I’m going to share 5 ways that you can celebrate our beautiful planet every single day in your home. These things are easy changes that anyone can make to their daily routine, and some of them might already be things you and your family are doing! Over time, switching to these sustainable products will save you money - they’ve saved my family’s budget! Remember, the journey to zero waste won’t be perfect but every step counts!
Zero Waste is worth the upfront cost: Cloth Diapers
The most obvious one, considering you’re on a cloth diaper company’s website. Did you know that the average child will go through 2,500 to 3,000 disposable diapers from the time they’re born until they’re potty trained? Another fact… Did you know that disposable diapers can take up to 500 (yes, you read that number correctly) years to fully decompose in the landfill?
Cloth diapers not only reduce that waste down to virtually nothing, but they’re also easier on the wallet long term! Win-Win! I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I personally use Lil Helper Cloth Diapers exclusively. The AI2, one size design is the easiest system we found when doing our research, and the prints and solids totally sold us. They’re adorable! I’ve used my stash to cloth diaper 2 kids, across 43 months, and it has been amazing. I highly suggest giving it a try if you’re looking to reduce the amount of baby-related waste in your home!
While you’re at it, switch to zero waste cloth wipes
If you’re already using cloth diapers, why not just take the plunge and get some cloth wipes too? It’s so easy to just wet a t-shirt wipe and keep them in a wipe warmer. Every two days or so you’ll need to refill it with wipes, while the dirty ones just go into the bin with the dirty diapers. So simple, and soooo much less waste.
Earth Day & Every Day: Turn Off Your Lights
Not to sound like the typical Dad who complains about constantly turning the lights off behind everyone else in the house, but turning off your light switches is an easy and effective change you can make. Turning off the lights when you’re not in a particular room, or not turning them on at all during the day, reduces your electricity consumption and in turn reduces the carbon emissions from the power plant supplying your home. Another perk of turning off the lights is that it will reduce your electricity bill!
BONUS: Unplug any electronics that aren’t currently in use! Electricity continues to flow through the item just by being plugged into the wall, even if it’s turned off. This won’t make as big of a difference as turning off the lights on your monthly bill, but every little bit helps!
Ditch Disposable Food Storage
This has been a process in our home. The truth is, the most eco-friendly option is the product you already own. We’ve always used reusable containers, but switching to more quality, sustainable products takes time.
It doesn’t make any sense to throw out all your plastic Tupperware to buy glass. But as they become worn out or cracked, replacing with glass containers is a great option, and in my experience they are nicer and last longer as well.
The biggest waste in our kitchen though has always been Ziploc baggies. That’s why I was thrilled to try out Bite Bags when Lil Helper released them! Reusable, adorable, durable, and now made from recycled plastics - these snack bags are the best addition ever to our zero waste journey!
For a Zero Waste Kitchen: Embrace Reusable Paper Towels
I’m sure I’m not the only one who uses a little more paper towel than I ever really intend to on a day to day basis. I have really good intentions! But I just find it’s extremely convenient for cleaning up quick things daily. So I quit paper towel, cold turkey! I stocked up on an assortment of Lil Helper wipes during a sale, and bought a small basket to keep them in on my counter, and haven’t looked back. I don’t find that they create that much more laundry, and I tend to reuse one cloth more than one time over the course of a couple of days. This has had a huge impact both on how often I take the trash out, and my monthly grocery bill - those paper products add up!
What is your favorite way to save money and have a greener home? Let us know in the comments!
