Even since I went to college, I have been interested in sustainable and reusable products. As of now, I don’t have too many reusable products, but I have been looking for more items to further decrease the amount of waste I produce. In this list, I have included both practical and unique items in hopes of illustrating not only the practical possibilities for these products but also the wide range of these products.
- Practical: Bamboo Utensil Set
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I always beat myself up for using plastic cutlery, although most of the time I use it because I have no other option when I eat at certain places. However, I realized I could quell my guilt if I had a bamboo utensil set. Bamboo is a hot material in the “less waste” lifestyle for its compostable, durable, and long-lasting properties. Food safe stainless steel is another great reusable material due to its durable and recyclable qualities.
- Practical: Cotton Cloth Napkins/Not Paper Towels
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Say “no!” to wasting paper napkins and towels! You can use these at home, take them with you to school, work, or wherever else you go.
- Practical: Reusable Silicone Sandwich Bag
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Instead of using plastic bags or plastic wrap, you can use, wash, and reuse food-grade silicone sandwich bags. Silicone is long-lasting and can be recycled in facilities that accept clean, non-food-soiled silicone.
- Practical: Mouthwash Tablets
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For years I have been buying the giant plastic bottle of mouthwash, and I have never thought of an alternative until I heard of mouthwash tablets that can be dissolved in a cup of water. These tablets often come in a glass jar that can then be recycled or reused for anything!
- Practical: Tooth Powder
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Recycling toothpaste tubes can be difficult if the facilities in your area can’t process this type of waste. Many times toothpaste tubes are thrown away, even though technically they can be recycled in a multi-step process, which also may turn people away from recycling them. So, how about cutting out the tube entirely and opting for less packaged items such as tooth powder to dip your brush in and tooth tablets to chew and then brush.
- Unique: Bubble Tea Straw
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I think I’m probably the most excited about this product because I adore drinking bubble tea, but don’t like to use the plastic straw. So, when I saw this straw just for bubble tea, I thought it was so cool!
- Unique: Reusable Ear Swab
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This would make for a great gift for my sister because she uses this every day, and the ones she uses are not reusable. So, this could be an opportunity to invite her to slowly start checking out more sustainable options.
- Unique: Natural Wool Dryer Balls
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Instead of using single-use dryer sheets, these reusable dryer balls could save a lot of single-use waste.
- Unique: Biodegradable iPhone Case
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My mouth slightly dropped when I saw one could purchase a biodegradable iPhone case, who would have ever thought! It is made from 55% Flaxstic and 45% Flax Shive, and according to the products company website, Pela, Flaxstic is “a combination of flax straw ‘waste’, plant-based biopolymers, and recycled materials” (Pela). Not to mention, flax shive supplies impact resistance and compostability to the Pela phone cases.
- Unique: Plantable Greeting Card
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I stumbled upon these little gems on this amazing website, Package Free, which sells, well what the name implies, package-free products. I highly recommend this website to get a good sense of the variety of products one could use for less waste or package free living. According to the website, these cards are made from “biodegradable eco-paper that is made from 100% post-consumer recycled materials collected from schools and businesses (no trees harmed in the making!)” And wildflower seeds are embedded in the paper, so you can plant your card in the ground and it will grow flowers. How awesome? I now need ten of these! As a final note, as the website suggests, be sure to check that you are not introducing any invasive plants into your area before you plant your card, but when you’re all set, the words on the cards will bloom into radiant flowers.
Reusable and sustainable gifts are really the gifts that keep on giving! What sustainable swaps are on your wish list?