I used to think my recycling bin was enough, but seeing a single plastic bag stuck in a tree outside my apartment for three months straight made me realize how much waste I still create.

What's one small daily habit you've changed that actually cut down your trash?

4 comments

4 Comments

the_thomas2mo agoTop Commenter

Switched to using a bar of dish soap and a scrub brush instead of buying those plastic bottles of liquid soap. One bar lasts me months, and I just refill the same little metal tin. It cut out like six plastic bottles a year from my kitchen alone. That bag in the tree feeling is the worst, it just sits there mocking you.

claire_grant342mo ago

But what if the goal is to not make the trash in the first place? Recycling feels like a pass to keep using stuff once... it just delays the problem. My change was stopping bottled water cold turkey. I got a filter for my tap and a bottle I actually like carrying. It seems tiny, but not buying that plastic every day changed how I see all the other packaged stuff I used to think was normal.

kaigibson2mo ago

That's a solid swap, but those plastic dish soap bottles are usually recyclable. The real win is getting rid of stuff that can't be recycled at all, like chip bags or cling wrap. I started using beeswax wraps for leftovers instead.

the_leo2mo ago

Actually, a lot of those plastic bottles aren't getting recycled even if they can be, which is exactly what @claire_grant34 was getting at.