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I follow a Canadian youtuber called JustJoeLee, and his tag line is “be less shitty”. Inspiring right? However, when he explains how his channel is dedicated to trying to be a little less shitty everyday it kinda makes sense. Each day you can find some small way to make a difference, or choice to lower your waste. This is my list of 30 low waste ways to be less shitty to the enviroment. Some of this is basics, some is stuff my family has always done, and some are new things I’ve tried out and adopted!

Please keep in mind that this is my way of trying to make a small difference while living within my means. I live in a small Canadian town that doesn’t have a zero waste store or any real resources for this lifestyle. I make do with what I have, but in the future I would like to start learning more about the topics of conscious consumerism, sustainablity, eco friendly, fair trade Etc. Here is my list of things we do in our house currently!

In the Kitchen:

1.Composting – Our town has a compost program where they come get the bins same as trash collection. We put any compostable waste out to be collected in this bin.

2. Reusable food wrap – this is cloth with beeswax and a few other ingredients. I got mine from a small pop up boutique. You can use it in place of saran wrap.

3. Glass containers – Instead of tupperware we use glass with plastic lids. Glass lasts longer and is more recyclable.

4. Packing lunches – Instead of eating fast food I try to pack lunches or eat at home as much as possible. This saves the waste of utensils and such as well as the food packaging. We use these lunch boxes with a built in ice pack.

5. Go mug – I was given a very nice S’well coffee mug that keeps my drinks hot for hours. I use this both to bring my own drinks and to get coffee out instead of a paper cup. I simply ask when ordering if I can have my drink in my reusable mug! Here’s the link to mine.

6. Water bottle – this one is self explanatory. The important part is building the habit. Mine comes everywhere with me and has been unexpectedly useful on many occasions. For example you can take an empty water bottle through airport security and then fill it after! Here’s the link to my S’well bottle! I’ve had mine for years and they are close to bomb proof.

7. Produce bags – I have two different types, mesh and solid ones. I use them for produce and bulk items such as nuts and seeds at bulk barn. This set is as close to mine as I could find on Amazon.

8. Patio planters – in the summer we try and grow lettuce, cherry tomatoes, herbs and a few other veggies in patio planters.

9. French press – we use a french press for our coffee which saves energy and coffee filters or pods. Here’s the one we use.

10. Cooking from scratch vs pre packaged food – Due to all the dietary restrictions in our family we were already forced to forgo a lot of prepackaged meals and snacks. We make granola bars and muffins, and bake bread.

11. Silicone Muffin tin and Silpat – we use the silpat on our baking trays instead of parchment paper, and the silicone muffin tin works like a charm without muffin liners. You can just pop them out!

In the Stores:

12. Bulk barn – in Canada we have Bulk Barn. A giant bulk store that has bins with flours, nuts, seeds, candy, pasta, dried fruit, etc. They have everything you could possibly need for baking. It’s awesome! We go there weekly and load up on things like gluten free flour, snacks, and spices. You can bring your own bags and containers. I keep a bag with clean yogurt containers and small jars in my SUV so I can easily load up after work. Also bulk gummy worms!

13. H&W Produce – is a discount produce store that we love for the prices. I noticed that the majority of the produce can be bought package free, especially if we bring our produce bags. It’s become a game to see if we can get the least amount of plastic while getting the best deals!

14. Bulk buy when possible – Whenever possible we buy in bulk. This usually means we go to Costco once a month for things we can’t get elsewhere, or go through a ton of. For example we buy a huge litre jug of honey instead of multiple tiny bottles.

15. David’s tea refillable containers – David’s tea is a treat. We buy the canisters of tea and bring them in when we want to refill them. No packaging!

In the Bathroom:

16. Reusable cotton rounds – I found these ones made from bamboo on Amazon and loved them. Mom and I split the set and each have some in our bathrooms. I use mine with my Lush toner each day. We have been using them for several months and they are holding up great! They stay white, and they are super soft on your skin! They come with a mesh bag so that you can throw them in the washing machine wihout losing them! I simply clip the mesh bag onto the laundry basket. Here’s where I got them.

17. Tooth brushes – I got a package of 12 bamboo toothbrushes from Amazon. They were a far better deal there than any of the other places I looked. I try to balance responsible consumption with practicality and my tight budget. Here’s the link.

18. Lush Toothy Tabs – People seem to love them or hate them. I went into the store and asked for some samples of the 2 flavours I thought I would like best. Both were a bit odd to start, but I much prefer them over regular mint toothpaste now!

19. Lush/DIY beauty – If we can’t or don’t have time to make our own beauty products we go to Lush. They have a whole line of “naked” products that all come without packaging. If a product comes in a black pot, you can collect them. Return 5 and get a free fresh facial! All the black pot packaging is made from recycling collected on the west coast! check it out here!

20. Micro fibre makeup removing cloth – You can use this with water or with cleanser. My mom uses it with, but my nana uses hers with just water. In any case its better than using a disposable makeup wipe!

Around the House:

21. Reusable paper towel – We were given this Jude’s Miracle cloth reusable paper towel. It works like a hot damn on the mirrors. Here it is on Amazon. This is what ours looks like after years of use. I say its better than paper towel or a regular cloth.

22. Laundry in cold water – We wash our laundry on a cold cycle as it saves money and energy. We also hang a lot of our clothes to dry on an indoor rack which saves money and wear and tear on clothes.

23. Pallets for DIY projects – we build a lot of furniture and different projects outdoors with pallets. It’s free wood and saves us money and packaging.

24. Matches vs lighters – I switched over from lighters to matches to light my candles as the lighters kept running out of fuel constantly. I got a regular pack of matches and a pack of extra long matches. They work much better and are compostable. Far less frustrating than lighters!

25. Ereader vs books – I have 716 books on my Kobo, and I was recently given a Kindle. I have been reading Amazon Prime books since January. I read about 7-10 books a week when I have enough free time. Yes I could use the library, but I prefer to have a large variety. Also way better than bringing a separate suitcase for all my books when I travel! 

26. Natural cleaners – We recently started experimenting with DIY vinegar based house cleaner. We soak citrus rinds in vinegar and dilute the result with water. Add some essential oils and use it alone or with baking soda for a particularly difficult job!

27. Thrift store vs trash – We donate what we can to our local Value Village. Our community is a particularly great one, and the store is awesome. It’s well used and popular so we know our things are being reused.

28. Second hand purchases – We do most of our shopping at Value Village right now, for both the home and our wardrobes. I have commited to not buying new clothing for a whole year, and Christy is also taking up my challenge. We have found some really awesome pieces over the years.

29. No spend months – It’s hard to create waste when you aren’t buying anything outside your house budget! No fast food or impulse spending means we have the time to truly think about all the options before purchasing something. Here is Christy’s Month of Less post!

30. Lint Roller – Amazon has this awesome reusable lint roller! No sheets or refills needed.  Here’s the link. We’ve been using it for a few months and so far so good.

In Summary:

Hopefully this gives you some new low waste ideas. I didn’t go rushing out to buy these things all at once. I slowly and thoughtfully researched and chose items that made sense for me and my life. If you don’t have multiple large black dogs you may not need a lint roller. You might work from home meaning you probably don’t need to pack your lunches in fancy kits.

If you have a perfectly functioning item don’t replace it until it runs out or breaks down. It can be exciting to try all the new gadgets and stuff, but try and read reviews or buy from brands that have a good reputation. I did buy a lot of these off Amazon and that might not be the most low waste choice, but my budget means I have to pick and choose what to splurge on. There are some awesome zero waste online stores that I am starting to check out, so that’s my next step. What are you doing that is considered low waste?