Simple Ways To Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle at Home

I learned the importance of recycling and taking care of our planet when Auntie Litter visited my elementary school. I learned how easy it was and my mom helped me to start doing it in our home. Now I am continuing what I learned in my home as a child with my family. Earth Day and National Recycling Day are great days to dedicate to saving our planet, but I hope that these simple suggestions that we’ve found to be helpful in our home will inspire you to start today!

This post contain affiliate links. You can read more here.

Simple Changes for The Kitchen

I didn’t think I would be able to use paperless towels in my kitchen because I wash my hands so often while cooking. I started using a bar towel for that purpose first and realized I could easily do the same during meal time. Please note that I do not use and I encourage my family to not use the same bar towel that I dry our dishes with to dry their hands. If I’m using raw meat or egg products I use a paper towel to dry my hands and turn off my faucet. I learned this in a food safety class many, many years ago. Ha!

Paperless Towels have been an easy adjustment for my family. We use them everyday, but I still have to use a few paper towels when I cook meals that need a little bit of grease drained.

Another great way to reduce waste in your kitchen is by using reusable snack bags and cups. These are perfect for everyday use at home or on the go.

Here are some of my favorite kitchen items that reduce our plastic use.

1. Water Filter – We refill this as often as needed. One replacement filter is more affordable than a 12 pack of bottled water. Store brand filters work just as well.
2. Silicone Drinking Straws – I initially purchased these straws for us to drink our slushies at home. After using them for a while we stopped buying plastic straws. They come with a cleaning brush, but are also dishwasher safe.
3. Refillable Spray Bottles – Purchasing cleaning solutions in bulk or using D.I.Y cleaning solutions can be added to these bottles. I’m currently using Lysol All Purpose Cleaner refill in one of my bottles.

Simple Changes for The Bathroom

One of the most important ways to help our planet thrive in our bathroom is by reducing our water usage. This is hard when you are enjoying a warm shower after along day. I know, I get it! I try to cut my usage by turning off the shower while shampooing and while I’m adding conditioner to my hair. Another helpful suggestion is to teach young children to turn the water off while they are brushing their teeth.

Here are some of my favorite bathroom items that reduce our plastic use.

1. Refillable Soap – I like to reuse our hand soap dispenser with soap by purchasing hand soap in bulk sizes for my bathroom and kitchen.
2. Hand Towels – If you invest in 5 or 7 hand towels you can change them out daily and keep germs down.

I hope this post has been helpful to you. Thanks for reading!