Get Rid Of Your Trash Can
At Escape Waste, we believe that confronting loose garbage is the fastest way to stop making it.
When waste is hidden away in a bin, it stops being a problem- it doesn’t smell bad or look bad or assault your senses in any unpleasant way. Removing the palliative creates a foul motivator to change.
Repair / Reuse Instead Of Buying NEW
It’s nice to mend clothing, fix old things, or upcycle where possible. The boxes our wine and drinking glasses came in are now a shoe rack and sock organizer, respectively.
Save pretty jars and grow a wreck collection organically.
Fix something with a paper clip, but don’t tell the owner doesn’t know you broke it.
Instead of buying a new vacuum cleaner, why not see if it can be repaired?
Instead of getting new boots, why not take the old ones to a cobbler?
DIY & Make Your Own
Making stuff saves time.
Before people argue, it takes minutes to get just one pack of toilet paper vs. the ten minutes it takes to whip up household products at home.
It’s faster to reach for pantry ingredients than drive to the grocery store, sit in traffic, wait in line, come back, fiddle with packaging, throw it in the garbage, take out the garbage, etc
Green Your Beauty Routine
In a country where generic nail polish costs $18, cornstarch and bulk kohl are the wallet-friendly choices. Simplify by switching to a multi-purpose soap and limiting styling appliances.
To save time, don’t mess with balms, lotions, or trial and error toothpaste/deodorant recipes; straight baking soda and bulk oil work just as well.
Eliminate excess toiletries and makeup- certain dépôt-ventes accept them for resale.
Start a Compost Pile
Composting can be extremely frustrating, especially since compost site managers are often terrible correspondents.
Still, individuals can try the freezer method or balcony composting- a balanced carbon-to-nitrogen ratio doesn’t smell.
If you don’t have a garden, give the resulting soil to friends or post giveaway online. The web has a great list of composting ideas for apartment and small space dwellers.
Certain cities provide free composters and vermicomposters for residents.
Switch to Natural, Zero-Waste Cleaners
This was the simplest step and a gateway to everything else.
The CDC confirms common household sponges are diseased, plague-sore embossed carbuncles.
- Switch to white vinegar, a dish brush and bar soap.
- Use hemp, linen, or cotton towels to wipe messes.
Eliminate Disposables
- Start with cloth towels and napkins.
- Then move to handkerchiefs and safety razors.
- Hate cramps and leaks? Switch to a cup.
- Stop buying dryer sheets.
- Use baking soda and vinegar.
- Replace sticky rollers with a plastic-free lint brush.
- Try wash cloths instead of makeup remover wipes, and drink tap water.
- No take-away juice bars in your area? Eat fruit!
- When entertaining, set out real flatware and dishes.
Shop Farmer’s Markets, Second-hand & Reusables
Buy used and opt for glass, stainless steel, or wood instead of plastic.
There’s energy embedded in every reusable bag, so use it liberally.
Keep in your purse or car and, if you forget, get them rather than capitulate to a plastic bag.
Confront Clutter & Chaos
It’s easiest to
- Start with the linen closet.
- Donate excess pillows, sheets, and towels.
- Evaluate how many glasses, containers, utensils, candles, and magazines you really need.
- Ease into streamlining your wardrobe by trying a capsule.
- Switch to paperless billing.
- Remove your name from mailing lists, and, while you’re at it, tackle your inbox.
- Unsubscribing and deleting is a nice exercise in letting go.
- Emptying your inbox daily helps you reply faster and be more productive in the real world.
Reduce energy & Water Waste
“Zero-waste” typically refers to municipal solid waste.
- Reduce energy wastage and consumption by heat-retention cooking, limiting hot water usage, doing full loads of dishes / laundry, line drying, ironing sparingly, and maintaining appliances.
- Plug electronics into a power strip and switch off at night (duh).
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator, and bike or walk.
- Collect shower / bath water to flush the toilet or water plants.
- Scrape dishes, hand-wash, and rinse with a thin stream for a total usage of fewer than two gallons of reusable greywater.
- Consider updating shower heads and faucet aerators for increased efficiency