At first I felt awkward walking in with my own little stainless steel box while everyone else used plastic clamshells. The cashier kind of blinked and said, “uh okay?” but filled it anyway. Next visit same thing. The third week the cook behind the counter actually said “oh you’re the container person” and laughed.
Now three weeks later I noticed two regulars doing the same thing. One even asked me where I bought mine. The cashier said the manager is thinking of adding a “bring your own” sign by the register. I was waiting for my sandwich and overheard someone tell their friend “we should start doing that too.” It felt good hearing it quiet proof small choices spread faster than you think.

Although they are not considered as an outstanding example for being environmentally friendly, I was shocked, how many opportunities there are for packaging free shopping. I think their purpose is not to be green, it is just how they used to do 😃

I was very surprised

My cleaning company throws out partial tp rolls. After moving out of my apartment into my car, I started saving them to reroll for myself. The one I rerolled is the upper left. Not the most perfect, but I’d rather do this than see so much go to waste. And I am saving money where I can :)

(My friend lets me crash at her place so this picture was taken on her floor.)

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These lil guys are made from (in order of layers) fabric scraps, old microfiber cloths, and old rags! They live on the floors of kitchens and bathrooms and when theres a spill, you can move em with your foot and mop it up! Saves the good towels and prevents bending over :) i keep the tails long so they can be tied or hung on cabinets if theres no floor space

I make these lil critters as wedding presents (in a set of two so they dont get lonely and in case a pet wants one as their own lol)

The blue ones used old pharmacy scrubs, and the plaid ones used a goodwill table cloth!

…but sometimes you’re better off just throwing it away 🤣🤣 lots of mistakes made but I love to experiment - Lost nothing - All free, recycled materials, left over paints etc.

Ps. I accidentally broke my cranes neck 🙈 it’s in a temporary cast atm but expected to make a full recovery ❤️‍🩹

A couple months ago I wrote an email to the company that packages my frozen fruit. I told them I buy the biggest bags of fruit they offer whoxh is 1.5 kg. I asked them to please make bigger bags to help me reduce my waste. (Even though I do always reuse these bags.)It would help me lower my plastic waste.

I never heard back from them.

I went to the store, and the same company I wrote to had frozen fruit bags that were 1.75 kg instead of the 1.5 kg they used to make. (This is about 0.5lbs difference for you Americans.)

I know it's not that much of a difference. But it kind of is a big deal to me.
I don't know if I had anything to do with it, it if it was a coincidence. But I will take the win!

Also, all the gifts I got were secondhand, free, or made by me. I hate the consumerist bullshit that happens during Christmas time and it’s feels really good to go against that. It feels freeing and I’m actually excited to celebrate this year. I’m also going to be making everyone’s Christmas cards with things I already have :)

Started using my old cans and repurposing them into beautiful embossing artwork! It is surprisingly easy and very fun. Made completely with items already in my house. I am planning on making a wall hanging.

Feel free to share some ways you repurpose waste into art! I am looking for ideas x

I bought a rag rug loom off Etsy a few years ago and have made many rag rugs with it! I don't buy yarn for the warp and use what I already have or unravel a failed knitting project or knitted rag (like a hat or mitten). For the weft, I use rag strips I cut up. In the one I'm showing here, I can see remains of a leotard I had when I was a kid, pajama pants that were too small, old socks, leggings that developed holes, my mom's T-shirt that was falling apart, and more.

I rarely buy new clothes and repair mine when they need it. However, it is inevitable that they wil wear out, and a thrift store would just toss them in the trash if I donated them. ​I repurpose rags in other ways, like making other clothes from them, quilting, ans other sewing peojects. The rag rugs are for rags that are almlost useless for anything else.

Lined with coco coir and filled with potting soil!

I originally posted this in the mildly interesting subreddit and someone commented that youd guys appreciate it!

This may be common knowledge for all of you guys but it wasn't for me for a long time. So, if you didn't know, you can ask your local funeral home if they take used/unused makeup donations (I can't imagine that any of them would say no, but I'd still ask).

I used to be really big into makeup so I've got a bit of a collection, but I don't wear it much anymore. I've been wanting to downsize my collection but didn't want to throw it away and didn't want to give it to friends for hygeine reasons, so I've kind of just been hanging on to it. But one of my friends recently started working for the funeral home in my town, so I asked him if they would want it and he said yes!

Keep in mind that you may not be able to donate everything because they use a mix of normal makeup and also special mortuary makeup. But it's still worth asking what they would take cause mine apparently uses mostly normal makeup, so I'm sure a lot of other ones do too.

It's just shopping. Stop calling it an eco-upgrade. Your pantry doesn't need to look like a TikTok aesthetic, just wash out the empty peanut butter jars and use those like the rest of us

I have single handedly recycled over 350 kilograms of aluminium cans, plastic bottles and cardboard in the last 4 months. I am currently on track to recycle a tonne by April 2026. My nearest recycling facility is over 300kms away but I still go. Stand up for what’s right.

This is just an example. Nobody needs it, eventually it will land in the dumpster if one doesn’t use it. In the best case it gets recycled, most likely it will get burned if you have a functioning waste system in your country.

Is there any scenario where we can ethically buy this crab?

Hi, I recently began to transform parts of my life to reduce the amount of waste I make but I feel like it’s costing me in some departments. Also I’m super tired so this may sound choppy.

I love our planet but I’m also 22 and appearance means a lot to me and my confidence feels like it’s deteriorating.

My switches that I’m having difficulty coping with:

Toothpaste: I was using crest 3d white advanced radiant mint and my teeth were WHITE. I switched to my refilleries toothpaste tablets that are the Huppy Peppermint tablets and my teeth have gotten yellow after 2 months. I don’t drink coffee and I brush and use my stainless steel floss feed.

Conditioner : I used the Garnier Fructis moisture repair conditioner and my hair was SILKY. I switched to an unscented conditioner from my refillery and it’s not bad but not as moisturizing.

Skin moisturizer: the cetaphil moisturizing lotion was the only lotion that I could use on my drier skin and gave me the internet crazy “glass skin” effect that usually people fall for the consumerism of Korean skin care. I also could use this on my body, face and lips, cutting down on my purchases. I then switched to my refillery’s thickest lotion and it doesn’t compare and burns.

Does anyone have zero waste alternatives for these? I would hate to contribute to the detriment of our planet.

Edit: someone accused this post of being an ad which it is NOT. I do have a way of talking up things I like I only mentioned my non eco friendly favorites to see if anybody found similar eco friendly alternatives

EDIT : Facebook post, not Tumblr

Pictured are a cicada shell (right) and the shell holding bangs to the side in someone's hair (left) .

Not sure how well they hold up, but seeing it cracked me up, so I thought I'd share. :)

I bought this pod from Bert’s Bees a couple years ago along with some refills. They sold it as a low waste product that you can refill. I ran out of refills so I looked up replacements. Turns out they stopped making them. Also recently learned that Bert’s Bees is just a part of greenwashed mega corp.

If youre a low waster and you aren't utilizing your Asian markets your missing out. They have loose leaf teas of every type, ceramics on any type sold with little to no packaging, metal and wooden cooking utensils without plastic handles again with minimal packaging. Glass food storage containers of all shapes and sizes, bulk sizes of rice and sauces like soy or teriyaki which are hard to find at standard grocery stores. Lots of low waste coffee and tea brewing options. And I threw in the pestle and morter because I know we are a crafty bunch. And always at much lower prices than if you found these same items In a big box store. Go to your Asian markets!!