Making the switch from single-use products to more sustainable options in your home has likely been on your mind for some time now. Zero-waste began as a trendy catchphrase approximately 10 years ago but has quickly become a significant minimalist movement and business in recent years.
If you cringe each time you tie up another trash bag filled with paper waste, these environmentally friendly tips will help you work toward an eco-friendly home.
Why reduce paper waste in your home?
Eco-friendly options to use instead of paper products
While many have switched in the last decade to digital versions of their favorite periodicals, there are still a variety of ways households produce extensive paper waste.
Dawn, a mom of four, runs the YouTube channel The Minimal Mom, where she shares tips and tricks for living a minimalist lifestyle with kids. "I try to deal with anything and everything as it comes in the house now so that we don't have these piles sitting around. The key is actually sorting it as it comes into the house," she explained in a recent YouTube video about reducing paper clutter.
Here are other ways to reduce your family's paper consumption and/or make it more eco-friendly:
- Opt for having your receipts emailed to you when making purchases. Many retailers now offer this option, and it'll make your life easier come tax time, too. The last thing your accountant wants is a shoebox full of receipts and documents. Switch to a program like eStatements to digitally corral all of your remaining paper receipts and other important papers in one place.
- Pay attention to the packaging on things you buy, and opt for products that use minimal and recyclable packaging.
- Opt for eco-friendly personal care products like Thinx period underwear or reusable menstrual pads instead of the potentially toxic paper and plastic versions.
- Bamboo toilet paper is another fairly easy swap to use instead of traditional toilet paper. Bamboo is a renewable resource that grows quickly, readily making it a more eco-friendly option than traditional toilet paper.
- Recycling paper waste can reduce waste by 50%. When making copies or printouts you realize you don't need, simply bind unwanted paper and use it as scrap paper for math homework, or let the kids use it to create nature journals.
