5 Ways to Reduce Waste with Reusable Items

This past year I have been integrating more reusable items into our house than ever before. Growing up we reused bread bags instead of buying zip locks for sandwiches. Reused food containers instead of buying Tupperware. That sort of thing. But it was also a different time. Now you have even more throw away options than ever before. In an attempt to cut out more of our waste these are the products I have been trying instead.

5 Reusable Items I am committed to using

1. Reusable Pads – This has been the biggest change for me personally. I switched to reusable pads, specifically Aisle (formerly Luna Pads), instead of disposable pads and tampons. I remember one period that I felt like I had a plastic diaper on down there. I don’t know if they changed the composition of the pads or if I was getting more sensitive with age but I wasn’t loving the plasticy feel. I never particularly liked tampons. I also hated how much garbage was produced every month. I decided to try out reusable pads. I bought a starter kit and never looked back. First off they are way softer and more comfortable. The reusable pads are a bit bulkier when I layer them up on my heaviest days but otherwise there isn’t a noticeable difference. I change them less frequently and I just throw them in the wash. I also bought a couple pairs of their period pants. These are perfect for light days when you are just spotting and they can be layered up with a liner insert. If you are on the fence I would start by buying just one or two to try. My guess is you will be converted quickly.
2. Face cloths and cotton pads – To be quite honest I have always used face cloths. I have never been a face wipe kinda person. I never got the appeal. But I did buy cotton balls all the time. Not any more since I just use the reusable bamboo pads. I think face cloths have seen a renaissance thanks to the whole double cleanse craze and Caroline Hirons basically outting wipes as not a good cleanse. I like both a good cotton face cloth and the microfiber cloths. Microfiber is excellent for makeup removal, especially mascara without having to have a special cleanser.
3. Reusable lids – I bought a pack of these silicon lids to use in place of saran wrap. I would say they work pretty well but not perfectly. I find they are hard to reseal for some reason. I think it has to do with the condensation. I also have a set of beeswax cloths. These are great for smaller things that you want to close up. I do find myself using the silicon lids more.
4. Resealable bags – Instead of buying zip lock bags we have been saving the resealable bags that food products come in. Mostly raisins and cranberries seem to come in the resealable heavy duty bags. Also tortilla shells. These are great for leftovers but even better to use as freezer bags. We have been using them to split up meat packages of steaks or chicken that come in bulk and we separate out into portions.
5. Cleaning rags– Not that long ago I was addicted to cleaning wipes. They are so easy! There is cleaning product right in the wipe! But again it is so much garbage. When clothes get holes or stains I keep them in a stash in our laundry room. I just rip them apart and use the rags for cleaning. If you want them to be finished you can cut them into squares and finish the edges on the sewing machine. This would work for kitchen cloths where people would see them. But for the most part I don’t really care that my cleaning rag for the bathroom used to be a pair of undies. I do want to point out that you can take your old runied clothes to H&M and other depots that will recycle the textiles but you can also keep some of them for your own needs at home.

At one time all these reusable items would have been considered frugal but these days I think of it as responsible. As a person that wants to live on a beautiful planet not one filled with garbage and waste, using and reusing things makes much more sense in the long run. Do you have any reusable products you love? Share in the comments below.