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Life

Different Ways to Reduce Your Waste

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Drexel chapter.

 

There is more and more waste getting dumped in landfills every day, and it may seem like little changes don’t mean anything. However, tiny little drops can make a huge wave of change (from Disney’s Make a Wave haha). Here are some suggestions that you could incorporate in your daily life. Some are pretty small and don’t take too much effort and others are more time-consuming, so do what makes you comfortable.

1. Bring your own grocery bags

Image courtesy of Peas and Hoppiness

You can get canvas bags for cheap online (or anywhere, to be honest). They’re less likely to rip up like the thin plastic ones at the store. You can get different sizes for different items too.

2. Invest in some beeswax paper

Image courtesy of Monimal

Plastic wrap and aluminum foil can get expensive in the long run. If you have the means to buy some beeswax paper, it can be a great investment. Beeswax paper is reusable, so you will decrease your waste and also save money.

3. DIY at-home products

Image courtesy of Get Inspired Everyday!

I’m not talking about making your own foundation and eyeliner, but there are a lot of ways to make things like deodorant, lotion, and detergent!

4. Compost

Image courtesy of Earth 911

I know it’s not the ideal way to deal with food scraps, but if you can and want to compost, it’s a great way to reduce what you put in a landfill.

5. Reuse glass jars

Image courtesy of The Happiest Home

When buying things like pasta sauce, wash the jar after you finish and use it for other daily items.

6. Buy a bamboo toothbrush

Image courtesy of Briut Essentials

The bristles on bamboo toothbrushes aren’t compostable, but hey, better than using a full plastic one, right?

7. Buy items in bulk

Image courtesy of Today

If you have the means, you can bring your own containers, and buy your items without having to use a disposable one.

8. Stop using paper towels

Image courtesy of Labient

You can buy cloth squares to replace them since paper towels can accumulate into a lot of trash. You can reuse the cloths by simply washing them.

9. Invest in a reusable straw and cleaner

Image courtesy of Etsy

Invest in a metal or glass straw and you won’t have to worry about sea-life choking on a disposable one you used. I get the whole reusable straw thing can get annoying, but hey, all trends can get annoying. If more people stop using plastic straws, it can have a huge impact on the environment.

I hope some of these suggestions seem feasible for you to introduce them into your everyday life. No matter how small the change, it’s still a change.

Diane Nguyen

Drexel '21

Diane Nguyen is a Drexel University senior from Boston, Massachusetts. As a Global Studies major and Criminal Justice and Chinese double-minor, she is interested in human rights, specifically immigration and environmental law. She also hopes to volunteer for the Peace Corps and be a part of a nonprofit organization that helps child sex trafficking victims recover from their trauma.
Her Campus Drexel contributor.