• Avoid the BIG four: Plastic bags, plastic straws, take-out coffee cups, and plastic water bottles.
  • Say no to free gifts and promotional items. 
  • Refuse extras when getting take-out. If you are eating on the run, keep a set of utensils you can
  • wash and reuse.
  • Bring your own container to a restaurant to pack up your leftovers. 
  • Bring reusable produce bags to the grocery store and choose loose produce over packaged. Buy
  • veggies whole rather than pre-cut to avoid packaging.
  • Choose non-plastic versions of the things you already buy… like cardboard or wooden cotton swabs
  • instead of plastic.
  • Shop the bulk bins at the grocery store. Bring along cloth or mesh bags for your goods.
  • Use reusable containers when packing lunch and snacks.
  • Try a bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic toothbrush. When the toothbrush is ready to be
  • tossed, remove the bristles and toss the handle in the green bin.
  • Store leftovers without plastic wrap. Try using containers with lids, beeswax wraps, or placing a plate on a
  • bowl as a lid.
  • Treat yourself to an ice cream cone rather than from a cup.
    Buy fresh bread that comes in a paper bag.
  • Let go of frozen conveniences… Say farewell to prefab meals!
    Go gum free! – You read correctly. Gum is made of plastic. 
    Shop at your local farmers market (and don’t forget your reusable bags!).
    Buy dishwasher detergent that comes in a box.
  • Use natural cleaning cloths and scrubbers insead of plastic scrubbers and synthetic sponges.
    Check the labels on personal care products. Many face washes have tiny plastic beads. Avoid anything
  • with polyethylene.
  • Try bar soap instead of liquid hand soap.
    Try to find hair products, balms, lotions, and soaps in glass jars or metal tins.
    Choose toilet paper that’s not wrapped in plastic. 
  • If you have to buy a plastic item, try to find it used instead of new. Check out Freecycle, Craigslist, or
  • Nextdoor to see if a neighbor has what you’re looking for.
  • Repair things when they break.


Every bit helps!