People Overwhelmed by Plastic Waste Cycle

“Also another suggestion is carbon steel. It’s much lighter than cast iron and also lasts forever. I think the seasoning process is done per use - you heat it up each time and add a little oil. Personally I don’t trust any of the non stick pots and pans and none of them last. So between the health issues and the poor quality I’m sticking to cast iron.”

Those things are so great tbh.

“So far I’ve saved a lot on feminine products since I purchased cloth pads. Way less wasteful too! submitted by /u/duckingwonderfull [link] [comments]”

“My daughter is set to inherit all of the Legos I had when I was a kid/young adult......but its all in one giant ass Tupperware. Considering she primarily likes to be out in the living room with us and not in her room, ever, its a whole thing......anyways I want to find a way to keep them somewhat organized and easy to sort through considering there are a lot. submitted by /u/trollsong [link] [comments]”

“I'm putting this here in light of of the recent post by the poor OP who thought they had a great idea in using plastic mesh dish scrubbers and then had to get schooled thirty-thousand times in the comments about micro plastics. In the comments, I saw a bunch of people saying they use plastic dish scrubbers, and to all of you who do so, might I introduce you to... The Euro Scrubby! 100% cotton and treated with tree-resin, I use one of these for months at a time. Scroll right to see the giant”

“my duct-taped together phone case just broke in a new way and i'm worried it's on its last legs,, so i'm wondering if anyone has advice/recommendations regarding eco-friendly phone cases?? my phone is a google something-or-other and i got it new in 2023, so i'm really hoping it'll last me at least a few more years & i'm planning to buy future electronics 2nd-hand, but as for the case itself . . . i used to be really picky abt cases, nowadays i really like "wallet”

“Hi all, Have just moved house with my fiancé. We recycle pretty much everything we can involving soft plastics. However, we previously had two separate households as we lived apart, and now combining our households means we've got a lot more single plastic waste between the two of us to keep on top of. We also now have a total of 5 cats (I have 3, she has 2), so their food pouches stack up pretty quickly. Previously I would just have a separate bin bag under the sink for it, it wasn't a”

“I’ve been washing out and taking my cat food pouches to my local co op to recycle in their soft plastic bins. My wife thinks I’m wasting my time and I’m not convinced it doesn't all end up in a big skip or incinerator if there is a tiny bit of food waste still in the pouches. I’m also wondering if in turn I am now wasting more water rinsing them out. So the question is, is it a waste of time? Should I just bin them? submitted by /u/Character-Ad3913 [link] [comments]”

“I couldn't decide if this belonged in zero waste or anti consumption because there is a lot of overlap between the two. I am throwing myself a 90s themed 30th birthday party. I really want to avoid buying plastic crap from the party store thats going to end up in a landfill after 1 use. I am making a happy birthday banner out of cardboard and old craft paint. Geometric print was big in the 90s so that's what I'm going for. Any other DIY decor ideas that use recycled materials would b”

“I know I shouldn’t use these for food etc, but I’d like to get the lids off to collect rain water for the pool (Where the chem goes anyway). The lid seems impossible to remove. Any ideas on how to open or other reuse ideas please :) https://preview.redd.it/smytc6172hdh1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=77748848401f7987cf2f13cef202f3fb0cc6195b submitted by /u/anonymousdyke [link] [comments]”

“Here is a list of things I already do, I can't think of more stuff I could add to that list. I shop secondhand most of the time: clothes, utensils, or furniture. I use eco friendly laundry wash and no fabric softener, I use vinegar if needed. I use the eco mode on my washing machine, and I hang clothes to dry instead of using a dryer. I use bar body wash and bar dish soap, a bamboo brush, and my dish sponge is made out of coconut. My bath sponge is silicone, so I can cook it to sterilize ins”

“Hi everyone! I’ve gotten into the habit of buying big plastic cartons of milk from the supermarket to make my yogurt, paneer, and cottage cheese as opposed to buying all those things separately. It uses less plastic, especially unrecyclable soft plastics, but there is still plastic involved. I’ve been debating switching to a milkman who delivers in glass bottles. I live in London which is very densely populated so I think the marginal emissions of door to door delivery are pretty negligible in t”

“Hey all! I'm currently a sustainability intern (in Eastern PA), and I'm trying to put together a Zero-Waste Restaurant Toolkit for local food vendors! Along with 1. A guide on why sustainability is good, 2. Additional resources on blooming incentives (reuseable takeout container program, community composting programs, promoting TooGoodToGo, promoting customers bringing reusables), I'm creating a spreadsheet with a list of alternative items to single-use items (ex. straws, bags, clams”

“I've been trying to cut down on how much stuff I throw away but I'm realizing it's harder to change habits than I expected I don't mind making small changes if they actually stick. A few nights ago I was on my laptop looking at my monthly spending and it surprised me how many little things I buy without thinking paper towels, bottled drinks, food container none of them are expensive on their own but together it's a lot. I don't expect to go completely zero waste overnight”

submitted by /u/Unhappy_Week_5924 [link] [comments]

“My wife kept saying I wasn’t washing bottles well enough, and honestly, she was probably right. There are too many tiny parts, nipples, rings, pump pieces, weird corners. I’d think I was done, then she’d find something still cloudy and I’d feel like I failed bottle inspection again. I thought I was doing pretty good with the baby stuff. Diapers? Learned it. Burping? Getting better. The whole “hold the baby like you’re not defusing a bomb” thing? Also improving. But bottles? Man. submitted”

“So we share a dumpster with a pizza place and a donut place, that end up throwing away a lot of product end of day. We either repurpose or donate our leftovers, so our trash is just trash We have a lot of homeless people who pick through the dumpsters, which I wouldn't mind, except they pull a good number of the bags out of the dumpster, open them, then leave them on the ground. It's a lift and out trash company, they don't clean it. I wouldn't expect them to. Our strip mall is o”

“Hey everyone! I’ve always loved the country lifestyle, and lately, I’ve been trying to channel that energy into living a more sustainable, zero-waste life. I decided to start small with my kitchen scraps. Instead of tossing the rooted base of my store-bought celery, I planted it in some soil. A few weeks later, it has already grown a few centimeters of fresh, bright green leaves! There is something so magical and rewarding about giving kitchen waste a second life. I'd love to hear your favor”

“Please forgive any in my list that may already appear frequently in the sub, and note that this is not necessarily a complete list yet! - Saving plastic straws to weave mats out of - Saving McDonald's & other PP containers to dump grease in or reuse as food containers - Saving plastic bags (of course) - Saving napkins from takeout orders in a napkin holder - Using preroll tubes as paint/bleach solution tubes for art projects, for sewing needles, for easy medication storage, etc - Saving”

“I almost feel guilty for not doing this the rest of the year but I realized it’s been so easy to just buy disposable beverages and takeout- with that not available I’m finally using up my pantry and teas, vitamins, and supplements! And saving $! Anyone else doing this too? submitted by /u/Striking_Arugula2523 [link] [comments]”

“How do you mentally/emotionally deal with (and/or what alternative solutions have you figured out for) all the material waste we go through to exist and do what we love? I’ve been having trouble with this, like an everyday anxiety. Here’s a list of where waste makes me feel the worst: • Groceries: I do almost all my grocery shopping at Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. In my area, aside from weekly farmer’s markets which are not easy for me to get to due to my schedule, they have the best quality pr”

“I’m making my family keep all of our shampoo and body wash containers so the plastic doesn’t go to the landfill. But I have no clue what to do with them; I’ve reached out on Facebook asking if anybody wants them for crafts or something else and I have had no responses. Any ideas? submitted by /u/Ababoon04 [link] [comments]”

“My partner drinks lots of mocktails with lime juice which produces these plastic squeeze bottles. What can I use them for so i don’t throw them away, Travel bottles? submitted by /u/FirmWillow4750 [link] [comments]”

“I wish I could afford to do that 😮”

“My partner and I just got a cat and both of us grew up around cats so we are pretty used to buying food and litter etc. Though nowadays I am trying to reduce my waste wherever I can, and I've noticed there's quite a lot of cheap supplies and toys that are geared towards cats and cat owners that are made from plastic or don't last very long. Has anyone thought about this? I've been keeping a compost bin with compostable bags for cleaning the litter, and I'm trying to buy food”

“As someone who is always trying to be more ecologically minded, this gave me some good perspective submitted by /u/Consistent_Value_179 [link] [comments]”

“Cool idea, and simple to prototype and test. My kids loved their plastic, smaller versions of real tools and appliances.”

“I apologize for the yucky picture. I'm the only responsible adult in my family . Which means that between my 9 to 5 job, kids, pets, errands etc., emptying the sink is only a nightly chore. But I do scrub the sink with barkeeper's friend after I empty it. This film builds up within 10 to 12 hours only on one sink. The other one is relatively cleaner and clearer. Full disclosure, I used to empty out algae-ridden aquarium water into this sink. Not anymore, though. If you can bring yourself”

“It’s worth it. Soda is acidic and erodes your teeth (expensive fix later down the line), obviously contributes to weight gain and diabetes, and so many more issues. My go to now is water with a dash of the Mio flavoring if plain water doesn’t scratch the itch.”

“"Refuse" is the first step in reducing waste and we don't talk about it enough! I'm good at not buying things, but I am not so good about turning down the "freebies" that get pushed at me several times a week: promotional items, individually wrapped snacks, small toys for my toddler. Inspire me: what have you said no to recently? This week, I didn't take the "gift bag" at the dentist. I'm sure your dentist gives you this, too--a free (plastic) toothb”

“Wild to think that when I was a kid, no one had water bottles at all. If we were thirsty, we just went and got a drink from the fountain. How did we ever survive the dehydr80’s?”

“Has anyone utilized this company? Seems interesting? Claims to recycle single use plastics https://www.ridwell.com/ submitted by /u/rebe37 [link] [comments]”

“I've lived here for about 1 month and this is my first time living in an apartment so I really just dont know. Whenever I throw things out in the dumpster there's almost never other garbage bags. No one said anything about it and I didnt see anything about it in the lease so I'm confused and worried I'm doing something wrong. I'm always very nervous about doing things "the right way" especially when it comes to things that people may not actually tell you and just e”

“I've recently started using the cereal containers with "silicone" seals to store filament (mostly PLA, some PETG and 1 TPU) with about 50 grams of desiccant and a cheap hygrometer. Filament is dried before storage. I've noticed "humidity creep" in a few containers that have not been opened since initial deployment. Generally speaking, the desiccant has barely started turning from amber to green and it redries well with a 5-minute trip at 30% in my microwave (higher po”

“If you’re transporting larger batches, food-grade jerry cans with screw caps are surprisingly good for dressings. They’re easy to pour from and much less likely to leak in transit.”

“Looking for recommendations for leak proof containers to transport salad dressings to markets. Currently using ice cream tubs but they’re not working great! We’re based in the UK so would appreciate reccos that we can source here :) tia submitted by /u/Ok_Cauliflower9754 [link] [comments]”

“Hey guys 👋 As the title says, I'm a teenager (14) and I've been looking into sustainable living and zero-waste living for a while now and I want to have this type of lifestyle. Any tips on how to get started? I'm already vegan. Oh and my parents are very receptive of these things, I could also help them go more sustainable/ zero-waste. submitted by /u/Popular_Pen_9397 [link] [comments]”

“If something is handed out free, people will treat it as essentially worthless.”

“School is right around the corner. So back to school shopping is on my mind. And it got me thinking, how does this work? Do families actually throw everything out and start brand new? Do you go through their clothes and get rid of clothes that don't fit and just supplement the difference? Last year I just reused my kid's backpack from the year before. submitted by /u/Artistic_Party_5594 [link] [comments]”

“Hands down the best sustainable swap I ever made are my period products. I use a cup as my primary form of blood management and underwear as a back up/ for the last few days. If you’re considering either of these I HIGHLY recommend them. The panties are exponentially more comfortable than pads and the cup is pretty much leakproof.I used to not sleep well during my period because I was so worried I would get blood on my sheets but the cup alone gives me enough confidence to sleep through the nigh”

“Could this have been made better? Yes! Did I make it mostly out of things I had at home with absolutely no plans other than a photo of one I saw online of something much better quality? Yes! Are zip ties a major structural component? Yes! I had the buckets, a set of casters, and some PVC already at home, so I went out and bought some 1/4 inch mesh and some pvc connectors. It sifts out the really fine stuff, which is nice. I debated going with 1/2 inch instead, and I mildly regret not listening t”

“This is kinda crazy, but I’m expecting my 3rd baby. I have a 4 and an almost 3 year old. I did disposable diapers with both of them. I’m wondering if anyone made the decision with later kids, to cloth diaper. I have no idea if I want to do that learning curve when I already have 4 sets of laundry to do, but for some reason (mostly economical) it sounds appealing. Instead of spending $80 a month on diapers , spend $200 up front and be set thru potty training. The other 2 are already fully trained”

“Hello, I want to set up a rainwater collection system and store water in an IBC tote. I can find them locally for pretty cheap. The food grade ones are much more expensive and harder to find. I can easily get ones that previously held antifreeze. Would it be possible to rinse one out enough for that to be safe for non-drinking water for my garden? submitted by /u/quickscopemcjerkoff [link] [comments]”

“im helping a friend look into packaging options for their takeaway shop, and it feels like an absolute minefield. most things labeled 'eco' or 'compostable' require industrial facilities that our local council doesnt even support, or they just perform terribly compared to standard plastic food packaging. we've been looking at various commercial options to see if they are actually better, including the eco lines from suppliers like WF plastic food packaging but I'm highly”

“Hi everyone, I'm a cosmetic manufacturer from Turkey, and I have a question I'd really appreciate some advice on. From time to time, we end up with excess inventory of shampoos, hair care, and skincare products that were originally manufactured for our own brand. They're perfectly good products with a normal shelf life, but because of inventory changes and limited warehouse space, I don't want to throw them away. I'm not looking to maximize profit. I'd simply like to find”

“hi! since summers coming up, I've been wanting to get some new swimsuits since I only have like, two, and they're both very cheap and flimsy. usually when I want something new to wear I go thrifting or diy but I'd rather not get a swimsuit secondhand for obvious reasons does anyone know good sustainable swimwear brands that aren't CRAZY expensive? ​ submitted by /u/UwU_OwOFemboyLol [link] [comments]”

“Hi folks; I'm at that age where I stop going for the cheapest thing I can find and start aiming for quality-of-life improvements. I also tend towards eco-friendliness when I can, and would like to start practicing what I preach. I'm looking for sites that sell toothbrushes, toothbrush travel cases, and soap travel cases that are sustainable and eco-friendly- preferably ones that won't leak all over my bags. The good thing about the internet is that I can google anything and see 200 m”

“What products did you use to store food for baby for daycare? LO is just starting solids and I’m not sure what’s best to bring the food in? I want to prep ahead for the week but feeling overwhelmed logistically submitted by /u/zezendx [link] [comments]”

“I used Kendamil tins for my twins. I have about 20 that I don’t know what to do with. Thank you for the help. submitted by /u/Seeker-2020 [link] [comments]”

“Ever felt frustrated by how much plastic you end up with after a trip to the supermarket? Join us for a supermarket audit so we can collectively demand change! submitted by /u/regedit2023 [link] [comments]”

“Zero waste stores exist. They're also really expensive. I remember milk costing about 4x what the supermarkets were selling it for. Is there a reason it couldn't be sold from a vending machine? You pay a euro on credit card, and it pours a litre of milk into the container you bring. The milk is stored in a keg, as in a beer keg. When it's empty, it gets swapped out for a fresh one. The empty keg goes back to the dairy. That's a proven distribution model, pubs do it all the time.”

“Long story short, my cat broke into a room while I was away and, for two weeks, decided to use a pile of my clothes as her litter box as revenge. I followed the typical instructions for these cases, but after wash #14, I've lost hope. The clothes are clean - they've been washed 14 times. They still smell and are unwearable. As a result, they're not donatable, and I figure not recyclable either, if the urine chemicals are latched onto the fibers themselves. Animal shelters wouldn'”

“Hello! I craft a lot and want as many ideas as possible. I live with my family and have to use the things they buy. Please give me ideas with what you do with the inevitable trash that piles up submitted by /u/MurlaTart [link] [comments]”

“I am building more sustainable habits by recycling more and making simple swaps. I have completely ditched single use plastic bags in favor of tupperware, I haven't bought bottled products, I am no longer getting a Starbucks every day because it hit me how much single plastic we use and I just got a cute reusable bag that I am actually excited to carry. I am not gonna buy more paper towels and continue to use my papaya towels. What other changes could I slowly build into my life? I don't”

“We have a diaper genie, but we’re tired of spending so much money on the custom bags that fill up every 3ish days. Ive seen some diaper bins that allow the use of regular trash bags, looking for something like that, that also would keep the smell at bay. My budget is around $50-$70 for something that is actually effective. Ive seen the mom cozy one on amazon but it has a lot of mixed reviews about the quality and smell control. Any recommendations welcome! If you can provide links even better &#”

“I have 2 kids, a five year old and 1 year old. Our house is full of shit. My wife doesn’t like to get rid of anything. A lot of this shit is “stuff” but a lot is just shit: think old coloring books that our son scribbled in when he was 2. Cheap puzzles with missing pieces. Unplayable gamepieces from long-lost board games made of cardboard. Incomplete boxes of markers or crayons. happy meal toys our kid never played with. Torn up jackets from kids books. Little Knick knacks from Easters past. The”

“Im 19 and want to be better for my parents and the planet,I want to know of some non toxic or harmful things that I can use everyday, I also want ti learn recycling better and understand what the planet needs from me, it sounds odd that way I worded it but hopefully you guys can help, I didnt want to do a ton of research and get the wrong information?? submitted by /u/Ok_Till6418 [link] [comments]”

“hi all! I feel like my biggest plastic usage and waste comes from groceries. For example, last night I finished a jar of pasta sauce and have added the glass jar to my ever growing glass jar collection. It would make more sense to make my own pasta sauce, but then I think of all the items I would need to buy that would be wrapped in plastic or create more glass jars. I've started growing herbs, make my own juice and use repurposed glass jars. Unfortunately I don't make enough money yet t”

“I need help from the community, I have started detoxing my household by switching over from Plastic to better matierals for our body and the environment. My only problem is that I do not know what to do with the plastic after I switch to a better alternative. I don’t want to recycle it just for it to end up in a landfill and expose microplastics into the earth; I don’t want to donate it to a thrift store for someone to use and eat microplastic. I’m thinking of finding someone who uses plastic to”