Four years ago, we started being more intentional about the waste we produced. I had realized our trash was way out of control - especially for a household of just two people. We didn’t even have a cat yet! I wrote about some easy ways to reduce waste, and we went for it. Today, I am sharing a few of our favorite low-waste products - the ones we use pretty much daily! Some may surprise you.

Bin For Groceries

We keep a collapsible lettuce crate we got from a Super Store in the back of our car for our groceries. It just works easier for us than remembering our reusable bags (which we also keep in the back of our car...). Since we shop ALDI a lot, it works great to keep the crate in the cart and have them put the groceries directly into it once scanned. We carry the crate to the car, into the house, empty it, and the crate goes right back into the car for the next time. And speaking of groceries, making more of our own pantry staples from scratch has cut down on a lot of packaging and really does not take much time!

For Our Food

Each week I meal prep and pack both of our lunches in reusable glass containers . I’ve also gotten reusable sandwich and snack bags which have replaced the disposable plastic bags. Doing this has cut down on costs too! We had a lot of mason jars left over from our wedding so I’ve been using jars to store food and such as well - that way we didn’t have to buy more containers! Packing our own lunches has also helped us make healthy food choice! Double win :)

Side note: using what you have already is a great way to be nearo waste! It’s called repurposing! 

Metal Straws

We.Love.Our.Straws. We use them all of the time. They come in a great case so we can transport them as well. We don’t order drinks when we eat out, and if we get water at a restaurant, we ask for no straw. Of course, life doesn’t always go perfectly and they may come with a straw already in it, but sometimes that happens. 

Water Bottle

We have been faithful to reusable water bottles for years. We prefer glass bottles, but have received some stainless steel ones as gifts that we really enjoy too! They are lighter and keep water cold (or hot) for long periods of time. Our water bottles come with us everywhere we go!

Feminine Hygiene

Whaaaa!!! The internet already knows that I use a menstrual cup, so no more shame here. It took years (literal.years) or research before I took the plunge and I’m kicking myself that I didn’t start sooner. For one, it has already paid for itself - actually it took less than a year. My two favorite things about it: no more overflowing trash can once a month, and I love love LOVE forgetting that I’m even on my period. I’m sorry for all of you who are blushing right now, but do yourself a favor and switch over to a menstrual cup if possible. I’ve only tried the Diva Cup so I can’t speak for any other brands (bonus that it is made in Canada), but there are so many options out there. Great for the environment and for your peace of mind. I wrote a whole post about the cup here, so check it out if you want more information!

DIY Handsoap

Gone are the days of buying those little .99 cent Walmart liquid hand soaps that didn’t smell that great anyway. I’ve been making my own hand soap for years now, and I don’t know if I will ever go back. This large container of Castile Soap lasts more than a year and refills all of the soap containers we have. We have four sinks, which means four soap containers that are constantly being filled. It’s fun to use essential oils to mix and match scents, or just go plain jane too. Whatever. Here is the recipe I use.

Instant Pot

Okay, this is a little strange to be adding to this kind of post, but hear me out! I’ve always been the kind of person who was interested in making meals ahead to eat later. I did it before I knew I could call it “meal prep” and it be a thing. My freezer was my best friend. Ever since getting an Instant Pot, though, I’ve been even more motivated than before! Now my prep time is cut in half and I can make a whole lot more food with a whole lot less mess. How does this help in my nearo waste endeavors? We eat out much less and cook from scratch a whole lot more. Granted, we want to stay in budget as well, but when cooking dinners at home are so easy, fun, and convenient, then it’s a great bonus. I’m hoping to add more Instant Pot recipes to the site soon!

Libraries

We love books. Going completely paperless would be a no-go for us because we love books. But we also realize that we do not need to own every book we read. When I was living at home, you could find me at the library often. If I wasn’t at the library, I was at home or under a tree reading a book I got from the library. It never occurred to me that libraries were a great way to live sustainably and save money! So we got library cards. To more than one library! And to make it even better, we got the Libby app so we could rent from our phones and send the book straight to our kindles (and shoot, I still have an old one from 2012 that is still going strong!). Our reading volume has gone up, as have our book goals (mine is 24 for this year). 

We are always looking for new and easy ways to help the environment, so I doubt that this will be my last post about our favourite low-waste practices. The key is being stress-free about it, and implementing small changes as you go. By the way, Maple Alps now has an Amazon storefront that is always being updated with all of our favorite products, so check it out for more “nearo” waste fun!