Sustainable & Zero Waste Swaps that are ACTUALLY Worth it

When I was diving into my sustainable living journey, trying to become more planet-friendly, I got really overwhelmed with the amount of plastic-free swaps out there. And even though like social media and the internet will make you feel like you need to basically throw away every single thing you currently own, you don't need to toss out everything you own or buy a zero-waste setup in order to get started. You can start exactly where you currently are and do one swap at a time. You don't have to do everything overnight. And honestly, some of the swaps on this list you might already own. So maybe it's time to embrace the things you already have. If you're new here, my name is Kristalyn. You can call me Kris. And we chat all things mind, body, and planet on this corner of the internet. So I hope you guys stick around. Okay, number one is ditch the plastic water bottles and go for a reusable bottle. Remember when I said some of the things on this list you might already have? This is one you probably already have sitting in your pantry or in a cabinet somewhere. Maybe it's collecting dust. Maybe you're already pretty good at it and using it most days. But it is one of the most effective and also one of the most simplest swaps you could do. I keep a water bottle with me pretty much everywhere. I call it my emotional support water bottle. I bring it with me in the car. It sits on my desk. I even put it on my nightstand sometimes. Just like bring it with me wherever because I would rather have the water and not feel thirsty than feel thirsty and then have to go buy a plastic water bottle somewhere. Number two, swap your plastic grocery bags for reusable tote bags. This is another one you probably already have. The amount of free canvas tote bags I've been given just from going to like random events in my city is kind of crazy. And even though they have random company logos on them doesn't mean that I can't use them. So I do. I keep several in the trunk of my car. So if I'm going to the grocery store, I don't have to remind myself to bring them out of my house and put them in my car. They just live there. So they're always on me. The hardest part is remembering to grab them from my trunk before I walk into the store. But that, that's another issue. I find reusable grocery bags way more sturdier. They hold a lot more stuff and they're way less wasteful. Like what do you do with a bunch of plastic grocery bags once you get those home? Nothing. Not, not a lot you can do with them. Sure, you can use them as like little trash bags in your bathrooms around the house. But really there's too many and there's too many. I got curbside and forgot to put in the comments, no plastic bags. And even sometimes I say no plastic bags and there's still plastic bags. But tell me why I was bringing the groceries in and they put several bags with one item in it. Not even a big item. Like one bag had like a container of salad dressing and then another bag had one can. That is insane. We don't need that many plastic bags. So yes, skip on the plastic grocery bags. Use a reusable tote. Use the ones you already have. Use an old school backpack. Even, you know, repurpose the things you already have. Number three, kind of on the same note, produce bags. Swap the plastic ones that you usually just grab when you're in the produce section that are readily available. And because you already have some of the canvas tote bags in the back of your car, go ahead and add in a couple of mesh tote bags as well. Now this is a swap you maybe don't already have at home, but maybe you do. I like the ones from Lotus Trolley Bag. They are mesh. They hold my veggies really well. I know exactly what's in them. They make it pretty easy for checking out at the grocery store because the cashier can see what's inside the bag as well. And they're also washable. So if they get gross, I can just throw them in the washing machine. Number four is changing which razor I'm using. I used to use plastic razors, pretty much just like the normal disposable ones. And even when I upgraded to a plastic razor that you just replaced the head of the razor, I still felt really wasteful whenever the time would come and I'd have to throw away the head of that and replace it with a new plastic one. So one of the things I did is I swapped that disposable razor for, I guess it's called a safety razor. I like the one from Leaf Shave, which is kind of different than a safety razor. It has a pivoting head. I think it is just impeccable. It's a plastic-free razor. I get a really, really smooth shave on my legs, on my armpits. And even though I will admit they are expensive up front, they're going to save you money in the long run because I bought a Leaf Shave razor and then a refill pack of razor blades, I think like two or three years ago. It's been a long time that I've had this razor. I have not had to buy a single thing since. Like I still have razor blades left to refill my razor. Number four are swapping my liquid soap bottles to bar soap. It's like the oldest trick in the book. Bar soap is what I feel like I grew up on because not only was it cost-effective, but also it worked. And somewhere along the lines, I feel like brands stopped making bar soap and just were really pushing these liquid formulations of soap, which is mostly common. That's what I feel like most people see. But now that people are more interested in being more earth-friendly, planet-friendly, I've been seeing a lot more brands come out with bar soaps. Next time you're at the store, I'm going to encourage you to go for bar soap instead of a liquid soap. They're usually plastic-free. They come in like a paper packaging you can recycle or compost if composting's your thing. But they last a lot longer and there's a ton of options when it comes to scents. So it's like any soap brand. Maybe you have to shop around and find a soap bar that you like more than the rest. But other than that, I feel like a soap bar, it's identical to liquid soap and it lasts longer and it's cheaper and there's no plastic waste. Number six, on that same note, try swapping your shampoo and conditioner, the liquid version, for a bar version. Now, this is less common, though we are starting to see a lot more bar shampoo and conditioners pop up, which is super exciting to see. But just like bar soap, bar shampoo and conditioners are going to last you a lot longer. There's a ton of brands out there, so you can really find a formula that works the best for your hair type and a scent that you like the most. Some of my favorite brands, in case you're interested in trying a shampoo or conditioner bar, I love the brand Dip. Specifically, the Coconut Almond Scent is by far my fave. They are like the luxury shampoo and conditioner bars. They compete with maybe your more higher-end hair care brands. The other brands that I've tried and really like are Earthling Co, have really great shampoo and conditioner bars. And there's also Etique. They, I think, just launched in Ulta, so super easy to like go and see those in person as well. So I would definitely encourage you to shift from a liquid shampoo and conditioner once the ones you're currently using are out. Try a shampoo and conditioner bar. And if you don't like the first formula, again, it's just like any other shampoo or conditioner out there. Just try another one until you find a formula you like. Number seven, swap disposable cotton rounds for cotton pads that are reusable and washable. I started doing this specifically for taking off my makeup. I used to use a lot of makeup wipes. I would use like the little cotton rounds or even cotton balls to like take off my mascara. And since then, I have swapped for reusable rounds. And I really love them. They definitely don't look as pretty as they were when I first bought them. You can see a lot of like my makeup stains on them because of course I got ones that are white, which was maybe not the smartest choice thinking about it, but they still work. So that's all that really matters. The best part is once you're done with them, you toss them in the washing machine and reuse them. Just like that. Easy, easy peasy. And it's a lot less waste. There you go. There are seven things that you could do today or soon. Depends on where you're at on your journey. A few couple little extra tippies because of course I'm going to share with you guys everything I've learned along the way. Plastic-free living is not a one-size-fits-all. There will be some things that you try that you really love and there are going to be some things you try that you maybe don't work for you or you don't like the way they feel on your hands. You don't like the smell or you just simply don't like it. And that's okay. The number one thing that I always have to remind myself is to use what I have. Don't toss working products just to replace them with something that you may or may not like. Finish what you have first, use it until it's broken, use it until you've used up the entirety of the product and then that's when you should do a little research and see if there's a better option for the next time you buy something. And don't forget to start small. Even if you do one swap a week, that's still 52 swaps by the end of the year and that's like not a small number. And of course you could go to Amazon and start buying a bunch of these things but I encourage you to shop local and shop small. A lot of cities have refilleries. If you've never heard of a refillery before, it's a place you can refill your products. They offer a bunch of stuff in full where you can go, just bring your empty container and refill it up. There's also farmer's markets you can support. These are great ways to reduce packaging and also support your local community. Now, if you want a printable checklist of literally every plastic-free swap I could possibly think of, along with all of my personal brand recommendations, I do have a plastic-free living guide. You can find that on my website. I'll put it below in the description for you. Literally, it's a full-on checklist. So as you make the swap, you can check it off as you're going. And all of my brand recs, I get a lot of questions on what brands I recommend. And while I will always give those recommendations to you for free, if you want them all in one centralized place where you don't have to keep asking me, then this is literally the perfect thing for you. So don't forget, sustainability is not a competition. Just by doing something small, you're still making an impact and you can still make a difference. So thank you guys so much for watching this video. I would like to know if there's a swap I didn't mention that you really love, that you think needs to be mentioned. Let me know in the comments, of course. And if you like this video, give it a thumbs up. If you want more like this, also let me know in the comments because I like to rotate. Sometimes it's cozy content. Sometimes it's sustainability. You know, like I say, we talk all things mind, body, and planet. So we're going for wholesome, planet-friendly videos here. So if you have anything you want to see, let me know in the comments. So like this video, subscribe for more, and I will see you guys in the next one. Bye.