At this point we should all know that recycling of plastic isn’t happening as we all would expect. Much of it winds up in the ocean killing wildlife and causing a ridiculous amount of pollution.

Breaking the plastic habit is almost impossible. I’ve been trying to do it for years but I’m determined to do better this year. When we travel I always bring at least 1 reusable grocery bag which has actually come in handy since many countries don’t give you plastic bags anymore or you need to pay for them. I also found a conditioning bar that I like but would like to find some other alternatives. I rarely use shampoo so I bought a shampoo bar and that is weird but once I learned out how to use it it’s not too terrible.

I found a store that has refillable products, I just bring in my own containers and they will refill them with whatever cleaning products or body products I need. Toilet paper is difficult, while I can find some that is not wrapped in plastic I found that I can order a huge box of Scott toilet paper on amazon that doesn’t have have any plastic wrap. Grove also has bamboo toilet paper that comes in a box and you don’t have to buy quite as much if you don’t have storage space.

Grove also has bamboo paper towels which I just ordered but I haven’t gotten yet so I don’t know if they can compare to bounty. If I have to use more of something it’s not worth it to me. I tried just using washable rags etc…but when you have as many animals as I have sometimes disposable is best.

Grove also has plenty of cleaning concentrates that I just found in CVS as well that you just add to a bottle with some water and voila you have cleaning solution. Laundry detergent has been an issue. I tried the detergent strips but they don’t always dissolve leaving detergent on my clothes. I found Dropps which has detergent pods but instead of coming in a big plastic tub they come in a cardboard box (recyclable) so I’m going to give them a whirl.

Something I never thought about was my prescriptions. Yes those little yellow bottles that the pharmacy gives out in droves. I decided enough is enough and asked if they can just put my pills in a bag and guess what they did! I bought little 2oz glass jars from amazon and transferred the pills to the jar stuck my prescription label on the front and yay no plastic bottles.

I am going to leave a list below of products that I’ve found and places I’ve found that have sustainable products that can help you reduce your plastic waste as well. Do you have any tips for reducing single use plastic?

• Dropps – has laundry detergent pods, dishwasher detergent pods
• Blueland – has toilet bowl cleaner tablets, dishwasher tabs, laundry detergent tabs, cleaning tablet refills
• Grove Collaborative– Sustainable cleaning products, toilet paper, paper towels, Swedish dish towel, soap refills, toothpaste pellets
• Zero Waste Tours – Shampoo and conditioning bars, cleaning brushes, brushes etc.
• Shift – has sustainable products, gives workshops, you can refill any containers with their products. They also sell reusable containers.
• Reusable grocery bags – 5 bags in a small carry container that you can clip to your cart.
• Rareform – bags made from recycled billboards