4 Simple Ways To Reduce Your Plastic Waste

It might be hard to picture how small acts can impact our planet, but when you make them habits, and many people join in, even small things can help the environment heal. 

So we made a list of how you can help the planet (or at least empower organizations to help the planet on a bigger scale) through the mundane tasks you do on a daily basis!

Here are the top 4 basic ways to help the planet:

Do your laundry with washing bags 

@guppyfriend

If you are like a regular person, you probably dread doing the laundry. But there’s an awesome way to save the earth by stopping micro waste thru this dreaded task! Micro Waste made Guppyfriend washing bags to decrease the amount of tiny plastic fibers that release from your synthetic clothes during washing which make their way into the environment. This eco-friendly washing bag enables you to take care of your best attire all the while stopping microplastic pollution.

What is microplastic pollution, you ask? This is what’s threatening marine life by harming their fertility and growth. Having Guppyfriend washing bags gives you clean clothes and keeps marine life from eating microplastic. This awesome creation is 74 x 50 cm in size, made entirely of polyamide, and comes in a recyclable packaging box.

Not only will you save your clothes and marine life, but this eco-friendly bag will also help you save money in the long run because it can last for years and if needed to be disposed of, but you can also use it for local recycling by separating the cover with the zipper from the fabric.
If you are looking for another major help in reducing microfiber pollution, Wexco’s Filtrol 160, a permanent washing machine filter would be a little delicate to install, but will definitely do its job.

Use reusable bottles for more than just your water bottle 

@blueland

Plastic surely is a major problem for marine life. Waves may break them but the 14 billion pounds of trash and plastic that we dump in the ocean gets eaten by sea creatures. Scientists predict that by 2050, oceans will contain more plastic than fish! 

But the good news is that these predictions are not set in stone. We can still make minor changes that will leave a positive effect on the earth by 2050. One of them is owning a Forever Bottle. 

Plastic bottles are one of the major additions to plastics that are used once and then thrown away. With a Forever bottle, you buy the bottle once and can use it forever. It is designed for a great consumer experience and for countless purposes. 

You can get forever bottles for your liquid soap dispenser, for your dishwashing soap, your laundry detergent, and even for your glass cleaning soap. For example, the Hand Soap Starter Set ($16) includes 3 Foaming Hand Soap Tablets (Iris Agave, Perrine Lemon, and Lavender Eucalyptus Scents) that make 9 ounces of liquid soap in a Forever Bottle. You just have to fill with water, drop in the tablet and start washing, no need for shaking or stirring! 

Forever bottle is created by Blueland, whose mission is to save the planet one home at a time. The company began with Sarah, a homemaker who was horrified when she realized the number of plastics in her day-to-day life. Sarah believes that we “shouldn’t have to sacrifice a clean home for a clean planet…….” She founded Blueland to make eco-friendly products that are convenient, effective, and affordable.

Shampoo for more shades

@ethiqueworld

If you are ready to go plastic-free, then Bar Minimum by Ethique will be a great choice for your hair. Who needs the annoying crackling of a plastic bottle when you can get the same nourishment for your lovely locks without harming the planet? But there’s more to it than going plastic-free! Every purchase of Bar Minimum for only $15 helps your delicate scalp have weightless nourishment from Fairtrade babassu oil and cocoa butter. Another noteworthy ingredient that reduces irritation and balance hydration in your scalp and hair is betaine (from sugar beets).  

The bar Minimum is 100% soap-free, pH balanced, and safe for color-treated hair. One bar is equivalent to 3 bottles of liquid shampoo! Imagine the amount of money you get to save with this product, plus you are not adding to plastic waste. If you are a little worried about giving up liquid shampoo, you’re in for a treat once you learn how easy it is to use Bar Minimum: simply wet your hair and the bar, and slide the bar from root to tip 3-4 times. Once it starts foaming, you can put the bar down and massage your scalp gently.

There are even more perks to using this product: Ethique commits to donating 20% of their annual profits to charities helping the planet! Yes, you get to have gorgeous locks, save money, minimize your plastic waste, and also help others in committing to saving the planet! Could it get any better? Well, yes! One of the environmental charities that Ethique partners with are Offset Earth: they are planting one tree or mangrove for every order you make! Your shampoo is providing shade, livelihood, and food for others! 

You will be thrilled to know that Ethique has a lot more products than Bar Minimum. You can have beautiful and clean hair, and also keep your home dirt-free with eco-friendly Household Concentrates from Ethique! 

To use the House concentrates, all you have to do is break the bar into a couple of pieces and add boiling water. After a few minutes, transfer it into your reusable bottle and that’s it! And just to give you a hint, these household concentrates will save you 6 or more bottles a year that would have normally ended up in landfills!

Going plastic-free is achievable in so many ways. There is no pressure to go zero-waste in one night, but you can always start somewhere. Giving up mini-pleasures and choosing something less familiar or convenient goes a long way and even provides better results in terms of caring for yourself, your home, and the planet.