While climate change may be difficult to visualize on a day-to-day basis, Ed Hawkins, a climate scientist for the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, made it easy by releasing a shocking image that visually demonstrated in colored stripes the rising temperatures of the planet. It was this simple, yet powerful, image that inspired Romain Gaillard, founder and CEO of clean beauty retailer the Detox Market, to launch the Earth CPR Initiative.   “When I came across the #ShowYourStripes campaign—a simple, fact-based, visual representation of the global rise in temperature over the past 120 years—I was stunned,” says Gaillard in a statement on the Detox Market website. “Comparing where my parents were born on the chart to where my birth year fell was eye-opening enough, but when I placed my kids on the dark red stripes? I realized things needed to change, and soon.”   As part of the initiative, the company is introducing the image as an installation in its New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles locations. The retailer is also instituting recycling and bringing in TerraCycle, a company that collects hard-to-recycle consumer waste and finds ways to turn it into raw materials, to all its stores.   Additionally, the brand has set a goal of planting 500,000 trees in 2020 and at least 2.5 million trees by 2025 in the hopes of becoming carbon negative. The Detox Market is engaging its customer base in the process by promising to plant a tree for every product sold from its in-house brand, Detox Mode, and its Sustainability Collection, including the Sustainability Set, which consists of a reusable bag, a reusable silicone sandwich bag, and reusable bamboo straws. The initiative includes a customer-based social media campaign as well. The brand has promised to plant a tree whenever someone posts on Instagram one of three graphics from its website, which all read “Sustainability starts now,” tags the Detox Market, and uses the hashtag #sustainabilitystartsnow. At the time of this post, the Detox Market has planted over 55,000 trees.

A year ago, a coalition of some of the world’s biggest brands embarked on an experiment: If they started selling everyday products like shampoo in reusable, returnable packaging instead of single-use plastic, would customers buy it? Could a modern version of the milkman model—where customers shop online, and then return empty containers via UPS to be cleaned and refilled for a new customer—make business sense? For brands, the new platform, called Loop, was a radical step to test fundamental changes to how they package and deliver products, driven by consumer pressure to deal with the problem of plastic pollution. The first pilots started in May 2019. The tests have been successful enough that the system is now rapidly expanding and will soon launch in retail stores. [Photo: courtesy Loop] “Companies are looking for new ways to address packaging and reduce waste, and consumers are demanding it,” says Steve Yeh, a project manager at Häagen-Dazs, the Nestlé-owned ice cream brand. The brand committed major resources to developing new packaging for the pilot: a novel stainless steel ice cream canister that’s designed to keep ice cream cold longer. It then can be sent back, sterilized in a state-of-the-art cleaning system, and reused. (It also looks a lot nicer on your counter.) The system is designed to be simple for consumers—in theory, nearly as easy as buying something in a disposable package and throwing that package in the trash. Online orders are delivered in a reusable tote, and when a customer has an empty container, it goes back in the tote, the customer schedules a pickup, the packages are returned for reuse, and the customer gets back a deposit that they paid for the package (or, if they’ve reordered the product, the deposit stays in an account and they don’t pay it again). Despite using heavier packages, more transportation, and cleaning, it has a lower carbon footprint than single-use packaging. And it keeps packages out of landfills and the ocean. “We all know that recycling alone will not be enough,” says Sara Wingstrand, who leads the innovation team at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, an organization focused on the circular economy. “This is a whole new way to actually think about how you can bring products to people.” [Photo: courtesy Loop] In Nestlé’s case, an internal team went through 15 iterations to reach the final design of the ice cream container, which has benefits beyond reducing waste. The package has a double metal lining, so it’s comfortable to hold, but keeps the ice cream inside from melting; it’s also designed to melt a little more quickly at the top, so it’s easier to scoop than it otherwise would be. Rounded edges mean that ice cream doesn’t get stuck in the bottom corners. And it looks better than a disposable package. The aesthetics, surprisingly, have been a bigger driver in the pilot’s success than the environmental benefits. “People actually are attracted to Loop first for design, second for reuse,” says Tom Szaky, CEO of Terracycle, the recycling company that first helped create the coalition of brands to test the platform, who is now also CEO of Loop. “The design is so important to consumers—more than I ever thought it would be.” It’s proof, he says, of what’s possible when the economics of packaging change. “If you go back 100 years and look at what your cookies came in or what your beer came in, it was a significantly greater investment in the package. As we make packaging lighter and cheaper, it becomes less recyclable, essentially growing the garbage crisis. And as we spend less money, [packages] clearly become less exciting and less desirable. The response to Loop is a simple one: Let’s shift ownership of the package in the end back to the manufacturer. And as such, they treat it as an asset and they can start investing in the pack again.” [Photo: courtesy Loop] The investment in the packages means that for the system to work, consumers have to put down a deposit for each container. In the pilot, Loop says that customers haven’t been sensitive to the price. “It’s not money out of your pocket,” says Donna Liu, a customer in New Jersey who has been using the system for several months. After the initial deposit, customers don’t have to pay again as they continue reordering the same products, and they can ultimately get the money back. But the deposits are steep, and would likely deter lower-income customers. In one review, a Huffington Post writer noted that she paid $32 in deposits for only six items (in addition to $20 in shipping, and the cost of the products themselves). Loop says it plans to have the costs come down as the system scales up. “Today, in small scale, it makes no economic sense because everything is inefficient in small scale,” says Szaky. “But a lot of our retail partners and our brand partners have modeled this in large scale. And it’s come out very exciting—it’s going to be able to be executed at scale and not cost the consumer more.” Wingstrand, who is not involved with Loop, notes that some other reusable models are already economically viable at scale, such as reusable water jugs delivered to offices. The e-commerce pilot has faced some challenges. Some customers complained about the small selection of products. Those who live in small apartments don’t like the bulky size of the reusable tote, which has enough padding inside to accommodate 16 wine bottles; one reviewer said that she was forced to use it as an ottoman until she was ready to send packages back. But moving to retail stores could help alleviate these issues. [Photo: courtesy Loop] Today, the online store has more than 150 products, including Tide detergent and Pantene shampoo in stainless steel containers, Nature’s Path granola in glass jars, and products from smaller brands like Reinberger Nut Butter. But that’s a tiny fraction of the hundreds of products online at, say, Walgreens, and one of the biggest questions from customers in the pilot has been when more products will be available. Szaky says that Loop is adding a new brand roughly every two days—but there’s a long development process for new packaging after a company joins. “This is not an overnight thing,” he says. “It takes maybe a year to get a product up and running.” In retail stores, though, customers can pick and choose which Loop products to use. “By the retailer listing in-store, the benefit to the consumer is they can go shop the Loop section, which will grow every day and get bigger and bigger, but whatever they don’t find in the Loop section they can still buy traditionally,” says Szaky. Customers can also avoid the hassle of shipping empty containers back and the size of the reusable tote; for retail returns, customers will toss containers in a reusable garbage bag and then bring them back to the store. It’s still designed to be simpler than traditional refill systems in stores—rather than cleaning and refilling your own container, you bring back dirty containers, drop them off, and buy already-packaged products on the shelf. As with online orders, you’ll pay a deposit on the container and then get it back when the container is returned. [Photo: courtesy Loop] The online pilot launched last May in and around Paris, New York City, and a few nearby areas; the startup has since added Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, Vermont, and Rhode Island. It will soon expand to California as well as the U.K., Canada, Germany, and Japan, and will launch in Australia next year. Retail sales will begin later this year with Walgreens and Kroger in the U.S., Carrefour in France, Tesco in the U.K., and Loblaws in Canada. Loop won’t share specific numbers, but says that it’s seeing high numbers of repeat orders from its initial customers. The size of the pilot was limited, but more than 100,000 people applied. The startup envisions the model growing like organic food. “Every store started having a small section dedicated to organic products, but not all products had an organic alternative,” Szaky says. “That’s how it began, then it got bigger and bigger. And some stores like Costco have moved everything over to organic.” He notes that organic food still represents only about 5% of the market, and that has taken decades, but it’s a reasonable comparison. [Photo: courtesy Loop] The number of options will continue to grow. In a recent report, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimated that converting just 20% of plastic packaging to reusable models is now a $10 billion business opportunity. But Szazky sees it not as an opportunity, but an imperative. As he told Harvard Business Review in a recent interview: “I think that we’re going to see some organizations die because of this. Others will pivot. . . . Some organizations, like Nestlé, Unilever, and P&G, are taking these issues seriously and making the difficult decisions that may negatively impact the short term but lay the foundation to be relevant in the long term. Inversely, organizations—like many big food companies in the U.S.—are blind to what’s coming and will likely be overtaken by startups that are building their business models around the new reality that is emerging.” [Photo: courtesy Loop] For the brands that are pivoting, Loop is helping push them to experiment with reusable packaging. Häagen-Dazs is already using the container it designed for the system in stores in New York City, where customers bring it back an average of 62% of the time. (At the ice cream shops, customers don’t pay a deposit, but buy the container outright and then get discounts on ice cream each time they bring it back.) It now plans to roll out the container in 200 of its other stores. Unilever—which has products from brands like Love Beauty and Planet on the platform and is preparing to launch more products from Seventh Generation, Hellman’s, Dove deodorant, and others this year—is also experimenting with in-store refill systems and partnering with startups like Algramo, a Chile-based company that offers a mobile refill system on electric tricycles. “I think Loop provides a really good platform to start testing reusable packaging without setting everything up yourself,” says Wingstrand. “But I do think it’s very important to go very broad and make sure that not only are you putting and testing new packaging formats on the Loop platform, but you’re also trying to understand how the user might interact with a refill system, or how you might supply things in a compact format, or how you might even completely design out the packaging.”

It’s hard to believe the humble drinking straw has become Public Enemy No. 1, but here we are. As it turns out, the permanent existence of billions of disposable-yet-indelible straws is a growing environmental concern. Single-use plastic drinking straws are polluting beaches, clogging up inland waterways, and destroying ocean ecosystems. A 2017 study published in Science Advances magazine revealed that upwards of 8.3 billion plastic straws currently pollute beaches around the world. That’s more than the one straw per person on the entire planet. One estimate puts the number of disposable straws used (and then trashed) at 500 million per day. There may soon come a time when these ubiquitous drinking aids are as hard to find as an ice cube in France, with cities, major companies, and small businesses alike enforcing disposable straw bans. But some critics consider the recent attention on straws an outsized reaction given that plastic straws comprise less than 1% of the total amount of plastic waste. But what if you really love a straw? And what if you or a loved one needs to use straws because of physical or developmental limitations? What’s an environmentally-conscious consumer to do? Enter the “sustainable” straw. These (more) environmentally friendly, reusable drinking tools are now sold widely, but deciding which type to try can feel daunting. Do you go silicone? Stainless steel? Both at the same time? There's a lot to consider when it comes to something as mundane as getting liquids into your body.     You still have to consider the environment   Picking the right option goes beyond your preferred drinking style. If you're motivated by a desire to put at least a tiny dent in the breathtaking amount of plastic waste, you should consider the life cycle and production process of your reusable straw choice. Hard plastic reusable straws, for example, are only marginally more environmentally friendly than disposable varieties. They aren’t ever going to decompose; the manufacturing process is environmentally problematic.   Silicone is widely considered a better environmental choice than plastic, but it is not biodegradable and its manufacture requires non-renewable energy sources like natural gas and oil. It can be recycled, but you’ll need to seek out a suitable facility near you or, more likely, use a mail service like TerraCycle.   Stainless steel products are also a big step ahead of plastics, but alas, they're not perfect either. Though stainless steel is technically biodegradable, that process can take centuries depending on various climate factors. But it is recyclable, so when it’s finally time for your stainless steel straw to move on to greener pastures, just recycle it as you would any other metal. Today’s stainless straw is tomorrow’s washing machine drum.   Even considering the limitations, reusable straws last much, much longer than their wimpy plastic counterparts. If it’s true that the average person uses over 60,000 disposable straws between the ages of 5 and 65, the impact of an increasing number of people turning to reusable versions quickly becomes clear.   In an attempt to sort through the many reusable straws on offer, I put five different products — all priced under $20 for 5-10 straws — through a durability and use test. I tried bending the stainless steel varieties and tying the silicone straws into pretty bows to see if they’d split. I shoved them indiscriminately into the dishwasher, realistically anticipating the future. I even allowed my straw-obsessed kitten to carry a few off to his secret hiding place. On the durability front, all the varieties held up well. I also tried drinking various liquids from each type of straw; generally, they all fit the suckability bill just fine, with a few caveats.

Experts of Fortune magazine has compiled a list of companies who are changing the world. Just a list of 2019 includes 52 companies from different countries of the world. appeared In the list of companies that use technology and innovation to make our world better. here are 10 companies changing the world for the better. 10. TerraCycle TerraCycle — a U.S. company for processing organic waste, the organization of social entrepreneurship. In addition, the company produces recycled backpacks, bags, pencil boxes, grocery bags. 9. Schneider Electric Schneider Electric, the French power engineering company, a manufacturer of equipment for the energy budkompleks industrial enterprises, civil and residential construction, data centers. 8. Bank of America Bank of America American financial conglomerate providing a wide range of financial services to individuals and companies. Among the four largest conglomerates in the United States. 7. Centene Centene Corporation is an American company that provides health insurance and health care. A significant part of the income of the company services to individuals receiving benefits under government assistance programs or benefits. 6. Santander Santander is the largest financial group in Spain. Besides Spain, Santander is one of the leading places in the UK and in several countries of Latin America, is also represented in the United States. The key structure of the group is Banco Santander. 5. Walmart Walmart is an American company that manages the world’s largest network of wholesale and retail trade, operating under the trademark Walmart. the Main regions of activity are the United States and Mexico also a significant presence in Canada, South America, UK, South Africa, China and Japan. 4. TE Connectivity TE Connectivity company-developer solutions to integrate and manage devices in the field of automated industrial equipment, data transmission systems, aerospace, defense, oil and gas industry, household appliances, energy and underwater communications. 3. BYD BYD — car manufacturer, located in Shenzhen. the Company promotes a model of development is “Self development, own brand, independent development”. 2. Mastercard Mastercard is an international payment system, transnational finansuanalize, which unites 22 thousand financial institutions in 210 countries. globally, the main business is to process payments between the banks aquarelle serving outlets, issuing banks or credit cooperatives that use for payment processing debit and credit card brand “Mastercard”. 1. Qualcomm Qualcomm company in the development and research of wireless communications and SoC, located in San Diego, California, USA.

From the City of Fredericksburg:   Several new downtown Sidewalk Buttlers are standing ready to help prevent cigarette butt litter. The City of Fredericksburg’s Clean and Green Commission and the Rappahannock Regional Solid Waste Management Board (R-Board) partnered to acquire the 30 free cigarette buttlers from Keep Virginia Beautiful (KVB) to provide the public a means to dispose of their cigarette butts. These new buttlers are in addition to the initial 30 units donated in 2019 by KVB to the City’s Parks, Recreation and Events Department — now in place in City parks.   The City’s Public Works Department installed the buttlers and they are emptied by Commission interns. The containers are mounted on sidewalk trash receptacles and are primarily located along Caroline and William Streets. All cigarette butts collected will be weighed and then recycled via TerraCycle.   These new units replace the downtown “butt buckets” the Commission sourced and maintained as part of their ongoing “Butts Are Litter Too” campaign. “The downtown butt buckets served their purpose to help reduce cigarette litter, but they were labor intensive and needed to be replaced regularly,” said Robert Courtnage, Commission chairman. “Our new Sidewalk Buttlers are a more attractive and more permanent solution to help curb cigarette litter.”   Cigarette butts are the most frequently littered item. Because the filters are made mostly of plastic, they do not biodegrade. When dropped on the street or sidewalk, they may be washed into storm drains and end up in the Rappahannock River and beyond, where they harm aquatic life.   Littering is also a criminal offense in the City. The Fredericksburg Police Department strictly enforces the littering code. According to the City’s Watershed Manager, “A cigarette butt that is tossed on the sidewalk could cost you up to $2,500, a conviction of a Class 1 misdemeanor, lost wages, and court costs. That’s a pretty expensive cigarette.”   Watch the R-Board’s video, “Please Butt In – Cigarette Butts are Litter too” https://youtu.be/1HGZ0veKT5k   For more information about the Fredericksburg Clean & Green Commission, please visit their Facebook page or webpage.

Hundreds of dancers and families gather together for the University of Iowa Dance Marathon Big Event each year, and new sustainable practices within the student organization aim to help reduce the waste that a group that size can create.   Starting this year, Dance Marathon is recommending that returning dancers reuse their bags from last year and will utilize TerraCycle, a waste management company, to recycle items that may not typically be considered recyclable.   At the beginning of this academic year, Dance Marathon surveyed returning dancers on whether they would reuse their bags from the previous year, said Dance Marathon Sustainability Chair Katelyn Murhammer. While new dancers receive a bag to put things in when they get their paperwork at check-in, she said returning dancers would arrive already with a bag.   Around 50 dancers said they would be interested in reusing their bags to help reduce the amount the organization needed to buy and divert the amount of waste the bags could create, Murhammer said.   Dance Marathon will also use TerraCycle to recycle items such as chip bags and granola bar wrappers, Murhammer said. A special bin that the organization paid for through the green-initiatives fund will be filled at the event and sent back to the TerraCycle company to be repurposed, she added.   “I think it’s especially important for an organization as large as ours. With more than 3,000 people here in the IMU at one time, it’s going to be really important that we’re being sustainable because what we do is going to have a big impact with that many people,” Murhammer said. “So I think it’s good for people to be aware of sustainability things we have going on and to know how to do it.”   The organization will continue its practice from last academic year of having waste diversion stations at meals, Murhammer said. Volunteers and Dance Marathon leadership will make sure items that can be composted and recycled are put in the right bins at each meal, she said.   The UI Office of Sustainability helps with the Dance Marathon sustainability committee with the organization’s composting and recycling efforts, said UI Office of Sustainability Recycling Coordinator Beth MacKenzie. The chair of the committee meets with the UI team in the fall to discuss new efforts for the academic year, MacKenzie said.   The two work to incorporate sustainability into more than just the Big Event, she continued, but also into their smaller events throughout the year.   In the past, the organization has used old T-shirts to make pillows and create decor for the event using recycled materials, she said. “They reach a large audience,” MacKenzie said. “So when Dance Marathon displays sustainability as an important piece of their organization, that shows other people that sustainability is important.”   First-time dancer Lauren Davis said there would be a substantial amount of waste if Dance Marathon participants brought their own disposable water bottles instead of being provided with reusable ones. She added that TerraCycle will likely be beneficial for the Dance Marathon.   “People are probably snacking a lot, and because there are so many people here, it would just be really nice to have little, smaller things [like granola bar wrappers and chip bags], not just water bottles and paper to be recycled,” Davis said.  

Hundreds of dancers and families gather together for the University of Iowa Dance Marathon Big Event each year, and new sustainable practices within the student organization aim to help reduce the waste that a group that size can create.   Starting this year, Dance Marathon is recommending that returning dancers reuse their bags from last year and will utilize TerraCycle, a waste management company, to recycle items that may not typically be considered recyclable.   At the beginning of this academic year, Dance Marathon surveyed returning dancers on whether they would reuse their bags from the previous year, said Dance Marathon Sustainability Chair Katelyn Murhammer. While new dancers receive a bag to put things in when they get their paperwork at check-in, she said returning dancers would arrive already with a bag.   Around 50 dancers said they would be interested in reusing their bags to help reduce the amount the organization needed to buy and divert the amount of waste the bags could create, Murhammer said.   Dance Marathon will also use TerraCycle to recycle items such as chip bags and granola bar wrappers, Murhammer said. A special bin that the organization paid for through the green-initiatives fund will be filled at the event and sent back to the TerraCycle company to be repurposed, she added.   “I think it’s especially important for an organization as large as ours. With more than 3,000 people here in the IMU at one time, it’s going to be really important that we’re being sustainable because what we do is going to have a big impact with that many people,” Murhammer said. “So I think it’s good for people to be aware of sustainability things we have going on and to know how to do it.”   The organization will continue its practice from last academic year of having waste diversion stations at meals, Murhammer said. Volunteers and Dance Marathon leadership will make sure items that can be composted and recycled are put in the right bins at each meal, she said.   The UI Office of Sustainability helps with the Dance Marathon sustainability committee with the organization’s composting and recycling efforts, said UI Office of Sustainability Recycling Coordinator Beth MacKenzie. The chair of the committee meets with the UI team in the fall to discuss new efforts for the academic year, MacKenzie said.   The two work to incorporate sustainability into more than just the Big Event, she continued, but also into their smaller events throughout the year.   In the past, the organization has used old T-shirts to make pillows and create decor for the event using recycled materials, she said. “They reach a large audience,” MacKenzie said. “So when Dance Marathon displays sustainability as an important piece of their organization, that shows other people that sustainability is important.”   First-time dancer Lauren Davis said there would be a substantial amount of waste if Dance Marathon participants brought their own disposable water bottles instead of being provided with reusable ones. She added that TerraCycle will likely be beneficial for the Dance Marathon.   “People are probably snacking a lot, and because there are so many people here, it would just be really nice to have little, smaller things [like granola bar wrappers and chip bags], not just water bottles and paper to be recycled,” Davis said.

Lead engineer Shannon Moore shares an insider’s view of the development including the considerations, what was learned, advice and more.   Consumers have always loved convenience in the packaged products they purchase and nowadays it’s important that packaging not only be recyclable, it should be convenient to recycle, too.   It’s something that Kellogg’s Solana Beach, CA-based Bear Naked Inc. granola company took seriously. After 18 months’ development the brand stakes a claim as the first fully recyclable stand-up barrier pouch made for food packaging that’s available nationwide. The previous pouch structure was recyclable, but the process wasn’t efficient or convenient: recycling required customers to sign up for a special program to ship the packaging for recycling; now, the packaging can be recycled using convenient at-store drop-off locations.   Kellogg’s lead packaging engineer, Shannon Moore, was deeply involved in the development in which the company worked with partners to develop a barrier recyclable film that could meet the brand’s technical and marketing requirements. Moore’s four years’ experience at the company followed 10 years’ work at Procter & Gamble that involved various roles in supply chain and package development on household and personal care brands.   The recyclable pouch rollout involves all of Bear Naked core product lines of granola and bites, according to Moore, some 13 product lines in all. “All of the granola has already converted over and we are currently in the process of rolling it out on our bites,” she tells Packaging Digest. The rest of our interview follows.   What’s this about? Moore: Bear Naked granola wanted to increase their sustainability efforts within packaging by creating a more sustainable pouch. This required development of strategic partnerships across the value chain, from resin to manufacturing. Together, the team worked to design the Recycle Ready pouch for launch in 2019. This is just one part of the overall journey of sustainability for this brand and Kashi as part of Kellogg’s sustainability commitments for 2025.   How was the packaging changed? Moore: The previous structure was a multilayer PET/polyethylene film. The new film is mono-material PE with ethylene vinyl alcohol barrier. The pouch size and the net weight did not change.   What were the marketing and technical considerations? Moore: We surface print with a matte appearance and have a window on the front of the pouch. Marketing requirements meant that we had to ensure that these elements were maintained. We had to also maintain our existing shelf life in the new film, which appears on the pouch bottom.     How was the previous package disposed of and what’s done now? Moore: The packaging was either sent to TerraCycle or landfilled. Now the film can be dropped off at stores and retailers into the store drop-off recycling stream. The pouches are printed with the How2Recycle label information, which appears along the bottom of the back panel bottom next to a “Recycle Ready” callout.

A nova escova de dentes Signal Ecolo Clean é feita de plástico 100% reciclado (PCR) pós-consumo, enquanto seu design inteligente apresenta uma alça confortável e ergonômica com 40% menos plástico que uma escova de dentes comum – economizando 10 toneladas de plástico ao ano. E no final de sua vida, a escova de dentes não precisa contribuir para aterros ou perturbar os frágeis ecossistemas oceânicos.

 

Your kid may not be ready to give up his LEGO collection, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start eliminating plastic from your everyday life. Read on for 25 easy ways to start reducing your family’s plastic waste. From buying in bulk to swapping out your plastic straws, these ideas on how to reduce waste will start better habits and get you on the way to ditching plastic altogether.   1. Switch to paper, silicone or metal straws.   2. Bring your own bags to the grocery store (this includes your own smaller reusable bags for fruits and veggies).   3. Buy in bulk when you can, and bring your own containers. Remember to weigh the containers before checking out so the cashier can accurately ring you up.   4. Ditch the plastic sandwich bags. Use these awesome Stasher bags instead.   5. Replace plastic saran wrap with Beeswax wraps.  

photo: iStock

6. Use a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated.   7. Recycle your plastic bags. Many grocery stores have collection bins outside.   8. Stop using glitter for craft projects and ask your kids’ teachers to do the same.   9. Buy biodegradable dog waste bags like these Earth Rated bags.   10. Stop using bath and body products with synthetic microbead exfoliants and opt for either natural exfoliating ingredients like scrubs with nut/seed exfoliants like St. Ive’s, or sugar scrubs.  

photo: Mali Maeder via Pexels

11. Know your plastic recycling codes and what your town does and doesn’t recycle. Upcycle what your town can’t recycle: plastic containers and bottles are great for craft/paint projects, puzzle/game piece storage or bath toys.   12. Compost at home to cut down on the amount of trash bags you use.   13. Switch to compostable, eco-friendly trash bags like these.   14. Keep a set (or two) of utensils/reusable straws at work, in your purse, in your diaper bag or in your car, so you don’t have to use disposable utensils when you’re out and about. PS: Chopsticks take up a lot less drawer/bag real estate, and you’d be surprised how many things you can eat with them!   15. Join your local Buy Nothing Group (or start your own) to pay it forward and to snag gently-used goods. We love these groups especially for the baby and toddler phase when it's easy to get inundated by plastic toys and gear.     16. Switch to bamboo toothbrushes.   17. If babe loves the food pouches, but you hate the waste, research where you can recycle them via Terracycle. You can even start a collection site of your own.   18. Buy toilet paper and paper towels that are wrapped in paper instead of plastic.   19. Better yet, ditch the paper towels altogether. Use old rags or towels.   20. Say no to single-use coffee pods.   photo: Godisable via Pexels   21. Bring your own coffee mug when you order your latte at your fave coffee shop.   22. Anticipating leftovers? Bring your own to-go container for your doggy bag.   23. For the mamas, check out the Diva cup or opt for plastic-free menstruation products.   24. Stop using a disposable razor.   25. Switch to metal or steel hangers instead of plastic hangers.   26. Make your own cleaning products.   27. Cut back the amount of frozen food you buy. Not only are the wrappers plastic, but the cardboard box is also coated in a layer of plastic.   —Erin Lem and Keiko Zoll