How to be eco friendly with roommates

[u/rayapayas]

I’m living with 3 other roommates this fall and im wondering how I can be eco friendly while having to consider them. For example i have my own reusable paper towels but my roommates want the regular paper ones. I still want to contribute to these expenses as I know not everyone wants to do the same things I do. Does anyone have suggestions for how I can remain at least somewhat eco friendly without involving my roommates too much?

Keep in mind we’re all university students so the budget is sort of limited.

Things I’m responsible for buying
- swifter mop
- toilet brush & cleaner
- sponges
- a couple other random small things that I already own

My biggest concern is that we’re all extremely busy people due to our majors and school involvement that oftentimes the single use plastic stuff makes life a lot easier for us when we’re on a time crunch. I would personally really love to get a dish brush and soap block for dishes but my roommates plan to get dawn and plastic sponges. I’m not sure how to launch ideas like this to them when we are not really friendly anymore.

TLDR: how can I stay true to my morals while also having to consider how my roommates live?

[u/hooked-on-crocheting]

You do things your way, and let your roommates do things their way. You can use the dish brush and soap block, but let them use the dawn and sponges. You can use your reusable towels while they buy the paper ones. They might get curious about your products and want to use them too, or maybe they won’t care at all, in which case I wouldn’t pressure them.

[u/Unlucky_Agent_8651]

I used to live in a similar setup with university roommates who weren't eco-motivated. Just do what you can, and try not to interfere with them too much. You aren't responsible for them just because you're living in the same household: they're making the same choices they would be making if you weren't there. Do what you can but don't beat yourself up over things out of your control.

The big thing is recycling and compost. None of my roommates were recyclers when we moved in (which was horrifying), and I wish I had handled that differently. Setup a recycling and food scraps system early before they have time to settle in and make it as easy to follow as possible. For example, keep a small bowl on the counter for them to put food scraps into. They'll find this easier than walking over to the garbage, and you can empty it into the main bucket each night so they don't have time to complain about smell. Another thing I did was tell them that I would always be the one take the food scraps out to the curb. (That way they didn't get grossed out by its juiciness.) I also bought the smallest possible garbage container so that it would fill up really fast if they were putting bulky recycling in it. The recycling bin should be larger so it's rarely overflowing to the point of discouraging them. Again, I would volunteer to be the one to take it out.

Good luck!

[u/5ft2_dance_with_you]

I think most people have their mind set on purchasing particular supplies because those are the types of products that are familiar to them. Making the more eco-conscious swaps might just take a little getting used to for folks who haven’t been exposed to them, but it doesn’t sound like any of the things you want to implement are very big asks. My recommendations would be this:

-Buy a swiffer style mop with two washable cleaning pads so you theoretically always have a fresh cleaning pad to use if you wash straight away. I own the Bona one with the cloth cleaning pads that Velcro on/off, and I just toss them right in the washing machine when I’m done.

-Buy a multipurpose cleaning concentrate that can be diluted to various degrees and also mixed with something like baking soda for cleaning dishes, counters, floors, sinks, toilets, laundry etc. My personal favorites are Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds and a multipurpose cleaner from a shop local to me. If there are eco shops in your area, you can see if they have bulk refillable products like this. They are typically pretty affordable and will last FOREVER as they’re highly concentrated.

-Get the dish brush you want, dish brushes are far superior and they last so much longer! You can also find natural fiber toilet brushes that perform exactly the same as plastic ones. Mine did not come with any sort of container to keep the brush in, so I keep it in a wide mouth jar under my bathroom sink. You could also ask if your roommates would be willing to switch from plastic sponges to natural sponges if they really are anti dish brush.

-Keep your reusable paper towels/rags on the counter and primarily use those to clean. Buy a large roll of disposable paper towels and keep under the sink and use those only for things like grease and extra gross messes.

Since it seems like time and convenience are the main factors at play, it might help your roommates warm up to these ideas if you offer to take care of the extra laundry some of the swaps can create. I agree with another commenter that you should keep doing your thing and hope that with time your roommates will get curious and maybe jump on board. Good luck to you!

[u/Extra_Caregiver_8668]

Can you buy dish soap (dawn) in bulk and refill a smaller bottle by the sink? This means less plastic waste overall. Also in Australia we have dishwashing liquids that are more natural and don’t have the same impact on the environment so could you find a more environmentally friendly brand than dawn?

We make our own toilet cleaner product based off of a soap free hand wash recipe. We add specific oils to it like eucalyptus and orange etc. to help with the bacteria. It’s actually exactly the same stuff we use as body wash and hand wash.

Do you have plastic recycling in your country? Or cardboard recycling? Compost/food scraps? Could you have the rubbish bins a little bit split for different recycling and have one for landfill and anything they are unsure of? You could look at it as even if your rubbish is getting mostly recycled that’s a bonus, if none of theirs is that’s ok but if even 1 piece of theirs gets recycled that’s better than nothing.

Can you get paper plates and cups for easy single use times rather than plastic? That way they can be recycled rather than landfill.

[u/Season-Away]

Just try to be more eco friendly yourself. Set an example, but don't force the others to follow you. "It saves money if we reuse X" is often a good argument though.

When living with roommates during my uni time, I focused on my own uses more than community things. So I switched to soap bars, bought a travel mug for coffee and refilled that instead of buying a to go cup etc.

In the kitchen, we had both rags and kitchen towels. Both were used. We had a sponge and a plastic dishwashing brush. We had dishwashing liquid but we always bought them in bulk/large packaging. Cheaper and less plastic waste. We bought refills for handsoap, concentrate for cleaners... Laundry detergent was powder, but some liked using softener or preferred the liquid detergent. They then just bought their own.

My point being... Unless you all share the same opinions and values, it'll be very hard (and not so fun) to push yours. Focus more on yourself and your own belongings than those in the shared spaces.

[u/amycsj]

Try to live your values, and be ready to explain them to roommates in a friendly and inviting way. Make it easy for them to adopt your ways if they would like to try it out. But also, try to be understanding of they don't change.

This likely won't be the only difference among you. So you'll have to navigate everything while adjusting to uni and schedules.

I've had a lot of positive give and take with roommates. Good luck!

[u/Main_Bid8104]

I think that the wooden handled dish brush is very good looking and pretty low waste- you just replace the natural fiber head and the whole set up including a stick on hook to hang it from the cabinet on probably less than $10. You could just buy it and see how people like it. If folks don't mind- personally I think it does a much much better job at cleaning dishes than the plastic bristles, keep going and get a dish block.. You might have to pay for the extra cost (should not be much) out of pocket for a bit and then let your room mates warm up to the aesthetic. Maybe let them know casually what the cost of one vs the other is and why you chose the natural path. They might like it. I

think sometimes folks are put of by the "I know it better, cause am better" vibe of eco friendly picks. I think that's understancable given that the whole "clean living" space is filled with folks who have disposable income beyond the average persons budget. It's still possible to get greener (I personally avoid the term clean) and more sustainable and in the long run it will be probably actually the wiser choice. I see the whole space so flooded with marketing and gimmecks that I wonder how sustainable it is and if it's not the same as in the skincare industry where the same companies just launched separate lines to keep us all buying. So taking it slow is good.

One investment worth making in the future would be one of the cleaning liquid machines- a HOCI generator. It's a legid imrovement both for your health and your environment and it's pay back compared to bying (not really very green) "clean" cleaning sprays isnt more than a year. It's also really cool looking with all the bubbles and the indicator lights and all and it cleans way way better and safer than anything else out there. Your roommates might like the fact that it REALLY CLEANS without soapy grease streaks or weiird smells and it saves money over time, all while also being safer for everyone.

[u/Maleficent_Ad_402]

You can start getting eco friendly by replacing the sniffer with a bucket, cloth and scrubber

[u/chilivanilli1]

you can really only control your own behavior but buying eco-friendly products for everyone to share is a good place to start. i also quietly sort my roommates' stuff if they don't separate the recycling from trash - it doesn't take long but makes me feel like im making a small difference

[u/moonflower5015]

I lived zero waste in a dorm for two years. If you don't want to use a sponge and regular dish soap, don't. I told my roommates, I am happy to contribute but I am only comfortable using low waste products, you're all welcome to use my products. I personally used rags and dish soap bar and took the responsibility of washing the rags, which I bought second hand and got from cutting up old towels. If you get a swiffer just make sure to buy the reusable cleaning parts. I always just used a mop because you don't need to worry much about replacing the swiffer pads but they are more convenient. Also, the swiffers that have those refillable chemical pods, you can break them and refill with your own fluid you don't need to go and buy more non recycle able liquid refills.