{"id":2148,"date":"2019-04-07T20:30:04","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T01:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kierstenhickman.com\/?p=2148"},"modified":"2019-08-14T21:43:17","modified_gmt":"2019-08-15T02:43:17","slug":"40-swaps-that-will-reduce-your-plastic-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kierstenhickman.com\/40-swaps-that-will-reduce-your-plastic-waste\/","title":{"rendered":"40 swaps that will reduce your plastic waste"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Let me start by saying this: I am not perfect at this. Last year I embarked on a journey to reduce plastic waste in my life. At first<\/g><\/g> I attempted to completely eliminate plastic by living a plastic-free lifestyle<\/a>. While it was liberating to feel free of my cumulative waste, I found the challenge of it to be overwhelming. So I took some time to re-evaluate my plastic-free journey<\/a>, and to reflect on the plastic waste I could actually control. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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While it\u2019s sad to say that I\u2019m not 100 percent plastic-free, I can confidently tell you that there are A LOT of ways I have been able to minimize the overall waste in my life. I made some easy swaps in my life that have felt perfectly natural to do in my every day life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Living with someone else? Don\u2019t forget to compromise.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over the past year, I\u2019ve watched my husband conform to the changes that I\u2019ve made around our home. He\u2019ll compost food scraps, use reusable bags or containers, and will do what you can to choose the non-plastic option. He\u2019ll even make sure to buy me flowers that are wrapped in paper!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there have been a few compromises that we\u2019ve had to make. There are a few swaps that he just isn\u2019t comfortable with. So in the spirit of marriage and, well, getting along, I decided to compromise on a few of these swaps. But that doesn\u2019t mean I do my best to pick the most ethical practices for that item as possible!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First rule of thumb, USE WHAT YOU HAVE.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Remember the three words that we all know so well? Reduce, REUSE, and recycle!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is absolutely no point in throwing out items you already have. Use everything up! Do not let any of those products go to waste. It took me over a year to make all of these swaps, simply because I was waiting for my products to finally run out. Reducing your waste will take TIME. Be patient with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, don\u2019t bother buying something if you already have it. Have a coffee keep cup already? Use it! Lunch containers? Use them! Reusable grocery bags? Those, too! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People get caught up in trying to \u201clook\u201d like a zero-waster, but it tends to be incredibly wasteful at the beginning. Truly evaluate what you already have before buying more stuff. There\u2019s no reason<\/g> to throw anything out if it\u2019s in usable<\/g> condition still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, when something truly has run its course, make the swap. Here are some of the items that I\u2019ve swapped out over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ways that I swap out plastic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n