A few years ago, in 2020, I read an article about our world's top 5 trash items most commonly found in landfills, and honestly, I wasn’t surprised to see that in 2025, they are still the most commonly found landfill items. These items were, and still are, cigarettes, food wrappers/ containers, plastic bottles, plastic bags, caps, and lids. Now, I don’t smoke, but I have used all the other items on that list several times before. Over the past few years, I have had many battles with reducing plastic waste and finding other alternatives to help our planet. Starting this journey was not as easy as I thought, but I would love to help anyone hoping to start the same journey.

Plastic is everywhere, in our homes and throughout our everyday lives. Although it might seem impossible to avoid plastic,t I promise you there are straightforward steps you can take to reduce your plastic waste.

Have a reusable bottle and food containers:

One of the top two ways to reduce your plastic waste is to have a reusable water bottle and reusable food containers. This has become much more mainstream over the past few years and has even had some setbacks regarding the overconsumption of reusable bottles. Still, the main idea is excellent. Having just a few good quality, nontoxic bottles that you can reuse for years and years (a lifetime would be the most eco-friendly) will cut out all those plastic bottles that we don’t need. You can even just keep the plastic bottles that you have bought previously on hand and use them till the end of their life cycle.

I also like to use my bottles for the stickers I collect.

Don’t be shy about bringing your reusable bottles and containers with you wherever you go so you can avoid plastic from coffee shops, gas stations, fast food restaurants, and regular restaurants. When you order a coffee or any drink at a shop, ask them to put it in your bottle, or when you get takeout, ask if they can put it into your container. These systems are finally starting to come back around after COVID put them to a halt. The more we do this, the more businesses will realize that their customers no longer want to use single-use plastic.

Here are some other tips about reusable bottles/containers:

Thrift your bottles. Thrift stores have hundreds of reusable water bottles in perfect condition or that are easily reparable.
Try buying glass or metal containers. If you have plastic containers, also avoid microwaving them as this will lengthen their lifespan and make them less toxic.
Buy reusable silicone bags rather than thin single-use ziplock bags for food storage.
Learn to properly clean and care for your bottles to extend their life span. Reusable bottles can easily accumulate buildup or mold, especially if they have many parts. Please learn how to take apart your water bottle and scrub all the little parts to keep it as long as possible. I can’t count the number of bottles I’ve seen in people’s homes that I would deem unsafe to drink from.
Don’t put your bottles in the dishwasher to keep them in better shape.
Do not donate water bottles you’ve let mold grow into; that is disgusting and dangerous.
Don’t buy into water bottle trends; try not to buy/own more than you need. This adds to the waste problem and keeps you away from living an eco-friendly life.

Bring your own bags for shopping:

Start using a reusable bag when you shop. This step is probably the easiest thing you can do out of everything else listed in this post. So many plastic bags have ended up killing innocent animals in our lakes, rivers, and oceans, but it is also important to remember that someday, these single-use bags could end up harming us as well. We all know that plastic bags are bad, and some states have even outlawed the use of them in stores. You also don’t need to buy anything for this new habit, just use a bag you already have at home or even use the private paper or plastic bags that you got the last time you shopped. If you really don’t have any bags to use for grocery shopping, then I suggest going to a second-hand store and buying a cheap big beach bag or shopping tote. There are hundreds of these bags at thrift shops.

Most of the bags I’ve collected from trips or Broadway shows are my personal items of memorabilia since I know I will get a lot of usage out of them. I also have a lot of other bags that I’ve collected from previous jobs or as gifts.

There’s no need to buy the new bags trending online when reusable bags are abundant and most cost less than five dollars. Some stores, such as Lunds and Byerlys, even offer donations to charities when you bring in reusable bags. Ask your local grocery stores and other shopping centers if they offer any rewards for reusable bags.

The best way to remember to use bags is to keep them in your car when you go out and keep more in your car than you need, so if you ever forget to put the few you used on your last trip back in your vehicle, then you have some extra.

Switch to reusable period products:

It sucks to say this, but we humans that have periods, we are not helping the planet with the period products we use. It’s not our fault, though, since we don’t design these products, and companies make our pads and tampons out of plastic products (don’t even get me started on how toxic these products are for us as well).

However, there is excellent news! There are a ton of companies out there now that are creating reusable period products, and honestly, most of them work better than regular store-bought brands. My personal favorite is reusable cotton or flannel pads. If you are more of a tampon user, many companies are making reusable menstrual cups that can last you years! There is also a newer company that has now made a reusable tampon applicator called DAME. If you do some searching, you will find many different starter companies now making excellent products for people with periods! Here are a few links to some reusable products for your period.

Refuse plastic straws:

Please, please, please stop using plastic straws! These are not a necessity in our lives, and they harm our planet. Some studies say straws can lead to digestive issues since you suck up more air when using them, and you can get smoker’s lips from using them too often over the span of a few years. I still have a mix of reusable straws from time to time, so I can’t preach on this much, but truly, the only place where plastic straws are truly needed is in hospitals, and honestly, we really don’t need them outside of that.

There are many companies now making reusable straws in various materials. To reduce your use of plastic straws, you can buy metal, bamboo, glass, or paper straws. You can even purchase little brush cleaners for your straw to make it easier to clean and reuse. Just keep your straw in your purse or car. When you order a drink, remember to ask to have it without a straw. It is such a simple little item, but its environmental impact is too significant to ignore.

Make your cleaning products or purchase reusable ones:

I was, for a time, making my own cleaning products, but as my work/life schedule has become busier, I’ve found myself with less time. But if you have the time to learn and practice making your own products, I recommend doing so! Below, you will find the multipurpose cleaner recipe that I still use from time to time.

Since I don’t have as much time to make my products, I shop on Grove to order some of the best reusable, eco-friendly cleaning and home products. Grove has a wonderful selection of sustainable, cheaper products, but their other prices may not fit everyone’s budget. But, I would also like to consider the longer-term health benefits of using these products, which could help save money.

Multipurpose cleaner

Ingredients:

White Vinegar (in a bulk container). You can even keep your vinegar container to use for this cleaner.
Fruit Peels (Either oranges, lemons, or limes)
Essential oil of any kind you like (optional)
Water
You can also use Rosemary or peppermint herbs

Directions:

After eating an orange, lemon, or lime, put your leftover fruit peel into a mason jar.
Pour white vinegar into the jar, leaving about 2” at the top.
Add in your essential oil or herbs if you would like to.
Let sit for about a week or two in a cupboard or somewhere dark.
When it’s sat for a while, pour half of it into a reusable spray bottle, mixing the remaking half of the bottle with water.
Use on anything!! Great for counters, floors, and wooden tables.

When using your homemade cleaner, try using a rag you can clean rather than paper towels to help the environment even more! I’ve also heard of people using this recipe to clean glass and windows using newspaper to remove streaks, but I have not yet tried that.

Biggest Tip of Them All:

Reuse, reuse, reuse! I can’t say it enough! Don’t start throwing away all the plastic items in your home just because you’re worried about the impacts of plastic. Nothing could be worse than chucking out all your plastic containers, bottles, and other items if they are still usable.

Saving the planet isn’t about being trendy and having a beautiful minimalist home. It’s about learning to use what you already have and avoiding purchasing new plastic items. Whatever you own that is plastic, try to use it until it’s no longer usable. Then, try to find a second use for it or do your best to recycle the item. Afterward, try coming up with an eco-friendly option to replace that item.

Reducing your plastic waste can seem overwhelming, and some days are more difficult than others when it comes to avoiding plastic. However, if we don’t start with these simple steps towards a more eco-friendly lifestyle, the future of our planet will be pretty grim. If you start with these steps, I promise you will make a difference, and others will want to follow in your footsteps.

All You Need Is Less

Quick Tips on Reducing Plastic Waste