere. Learn more about our socks here!
