Zero Waste Bathroom Checklist - Mama Eco

helping you make better choices for the planet

About
Work With Me
- Sustainability Consulting (Businesses)
- Sustainability Coaching (Individuals)
Blog
Shop
Resources
Contact
- Contact Me
- Join my insider list!
🎄Holiday Tips + Gift Ideas 🎄

Instagram post 2195327811384751390_195753076

Yes, you can go out and drag a freshly-cut tree into your apartment, or buy a fake tree that’ll last you for many years, but you could also just decorate a tree that’s already at home. This year, I’m decorating two of my potted plants to serve as our Christmas tree: a banana leaf tree and a dwarf spruce. I don’t have to bring them in or take them out; all I have to do is put the lights and decorations on (or maybe I’ll be extra lazy and just do the lights 😉 ).
_
This holiday tip not only majorly cuts down on your waste, it also makes your life a whole lot easier. Down in Trinidad, everyone has fake Christmas trees because it’s way too warm to have locally grown pine trees. And my mom usually spends the better half of a weekend taking the Christmas tree out of storage, putting it up, and getting those lights on. Then, 2 months later, she spends the same amount of time taking it down.
_
I know you’re stretched for time, so do yourself a favor and take the easy route. In this case, it also happens to be the eco route.
_
_
_
#askmamaeco #holidaytips #christmastree #zerowaste #sustainable #zerowastelifestyle #zerowasteliving #sustainability #sustainableliving #sustainablelifestyle #zerowastehome #greenliving #gogreen #wastefree

Instagram post 2190964591689596599_195753076

I had some friends over the other day, and we started discussing what we use for skin care. The thing that surprised me most was that most of us barely used anything, either because we didn’t really know what we needed, or because we try to keep our routine pretty simple.
_
To be honest, I don’t really use a facewash, and haven’t since my old one ran out ages ago, and what I’ve realized is that I don’t really need a facewash since my skin seems to be doing just fine without it. Sometimes, I’ll use bar soap on my face, which is made with clean ingredients so it doesn’t irritate it. And for moisturizing, I’ve been using this skin cream which keeps my skin moisturized, even in the dry winters. At first, I thought it was a bit pricey for the amount you get, but a little bit goes a long way and it lasts foreverrrr, so it’s probably better value than most other face creams which are mostly water (hence why they run out so fast).
_
What does your skin care regime look like? Do you have specific products that you can’t live without or do you keep things more simple?
_
_
_
#zerowaste #plasticfree #sustainable #zerowastelifestyle #ecofriendly #zerowasteliving #sustainability #lowwaste #chemicalfree #nontoxicbeauty #locallymade #naturalskincare

Instagram post 2185183598315682368_195753076

Instagram post 2183006283880037243_195753076

This colorful looking contraption is gonna save you a lotta money on soap. I can’t take full credit for it though because I originally saw this idea on pinterest or facebook. And recently found the true inventor of this is a woman by the name of Anne Marie Labelle.
_
You know when your soap sits in water between uses, it finishes sooooo much quicker? But if you put it in a soap dish that allows it to drain, it lasts much longer since it can dry out?
_
Welllll...this is my DIY hack for a soap dish. The original version used a regular lid, but I decided to use a mason jar lid which allows the water to completely drain out from the bottom. But basically, you put some rubber bands around a lid, and put your soap on top of it, so it doesn’t sit in water all the time. This allows the soap to dry out, allowing it to last so much longer than usual.
_
You can use this hack for shower soap, dish soap, hand soap, anything you got! I’ve been using it in my kitchen so far, as I’ve been testing out a dish soap block.
_
Whaddya think? Are you about to start fumbling through your kitchen drawer to fish out some rubberbands? 😛
_
_
_
#zerowaste #sustainable #sustainability #sustainablelifestyle #zerowastehome #zerowastelife #gogreen #reusable #zerowasteliving #lowwaste #upcycling #zerowastekitchen #DIYhack #DIYideas #kitchenhack

Instagram post 2182272073422652541_195753076

This is what *real life* sometimes looks like.
_
After rushing off to the ER with a husband in excruciating pain, grabbing just the essentials, and spending most of the day waiting around a hospital, sometimes you give in.
_
The good news is, Wilson’s ok and is doing much better.
_
And the lesson I learned here is: if your partner, parent, or kid wants a lil treat after sitting in a stretcher in a hospital emergency room all day, they’ve bloody well earned it...even if it means creating a little waste.
_
Wilson, who’s always so good about bringing his reusable coffee mug around with him, ended up in the ER in tuesday. And let’s just say, his beloved coffee mug wasn’t on the essentials list when we were getting him out of our apartment.
_
After hours of waiting around the ER, he asked for a coffee. And I happily brought it to him...even though it came in a plastic cup. Luckily, we had snagged a reusable straw on the way out since he was already using it when the pain started, but nothing that wasn’t essential, made it out the door.
_
Moral of the story? Don’t let the small shit bring you down. Don’t let the out-of-your-control situations deflate you. Sometimes, life is in charge, and the entire world won’t come crumbling down if someone uses a plastic cup *that one time.* _
Instead, you gotta focus on the bigger picture, the everyday impact you have, and the mindful decisions you are able to make. Sometimes, things may be out of our control. And that’s ok. It’s just a reminder that we are, in fact, human.
_
_
_
#askmamaeco #zerowasteliving #nowaste #consciousconsumer #sustainableliving #goingzerowaste #lowwaste #zerowastelifestyle #sustainablelifestyle #sustainability #zerowastetips #zerowastejourney #wastefreeliving #zerowastechallenge

Instagram post 2180108097117102257_195753076

I often get asked about what I use for cleaning surfaces and kitchen counters (instead of using paper towels).
_
And the answer is: swedish dishcloths! To help you understand why they’re so badass, I’ll break it down real simple: 1 swedish dishcloth can replace 17 rolls of paper towels. Not 17 sheets of paper towels, but 17 rolls!!! That’s...a lot!! They’re made out of cotton, can be thrown in with your laundry, and at the end of their life (approx 9 months), they can be composted.
_
They may get a lil funny-looking after a few uses, but that doesn’t change their absorbency or effectiveness. And since you can throw them in with your laundry, you know they’re getting properly cleaned between uses.
_
So whether it’s for your kitchen counters, your fridge or your bathroom sink, a swedish dishcloth is your new BFF. But I wouldn’t suggest using the same one for your bathroom and your kitchen. That’s just gross...and its where I cross the line.
_
But tell me, what do you use for home cleaning?
_
_
_
#askmamaeco #zerowasteliving #consciousconsumer #sustainableliving #zerowastehome #compostable #naturalcleaning #naturalfibers #greencleaning #swedishdishcloths #choosetoreuse #zerowastekitchen

Instagram post 2177932798329742367_195753076

What if we redefined *waste*? _
What if everything had a purpose after it was used? And was seen as a valuable resource for making something else?
_
You see, *waste* is a design flaw. But if we redefine the system, we can eliminate the concept of waste altogether.
_
This is a pic of one of the compost bins at my local compost dropoff. When they first started, they just had a few bins that were collected every week. But today, the amount of bins they have has grown immensely, and sometimes, there’s even a line to dropoff your loot (which is just about the only line I’m happy to wait in).
_
More and more people are seeing the inherent value of composting. Of diverting their waste from the landfill and reducing their personal contribution to climate change.
_
By keeping your food scraps and organic matter out of the landfill, you’re taking positive action against climate change. This is because rotting food in a landfill creates methane gas, which in turn warms the planet. The simple act of diverting *waste* from the landfill, and putting it towards good use in a compost can create a valuable resource: nutrient rich soil that can then be used to naturally fertilize the food we eat and the trees that clean the air that we breathe).
_
The simple act of composting, whether it involves you doing it yourself at home or dropping it off at a local compost facility, has so many benefits for our food and our planet, and it allows us to remove the design flaw of *waste* out of our food system altogether.
_
Got questions about how and why composting is important? Post them below 🙂
_
_
_
#askmamaeco #zerowasteliving #nowaste #consciousconsumer #zerowaste #nontoxic #sustainableliving #circulareconomy #zerowastehome #zerowastelifestyle #ecoconscious #sustainablelifestyle #compostable #composting

Instagram post 2176483278156885408_195753076

Recycling is a good thing, right?
_
Wrong. Well, a little bit. Well, not with our current recycling system. Well...well...which is it?!?
_
Here’s a few things you should know about recycling:
_
Is it better than putting things in the trash? Yes. But not as much as you’d think.
_
I do think it’s really important to separate “recyclable” items from other landfill-bound items, because one day we will have an efficient, fully circular, recycling system where nothing goes to waste. But the truth is: we’re just not there yet. And the current system kinda sucks. Ok...it really sucks. And it’s just delaying the problem for a little bit, rather than actually solving the issue.
_
I just read this article by Forbes about myths surrounding plastic and its recyclability. And here were 2 alarming facts: (1) plastic at most can only be recycled once, and (2) darker plastic are less likely to be recycled.
_
Both of these point to the fact that recycling isn’t the be-all-end-all solution most of us thought it was.
_
So what can we do?
_
Stop. Using. Plastic. In as many areas of your life as possible. It’s your number 1 line of defense.
_
If there’s a plastic-free alternative, that’s the best choice for the planet. The problem is: everything comes in plastic!! So what can you do?!? _
Just do your best. And try to reduce your use of plastic and refuse it as an option whenever you can. You can also write to the companies who produce your favorite products that come in plastic, and tell them you need them to do better. And that switching to recycled plastic just ain’t gonna cut it.
_
_
_
#askmamaeco #zerowasteliving #consciousconsumer #zerowaste #plasticfree #circulareconomy #breakfreefromplastic #goinggreen #wastefree #zerowastelifestyle #buylesschoosewell #zerowastejourney #plasticfreeforthesea #trashfree

FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL

© 2019 MAMA ECO | TERMS & CONDITIONS | PRIVACY POLICY | AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

By using this site, you accept our use of cookies, our Privacy Policy, and our Terms & Conditions. Find out more