Reducing waste.

lush has bar shampoo

peaname - have you looked into reusuable sandwich bags? www.kitchenstewardship.com/reusable-sandwich-snack-bags-review/

I aim for waste free lunches- a reusable lunch bag, Bento box and reusable utensils with a cloth napkin as much as possible. We use cloth diapers and wipes. I recycle the plastic bags that I do get, but also try to decline them as much as possible. I need to order some aluminum straws and stop using plastic ones when we do eat out. I really believe that small steps add up to bigger changes, so I enjoy hearing what other people are doing and borrowing ideas from them!

Paper towels/napkins don’t bother me too much because in my city we have organic composting bins which get picked up every week with the garbage and they go in there. I do use hand towels in my kitchen to dry my hands. I have a compost bin in my yard. We take our own shopping bags to 5he supermarket. I also prefer bar soap. I always pack a regular metal fork with my lunch instead of a plastic one.

No but I remember seeing it being discussed on some programme so would love to hear your feedback. I changed the link direct to a small producer. I don't know how the prices compare.

I no longer use bottled water,or drinks in plastic bottles, I use a refillable plastic bottle and I have bamboo reusable coffee mug. I use Tupperware boxes instead of using clingfilm. I try and buy the largest size of a product (I know the larger bottle uses more plastic but I’ve worked out it is much less than buying lots of smaller bottles). I don’t use straws and never use plastic carrier bags. Any plastic bags that come in the post , eg plastic delivery bags, I use as bin liners.

I recycle glass, plastic, paper, cardboard, tin cans and tetra packs. But I find the amount of plastic in children’s toys shocking! My great niece loves LOL dolls and everyone of them comes in a plastic ball!

I have seen glass sandwich keepers with a plastic lid or maybe rubber at my Kroger.  Would that work?

Also, about the cloth napkins.  I notice that the Pioneer Woman uses bandannas for cloth napkins.  She has a whole draw of them in all sorts of colors.  Michael's has them fairly cheap and you could even use a coupon.   

I have a pump for shampoo in the bathroom and it's not that big. I will run out in the next while i am sure and i want to re-buy it. The thing is I love that pump container it came in. I am wondering if I can use it for something else maybe? It's not big and not inconvenient. When a hair care product doesn't work for me or DS/DDIL I give them to BFF to dispose of because she doesn't spend money on her hair and likes my products. I figure that is recycling the item right there by not throwing out what I don't use AND the container is getting a second life. That helps her as she doesn't have to buy more shampoo either.

The dumbest thing I buy are razors. I hate throwing them away and I hate taking new ones. I buy them at Costco because they are economical and I have a brand i like and they work. The packaging is all paper and plastic so it is easily recyclable but it's so much packaging. Plus I get a new shaver included in the package. I gave one to BFF, I have one for traveling and i have a new in package one for DDIL when she comes to visit. I hate this part of grooming, but I will still do it.

just make sure to buy COTTON ones - or they won't be absorbant. They get better as you use/wash them [we use bandanas as handtowels for Girl Scout camp - no paper towels in the bathroom, it's all bring your own bandana and I've been irritated lately that the ones handed out as cookie incentives as too synthetic to work well]

I don't know if it makes all that much difference, but I generally buy beauty products in the largest size available. Since it takes me forever to use up, say, a gallon of shampoo (an exaggeration, I'm sure) I'm only tossing one shampoo bottle into the recycle bin a year. I also try to buy products in concentrated form when I can. The packaging is much smaller and I reconstitute in reusable containers. I started using Castile Soap (biodegradable and nontoxic) in 1977 when I worked for USFS and still use it today.

Just little stuff like that. I reuse what I can. I have reusable produce bags. I either use reusable grocery bags or get groceries in paper bags and use them for garden waste. Those get dropped off at the city Yard Waste Collection Center. A friend with a truck and a trailer picks up larger tree branches for the YWCC. Compost is free to all.

If I can't get to the drop off, I put the paper bags curbside and they are collected along with the trash for our Bioreactor Landfill.

All glass, cans, and most plastics go out for curbside recycling on a weekly basis, and I take HHW (household hazardous waste) containers to the city collection point.

Sometimes we can only do the best we can do. I didn't plan it this way when I moved here, but I'm really proud of the recycling services available here in CoMo.

I mostly use bar soap or look for handsoap I can refill. I try not to buy produce with multiple types of packaging - especially fruit and veg. I recycle and also compost food waste at home.

We pay a few more pennies per egg and purchase them in cardboard cartons so we can re-cycle them. Our city does not re-cycle styrofoam.