How to Reduce Waste at Home: 4 Ideas to Get You Started

1. Bring around your reusables

Be prepared! Whether that is the zero waste kit or a kit that you make yourself, it is so important to be prepared at all times. This is a lesson that I have learned repeatedly, and I still continue to learn.

We are human, which means we are not perfect. And there have certainly been times when I forgot my reusables and I was out, so I had to create a little bit of waste.

So, needless to say, being prepared is the recipe for success when it comes to avoiding single-use plastics and unnecessary waste.

2. The two-step method

I have this two-step method for going low waste that I always recommend to my subscribers as the easiest way to start living zero waste for beginners.

The first step is to evaluate, and the second is to make the move. Let’s talk about each of them in detail

Evaluate where you are

The first step is to look in the mirror and assess where it is right now that you are creating the most waste.

I think that the easiest place to start is selecting three areas of your life where you are creating the most waste. Try looking in your car, your fridge, your pantry, and your room, and select three main areas.

Make the move

Once you have found the problematic areas, start taking baby steps toward reducing the amount of waste you produce in those areas of your life.

For me, personally, the biggest issue was food. A lot of the food I bought in the past came in plastic packaging that could not be recycled and had to go to the landfill. So this was the first area I started working on.

If that one is problematic for you, too, let’s talk about how to reduce food waste. What are the alternatives to the way you are currently grocery shopping?

While grocery shopping, bring multi-use shopping bags instead of getting plastic or paper ones at the store. Shop in bulk if you can, and buy items that are in containers that you can reuse or recycle, like glass jars.

3. Composting

Composting is one of the best ways to reduce waste in your household.

If you do not have access to a compost bin and cannot make a compost pile at your home, consider freezing your food scraps and then bringing them to the local farmers market, somewhere you can donate them and have them composted responsibly.

If you do live in a city or town that has curbside composting offered, that is also a really great way to discard your food scraps.

4. Shop sustainably

Shop secondhand, go to a clothing swap or host your own, or borrow. Did you know that the water required to produce a single pair of jeans is equivalent to what someone could drink over the course of seven years?

I do wear jeans, those are one of my favorite wardrobe staples, and I am wearing a pair right now. But there are ways to dress more responsibly without sacrificing your favorite clothing items.

Buying clothes that are not new is one of the greatest ways that you can help the environment. Choose to support slow fashion instead of fast fashion.

If you are to buy items of clothing new, find companies that are doing it right, that are paying their workers' welfare trade, that are growing cotton organically, and that are using hemp. Do research before you spend your hard-earned dollar on a specific product.

How to reduce waste at home

I hope that these tips help you and inspire you as you continue to embark on your low-waste journey.

Which area of your life do you think makes you create the most waste? How would you change your habits to produce less waste in that area? I would love to see your comments down below.