7 Household Items to Eliminate to Live a More Zero Waste Life

After reading the book Zero Waste Home by green living guru, Bea Johnson, I wanted more. I'm fortunate to live in an eco-conscious state, but we have a long ways to go. Although I will most likely never replace my garbage with a compost, and only generate one mason jar worth of garbage for the entire year (yes, this is the residual amount Bea's family of 4, which includes 2 teenage boys + a dog produces...what?!), every little bit counts. Since beginning this journey toward a lighter footprint we have downsized our garbage (we produce roughly one 13 gallon sized bag per week), buy in bulk as much as possible, reduced our plastic usage by switching to beeswax wrap + recyclable ziplock bags, increased our composting, bring our own reusable coffee tumblers + water bottles whenever possible, switched to cloth produce bags + have become more aware of our consumption.

love my glass amber spray bottle + doterra onguard cleaner. i use this for my kitchen, bathroom, floors, counters, windows. bye bye single use products for every little space in your house. easy on the pocketbook + environmentally friendly. just add water + shake. don't you just love a good all purpose product? plus it's pretty!

If you're looking for simple ways to incorporate some green living into your life, ditch these commonly used household products + swap them for earth friendly options:

1. paper towels - I use a combo of old t-shirts + cloths instead

2. plastic zip lock bags - reusable food grade silicon bags, I currently use recyclable ones I found at central market, but want to invest in the stasher bags

3. plastic wrap - beeswax, they now sell this at trader joe's (woot woot!) but I purchased mine from amazon and I love how you can use these for up to a year and are compostable ones they're no longer sticky

4. conventional cleaning products - let's get back to basics peeps- think glass spray bottles, vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, castile soap + citrus peels

5. paper napkins - cloth napkins, I honestly don't know why we have to use so much paper + single use products. I love the ones I purchased made from recycled denim from amazon

6. plastic straws - stainless steel straws, dishwasher safe, easy to clean + modern cool vibes from amazon

7. plastic bulk bags - when shopping in bulk I like to use these muslin cloths from amazon

I'm continuously looking for ways to live a more green life that's realistic for my growing, young family. What green tips do you practice?