Household waste reduction feels harder than ever these days. The pandemic has forced our focus elsewhere, increased the emphasis on hygiene and safety, and created unprecedented circumstances for all of us to navigate. I’ve found myself contributing to the single-use madness with items like paper grocery bags, more restaurant take out materials, disposable masks (thanks Omicron), hand sanitizer and more.

But even with the pandemic concerns and constraints, there are a few things I just don’t buy. If you’re looking to reduce your household waste, maybe these are places you could make a change!

one // Tissues, paper towels, and napkins. Use cloth. Find a system that works for your family. I like to cut up old clothes and I have several wet bags around the house than can be thrown directly into the washer. I have smaller wet bags for my kids to keep in their backpacks for blowing their noses at school. Everyone’s lifestyle looks a bit different, but cloth is a sensational replacement for single-use paper products.

two // Baby wipes. And cleaning wipes. And makeup wipes. I bought a few packages of baby wipes for my first child, but after that we switched completely to cloth, even for traveling. Cloth works better than disposables for all messes, in my opinion, and I just hate the idea of so so so many baby wipes polluting the earth. As for Clorox wipes etc., I make my own bleach wipes with cloth and bleach + water. Most messes I clean up with a towel.

three // Bottled cleansers and lotions. These days, there are many ways to obtain zero-waste beauty products. I like to stock up on at a refill store near me (like Joyfill, Zero Market, or Simply Bulk) but there are also stores online that sell low- to no-waste shampoos, lotions, and soaps. I use soap bars for my face and body, and get liquid lotion in reusable jars. (I occasionally buy shampoo in a plastic bottle because I haven’t found a low-waste option that works for well for my hair, but I only wash my hair once a week so a bottle lasts me at least a year.)

four // Disposable period products. Menstrual cup, period underwear, and cloth pads. Nothing more to buy or throw away! There are several quizzes online that will recommend a good menstrual cup for you (based on how many kids you’ve had, your flow, etc.). Do a quick internet search and you’ll find one!

five // Plastic wrap. I haven’t bought any kind of plastic wrap for years. Occasionally a visitor to my kitchen will ask for it, but personally I’ve never missed it. I store food in jars, glass containers, and silicone bags. To cover items, I use clean cloth towels and beeswax wrap. I also just save plastic bags and aluminum foil that comes into my life; even when you don’t buy these items, they still appear! Which leads to:

six // Plastic baggies. Reusable containers and reusable bags serve our needs well, but we also manage to acquire a lot of plastic bags without buying them. Tortilla bags, produce bags, the occasional bread bag…Recently I bought my son some new face masks and each one came in a plastic ziplock bag. Ugh! I save these and reuse them when I need a bag. But typically, I have way more than I can use!

seven // Muffin wrappers. I make a lot of muffins. I invested in 30 silicone muffin wrappers a few years ago (24 regular size and 6 jumbo). I use them constantly. They’re a bit of a pain to clean, but I know the earth is thanking me. This is one of those items that might not seem like it has much environmental impact since they’re small and usually compostable. However, the production and shipping of paper products is significant. Reusables are a better choice when you’re going to use them over and over again. But, if you only make muffins once a year, then paper might be a better choice!

eight // Dairy milk. Until about a year ago, I was singing the praises of local dairy milk in a reusable glass bottle. But more learning taught me that there’s just too great of an environmental impact from dairy farms (and almost all animal agriculture, really), so I just stopped buying it. My kids missed it a little bit, and they still haven’t been able to give up cheese 100%, but we’re no longer buying dairy milk and it feels good from both a health and an environmental perspective. (Don’t let anyone give you a hard time about almond milk. Sure, almond growing uses a lot of water, but WAY less than dairy milk requires! The impacts of animal agriculture, particularly cows, on the environment is HUGE.)

nine // Dryer sheets. Wool dryer balls for the win! I also try to line dry my clothes as much as possible.

ten // Single-use batteries. This is a change I wish we’d made MUCH sooner. It was one of those “duh” moments…why had we been using disposable batteries for so long!? We now have a supply of reusable batteries in a variety of sizes, and a big plug-in charger in the basement. I worry so much less now about the kids leaving a flashlight on! It is also so nice not to have to deal with safely disposing of batteries since you should never put them in your regular municipal trash bin!

I hate spray sunscreens. I know that’s a controversial position to take among parents. Putting sunscreen on your kids is a legit pain, and spray sunscreens often seem like they’re easier. But here’s the rub: they’re shown to be less effective and they’re also terrible for the health of the planet and those nearby when you’re spraying.

Here’s something else I dislike: non-recyclable plastic. And that’s what packages many sunscreens. But thankfully, there are a few companies out there doing their part to make their sunscreens the best they can be for both the health of the users and the health of the planet.

I’ve received some questions lately about what kind of sunscreen we use, so here are my thoughts on how to make the best possible choice for yourself and your family when choosing a sunscreen. Sometimes we forget that our skin is our body’s largest organ, so we shouldn’t be blasé about what we’re putting on it!

THREE THINGS I LOOK FOR IN A SUNSCREEN

one // Proven “non-toxic” ingredients. As you may know, in the US, beauty products are only very loosely regulated by the government. It can be hard to know what ingredients are safe and which ones aren’t. And on top of that, hundreds of sunscreens (and other beauty products) promote themselves as “green” or “natural” or “non-toxic.” In many cases this is just greenwashing; they just want you to buy their product. To determine if a product is really safe, you should be able to find clear information about their products’ ingredients on their website. You can usually tell if they’re bluffing about the natural nature of their sunscreen or if their claims are legitimate.

two // A company with sustainability practices. Many companies are making improvements on their plastic packaging. Reusables are always the best choice, but we’re seeing more and more stainless steel containers and compostable paper sticks. These are fantastic choices. But it’s good to remember that even if a company is using plastic for their products, they still might be doing great things on the sustainability front. Their manufacturing and shipping practices has a lot to do with how many emissions are created through their business. Do some research so you can be informed about the companies you’re supporting with your wallet.

three // Zinc oxide; preferable non-nano zinc oxide. Instead of trying to figure out which weird-sounding chemical ingredients are safe and which aren’t, I look for sunscreens that are made out of zinc oxide and other ingredients I can recognize. As for why you want “non-nano zinc oxide,” it’s essentially because nano particles can enter the bloodstream and that’s bad. So you want not super small particles. You can do a quick internet search and find out lots more information on this topic.

OK OK, SO WHICH SUNSCREEN SHOULD I BUY?

Raw Elements - I love all the products Raw Elements make. All their sunscreens are reef-safe, which is extra important if you’re swimming somewhere besides swimming pools. I can get their sunscreen at my local refill shop, but I also like ordering directly from their website. Their kids sunscreen is great and I also love the tinted face moisturizer. Their biodegradable sticks are super for face application as well. I haven’t yet tried their lip products, but I bet they’re fantastic too.

While writing this post, I realized I could sign up to be an affiliate with them, so here’s a 10% off code if you choose to order from their site: deliberateless10
If you chose to make a purchase with this code, I get a very small commission. But please know that I was planning to promote their sunscreen anyway; I truly love their products and what their company stands for!

Meow Meow Tweet - I use Meow Meow Tweet Everyday Sunscreen year round. It’s light and goes on easily. It gives me less protection than the Raw Elements products, so I use it on days I don’t plan to have a lot of sun exposure. I really love the metal dispenser and the smell. If you’ve never checked out Meow Meow Tweet, you’re missing out. I love all their face products!

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These are by no means the only great sunscreen options on the market. They’re just the brands I know and trust. What other companies are working hard to create sustainable and healthy products for sun protection?

I know it, you know it: we have a toilet paper problem right now.

For many, that problem is that they keep running out and there’s not enough in stores. But from my perspective, the problem is much bigger than that. Americans use a disproportionate amount of toilet paper compared to the rest of the world. And that’s becoming even more obvious in this time of global pandemic which has increased demand and disrupted supply chains.

According to a 2019 article in The Guardian:

“[A] report found that major brands’ refusal to switch to sustainable materials in toilet paper is having a devastating impact on forests and climate. About 28m acres of Canadian boreal forest have been cut down since 1996, an area the size of Pennsylvania. Virgin pulp, the key ingredient in toilet paper, accounted for 23% of Canada’s forest product exports.

Americans are particularly to blame for this crisis. They make up just over 4% of the world’s population, yet account for more than 20% of global tissue consumption. The average four-person household in the US uses over 100lb of toilet paper a year.”

I’ve thought about writing this post for awhile, but avoided it because it’s a bit “icky.” People don’t like potty talk. None of us really want to think about how others clean their bum.

But it’s time. Time to get real. Time to push you to reevaluate your systems. As I see it, there are several easy ways YOU could reduce your toilet paper use. Or at the very least, become a more responsible consumer of the product. Let’s run through them in order of the easiest to hardest changes you could make if you grew up using toilet paper:

EASIEST // Buy thinner toilet paper.
Sacrifice just a tiny bit of luxury. The thinner your paper, the fewer trees were used to make it. You don’t have to have quadruple soft Charmin. I promise. Your bum will be okay.

EASIEST // Use less toilet paper.
Obvious and easy: use fewer squares each time you pee. Teach your kids to do this too; in my experience, they’re big offenders!

EASY // Buy “tree-free” toilet paper (and paper towels and tissues!).
Several companies make toilet paper from bamboo and other resources, such as sugarcane, that are much more renewable than trees. Yes, these products might be a tad more expensive than the big-time name brands, but use a few fewer squares a week and it’ll all even out. Some brands to check out: Who Gives a Crap, Grove Collective, Public Goods, Rebel Green, and Caboo.

MODERATE // Switch to “disposable” cloth for pees.
Cut-up some old cotton clothes that were destined for the landfill anyway. Cut them so they’re about the size of 4 squares of toilet paper. Place them in a container near the toilet. After you use one to wipe, throw it in the trash. Wash your hands.

HARDER // Switch to reusable cloth for pees.
Same as above, but add a bin or wet bag for the used clothes, and then wash in hot water. I use a two compartment wet bag, which allows me to put the clean cloths in the front compartment and then the dirties go in the back compartment. When it’s time to wash, I throw the whole bag in the machine.

HARDER // Buy a bidet or bidet attachment.
I can’t speak to this one first-hand, but I plan to try it out in the near future. Aside from a few bidet experiences in Europe and Japan, I am firmly in the wiping camp. But those in the bidet camp feel strongly that it’s the only way to go. That it’s the cleanliest. People love the relatively inexpensive Tushy toilet attachment, but there are tons of options out there at every price point. Can you say heated seat? Many are sold out at the time being though.

HARDEST // Use cloth for everything.
If you’ve used cloth diapers on your kids, this shouldn’t be too much of a stretch. A little poop comes off in the wash. A lot of poop? No. But Most of the poop is going into the toilet, right? Right.

Lastly, remember it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. We use a combination of these methods in our house. Any reduction of toilet paper consumption will help the forests. And you wallets!

With that, I’m out. I know it’s easiest to keep doing things the way you’ve always done things, but think about the forest people. Think about the trees. Think about your kids and the air you want them to breath. And they ask yourself if you really, really need super-soft toilet tissue.

What do you think? What do you use? Could you make a change?