For years I have done my best to eliminate waste, but I’ve become complacent recently. I find myself in the produce section of a grocery store pulling plastic bag after plastic bag off those rolls they have everywhere, and the whole time I’m just thinking to myself ‘why are you doing this, you know better?!’ I do know better and I can do better. Here are some ways we can all ditch the disposables.

-Reusable mesh bags for produce. I have cotton ones, but you can buy nylon bags as well. They’re durable and washable.

-Reusable cotton bar towels (or un-paper towels if you want something a little fancier, you can find them on stay) instead of paper towels. You can buy packs of them almost anywhere. I find them to be quite absorbent and I prefer them over paper towels.

-Washable fabric ‘swiffer’ type cloths instead of throw away ones. I have a reusable washable ‘swiffer’ that I’ve been using on my laminate floors for years. I love it.

-Microfiber cloths. Great for dusting. I bought mine at a dollar store and have been pleasantly surprised at how much dust they pick up.

-Fabric shopping bags. We should all be doing this by now, but sadly we are not. I have a huge collection and keep some in the car and some by the front door of my house. My favourite are the cotton canvas bags. I have one I’ve been using for 9 years and it is still in perfect condition. Sometimes if I forget a bag I will just carry my purchases or shove stuff in my purse.

-Stainless steel or glass lunch containers, water bottles, and even straws. My son loves his glass straw, it was even locally made. Can’t invest in these products? Get some decent bpa free reusable plastic then.

-Menstrual cups or reusable cloth pads and pantyliners.

-Switch to a coffee press, you can then compost your grounds and greatly reduce waste. (No paper filters or little plastic cups)

Now, those are just a few simple ideas. There are so many other ways to lessen our impact on the environment. Buying the best quality you can afford in the hopes that items are durable and will last many years instead of going cheap and needing to constantly replace things like coffee makers and clothing.

Buying local, especially when it comes to food, is a great way to promote sustainability in our communities. It’s becoming more and more common to see outdoor markets full of farmers and crafters and producers, making it easier to access locally grown and produced foods.

Now, I live in a small community so we need a car since we have to travel out of the community quite often and there isn’t adequate bus service, but when we can we walk. In larger cities I have found it much easier to just use transit to get around. Less stress and less pollution.

I know there are so many other ways to ditch the disposables, and there are certain things some of us just aren’t willing to sacrifice unless absolutely necessary, but we can all do something small each day to at least try to make an effort.

What ways have you cut back on waste?