Having turned thirty earlier this year, I’ve found 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 5: Low-Waste Shopping Hacks. 

Find Part 1: Ways to Create Less Waste with your Skincare Routine HERE, Part 2: Ways to Waste Less and Still Go Out to Eat HERE, Part 3: Ways to Create Less Waste in Your Kitchen HERE, and Part 4: Low-Waste Personal Care HERE. 

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It’s the end of the series, but certainly not an end to the low-waste hacks and swaps!

As the heading says above, let me first point out that even though this is the fifth and final part in my low-waste series, there are so many more ways to reduce your waste. There are many bloggers, authors, and activists who talk and write extensively on this subject. I hope that you’ve found at least a few ways to lower your own waste in these posts, but I also urge you to keep looking for ways to lessen your waste and your environmental impact! 

Below are just five more ways that I currently try to be a little more planet-friendly and a little more in-tune with my inner hippie while low-waste shopping. Enjoy! 

1. Change up your coffee routine. 

We were gifted a Keurig several years ago, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t use it multiple times per day. I’m aware that it’s a large plastic monstrosity, but it’s one of those “sunk cost” things in my zero-waste journey: I already have it and getting rid of it just to get rid of plastic would be way more wasteful than continuing to use it until it no longer works. 

What I have been able to do is stop using those god-awful individual plastic K-cups (which even the inventor himself has said he regrets creating) and switch to a reusable filter. These are so easy to rinse out and reuse, and they allow you to customize your coffee a bit more. Instead of buying individually packaged cups, we buy bulk bags of coffee beans, grind it ourselves, and then use the filters we have. Our coffee tastes better, is fresher, and inflicts a lot less guilt. This is important to me, because I take my coffee very seriously and I don’t have time to feel guilty about it. 🙂

Here are the filters we use and love:

2. Get cloth produce bags for your grocery shopping. 

This might be a little high-and-mighty of me, but nothing makes me cringe more than when I see people’s grocery hauls on social media and it is nothing but plastic bags. Good for you for buying a ton of fruits and veggies, really, but the multitude of single-use plastic produce bags makes me SO crazy. It’s so easy to buy a set of produce bags and take them to the store with you every time; this should probably be your first low-waste shopping hack. It’s also easier to get produce in and out of cloth bags, and they are also super easy to throw in the washer and dryer if they get gross. 

Here’s a set from Amazon I have:

These are nice because the tare weight (weight of the bag when it’s empty) is right on the tag. This is good for anything that you’re buying by weight because it can be subtracted from the overall weight so you aren’t being charged extra. These are slightly thicker and more opaque though, so be prepared to have to open the bags up or take items out in the check-out line. I’ve had to open them a few times so it’s easier for the cashier to scan, but it hasn’t been a huge issue. I also have a set of Norwex produce bags which are the best. These are super easy to scan and I wish I had like three more sets. I would recommend the Norwex bags over any other sets I’ve seen. 

3. Use tote bags for all your shopping, not just groceries. 

Are you ready for low-waste shopping hack 101? If you’re like the average person, you probably have a secret stash of bags somewhere in your life; maybe your trunk, the back of a closet, or under your bed? Old tote bags, free farmer’s market bags, that weird bright yellow bag from that 5k you ran, anything will work. Keep a stash of these in your car so that you’re ready whenever you run errands. Use them for groceries, take them back to the farmer’s market, take them clothes shopping, whatever you need a bag for.

You might be tempted to upgrade to cute matching bags that have low-waste slogans on them, but that is the opposite idea of creating less-waste while shopping. You probably already have some bags that will work just fine. Put them to work! 

4. Buy what you can find in bulk food stores using jars. 

This is one of the best low-waste shopping hacks, but it’s a swap that I hesitate to share, especially because I don’t have extensive experience with it. Our closest bulk food grocery store is almost two hours away, so we don’t make a habit of bulk shopping. I’d love to see more grocery stores expand their bulk food selection, because it’s awesome to be able to fill up jars or tiffins with bulk grains instead of having to buy individual boxes or bags. Until we get a bulk store closer, we’ll keep planning realllly spread-out date days to bulk food shop, like the picture below. 

5. Bring your own containers for take-out food. 

I like to go out to eat sometimes. I don’t like having to bring home plastic, or even worse, styrofoam containers when I don’t finish all my food. The solution here is simple: bring your own containers! Most restaurants will be happy to let you use your own container to take your leftovers home, you just have to ask. And this leads into perhaps the biggest tip of all when it comes to living life with less waste…

 BONUS: WHEN IN DOUBT, JUST ASK. 

This is the biggest lesson I’ve learned for low-waste shopping. You just have to ask people. Whether it’s declining a straw at your favorite juice bar, asking for your coffee in your own thermos, or bringing your own bag or wrap for bread at a bakery, you have to ask. Most people/places will be more than happy to let you do you.

The low-waste movement is gaining momentum, but it hasn’t reached everywhere yet. It just may not have occurred to people not to include plastic silverware and straws in every order, or it may be company policy. Just ask to do things a little differently. You might encounter some stubborn people or policies, but at least you asked. Will it be uncomfortable? Probably at first, but you’ll usually be glad you asked! 

And there you have a few more ways to create less waste in your routines. If you missed any of the previous parts, you can find them HERE. 

Have a swap that I didn’t write about that you especially love and think I should try? Let me know in the comments! I’m always looking for ways to be lower-waste!

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