With my thirtieth birthday right around the corner, I’m finding myself a bit obsessed, er preoccupied, with the number thirty. In addition to the 30 goals I set for myself before the big birthday, reducing my waste has been one of the most important things I’ve worked on this year. So, in honor of 30, I thought I’d share 30 (mostly) easy ways to reduce your waste and stop creating so much garbage that is actually expensive, unnecessary, and bad for the planet.
Because 30 changes is A LOT to make at once, and reducing waste can already seem pretty hopeless, I’ve split these 30 things into 5 different categories, making one potentially crazy long post a more manageable series. This is Part 2: Ways to Waste Less and Still Go Out to Eat!
Find Part 1: Ways to Create Less Waste with your Skincare Routine HERE.
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1. Ditch the plastic straws.
I know this is a major movement right now. I’ve seen countless pictures of turtles with straws stuck up their noses, and yes, it’s heartbreaking. I’ve also still seen a ton of people using straws unnecessarily. Do you know why some of these seemingly easy changes are so difficult to make? Because they are so ingrained in our routines. Restaurants still give us straws without us asking for them. Heck, sometimes I ask NOT to have a straw and they still give me one. And yes, I do find this infuriating.
When it comes to reasons for continuing to use straws, I’ve heard two major arguments:
- People don’t want to drink out of a cup that other people’s mouths have been on, so a straw seems cleaner. To that I say, what about silverware? That literally goes inside of other people’s mouths over and over! Also, if you’re concerned that a restaurant isn’t cleaning their dinnerware properly, why on earth would you feel comfortable eating there?
- Some people with disabilities may find a straw to be a necessity.
Let me make this clear: I am not forbidding anyone from using a straw. I would just like to see everyone start to carry their own! There are so many different types: bamboo, glass, stainless steel, flexible silicone, fold-able, etc. Surely everyone can find a straw to carry with them that suits their needs. Personally, I prefer using bamboo straws for water only, as I find they can add a “wooden” flavor to beverages. I like stainless steel for pretty much everything else, and the straws from Klean Kanteen that are part stainless and part silicone are my all-time favorites.
Throw one or two in your purse (or toss a fold-able in your pocket) and you’ll always be prepared. It may be hard to remember at first, but you’ll know your straw is clean (as long as you remember to wash it on occasion) and that it (and indirectly you) won’t be responsible for the murder of a cute sea turtle.
2. BYOB: Bring your own water bottle.
Plastic water bottles are quite possibly my least favorite invention of all time. Water is actually free. It is abundant, and it is clean for the majority of us living in the United States. To bottle it in unnecessary packaging, slap a lie-filled label on it (hint: most of that water is not coming from mountain springs), and to charge people multiple dollars for it is about the biggest racket I can fathom. Carry your own water bottle.
Don’t like the taste of tap water? Use a Brita, carry your own filter (they sell both charcoal or reusable versions from Package Free Shop), or stop being so damn bougie and just suck it up and drink the water. It will save you money and it will save a lot of plastic bottles from finding their way into a landfill or our oceans.
A quality water bottle may be expensive up front, but considering how long it will last and how much money you’ll save in the long run, I think it’s a worthy investment. If you still think carrying your own bottle is too much of a hassle, check out these facts from a 2017 Forbes article:
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- Globally, humans buy a million plastic bottles per minute.
- 91% of all plastic is not recycled.
- It is estimated that over half a trillion plastic bottles will be sold in 2020.
3. Carry a reusable coffee cup.
Just like a plastic water bottle can easily be replaced by bringing your own sustainable bottle, all those paper, plastic, and Styrofoam coffee cups can be replaced by bringing your own mug. This is one swap that I almost never use, because I prefer to make my coffee at home. However, I have brought an empty mason jar with me and had my local coffee place fill it with iced coffee or iced chai in the summer, so same concept.
There’s no need for paper cups, plastic lids, paper sleeves, and plastic stoppers for one damn cup of coffee when you can have it poured into your own adorable mug that will keep it hotter way longer than a flimsy and wasteful paper cup.
I have heard that it’s easier if you have a shorter cup, as your cup needs to fit under the coffee machine. If your thermos is too tall, they’ll end up still using a disposable cup to make your drink and will then pour it into your reusable mug, which basically defeats the purpose of bringing your cup in the first place.
I know that Starbucks is one chain that has recently stopped giving out plastic straws and gone to more of a “sippy cup” type lid, which is a great step, but still doesn’t get rid of the fact that a lot of plastic is going to be used for a very short time. Again, you can combat this by carrying your own cup!
4. Cloth napkins are cuter and better than paper.
Whether you eat at a casual restaurant or grab grub from a fast-food joint, you’re almost guaranteed to find yourself with a handful of paper napkins. Unless you are an extreme klutz and plan to dump the majority of your meal onto your person instead of eating it, there’s no way you’ll need that many napkins. The number of times I’ve seen someone wipe their face halfheartedly with a stack of napkins that was five or more deep is troubling. Honestly, I can’t believe everyone isn’t using the back of their pants.
If you really need a napkin, carry your own! We use these Norwex cloth napkins at our house that are amazing (and self-sanitizing, seriously) and it’s just as easy to keep one or two in a purse, bag, or your car for meals on-the-go.
The above cloth napkins have the bonus of sanitizing themselves, but any cloth napkin will do. I keep a stash of cloth wipes from Marley’s Monsters in my purse that I use as napkins, kleenex, or anytime I need to wipe something down. They wash easily and they fold up nice and small. Bonus: the prints are so much cuter than a wasteful paper napkin!
5. Get a Travel Utensil Wrap for any and all out-to-eat situations.
Have I mentioned before how much I love Marley’s Monsters? Their travel utensil wrap was one of the first things I ever purchased from them, and it’s also one of my most-utilized. It’s small enough to toss in a standard purse, and I make sure to pack it every time we travel near or far and plan on eating. This baby has gone to Texas, Colorado, and Massachusetts so far as well as on lots of in-town eating adventures.
I keep a bamboo fork, knife, and spoon in mine as well as a variety of straws for any beverage emergencies. I especially love that the inside of the bag is designated as a “dirty” section and is lined with PUL so it won’t get the rest of your wrap dirty. It’s also super easy to throw in the wash when necessary, and like all of their products is completely customizable in your favorite prints. You can also use these wraps for art supplies or makeup brushes!
6. Take along to-go containers or tiffins.
Planning on having leftovers? Bring a container from home. More and more restaurants are making the transition to biodegradable takeout containers, but in the meantime many of them are still using the environmental nightmare that is Styrofoam.
It’s easy enough to bring a glass container from home (that you can also safely reheat your food in) or get yourself this awesomely dorky tiffin from Package Free Shop that I think is actually so cool. (And yes, I own one.)
And there you have a few ways to make your out-to-eat excursions a bit more eco-friendly. Part Three is coming up next and will feature ways to make your kitchen more sustainable. Stay tuned!
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