How to make sure you have a low waste house

In 2018, the U.S. generated close to 300 million tons of municipal waste. To most of us, this number is incomprehensible—but it’s real.

Doing our part to reduce waste can be a daunting task at first. Many of us are caught up in our routines and habits, some of which are notorious for generating waste.

Here are some of our tips for making sure you have a low waste house. Implement these, and you’ll quickly notice changes—both in your mindset and in your home.

Know Where Your Waste Is Coming From

Before you can even begin to lessen your household waste, you have to identify which areas of your house are the biggest culprits.

For most people, it’s the kitchen. The U.S. population generates a staggering 40 million tons of food waste a year. This is about 30-40% of the country’s entire food supply. You can only imagine how surprising that is in a world that is still dominated by food insecurity.

Knowing where your waste is coming from is the perfect place to begin your low waste journey. It will allow you to identify which parts of your household need the most work, and once you’ve done so, you can successfully remove any unnecessary waste-generating activities. Additionally, make sure to educate yourself on waste reduction and management as much as possible by looking at digital information hubs focusing around low waste.

Go Back To The Essentials (Reduce Consumption)

Our waste issue is not separate from our culture of hyperconsumption. The two things are undeniably integrated and connected.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting more. That cute decor set you saw online, the latest household tools, a techy upgrade. The market never fails to develop new things to entice people to buy more items they don’t need.

To maintain a low waste house, it is vital to go back to the essentials. Ask and reflect on what is most important in your household and reduce anything that isn’t in that narrative.

Of course, it’s alright to buy new items for your home! The point is to look at the root of excessive house waste and cut out those that do not add value to your life.

Look For Zero/Low Waste Alternatives to Household Items

You’d be surprised at how easily you can swap household items for more sustainable and low waste choices.

If you have not done so yet, switch your plastic bottles of water for refillable tumblers. It’s super easy to do and will save you money while reducing your waste simultaneously.

You can also start getting rid of disposables in your kitchen and bathroom. Get rid of wasteful paper towels and replace them with washable rags. You can even repurpose some of your old clothes or scrap fabric and make them into kitchen rags.

Instead of bringing a single-use sandwich bag to work, invest in a high-quality snack or lunchbox you can bring to work. You can even forgo toilet paper and get a bidet. It’s more sanitary and produces less waste, totally a win-win.

There are plenty of other ways you can reduce the waste generated by your household items. Just keep an open mind and be creative! Remember to avoid disposables wherever you can and look for zero or low waste alternatives.

Mindful Low Waste Shopping

The key to a low waste house is to watch what you bring in in the first place. We’ve already covered trying to lessen unnecessary purchases. But what about necessities like food?

The good news is that shopping doesn’t have to be a wasteful activity. Whenever you’re shopping for produce, try to hit your local farmer’s market. You’re likely to get better products and also support your local businesses at the same time.

You can easily bring your own grocery bag (i.e., tote bag) and shop free of any plastic or waste.

If there are zero-waste shops near you, make sure to take advantage of them! These stores allow you to buy items completely free of packaging. Bring your own jars for dry goods like flour, pasta, rice, or oats.

Zero-waste stores are also excellent locations for purchasing zero-waste cleaning items. You can even buy personal care items like soap, shampoo, and conditioner.

If you do not have access to a zero-waste store, buy your groceries in bulk. Doing so will help reduce the overall waste you generate through your purchases. Of course, make sure you only bulk buy items you know for sure you will consume on time.

Avoid Frivolous Packaging

Packaging is an incredible waste of resources. Many items from the grocery, produce included, are now packaged individually in plastic, which is unnecessary in most scenarios. Even fruits in the grocery store have stickers on them!

As much as possible, do not buy products that are packaged in plastic. We recommend going for more sustainable options like paper packaging.

Compost

Composting is the process of converting organic matter into fertilizer. It’s a great way to get rid of food scraps like banana peels, apple cores, seeds, etc. Some forms of packaging can even go in your compost bin!

If your house is in a location where you do not have much outdoor space, no need to worry. There are compost bins that are suitable for apartments; no backyard is required.

It’s also helpful to remember that composting isn’t limited to food. You can also compost natural textiles (although this might require more experience with composting), cardboard, non-glossy paper, among others.

Recycle

As much as we’d like to remove all waste, it just isn’t possible sometimes. That is what’s recycling is for.

However, we must highlight that recycling must never be seen as a first option. The idea that we can recycle our trash away is counterintuitive to changing our mindset about waste. But when the occasion calls for it, always recycle!

You can recycle most plastics and metals; just make sure to follow your locality’s recycling regulations and always clean the items before recycling.

Zero/Low Waste Is A Learning Journey

One of the biggest mistakes new low wasters make is they make an overwhelming amount of changes without giving themselves time to adjust. In truth, going low waste is a slow and continuous process of learning from your mistakes and growing from them.

In transforming your house into a low waste haven, cut yourself some slack. Take the process room by room or section by section, continue to learn more about reducing waste, and always move forward with a healthy mindset towards waste.