Recently the Budget Ecoist took a beach vacation and marveled at the amount of disposable products needed on said vacation and the lack of recycling bins in convenient (read: on the beach, at the mote
waste management
As people have become busier and busier, marketers have found ways to cleverly address our needs: disposable Tupperware means fewer dishes to deal with; paper bags, plastic cutlery and Ziploc bags m
The best part about being eco-friendly is that it saves you money. Because cutting down on waste means cutting down on buying unnecessary items. And if you are looking for places to save some money, identify your biggest source of waste: paper towels, Ziploc bags, etc. These are the best places to use reusable items.
Because getting a look for less, doesn’t always have to mean spending money, here are some ways you can make your own reusable home items yourself. If you can crochet or sew, make your own Swiffer cover, sew up some nylon material for your own reusable food sack. TreeHugger.com has a great list of ways to hack your Swiffer. Instructable’s also offers a how-to for creating your own Swiffer wet jet cloths.
If you are less crafty, Etsy has a wealth of reusable products that will help you cut down on waste and save money in the process. We love the reusable food sack, $4, and the cute little coffee cozy’s, $8.50 for 2.
If you are in the market for an alternative to paper towels, Happy Planet has some great reusable cloths that are sturdy and shine your counter and dishes just as well as a paper towel. They are $9 each.
Eco-Kate also has handmade sponges, $9.00 for 2.
But it’s not all about getting things, what do you do with your trash? Well, Freecycle is a great place to turn your trash into a neighbor’s treasure. Also, GreenDisk will help you unload all of your techno-trash.
What do you reuse? What are you looking to replace with reusable items? Let us know in the forums and the comments.
Reusing common household products reduces waste and helps conserve resources. It’s a simple way to make a positive environmental impact. Here are a few ways we reduce our use of disposable products:
Whenever we take our cup of joe to go, we bring a reusable coffee mug.
we’ve broken the bottled water habit. More than 80 percent of water bottles end up in landfills! We’ve switched to a filter system. To save more money, go for tap water. It’s more regulated than bottled, plus you get the benefits of flouride that’s added to our drinking water. This also reduces the environmental impact caused by manufacturing, shipping and recycling water bottles.
Share your ideas on how to reduce disposables! We’d love to learn other ways we can make an impact.
Founded in 2003, TBF is a fashion blog dedicated to helping you live your best for less. We give you the 411 on the latest fashion trends & tips and sample sales. 
