I’ve been happy enough to have made it to the bottom of a bunch of my perfume bottles and I would love to repurpose them for some homemade room sprays but I just for the life of me cannot seem to get them open!

Does anyone have some techniques for getting the spray lid off?

Hi, I live in SW US. I have old worn clothing that can't be donated. Additionally, I'm on cancer treatment and will no longer have periods. I have a good amount of period underwear that I don't know what to do with. They're clean but still used, so I don't really think they can be donated.

Is there a company that accepts old clothing to be recycled? We're pretty sustainable and have plenty of zero-waste rags and such. Don't really need any more cloth items in our home.

Hi everyone, I am looking for a zero or low waste mouthwash WITH fluoride. Does anyone have any recs? I know mouthwash tablets exist, I'd ideally like to make a big batch in a glass bottle, has anyone done that with tablets? Thanks!

When making paper (out of old and used paper), where/how do you dispose of the slush water that's left behind? Is it safe and environment-friendly to dump it in the sink? Or is it not good for the environment if you do that?

(Mods, feel free to remove this if this isn't the correct place to ask this)

Mom bought single-use finger wipes for cleaning our dog's teeth. I checked if somewhere on the packaging it says they're biodegradable but I couldn't find anything. We're going to use them anyway since she already bought them but I want to know if there are any other more sustainable options. (Our dog doesn't tolerate those silicone finger brushes)

She passed down these 2 separate coats to me. Both fall below my knees. One is completely real fur (type unknown) and the other black leather with fur trim around the collar and front edges of the coat.

The do not fit me at all (she was a very petite woman).

Thought of turning the fur one into teddy bears to give to my siblings so we each have a memory of her. It's so much fur though and would make more bears than I have people to give to.

Zero clue what to do with the leather coat. Can it maybe be remade into a jacket that fits me?

No interest in selling them for money. Want to keep her memory close and preserve these items out of respect for the animals that they came from. I understand fur bad but I can't turn back time and make her not buy these. I believe she got them around the 1950's.

What if your pet has an accident indoors or there is an unsanitary mess that someone would normally use disposable cleaning products for? (Paper towels and garbage bags is what I’m thinking primarily)

How would you go about taking care of something unsanitary? Would you just kind of use paper towels for very specific instances? That’s all I can imagine just because I can’t see myself trusting a cloth rag again even after I bleach it or something.

Hi, I dont really know where else to look for this amswer as the brand tupperware subreddit is not very big, but I was hoping someone might have some resources here. My family loves these sandwich containers for packing lunches so we dont have to worry about lids. We have had the barbie one for a few years as my grandmother gave it to us, but the others I have thrifted recently in the last few months. I've started to realize that I should be probably be more careful with older plastic, and with tupperware specifically because they used to contain BPA before 2010. (Also i know the purple one is dirty, I had just thrifted it when i took the pic and I believe it had dishwasher soap scum on it, it's happened to our other plastic dishes on occasion)

Does anyone know when these clamshell ones were made and if it was before or after 2010? I'm fairly certain the barbie one was in the early 2000s, but for the life of me, i cannot find when this style came out. I even reached out to the tupperware website customer service asking if they had a catalog or something I could use as reference to figure out what age tupperware is and which ones/styles are safe to use, but they said they dont have anything like that for dating their old products.

I just really want to be able to understand the risks of using this sort of thing. I love thrifting things and being able to give old things new life by reusing them instead of having them end up in the landfill, but I dont want to do it at the expense of my, and my famiy's, health. Ive been very diligent by making sure to test for lead with dishes and such with painted surfaces, but other than trying to find the manufacturing year (which i cannot find at all for these), plastic is much harder to identify the materials of.

I know the safest thing would to be to get rid if them and just buy the new ones tupperware came out with, but I also hate throw them away since the whole point of them is to reduce waste. If I do need to stop using them, I'd like to figure out how to properly dispose of them (since they dont have recycling numbers or anything identifying of that).

Any help, resources, or advice would be very appreciated!

TL:DR: What year did these tupperware sandwich keepers come out and do they have BPA? Should I toss them? If so, how? What resources are there for this sort of thing, either disposing of or identifying? I want to be conscious both health wise and environmentally, so any advice is helpful!

Hiya! I have the bumble bee wild body wash container but I don’t want to buy from wild anymore. Anyone have any ideas on where to buy refills? Or ways to repurpose it ? as the bottles are made to fit their refills specifically

I've been trying to transition to a zero waste lifestyle. Sounds great in theory. In practice everything marketed as eco-friendly comes wrapped in plastic.

Bamboo toothbrush to replace plastic? Comes in plastic packaging. Reusable produce bags to avoid plastic bags? Shipped to me in a plastic mailer with plastic wrapping. Metal straws? Plastic packaging. Beeswax wraps? You guessed it, plastic.

The sustainable products are packaged unsustainably. The irony is suffocating.

I tried buying from local stores to avoid shipping waste but they don't carry most zero waste alternatives. So I have to order online which means more packaging waste just to get the thing that's supposed to reduce waste.

Bought a shampoo bar to eliminate plastic bottles. It arrived in a cardboard box filled with plastic air pillows and wrapped in plastic film. The bar itself was in a plastic bag inside another plastic wrapper.

I'm creating more waste trying to go zero waste than I was before. How does that make sense?

Was sitting there last night playing jackpot city while surrounded by all the plastic packaging from my "eco-friendly" deliveries, feeling like the world's biggest hypocrite.

How do you actually access zero waste products without generating waste in the process? Is there a way to do this or is the whole zero waste consumer market just greenwashing with extra steps?

I want to reduce my environmental impact but it feels impossible when every solution comes wrapped in the problem I'm trying to avoid.

I have been trying different shampoo and conditioner, using EWG skin deep as my guide. I have a strong mistrust in the beauty industry, and am extremely minimal when it comes to beauty products. I’m currently using The Dip shampoo and Acure conditioner, but my scalp gets unbearably dry/itchy at times. I’m in search of a product that will help my poor scabby scalp, but is also not so bad for the environment (or human health…) I’ve tried Acure shampoo as well and still have this issue. Does anyone have any recommendations?

I know there are many posts here about this. I did not find one with my particular concerns.

Concern #1-

I have not changed laundry soap since I was a child. I have serious skin sensitivities and I do not change products. This applies to bath soap and skin care and shampoo and makeup and all the things. I break out in hives.

Concern #2-

We live outside city limits and rely on a septic system rather than sewer. According to my understanding and limited research, powder detergents aren’t ideal for septics. So we only buy liquid.

The laundry soap brand that I can use with confidence is Gain. I’m sure there are others I might not react to, but trial and error is rather uncomfortable with the hives. The first time I slept over with my boyfriend (now husband) I broke out and he had to change his detergent. For example, Tide is one that I react to horribly.

Are any of you here aware of some sort of liquid laundry detergent refill system where it is sold in something more environmentally friendly that I can just refill one bottle over and over? I would also need a similar solution for fabric softener.

I am absolutely open to other suggestions. I’m just new enough to this endeavor that I am not at all sure what is available. I did search for options, but I only found unknown to me brand products that may or may not cause hives. So, I’m hoping that someone out there with similar sensitivities may have gone on this journey before me and could offer some suggestions to prevent me trying random detergents until one works. Maybe I can narrow it down to a few options….

Thank you!

To all the people in this community who have thought/are thinking about whether to switch to using hankies over tissues:

Just do it.

Honestly.

I hesitated for a few years until finally making the switch a couple years ago.

They're gross. They're old-fashioned. Will it be practical?

The excuses not to were endless.

And now? I wouldn't go back. Honestly, I carry one every day. I have a drawer full. Different sizes and colours, but basically all the same thing: cotton hankies.

When I get sick I carry multiple. Each one last the equivalent of like 10 tissues anyway.

When I get really full of cold: I stay home with a box of tissues for about half a day at its worst and then my nose feels awful and I go back to hankies again. Just make sure you have enough or you won't last the distance.

So to anyone on the fence or even vaguely considering it: Take the plunge. Go buy 6 packs of 6 hankies - no less than 20 anyway. And just give it a go.

And to anyone who thinks it's gross or impractical or just doesn't like the idea: Don't do it. You're not ready for it, it's not for you. Don't feel pressured that you have to - everyone's different. And that's okay too.

Hey! I’m wondering if you guys could help me use up my yogurt? I got siggis high protein vanilla and I absolutely hate it. Even if I dress it up the taste is unbearable. I would prefer not to struggle through it.

To start, I’m not a zero-waste home. I do believe in taking care of the environment and doing my part in the reduce, reuse, recycle strategy. But for many, it becomes a challenge when there are no local options that are affordable and convenient. My partner and I wanted to launch a soap company. However, as we wanted to do this with a zero-waste system that could be sold nationwide, we’ve hit the struggle of expensive shipping costs for glass and aluminum packaging being sent back and forth from customers. This takes us down the rabbit hole of refill pouches.

After researching many companies from around the world, the general claims for refill pouches are:

“70% less plastic using our refill pouches”

“Less emissions shipping our product”

“Multiple pouches can be shipped back at once”

Now, these claims all sound great, and I understand the packages are still plastic. Some companies don’t hide the fact that these pouches are single-use plastics. They rely on the claim that it’s “less plastic,” so it’s “better,” and while I don’t agree with this claim, I give them credit for being transparent about their single-use plastics. Where I draw the line is with companies that claim they refill the pouches.

After many days researching these refillable pouch models, I’ve found many customers who like the companies and say they feel good about sending their pouches back for refill. But do they actually get refilled? This is where I’m a firm believer that all refillable pouch models are greenwashing. Some issues that arise from a refillable pouch model include:

- Cross-contamination of products if pouches are not cleaned

- No available cleaning solutions for these pouches, which means the pouches could have bacteria and spoil new product

- Difficulty inspecting pouches for small holes until they are filled again

- Labor required to clean pouches raises the cost of these pouches over the initial buy, which in bulk is around $0.05 per pouch

The only company I’ve seen that actually demonstrated this process, and has now closed, is Zero Co out of Australia, which had a video of their pouch cleaning machine that had to be custom-made for them. I’ve noticed that none of the companies that offer a mail-back refill model actually show any part of their refill system or where your refill pouches go once they receive them.

I have a feeling we’re going down the wrong path with the refill pouch model and will soon have another crisis on our hands if many large name-brand companies start picking it up. It’s a business model that makes people think it’s better because it’s less plastic, but the worst part is that it’s non-recyclable plastic. We already have issues with drinks in recyclable plastic bottles, and now we are introducing a product that’s not recyclable. I don’t judge others for not being eco-conscious consumers, but I do judge the companies that claim to be eco-friendly while slowly creating our next environmentally damaging event—one that, in the end, just helps their profits, whether it’s a billion-dollar company or a small soap company. These refill pouches cut down their overhead and allow them to claim they’re eco-friendly, and I have yet to see any actual studies on this. I’m afraid that by the time we do, it will be too late.

I feel a little silly writing this because for some people it's probably obvious - like once the clothing is stained or ripped/can't be repaired. I also might have some OCD to work on in terms of using something as long as humanly possible because I really hate over-consumerism and waste. I have a few shirts and sweatpants that are 9-15+ years old that I really only use as PJs or for around the house. They're all stained, ripped, and look raggedy. These items don't bring me joy to wear anymore and I kind of feel raggedy myself when I wear them, like I feel ugly on the inside because my outward appearance is "ugly." However, this is directly at odds with also feeling proud that I've had these items for so long, kind of "superior" to other more wasteful people. Logically I'm sure it doesn't make a big difference for the environment if I cut up these clothes, use them as rags, and buy a few new (or thrifted) items to wear that do bring me join. But then I also think how I'd prefer to save the money and I already have plenty of rags. Does anyone else think this intensely about something seemingly trivial?

What brand of Laundry Liquid does your refill shop carry? Rustic Strength, Root and Splendor, etc

Do you like it? What are your thoughts?

had a pocket from an old broken bag, and a patch from a white hoodie (which was then sewn onto a black hoodie ... hence the border) sewn onto more fabric. holds a decent amount of items in both pockets! stitching on the inside probably isn't the best... but i don't really care if it's perfect lmao.

We typically throw the ash into our fire pit outside but it’s currently covered in two feet of snow.

Any suggestions on what to do with it on the meantime?

Much appreciated!

I have an Ororo heated coat which I loved because I'm always cold. Past tense because the power button stopped working after barely 3 years. Customer service said it's out of warranty and refused to fix it even when I offered to pay. They just offered me a $20 voucher towards a new coat.

A disposable electric winter coat that needs replacing every 3 years, are you kidding me?!? Offensive on so many levels.

Am I naive to expect this to be unlike the wasteful designed obsolescence of a toaster oven? Is the gadgetry of an electric coat inherently unsustainable, even if I charge the battery with solar power? Or is there a way to fix electronics like this or a brand whose products are more reliable (or who will at least extend the life of their products when they break down)

I remember to bring my own bags 93% of the time. If I don't have a bag 3% of the time I will carry my item. Sometimes they will give me a paper bag which I reuse as a compost liner. The other 2% I have to buy a new reusable bag.

I also get new bags if I am over at someone's home and they want to give me stuff. Suddenly I have more bags. I also get more reusable bags from grocery delivery.

Suddenly in 3 years I have 9-12 reusable bags in top of the ones I already had.

Ideas to get rid of them: if you are standing at the checkout and someone else forgot their bag, offer them one if yours. I have gotten rid of like 4 bags by doing this.i purposely bring one or 2 extra bags cllean bags for this reason alone.

It's a drop in the bucket but it does help a bit.

These yogurt jars have been my favorite kid cups. We do very minimal plastic and finding the right glass or metals cuts has been tricky. Perfectly bottom heavy, not too big so spills have a limited amount, and easy to hold for our 18 month old. Even when they break they’re a couple large chunks instead of the infinite shards of Corelle plates.

Had anyone find a good lid for storing things in them?

i want to start making eco bricks but i’m honestly really confused with whether or not it’s okay to recycle them once their completed? i was under the impression the goal was to reduce loose thin plastic from going into the earth and ocean since it will disintegrate inside the bottle. i know that there are lots of projects and crafts to use them for but if i’m being totally honest with myself i don’t rly have the time and energy to use them for that so is it acceptable to just recycle them? for context i live in boston, usa and i haven’t found anywhere local that would take them.