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.

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

Dear Recyclebank: In Vermont, more and more people are using wood pellet stoves for heating. Each ton of pellets is 50 bags and I use about 3 tons, so that is a lot of bags to dispose of. The plastic bags they come in say "Please Recycle", however, I am unable to find a place that will accept them — where should they go? –Frank B. Dear Frank: Pellet stoves are becoming a very popular home heating solution for good reason. Wood pellets are made of waste products like sawdust, lumber mill scrap, and trees that are unsuitable for lumber, so little energy is needed to obtain the raw product. Pellet stoves are cost-effective and energy efficient. According to the California Air Resources Board, pellet stoves are the most efficient and least polluting of new stove designs, including electric and gas fireplaces. Plus, the Department of Energy states that pellet stoves are the cleanest solid-fuel residential heating appliances. When it comes to your home energy use’s impact on climate change, pellet stoves are a smart move. However, none of the energy benefits of pellet stoves change the fact that most wood pellets are packaged in hard-to-recycle plastic bags. When you consider that the average homeowner will go through approximately two to three tons of wood pellets per heating season, you end up with a lot of plastic bag waste. The most important thing you can do is reach out to the manufacturer of your wood pellets to express your dissatisfaction with their packaging; the Rutland County Solid Waste District suggests you ask what actions the company is currently taking to reduce the environmental impact of their packaging, and express that you would be interested in participating in a bag take-back program. The next best option is to avoid the bags all together and buy in bulk. But what about the bags you already have? The first step to recycling your wood pellet bags is to call your waste hauler or drop-off center to find out if they’ll accept them. Many municipalities will not accept thin plastic packaging at all, especially in your recycling container. If they do accept thin plastic films in general, it’s possible they still may not accept wood pellet bags because they don’t have the resources to inspect, rinse, and dry the bags to remove wood-pellet debris. If you cannot recycle your pellet bags in the traditional methods, see if your local grocery store or pharmacy has a plastic bag drop-off container at the entrance. Check if they accept the type of plastic your pellets are packaged in, and if they do, simply rinse and dry the bags at home, then bring them to the store for recycling. A more pricey yet effective solution for ethical bag disposal is obtaining a Terracycle Zero Waste Plastic Packaging Box. For a flat rate, Terracycle will send you a storage box, a return shipping label, and will process your recyclables. This is a good choice for stockpiled bags. Another way to reduce the environmental cost of your wood pellets is to reuse the bags. The simplest reuse for wood pellet bags is to use them as replacement garbage and recycling bags. They are also quite useful in the garden as frost covers for small plants, liners for planters for easy repotting, and as flowerbed liners to prevent weed growth. If you’re particularly creative, save your bags so that you can make a water blob for your kids (or the kid in you) to play with this summer.

As the fires in Australia rage on – albeit the media attention has passed – and the Indonesian floods gradually subside, leaving untold damage and devastation in their wake, global attention is once again fully focused on the industries contributing to climate change, and those that have a huge part to play in these environmental disasters. Fossil fuel and animal agriculture industries are, quite rightly, feeling the heat, while the fashion world is taking a long hard look at itself and the implications that fast fashion has on the environment. But what about us? While in comparison to the catastrophic consequences of the burning of fossil fuels, or the mass deforestation caused by animal agriculture, we might not be culprit number one, or even two, but boy, do we contribute. The amount of beauty waste produced is eye-watering. Indeed, a study by Zero Waste Europe found that the use of beauty and personal care products produced 142 billion units of packaging in 2018. That is a lot of single-use packaging headed to landfill.   Like the fashion world, the beauty industry is guilty of promoting fast beauty. While clothing sites such as In The Style are getting hauled over hot coals for its approach to consumerism – with the endless cut-price deals, dirt cheap garments and promotions seemingly never ending – make no mistake, we have failed in our approach to cosmetics and personal care too. The promotion of monthly-subscription boxes of miniature products, 10-step beauty routines, mascaras for day, night and everything in between have catastrophic environmental consequences; the very core model of our industry is based on excess. And while it may look pretty having a dresser beholden with all the latest must-have buys, what does this ‘please sir, can I have some more’ attitude create? More, and more, and more packaging, aka, waste. And that’s just the waste side, where do we even begin on the environmental impact of the use of microbeads, palm oil, crop growth to harvest ingredients, VOCs, and energy used to ship, move and transport ingredients and finished products. I could go on.   Of course, there are those that are trying – the likes of Lush and The Body Shop, are well known for their progressive sustainability actions. Many brands are moving to PCR (post-consumer recycled) packaging, Terracycle has teamed up with beauty companies to create recycling schemes and consumers are increasingly backlashing against excess such as face wipes (single use sheet masks still seemingly a big draw.) But it still doesn’t really feel like it’s enough, and a growing amount of consumers are increasingly looking to smaller indie brands that have better fundamental environmental policies, greener formulations and better recycling options (according to analytics firm Future Market Insights, the global organic beauty market will reach $54 billion by 2027.) Indeed, Beiersdorf is said to be losing market share on its hero brands Nivea and La Prairie because of this shift.   The reality is, we should be trying harder. The big guns should be doing more. Sustainability agendas should be given precedence, recycling schemes should be prioritised in order to foster a circular economy, and we should, as an industry, be promoting how to buy better. There’s no denying it, it’s not without its difficulties, there are myriad obstacles to overcome at every level; transportation, sustainable production, consumer education on why and how to recycle are just some examples, and talked about on the GCN Zero Waste podcast (listen here).   And it goes beyond packaging – education on new initiatives regarding formula is also vital. When discussing the environmental benefits of upcycling beauty on the GCN podcast, Dr Meryem Benohoud talked about the logistical problems of creating green formulations at mass scale (listen here). However, they are not insurmountable and Tina Hedges, Founder /CEO LOLI Beauty, highlighted that while brands can be hit with uncertainty when trying out new schemes such as using food waste in beauty, it is consumer education and good marketing that allows this education and understanding to take place. And let’s face it, education and understanding are imperative in helping to foster change, and it is up to us all to make changes at every level if we are to alter our legacy on the environment from one of needless waste to one of positive impact and change.

Look up natural on and you will find a simple definition: “Existing in or formed by nature (opposed to artificial).” So you might think that it should be pretty easy to pick out which cleaning products are natural and which aren’t. Well think again. Just like other things in life — nutrition labels, clothing sizes, dating profiles — the ingredient list on “natural” products can be mighty misleading. But there are brands out there trying to change that.   No, it’s not that brands are trying to make their toxic ingredients more visible to us as consumers, but instead, there are brands popping up that are trying to do away with the toxic ingredients all together. Clean and cruelty-free beauty (that includes men’s skin care you guys) continues to get a lot of news coverage, but clean homecare? Not quite as much.   That’s not to say there aren’t new options and better practices that are becoming more available both in accessibility as well as cost. Terracycle, which we use here at AskMen HQ, makes recycling those hard-to-recycle objects much easier — think chip bags and gum wrappers. Loop, a new initiative from Terracycle, employs a broader tactic by partnering with mega brands such as Unilever and Kroger and acts as a storefront for well known products in fully recyclable packaging you receive and send back over and over again which creates something of a ... loop.   You’re not looking for the same dishwasher liquid or glass cleaner you’ve always used just in a reusable package? You want something that’s not going to end up in the landfill or pollute our shared water supply? We hear you and we agree. That’s why we dug deep, and out of all the natural, non-toxic, eco-friendly brands we could find out there, we picked these 15 best natural cleaning products because they look great, work well and don’t cost a fortune.   Blueland might be one of the easiest eco-friendly brands around at the moment. If you have ever dropped the fizzy old school Alka-Seltzer for headache relief, then you have already figured out how to use Blueland. The brand’s founder Sarah Paiji has a simple mission — quit using so much damn plastic. After the realization that every single piece of plastic ever made — Every. Single. One. — remains on the Earth and most likely is living in the ocean somewhere, Paiji made a brand that uses what it calls the Forever Bottle. By combining a concentrated cleaning tablet comprised of natural derived, biodegradable ingredients with water, you have one of three super cleaners or a hand soap.       A force of nature this is indeed, if its shtick stands up, and as much as we could tell, it did, it kills 99.9 percent of germs with a combination of only salt, water, and vinegar. This futuristic brand uses ingredients as old as time to create an electric cleaner that covers everything from the diaper genie to baby’s binky. Yes, you heard that right. The same cleaner is not only safe enough for both, but provides both — and anything else — with a thorough, sanitized clean. The trick? Electricity. Using a minimal amount of solution, the Electrolyzer whisks up the ingredients with water to provide a gentle but powerful multi-purpose cleaner that can replace disinfectants, deodorizers, surface, bathroom and glass cleaners and lasts for two weeks.     Founder Mat Franklin (surprisingly not Aunt Fannie) is proud to prominently display the brand’s “No List” on the site laying out in great detail, the ingredients that you will not find in any of the brands products. The extensive offering includes probiotic cleaners and soaps, vinegar cleaners and even pest and mosquito solutions — all made from quality plant-based ingredients, probiotics and essential oils. Franklin prefers to leave “natural” out of the equation since the word itself can mean nothing and everything, all at once. You can read more about Aunt Fannie’s — and in turn, all cleaning products — here.     A theme you may be catching onto here is that products that are good for you and good for the earth are more often than not, good for your wallet too. Dropps makes laundry and dishwashing pods you can just drop(p) right in and go about your business. Made from eco-friendly ingredients, the detergent isn’t the only thing that is good for the earth. The water soluble pod membrane itself is made of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) which dissolves in your washer and enters the water stream eventually breaking down to water and carbon dioxide.       With one of the more comprehensive ingredient lists available for review, Common Good also happens to have the least amount of frill to its packaging — which is a big plus in our book. Given that most packaging is glass, and all is designed to be reused over and over again, if our mood or decour changes, this brand will still clean well while blending in perfectly.     Don’t want to ever run out of your all-purpose, glass or floor cleaner? You might want to consider Better Life, since you can buy five gallons at a time in recyclable boxes. The Better Life claim-to-fame is that its American-made formulas biodegrade up to five times faster than leading natural and conventional cleaners — meaning they are basically not just good for the environment, but they might be amazing.     Started after Kate Jakubas was studying for her Masters degree in Environmental Engineering and learned that cleaning ingredients didn’t have to be listed on products. Which, if you ask us, doesn't make a lick of sense. It didn’t to Jakubas either, so she formulated her own vegetable soap (as you do when you’re about to be a Environmental Engineer) and discovered she could offer better products that were rooted in simple ingredients. Now, these MADE SAFE certified, made-in-Chicago products are proof she was headed in the right direction.   Another bulk-to-go brand that makes keeping all your cleaning supplies on hand is Attitude. Sure, while it offers laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid and all-purpose cleaner in half gallon cardboard containers, it also gives you the option to tack on EWG Verified shampoo, shower gel and hand soap in bulk as well.     Call a truce on the fight between green and clean and use Dr. Diann Pert’s EWG Verified simple, safe cleaning products — Truce. (See what we did there?) The Truce mission is to not to wait until being told what to do, but rather doing what needs to be done to produce the best possible product.     If we could join a cult to have all of our products look this good, we probably would. Luckily it’s not necessary to abandon the non-believers and drink the Kool-Aid. Instead, you just have to buy the products and use them. The cleaners are great, but what we really, really love about this brand is the upscale design of the bottles themselves. The no-slip grip vessels are dishwasher safe and shatter resistant and the brand’s coconut derived formula is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).     Do you want to clean well? Then do we have a brand for you! (Sorry, we had to.) CleanWell products were born from a father's love for his son. After learning the use of household products loaded with unsafe chemicals made his son's life living with an immune system disorder even harder, he created his own products to use instead — CleanWell. Given its origin story, it would make sense that keeping concoctions kid-friendly would be a big goal, while also killing 99.9 percent of germs around the house and leaving a fresh lemongrass scent behind.     One bottle really can do it all, if that bottle is the Branch Basics Concentrate. By adding various amounts of water, depending on the cleaner’s purpose, the Concentrate can make up to three all-purpose bottles, three bathroom bottles, three glass cleaner bottles, three foaming hand wash bottles and 64 full loads of laundry. That’s a lot of clean out of one bottle of all-natural green goodness.     If there is a theme to the green clean movement, it’s parents wanting the best for their kids. Puracy is no exception. One of the best sellers in the category on Amazon, founders Sean Busch and Paul Tracy can sleep easy in their naturally clean houses knowing they are making the world a better place. But it’s not just Busch and Tracy that make Puracy a good brand to reach for, the team includes a Magna Cum Laude honored, American Board of Dermatology Double Board Certified dermatologist, a pediatric doctor of osteopathic medicine and a doctor of philosophy and chemistry from MIT. You know, just a few folks who might know a thing or two about how to make green, clean formulas safe enough for the whole family.   You can’t have a gathering of good-for-the-Earth cleaning products and not find Method somewhere amongst them. Sure, the scale of Method makes it hard to believe that it can keep up (or … down?) with the smaller guys, but it takes it’s accountability very seriously. With a mission to continue to provide affordable, green products to the masses, it’s working towards lowering carbon emissions, reducing water usage and hitting 99 percent diverted waste footprint by the end of 2020. Are they perfect? No. Are they better than most of the big brands you’re going to find while scrolling through Amazon — very likely.   These aren’t the only cleaning products out there with a mission to do a better job at keeping your home clean and the earth green, but they are all a great place to start. Whether you decision is based on budget or you’re a bit more bougie, the future holds only more great cleaning products for us all to enjoy.