Sustainable Swaps at Home

Sustainable at-home swaps that help the environment and save money

1- Swap ziploc bags to reusable and washable silicone bags

* Avg american used 500 ziploc bags per year. Safe for dishwasher and fridge

2- Swap plastic saran wrap to beeswraps, a natural alternative for food storage that is 100% biodegradable

3- Swap reusable paper towels for reusable towels. The avg american uses 2 rolls per week, approx $182/year. A reusable paper towel costs $30- $60 for 2-3 years instead $350

4- Swap toilet paper to a bidet. If everyone used one less roll of toilet paper/year - it wouldsave 423,900 trees plus cost of to ($180/yr) Vs bidet ($30-$80)

5- Swap disposable plastic razors to stainless steel razors. EPA estimates that 2 billion razors and plastic refill blades get tossed in the trash every year. Safety Stainless steel razors are built to last for years and the only waste is the steel blades, which can be recycled

6- Swap cotton balls for washable bamboo rounds- 1 box of reusable bamboo cotton rounds saves approx 8,900 gallons of water and replaces 4,000 single use cotton pads or 160 packs of disposable makeup wipes.

7- Swap dryer sheets for wool dryer balls- they shorten drying time which saves time, money and energy. Usually lasts 1,000 loads and they don’t emit harmful chemicals like dryer sheets. You can also add essential oils for a nice scent.

8- Swap a regular shower head to low flow- 20% of water consumption comes from showers. With low flow you could save 2-3 gallons per shower.

9-Swap light bulbs to energy efficient LED light bulbs- reduce carbon footprint and save money on energy bill using 75-80% less energy.

10- Swap utility company- to a go green option.

* Article by Paula Aguayo