• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • HOME
  • Love+Life
    • Adulting
      • This is the Story of My Life
      • I Hired a Life Coach
      • Why is Making Friends as an Adult so Freaking Hard?
      • My Biggest Insecurity… Money
      • My First Experience Using the Grocery Delivery Service Shipt from Meijer
      • Reusable Solutions: 8 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste
    • Wedding
      • Our Destination Wedding at Flora Farms
      • Our Intimate Courthouse Wedding
      • The Real Reason We Got Married 3 Months Before Our Wedding
      • How Much Does it Cost to Get Married at the Courthouse?
      • Our Couple’s Shower at Chateau Aeronautique Brewery & Winery
      • Our Tropical Wedding Invitation Suite from Minted
      • Slow Down & Enjoy Your Engagement with Modern Wedding by Kelsey McKinnon
      • The Best Little White Dresses for Your Bachelorette Party and Bridal Shower
      • Moody, Tropical, Boho Wedding Mood Board
    • Marriage
      • Married to Medicine
      • 5 Books to Improve Your Romantic Relationships
      • What If I’m Not Made to be a Mother?
      • The Real Reason We Got Married 3 Months Before Our Wedding
      • A Letter to My Almost Husband
      • Our Engagement Story
      • We Met on a Double Date
      • Finding Love After Heartbreak
  • HOME DECOR
    • Home Tours
      • Modern, Vintage Victorian House Tour
      • Paint Colors: As Seen on Instagram
      • Naked (The house, not me) Tour
    • Makeovers
      • Mudroom Makeover on a Budget
      • Mud Room/Laundry Room Progress Update
      • Black Bathroom Inspiration + Updates on Ours
      • Black & White Kitchen Renovation Inspiration
      • My $500 Kitchen Refresh Reveal with Cost Breakdown
      • Entryway Makeover: A Before & After on a Budget
    • Seasonal & Holiday
      • Holiday Home Tour 2018
      • Black & White Christmas Decor
      • Seven Ways to Make Your Home Feel Like Fall Without Holiday Decor
      • Fall Front Porch: Modern, Creative Ideas
      • Thanksgiving Tablescapes: Unique, Modern & Moody Fall Place Settings
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Fitness
      • My Battle with Chronic Headaches & Migraines + How I Found Relief
      • May is Mental Health Awareness Month
      • Why Every Entrepreneur Should Workout
    • Travel
      • Three Days on the Amalfi Coast: Italy Trip
      • A Magical Trip to Tulum, Mexico: On a Budget
      • La Lastra Winery Tour Sienna Italy
      • Transportation in Italy: What I Would do Differently
      • Vacationing in Costa Rica: Everything You Need to Know
      • Our Lake Michigan Weekend Getaway in a Tiny Cabin
    • Style
      • Zaful Swimwear Review + My Cheeky Honeymoon Bikinis
      • Beach Honeymoon Style Inspiration
    • Beauty
      • My Simple Skincare Routine
      • Getting Hair Extensions? Here’s What I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me
      • My 5 Minute weekday Makeup Routine
  • Business
    • Blogging
      • Affiliate Marketing: Make Money with Your Blog
      • Six ways to Monetize Your Blog and Social Media
      • How to Make Money Blogging
      • How to Manage a Blog When You Work Full-time
    • Entrepreneurship
      • Four Ways to Nail Your Business Finances
      • How to Avoid Isolation When You Work from Home
      • Empowering Quotes for Your Phone Screen Background
      • 12 Books Every Female Entrepreneur Should Read
      • The Power of Batch Working & Time Blocking as an Entrepreneur
      • Stylish Laptop Bags: Weekly Round Up
      • Seven Chances to Email Your List That You Might be Missing
    • Social Media
      • 5 Steps to Getting Ahead of Content Creation & Planning
  • SHOP
    • Home
    • Organization
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Sustainability
    • Workout
  • WORK WITH ME
    • Brand Collaborations
    • Wedding & Events
    • Digital Marketing Services
  • ABOUT

Miranda Schroeder

A millennial girl's guide to home, life & love.

Reusable Solutions: 8 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste

mirandaschro| Home+ Lifestyle

Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste by Using Reusable Solutions | Miranda Schroeder Blog #zerowaste #sustainability #minimize #savetheplanet

This post contains affiliate links. Thanks for keeping my creativity afloat.

If you have been following me on Instagram for awhile, you know that we have been trying really hard to reduce the amount of waste generated in our household with reusable solutions. It’s been a slow process. We tried to go cold turkey, and found that wasn’t realistic for us.

After that, adding back in products with wasteful packaging felt defeating, BUT I wasn’t giving us enough credit. It’s all about progress, not perfection and that goes for you, too!

You don’t have to be an extreme zero waster to make a few small changes that can have a big impact on your waste generation, so here are some waste reduction tips for people who are NOT zero waste! 

Disclosure: There are still tons of wasteful, disposable things in our home that can be replaced with reusable solutions. 

This seems like a no-brainer, but our consumerist society is used to constantly buying more, more, and more. I was in that trap. Shopping was a “feel good.” I had to completely shift my mindset from more to less. From I need that, to I just want that, and I really don’t need it at all. My wallet was very happy with this!

When it comes to recycling, it’s actually a bit more complicated than you would think. Now that we live in Michigan, we get 10 cents back for cans and bottles, so obviously we recycle those! But, I had to do my research on all the different types of plastics and what is and is not recyclable. I was shocked. You can read more on that here.

Armed with this new knowledge, we are able to buy plastic products that are recyclable. Almost everything we buy today can be recycled, however, we still buy some things that have to be sent to the landfill (sad face). Part of that is because we are meat eaters, and meat packaging is one, contaminated, and two, not able to be recycled. 

Reusable Shopping Bags

I’ll start with the most obvious! Reusable shopping bags and grocery bags are a must. Plastic bags can’t be recycled at most locations. If you use a mixed recycling service, your plastic bags could be negatively effecting the recycling process. They can clog up the machines that sort everything out in the recycling center, so quit consuming them!

The hardest part about this switch is remembering your bags when you shop. I have started keeping our grocery ones in my car. Half the time, we still forget to bring them into the store, and Andrew has to run out to the car to get them.

Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste by Using Reusable Solutions | Miranda Schroeder Blog #zerowaste #sustainability #minimize #savetheplanet

Say Goodbye to Paper Towels

One of the first things we got rid of around the house was paper towels. We would go through these like water, especially since we had a puppy at that time! Getting rid of paper towels while potty training a puppy makes perfect sense right? Well, that was the hardest trial, and we made it through. We haven’t bought a roll of paper towels in almost a year (money saver)! 

When we moved into our house last fall, I bought all new linens, and we had kept the old mismatched ones. Now, we use those as rags for anything and everything (yes, even dog poop). I have nice microfiber reusable rags that are specifically for the kitchen. I love them. On a related note, our friends ask us if we are going to put our kids in cloth diapers because of this… still out for debate. 

Reusable Food Storage

We quit buying plastic bags. We do use reusable plastic meal prep containers for most of our food storage. Some people completely swear against plastic, but we don’t have a problem with it. There are also great reusable options for saran wrap. We have been using beeswax wrap and we love it! It’s convenient and easy to clean. Cloth sacks are also great for storing dry goods like nuts and pasta.

Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste by Using Reusable Solutions | Miranda Schroeder Blog #zerowaste #sustainability #minimize #savetheplanet #foodstorage

Trade Dryer Sheets for Dryer Balls

Don’t you hate when you go to the grocery and you have to buy all the extra expensive stuff like laundry detergent, dryer sheets, paper towels, dishwasher detergent etc.? It always racks up the bill. I saw reusable dryer balls and was like “bam, another little thing we won’t have to waste or spend money on.” I use six balls in every load and they actually help the clothes dry faster which saves energy, too! Win-win.

Soap, Shampoo & Conditioner

Instead of buying liquid hand soap or shower gel, we switched to bar soap that comes in cardboard packaging. We use it for hand washing and in the shower. When it’s gone, it’s gone and we don’t even have to think about recycling.

Lush recently came out with a shampoo bar that doesn’t come in plastic packaging dissolves with use. It’s on my list to try, but right now I am in love with the beauty, love, planet shampoo and conditioner. It works wonders on my hair and comes in a bottle made from 100% recycled material.

Wiping Your Butt

Do you ever feel like you buy toilet paper ALL of the time? We humans use a lot of TP. We switched to a 100% recycled, non bleached toilet paper from Who Gives a Crap. A big box shows up at our door in recyclable packaging. It’s also super cute! I’m also interested in trying this brand from Amazon.

Brushing Your Teeth

We swapped out our plastic toothbrushes for bamboo ones! Bamboo is compostable, so every time we buy a new brush, we won’t have to throw ours in the trash.

We also traded in our plastic tubes of toothpaste for homemade toothpaste. I’ve shared the recipe on my Instagram stories before, and tons of you were going to give it a try. 

  1. Two parts organic coconut oil
  2. One part baking soda
  3. Drops of edible mint or peppermint oil to taste
Easy Ways to Reduce Your Waste by Using Reusable Solutions | Miranda Schroeder Blog

#zerowaste #sustainability #minimize #savetheplanet #bamboo #toothbrush

Makeup & Makeup Remover

In all reality, I rarely wear makeup anymore, so that plays into reducing. I haven’t needed to purchase any since we started this journey (yep, like 9+ months). However, I do wear it occasionally, which means I have to remove it. Confession, I used to be obsessed with makeup remover wipes, but I felt so wasteful!

I had a couple bottles of solution in the closet, so I pulled those out. Use dedicated washcloths for this because, yes, it does destroy them. When they get covered, I simply throw them in the wash. Once the bottle of remover is gone, I will recycle it. This is my first time running out of remover since we started this journey, so when I go to buy, I might find a better alternative. However, I did order a set of reusable makeup remover pads.

Zero Waste for Beginners | Miranda Schroeder Blog

8 Reusable solutions for your home.

www.mirandaschroeder.com

#zerowaste #sustainability #minimize #savetheplanet #bamboo #toothbrush

Shop My Favorite Reusable Solutions

Trust me, we are not zero waste. We still make tons more waste than I would like to admit. After about 4 or 5 months of completely changing our consumption habits to extremely cut down waste, I realized it just wasn’t worth giving up some of the things we love (like broccoli & cauliflower). So silly that we are forced to buy those in saran wrap, but that is the reality in our town. Any other non-zero wasters out there making small changes at home? Drop your tips in the comments.

Let’s Make this Friendship Official 👇🏼

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mindy says

    April 23, 2019 at 1:45 am

    I like to use jajoba oil as a makeup remover. Works great!

    Reply
    • mirandaschro says

      April 24, 2019 at 2:04 pm

      That’s so smart! I use it on my face at bedtime already 😀

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome Friends

I’m a newlywed living in Indianapolis, Indiana with my hubby and two pups, Porter and Piper. I wear a lot of hats, like blogger, marketing manager and small business owner. I believe everyone has the power to create a home, life & business that they LOVE. Don’t forget to subscribe for all the juicy updates I send out each week!

Subscribe

Find Something

Blog Categories

rug source

The Latest

  • Bumpdate: 24 Weeks & Feeling Pregnant
  • 6 Packing & Moving Tips to Maintain your Sanity
  • Baby Schroeder’s Nursery Reveal
  • 10 Meaningful House Warming Gifts for 2021
  • Doc’s House: A Before Home Tour

What I’m Pinning

  • Winter Wedding Ideas | Micro Wedding | Pandemic Wedding | January Wedding | Vintage Style Wedding | Long Bridal Veil | Chapel Veil Length | Church Veil Length | Affordable Wedding Dresses
  • Shortly after applying to programs, Andrew started getting calls and emails for interviews, which was exciting! There were opportunities coming in left and right from all over the country. | Married to Medicine | Match Day | Residency | Fellowship | Doctor | Life | Love |
  • Never before in history have women had such control over the decision to prevent pregnancy. This is a completely new choice we are facing. And while we navigate the landscape of making that choice, there are also so many other beautiful stories of motherhood. I strive to share the deepest darkest parts of my heart here, but I know that my story is only one perspective. That’s why I wanted to bring in other amazing, strong women with stories to tell and experiences to share.
  • A Modern, Sophisticated Baby Girl Nursery with Vintage Touches and Persian Rug | Miranda Schroeder Blog @thoughtfullythrifted www.mirandaschroeder.com
  • Playful Colorful Wedding Bohemian Wedding Ideas Colorful Wedding Dress Tattooed Bride Soutthwest Inspired Wedding Thoughtfully Designed Co
  • Baby Schroeder's Feminine and Sophisticated Nursery Reveal | Miranda Schroeder Blog Neutral Nursery | Gender Neutral Nursery | Vintage Inspired Nursery | Baby Girl Nursery | Persian Rug for Nursery www.mirandaschroeder.com
  • Baby Schroeder's Feminine and Sophisticated Nursery Reveal | Miranda Schroeder Blog Neutral Nursery | Gender Neutral Nursery | Vintage Inspired Nursery | Baby Girl Nursery | Persian Rug for Nursery www.mirandaschroeder.com
  • Playful Colorful Wedding Bohemian Wedding Ideas Colorful Wedding Dress Tattooed Bride Soutthwest Inspired Wedding Thoughtfully Designed Co
  • Establishing Boundaries Changed my Life & Business Miranda Schroeder www.mirandaschroeder.com
  • Winter Wedding Ideas | Micro Wedding | Pandemic Wedding | January Wedding | Vintage Style Wedding | Long Bridal Veil | Chapel Veil Length | Church Veil Length | Affordable Wedding Dresses www.thoughtfullydesignedco.com
  • Provencial antiques and modern design: decorator's home in Hamptons | PUFIK. Beautiful Interiors. Online Magazine

Bumpdate: 24 Weeks & Feeling Pregnant

6 Packing & Moving Tips to Maintain your Sanity

Baby Schroeder’s Nursery Reveal

Two years 🖤⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ Two years ago, we woke Two years 🖤⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Two years ago, we woke up in our house, put on some semi-fancy clothes, grabbed a drink at @18thamendmentspiritsco headed to the courthouse and got married.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
Even though we had a dreamy wedding in Cabo months later, this was hands down the best day. The day I became your wife 😘⁠⁠
⁠⁠
I love you Andrew Schroeder. You really are my soulmate.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
https://mirandaschroeder.com/courthouse-wedding/⁠⁠
We moved FOUR times in 2020. It's a long, exhausti We moved FOUR times in 2020. It's a long, exhausting story, but here we are. Finally in our, dare I say, forever home 🏡⁠⁠
⁠⁠
I had tons of requests for moving tips, and you can now find them on the blog! My husband refused to rent a moving truck on our last move of the year because it was a mile down the road.⁠⁠
⁠⁠
FYI Regardless of how far you are moving, 10/10 do NOT recommend. It was absolutely horrible. Our other moves during the year were pretty seamless! #movingtips #newhousewhodis
That clean room feeling 🖤 I’m so glad we are That clean room feeling 🖤 I’m so glad we are keeping the door off of this closet. It lets in so much light + it’s motivation to keep it clean 🤪 #bedroommakeover
Guess what is on the blog this morning! The nurser Guess what is on the blog this morning! The nursery is officially my favorite spot in the house 🖤 This tiny little room was a total labor of love, but it turned out cozier than I could have imagined. Looking forward to all the snuggles, feedings and diaper changes in here 💞 (words I thought I would never say).⁠ {link in bio + stories}⁠⁠
⁠⁠
⁠⁠
⁠⁠
⁠⁠
⁠⁠
⁠⁠
⁠⁠
#thoughtfullythrifted #nurserydesign #babynursery #girlnursery #vintage #sodomino #currentdesignsituation #apartmenttherapy #myhousebeautiful #finditstyleit #currenthomeview #mydomaine #designsponge #mybhg #bhghome #myhomevibe #bohemianhome #persianrug #vintagerugs #thisiswhyihavetothriftshopeveryday #ihavethisthingwithrugs #housetour #mydomaine #pocketofmyhome  #myeclecticmix #myhomevibe #homeblogger #mypinterest
Happy Valentine’s Day Husband 🖤 Life with you Happy Valentine’s Day Husband 🖤 Life with you is one wild adventure & I can’t wait for little miss to join us on the journey! #sappy #vday #bemine #happyvalentinesday
Welcome to our empty living room! Everyone keeps a Welcome to our empty living room! Everyone keeps asking about this paint color & it’s actually wallpaper that was here ☺️ It’s one of the few papers we decided to keep. But enough about the walls, look at those FLOORS 😍 So much more to do in this room but I’m stopping to celebrate the progress & reminding myself that #hometakestime 🖤

Footer

Disclosure

This Site is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Subscribe

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Connect

hello@mirandaschroeder.com

Book a Call with Miranda

Copyright © 2021 · Florence Theme by Code + Coconut