Zero-waste products have grown in popularity over recent years with the boom in eco-friendly awareness. Using these eco-friendly items can help save the planet, but many items don’t save you the same time or money as their earth-harming counterparts.
For those who can change their lifestyle and go totally zero waste, I commend you and I’m honestly impressed! The average person can’t (or won’t) go totally zero-waste. That’s just a fact! Some items, however, like the ones I’ll be discussing here are a great start for anyone who wants to dip their toes into eco-conscious living and do a little something for the planet.
Top 10 Zero Waste Items That You’ll Actually Use
1. Tote Bags
Tote bags are a no-brainer, especially with many stores ditching plastic bags. You can get tote bags in all different sizes, colours, and designs since they’ve grown in populatiry. Besides their usefulness when out shopping, tote bags can also come in handy to replace a purse or a backpack.
My favourite tote bags are made of natural fibers because they wash and dry really easily!
You can find tote bags all over the place. I like these ones from Amazon (they have really cute patterns and designs)
2. Produce Bags
When you’re out grocery shopping and getting produce, a reusable net bag is a fantastic alternative to the little plastic bags they often have a stores.
Large net bags are excellent not just when you’re out shopping, but they are also a great way to store your produce at home!
Net bags are breathable unlike their plastic counterparts. This is often better for your produce and helps it to last longer. That cuts down not just on the plastic waste from those bags, but also help you cut down on food waste!
If you’re interested in macrame at all (did anyone else teach themselves during quarantine?) these net bags make for a fun project!
You can also get them here on Amazon!
3. Reusable Cutlery
If you pick up food on the go, you’re probably familiar with the plastic cutlery that usually comes with it. Personally, I can’t stand that flimsy plastic cutlery and much prefer a reusable alternative.
Most people have some kind of metal cutlery already at home, so it makes it easy to throw a couple of pieces in your lunch bag or purse.
Online you can find tons of options for cutlery sets, which are really great. Most come with a little washable baggie to keep the items clean and contained. Many sets also include reusable straws and even a little straw cleaning brush. A full set (like this one on Amazon) is perfect to keep in your lunch bag.
If you’re really on the go, though, and you want a smaller option that can live in your purse, this dual fork spoon is my absolute favourite! It’s small enough to fit in my tiny purse and it still comes with a reusable baggie to keep it clean
4. Collapsible Metal Straw
Saving the turtles and getting rid of plastic straws has become a huge movement over the last couple of years. Many companies have switched over to paper straws, but I know myself personally I can’t stand having a paper straw fall apart before I’m done my drink. Metal straws are a great alternative! Like I said before, though, I am team tiny purse!
A smaller option I really like is a collapsible metal straw. A lot of these options come with a metal carrying case, collapsible straw, collapsible cleaning brush, and even a ring to attach the whole thing to your keychain.
This is the best one I’ve found on amazon, and it even has a little rubber ring where the case screws together to it doesn’t come apart accidentally. I lost a straw that way, don’t make the same mistake!
5. Glass Containers
If you want to get more into zero or low waste living, one of the biggest things you can do is cook your own meals at home. Besides cutting down on waste from takeaway containers, cooking for yourself at home also saves you a lot of money!
For many people, though, cooking each and every meal from scratch every day is just not practical. Life is super busy, and sometimes all you have time or energy for is the throw something in a microwave and call it a day.
For me, that’s where meal prepping comes in and I couldn’t do that without my collection of glass containers. They are freezer and microwave safe, and they are perfect for my one day of meal prepping a week where I make an obcene amount of food that I need to stare or freeze. You can find great options anywhere that sells home goods, here’s a nice set I found on Amazon.
6. Mason Jars
I. Love. Mason Jars.
They have so many uses, you can get them in so many different sizes, and you can get all kinds of different tops to go with them. I use my mason jars for:
- Bringing food on the go
- Drinking glasses at home
- Storage containers for dry items
- Soaps and more when you add a pump top
- Drinks on the go when you add a straw top
Mason jars are cheap and easy to find almost anywhere, especially somewhere that sells other canning supplies. I found a set of jars on amazon right here.
7. Wax Wraps
For the longest time I was a huge fan of reusable plastic bags, but then I found the even more versatile wax wraps. There are tons of ways to wrap and fold them to fit your needs including into bags.
The factor that convinced me the most was definitely how easy they are to clean!
Most are made with beeswax, but there are some vegan options made with soy wax. I found some great options on amazon. Here is a beeswax option, and here is a vegan option.
8. Travel Cup
Just like making your own meals at home, bringing your own coffee/tea/water from home is a much more eco friendly option than disposable bottles or cups. Many places will also let you use your own reusable cup options.
I prefer insulated travel cups that work for hot or cold drinks. I had way too many mugs and cups at one point, but when I started traveling I wanted to replace the many things that didn’t exactly suit my needs with one thing that was more versatile. I found this one on Amazon that works for hot or cold drinks, and the lid works with a straw or you can sip from it.
9. Cotton Knit Dishcloths
I feel like I need to explain this one, but I swear cotton knit dishcloths are THE BEST!
When I first tried a lot of these low waste options, it was done mostly because I was broke and living on my own for the first time. I didn’t want to waste money on disposable items that I’d literally be throwing away. Paper towels and napkins were some of the things I could not mentally justify spending money on.
Also at this time in my life, my favourite stress reliever was sitting down with some trashy reality TV and knitting instead of scrolling on my phone. My favourite projects were dishcloths because they’re easy, small, and didn’t take very long. That gave me much more satisfaction, because I could actually finish a project quickly versus something like a scarf which would take…forever.
Therefore, I had lots of cotton dish cloths I’d knit, and no napkins or paper towels. This led to me using my dish cloths for everything! I always kept one in my lunch bag, kept another with the reusable cutlery in my purse. If I had a hot bowl right out of the microwave, one of my dish cloths was great to put underneath and protect my hands. To use them as actual dishcloths, I preferred them to store bought ones because they scrubbed much better.
If you want to buy some, I found some on amazon here. Or if you want to knit your own, here’s the yarn I like. It’s 100% cotton and has tons of colourful gradients!
10. Menstrual Cup / Period Panties
I’ve been using menstrual cups since I was about 16, and I’ve never looked back, I love them! A few years ago, I added period panties into my routine once they were more accessible and easier to find. Now I have a totally zero waste period routine and I way prefer it to the tampons and pads I used to use!
If you have been thinking about switching over to zero waste period products, I strongly recommend it!
Not only is it better for my gynecological health, but these products usually last much longer throughout the day, which is way more convenient! Additionally, now that I’m traveling, having my own products that I’m familiar with available to me and not take up too much space in my luggage is so nice! The last thing you want when you’re on your period in a strange place, is having to worry about finding products to use or feeling uncomfy.
These are my favouite menstrual cups from Amazon, and these are some great period panties I’ve tried.
What do you think?
I hope you enjoyed these zero waste suggestions! These items are all things that I use almost every day and much prefer to their wasteful alternatives.
If you have any other zero waste suggestions, let me know! I’m always looking for more ways to do my bit for the planet!