I’ve been using a metal safety razor for a while and I love it. Cheaper, better for the environment, easy to get a great shave. But I’ve flown with my razor quite a bit now and I’m always stopped by TSA for it. I never leave the blades in the razor, but they always want to open it and check. They make me throw away any loose blades I pack too, so I have to have a checked bag just for this tiny thing. I don’t understand this because disposable ones have a blade too, but just slightly harder to access. Am I doomed to a slightly longer TSA experience forever? Any advice?

Someone said this to me, when I said that I mostly get second hand clothing to be more sustainable. What do you say to that? In a way, it's true....

DO you say...

1. If you'd like to be more sustainable, use what you have first.
2. If everyone had a mixture of new and used clothing it would be way more sustainable.
3. Some clothes are on their 4th life, and still look great.
4. I think we have enough used clothes to clothe us for a long while. YOu should check out the Chilean Desert clothing pile.

I didn't know how to answer that, and I would like to have a great reply for next time. Please help.

Trader Joe's peanut butter jars fit mason jar lids and vice versa.

Hi all, 

I am compiling a map of zero waste shops in the UK on google maps.

I’m just saving each zero waste or repair/reuse/borrow type shop to a "list", so that anyone who has the link to the list can see all of the zero waste stores saved on their Google Maps.

The Resources section of this sub says that there is a UK map of zero waste friendly shops, but this is no longer available (deleted by the owners) :(

Would anyone like to add places to the map? Just let me know in the comments or DM me and I'll send over the link to edit it. (Once it has a decent amount of places on it I can also share the link for everyone to view, if the mods are OK with it).

Thanks!

I want to buy some bags for piping royal icing. Usually people use disposable plastic ones so that they can use multiple colours with customizable tip widths. Because of this, I do not want to use a reusable bag like silicone or wax coated fabric.

I found these plant based cellophane bags which seem like a good option because it says they are commercially compostable (and I live in a city that composts). Here are the bags: https://clearbags.ca/gc35enf.html

I just want to make sure that these are truly compostable and not just greenwashing.

I invested in a perfect little artificial tree years ago in my first apartment, that i intended to last me a lifetime. I moved and dont have it here this year, but i will next year. So i need something for just one year. Not interested in a live tree as my cat is a nutjob who absolutely would find a way to poison herself or eat a lot of needles or something.

I looked online and the problem im having is a lot of the options i could find are either a lot of plastic that i then wouldnt have a use for the next year, or they wont allow me to hang my ornaments on them. I love hanging the ornaments and stuff. Our space is also small, not a lot of wall space, and i have a roommate that i think might riot if i brought something too big in.

Anyone have any suggestions? Very open to DIYing something if it can be made with the contents of a normal household+ a decently well supplied craft stash. I have access to a lot of cardboard so i was thinking of trying to make something out of that and poke holes for the ornaments. Thanks!

Edit: thank you for all the suggestions! I ended up finding a rosemary tree at a little garden shop, which is great because my rosemary plant kicked the bucket this summer!

Hi everyone, I work for a research university and we supply embroidered lab coats to our students. However, once the lab coats are no longer usable, they are being thrown in the trash. Some of them are barely soiled or have tiny little holes that prevent the reuse of the coats. Does anyone know of a company or process or place to send these coats to that can reuse them or repurpose them in some way? There's got to be more we can do than just throwing them in the dumpsters... any help is greatly appreciated! (located in Chicago area)

Winter is on the way and chances are your winter coats and jackets have been in storage. Keep the zippers lubed up to avoid breakage.

Hello

I was given a pair of hand me down boots by a friend who is an EMT last year. I didn't need to wear them last year, as I didn't go anywhere during the winter to require them, but as the snows hit, I realized they are exactly a whole size too big for me and therefore slide around while I wear them.

He said he gave them to me because as they are a requirement for his uniform, he gets new ones every year, and since I can't afford my own, hed rather I have them than donate them to the thrift stores here where they'll end up in the garbage.

They're the best boots I've ever gotten my hands on that weren't second hand military boots, which a few years ago went for $100 a pair, even the ones that weren't waterproof. And these ones are very much waterproof.

Id like to know how I could make these fit better, besides lacing them up tighter. I usually wear a mens 10.5(USA) and these are an 11.5. when I step my foot up, especially in the snow which is what I need these for, I feel my foot come up without the boot if that makes sense. I know I could benefit from orthopedic insoles, but I don't think that would take up as much room as I need. It isn't so much room at the toes, as it is I feel my heel coming up by a lot of room, which makes walking around in my "no one ever makes it safe to walk when it snows" city difficult, though less so with the traction.

I just really don't want to have to spend $100+ on boots that I can't afford to right now, especially when I know for a fact these ones are waterproof, and I can't tell you how many times "waterproof" shoes and boots have turned out to not be waterproof.

No more toilet tissue waste, hurrah

Feels like almost everything we can do with friends during our free time involves some form material consumption and waste

Can we talk shoes? We're at the point now where my family wears out shoes vs out growing them. We keep the worn pairs for garden and yard work but I hate just throwing out old shoes. Is there a place that recycles old shoes into something? or can fix and donate them?

Am I the only one that has found that these bags that usually look like this always end up failing and not being able to be closed after only about 4 uses? I don't understand how they canhave so many thousands of positive reviews.
Note: I never used them in the dishwasher or the microwave.

Does anyone know of good resealable reusable bags that last longer than ziploc and are easier to wash but aren't expensive like Stashers?

Ok, this is huge. I have, since posting this, come across the solution to this problem and it's so big I wanted to share. If you already know this then great. But I imagine there will be tons of people who don't.

All you have to do is run the smallest drop of vegetable oil or anything else inexpensive (no need to use your Sicilian first-press extra virgin Nocellara olive oil on this) with your finger tip along the seal on both sides. Even the bag that was hardest to close will glide effortlessly with a satisfying click at the end. I just saved 20 bags from certain disposal doing this. Try it!!

I'm looking for a non tablet option for toothpaste. I'm ok doing the tablets but my spouse won't. I'm looking for a plastic free option with fluoride that is not tablets.

Preferably in a tube. I could do a glass jar.

Finally using up the last of my bottled lotions before purchasing from our local refillery and this bottle has been a straggler since it's glass and the remnants are refusing to move. Had the idea to reuse the straw when a relative got a slurpee from the gas station.

Although I'm straw free, I learned that the slurpee straws from 7 eleven are rated for home composting.

I see many reviews for the best bio degradable garbage bag but I can’t find any solid reviews on the environmental impact of the production of the bag. Most of them seem like green washing rather than an analysis that includes CO2 emissions, byproducts of the production, etc. in addition to durability of the bag. Any idea where I might find this?

Thanks in advance!

Hey all,

Without giving a ten paragraph backstory, I'll simply say this: I'm feeling so deeply discouraged. "You cannot do all the good the world needs, but the world needs all the good you can do" doesn't seem to cut it anymore.

When you get down to it, being more environmentally friendly is a less cost effective lifestyle that includes more hassle than a typical consumer's lifestyle.

What is the point when our next US president is going to "drill, baby, drill", when every company offering an affordable product uses child labor, doesn't pay living wages, or downright dumps so so much waste onto our planet?

From my viewpoint, we're doomed. Clear cut and simple. We aren't going to be able to make the large changes needed to save our planet, not unless companies stop lobbying which will never happen. Thousands of us could write lengthy letters, or peacefully protest, but what good will it do? Trees will still be cut, oil will still be stolen.

The consumer can only do so much, and without getting all consumers on board, these companies who are really responsible will not change.

What is the point in going through the hassle, in spending more money, when in a couple decades we will be screwed?

Need some advice, please.

Every year I make Mulled Wine as a gift for my close friends. I normally buy 2/3 cup mason jars but this is now year 6 and it seems so wasteful and expensive. I know I could ask them for them back but before I do or before I add that as a tradition this year thought I would ask does anyone have an alternative that maybe is compostable so it removes ‘stuff’ that people have to store and is not damaging to the environment?

As title says, I’ve got a bunch of shirts from high school that I don’t wear anymore. I’m hesitant to donate them because they’re all pretty specific and don’t know if they’d even be something other people would want. I have plenty of sleep/cleaning shirts and more than enough rags, so I genuinely don’t know what to do with them. A couple examples of the shirts I have are honor society shirts, shirts from theatre shows, and some organisation shirts.

Looking for something to give the women in my family for Christmas that is low waste. I have made a bath scrub before. I enjoy herbs and I've been thinking about making a pot pouri or bath bombs or something along those lines, but none of those options feel right. Maybe a fire cider? Does anybody here have any good ideas along those lines?

I was wondering if anyone knew if these dog chews would still be ok after their best by date being Jun 1 2024. Thank you!

hi! I have a handful of old earrings that I don’t really wear. these aren’t nice earrings (think basic studs from years ago bought at random clothing stores). I feel bad throwing them away but I don’t really know what else to do with them. any ideas?

Hiii I’ve had my eye on a few low waste products but I’m hesitant to use some as I find essential oils and heavy butters can be irritating to my scalp. Although I have a coily texture and thick hair, my actual strands are fine and prefer lighter/water based hair products.

Does anyone have suggestions OR maybe another 4B/C friend can point me in the right direction?

I have a ton of text books from high school. When I was in school, we had to buy them ourselves. They started to provide them for free right after I graduated. I’m happy that kids get free books now. I’m also annoyed that right as they made the change, they also changed the curriculum. So I probably can’t even donate them, since they’re all essentially expired and worthless. All I can think of is a fire starter, but I have a LOT of books.

I Crocheted a blanket to get rid of some scrap yarn I didn’t want anymore instead of tossing it, but it’s kind of ugly and I really don’t want it anymore. It takes up space I don’t have. What do I do with it? I don’t want to throw it away, or for it to end up in a landfill. (And no, it is not compostable— as someone who knits & crochets people randomly give me synthetic yarn they have for no reason and I try to repurpose it.)