Samantha Carvalho

The planet is dying. 

The best thing that we can do to save the planet (and ourselves) is to drastically reduce our waste.

Recycling is a start! But the thing about recycling is that if those giant piles of recyclables are not bought by someone, then they STILL end up in the landfill.

In my opinion, transitioning to a low/zero-waste lifestyle is the most beneficial.

So, where do you start?

Start by going through what you own.  Go through your fridge, your bathroom, your closet. Write down what you have and see how many extras of something you have. Use them up, and when you need to replenish, go to a local farmers market, or find a replacement that doesn’t include plastic packaging.

For everyday household items, i would check out Package Free Shop. They ship zero-waste, and they have amazing alternatives for things that you use on the regular.

Another shop i love is Bambaw. They’re also zero-waste and their products are also reusable and biodegradable! The only thing is, they don’t ship to the USA juuuust yet. If you’re in the USA (like me) and want their products, head over to their Amazon page!

Wowe Lifestyle is also a shop that’s zero-waste! 1% of their sales go to planting trees around the world too! Their website also has a bunch of tips on going green!

My most favorite shop for skincare products is Meow Meow Tweet. They are one of the pioneers of zero-waste and they’re an amazing company! I love using this face toner and face oil.

Simple swaps you can make:

Instead of sipping through a plastic straw at home or at a restaurant, sip through a cool metal one. (or, save money and forgo the straw altogether!)

Instead of using a plastic shaving blade, use a safety razor.

Instead of using a plastic toothbrush (that takes 450 YEARS to decompose), use a bamboo one! I use this one!

Instead of using plastic shampoo and conditioner bottles, use shampoo and conditioner bars!

REUSE BAGS! From now on, take bags with you to the grocery store! Don’t accept any more plastic bags. But, if you do end up taking more plastic bags, either use them for your next shopping expedition or take them back to their original store for recycling!

I think those tips are a great place to start. I’m just starting out on my zero-waste journey too!

Let me know what you think, and if you have any more tips, leave them in the comments below!!

With love,

Sam