So I just found out that due to most people throwing a lot of trash in my apartment complex into the dumpster that is clearly marked Recycling only, and has a sign on it this is no trash, that because it still has trash thrown in it the town or rather the private company that collects it just has to trash it anyways. So am I even actually doing any good by sorry my recycling in there, even knowing it's just going to be trashed anyways?

I am trying to find a low waste solution for the litter box and cat litter. Because of my landlord's rules due to mice (old house and cold winters), we can't use corn, wheat, or grain-based litter. I can't put kitty litter in the city compost, and wood pellets are out as my cats act as though I sprinkled glass in their box and the prop 65 warnings on them worry me.

I have been using the Breeze box with reusable puppy pee pads and the diacetomous pellets (pee pads get changed out once a day and washed in enzyme cleaner and detergent, but it still smells. My one cat prefers to pee in our toilet. He taught himself, but he doesn't have 24/7 access to it at the moment.

Any tips or advice would be appreciated.

Hello! I'm beginning my zero waste journey but I'm really struggling to find acne-safe bars. For context, I mainly struggle with back and hairline acne and need to wash my hair daily because it's extremely oily. I'm looking into the Kitsch ultra sensitive shampoo bar but the conditioner from the same line is a NO! I feel like every single zero waste haircare option is comedogenic. Please drop any recommendations! Thank you! :)

Has anyone tried these? All the review I see are on their site and that is sus. I love the concept and that they supposedly help hair growth, but I faint trust when all I see are ads on insta and they have a small number of followers and only reviews on their site.

I disassembled some outdoor patio cushions that had seen better days. I have 3 garbage bags full of polyfill that I was going to reuse for more outdoor cushions and a pet bed. Is the discoloration mold/mildew? I haven't tried washing it yet.

Hey all,

I’ve been trying to live a more sustainable life, but sometimes it just feels like no matter what I do, it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the scale of climate change. I’d love to find ways to make a meaningful impact, maybe something measurable and actionable, rather than just hoping every change will add up.

I’m particularly interested in tracking my carbon footprint and maybe even offsetting emissions, but I don’t know how to get access to quantities for consumers. I know offsets aren’t a perfect fix, but I think supporting climate projects that actively reduce emissions is a step in the right direction. We’re always going to emit some level of carbon, so getting closer to net-zero feels like a practical goal I can work towards.

Are there any apps, tools, or websites that help with this? Or ways to make sure I’m supporting projects that truly make a difference?

Let’s talk about what we can actually do to make a difference—any tips or info would be amazing!

i just read an article from an outdoors & sustainability newsletter about green banks. i've never really thought about the money in my bank account being used to fund energy projects - "each dollar you deposit carries a carbon footprint, which can differ by as much as 80%, depending on your choice of bank."

Has anyone switched to a 'green bank'? good experiences or bad? most of the green banks (Amalgamated, Atmos, greenpenny) don't have a physical branch location and i'm worried about that. i dont go into a bank often, but i like having the option.

I use wood pellets for my cat litter, which results in a good amount of sawdust. Not sure if anyone has experience with this, but trying to think of ways to use this sawdust without it going to the landfill. I’ve heard some people use it with compost, but I would have too much of it to use it in my compost.

All ideas are appreciated. Thank you!

I’m now single so I can do whatever I want now. Anyway, I’m always obsessed with rectangular things, I love how soap bar looks. I’ve changed my regular body wash to a soap bar and my skin hasn’t been looking any better tbh also I like the herbally smell. I’m also considering to change my liquid dish soap to a soap bar. I just have a question. Does a dish soap bar get rid of oil? I don’t like when my plates are still left with the oily layer.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I've had this trusty North Face backpack for about 3 years now. It's been through thick and thin with me, but the logo has taken a bit of a beating and is pretty scratched up. Does anyone know if there's a way to fix or restore it?

I'm not sure if there's some kind of paint or sealant I could use, or if there are any DIY tricks out there. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

https://preview.redd.it/iiwyxmv8dg1e1.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1eccd1fef750f5933b5f2da16b0fff25fdd33159

Recently I've started to become more mindful of my plastic use/waste and I want to make sure I'm recycling everything properly.

I'm planning on recycling my beauty/skincare empties through Pact, but I'm not sure if contact cases/blister packs count (they're both #5 plastics). The website said it'll take any caps/closures, so I guess the contact case caps count, but what about the body of the contact case?

Alternatively, I found that Terracycle has a program with Bausch+Lomb that takes the contacts themselves + any packaging involved. But, I've also heard lots of negative things about Terracycle so I'm unsure if they'll actually get recycled through that program. Thanks in advance!

Are there any zero waste deodorants that still have aluminum in them? I can’t seem to find any.

Does anyone have advice on what brand of soy milk maker to buy? I want to buy one for my girlfriend as a Christmas present, but I'm not sure what brand to go with. My budget is $80 dollars, though ideally something more in the $50-60 range would be nice. The problem is, every machine I've seen available to buy online has controversial reviews with half of people saying it's great and half of people saying it broke or doesn't work well.

Does anyone have advice or personal experience with one of these machines?

It says they’re friendly for in the house but it doesn’t say anything about releasing pollutants like many hairsprays and dry shampoos do, what’s a good alternative to febreeze if they’re not eco friendly?

I always been pretty frugal but lately, the algorithm got me and is proposing me things that I like. BUT DO NOT NEED. I also drop from the zero waste train a bit but I still am doing efforts to have less impact on the earth.

So for my finance and getting on board of the train again, I need to not buy a thing other than food, gas and the christmas presents for others (total of 8 persons). I need your help to remind me this : I don't need that thing!

Advent calendars, small toys, appliances, clothes, garden tools. All that is a waste of money if you don't need it or cannot make it yourself for cheaper (I'm looking at you advent calendars!).

Tell me your success stories!

My hunch is many in this community would value hard data on their efforts to reduce waste. In theory it should be pretty easy to measure how much of each commodity your household produces. But the current waste hauling business model makes it difficult to do that.

(A note here: I live in one of the few communities where residents are responsible for selecting a provider to haul your garbage. The service is frequently provided by your municipality.)

First, single stream recyclying means all commodities are co-mingled for collection before being delivered to a highly automation sortation facility - usually called a "MRF". (Materials Recovery Facility)

Second, the name of the game for haulers is scale. They invest very heavily in collection resources - trucks and drivers to pickup and deliver - while spending very little on storage for the customer.

Has anyone seen a different approach that provides feedback to users on what they are generating and provides incentives for producing less? Seems like the vast majority of haulers operate the same exact business model...

We have in our house several T-shirts that are insanely thin, not fit for wearing or donating. I'd have to sew together several layers just to make a decent paper towel substitute, and we have loads of "reusable paper towels" anyway made with good terrycloth.

I feel like they'd be good as cheesecloth in the kitchen, but I don't use cheesecloth. Or sewn together on one end to make a bag for machine washing delicates, but I don't use that either.

Compost isn't available to me and I seriously doubt it's 100% cotton anyway.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

How do you guys store food that typically uses cling wrap to keep it together/store it fresher. For example, spam musubi I’ve always used cling wrap to wrap up the individual servings and to keep the rice together

Anybody know of some quality, trustworthy window blind products that have a wide variety of sizes?

I want to reduce my plastic, but I miss the good lather of regular shampoo. Recommendations for one with a good lather?

Does anyone know where to buy toilet bombs…the kind that you drop in the bowl and leave for about 5 minutes then scrub with a toilet brush? I’ve made them myself as a diy project but it was more work and ingredients than I feel like putting into it at this point in time so I was wondering if anyone can recommend a place where I can buy them? Bonus if they come in paper packaging. They sold them at a refill store somewhat close to where I live but that place has unfortunately since gone out of business. I’d be fine if it was an online store as I could purchase some other things as well. Thanks!

I am looking for a zero waste shampoo with sulfates. I know some people may not like them but for my current needs I need something stronger to clean my scalp. It seems like every bar I find is sulfate free!

Any good ideas for how to compost when I live in an apartment complex and do not drive so do not have access to the transfer station and our town does not have curbside composting yet. I feel really bad about throwing it in the trash but the only other option I have is getting either plastic bags or if I am able to get them, compostable bags, and put the compost in them and then take them to my parents house once every few weeks and compost them in there composter in their yard or at their transfer station. I would probably just have to leave the compost bags in my freezer until I can bring them over to my parents so they don't smell up my whole apartment.

Hi guys! Anyone know of/have experience with a reusable vacuum bag? The miele ones are expensive and the knock offs, though affordable, are so wasteful.

I found one on amazon and might give it a shot; it basically unzips to empty and is made with fabric or something. Not sure if I’m allowed to post the link but this is what it looks like.

https://preview.redd.it/n7sgxt5m5y0e1.png?width=858&format=png&auto=webp&s=0eab4a2aeb7db37a4fec38297416fe385a925c37

Right on the bottle it says you can use in the laundry but I’ve noticed some of my kids clothes still have some oil or stain residue left after ? I’m throwing in like 1/2 cup of borax as a booster as well. Am i doing something wrong ? Smells amazing though !

Hi! Long time lurker, first time caller. I’m a lady (if we’re using a very loose interpretation of the word) who RARELY wears makeup. As a result, I am throwing away a weird amount of mascara: it expires, it dries out, etc. I try to dye regularly instead…but sometimes you need the extra oomph. But I hate trashing so much plastic. Is there anyone who regularly orders from Sephora who would be willing to let me wiggle my way into one of your trial size items? Shooting for less plastic and less product waste.

My town recently set up dropoff bins for food waste that will be sent to a local composting company. I don't have a yard or space for an indoor bokashi setup, so I was considering dropping off my food waste weekly at the nearest bin so it won't go to landfill. The only thing is I will have to drive 5 miles to get there. Will the carbon emissions from driving outweigh the benefits of diverting the food waste from landfill? I don't want to try to do something sustainable but end up polluting more :(

ETA: Thanks everyone for the answers, and pulling me out of my doomerism on this one!! From what I can tell, some people in my town fought against the compost program on NIMBY concerns so I definitely want to support it. I was able to fit my 2 gallon compost bucket in my freezer and based on my trash audit, could go 2-3 weeks before filling it up as long as it doesn't start smelling!