Last month I told you that my family would be participating in the #SCJZeroWaste Challenge, inspired by SC Johnson’s impressive 98 percent waste diversion rate. I shared some of the ways I was planning to help reduce my own family’s waste, and I said I’d report back. Well, it’s been a month since then. How did we do?
When I first told you about the challenge, I was in the middle of sorting through the kids’ clothes. I ended up with four big boxes that I donated along with some kids’ DVDs and an old tablet to a local shelter. Not only did we keep those things out of the landfill, but I love that this was an opportunity to teach my kids about the importance of giving. Our donation sparked a great conversation about giving and charity, as well as some tough questions about why children might be living in a shelter.
I’ve also begun buying spices in bulk whenever possible and refilling my jars. Not only does it reduce trash, it’s much more economical. Costco is a good source for big containers of staples like sea salt, pepper, cinnamon, and garlic powder. Now if only I could find a bulk source for chipotle chili powder!
During the challenge period we spent ten days on vacation in the Dominican Republic which you might think would derail our challenge. But even while we were away from home there were plenty of ways to continue. We helped conserve water and electricity by hanging up and reusing our towels and by turning off the air conditioning whenever we left the room (and turning it down at night too).
We also took advantage of our resort’s recycling program. I was happy to see they had separate sorting bins for paper and cardboard, plastic, metal, and glass to keep them out of the trash. There were several sets of these bins placed in strategic spots on the grounds. And I definitely saved energy lounging poolside with my book!
After our successful #SCJZeroWaste challenge, I plan to continue making and maintaining all those small changes that add up to make a big difference locally and globally.
What changes have you and your family made to reduce waste in your home?
Connect with SC Johnson on Twitter and use hashtag #SCJZeroWaste to join the conversation. Learn more at scjohnson.com/blog.
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Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with SC Johnson and I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
we recycle and compost as much as we can
We reduce by always using containers and insulated lunch bags for school lunches. Nothing disposable.
we recycle all we can and aim not to buy foods with excess packaging or throw food away
We use containers for our lunches.
we use reusable options when we can, and compost and recycle whenever possible
We recycle and I only buy what we need for the week, no since throwing out good food, only run the water when needed and do the laundry and bigger household chores on the weekends, and I use my reusable bags and produce bags at the store
We recycle and compost and I use glass and steel containers for lunches. I also almost never throw away food.
I am crazy about recycling and am thankful that my condo building has different recycling bins to make this easier for others! I also try not to buy more food than I know we will need for the next few days, that way we don’t end up throwing away and wasting food.
We recycle and use reusable containers.
We recycle everything plastic (except bags which they don’t take here), glass and paper and compost all the kitchen waste. We try not to have too many lights on either.
We try to recycle as much as possible.
We always recycle and use many tupperware product instead of disposable containers!
We recycle anything that can be.
We recycle, compost & use the green bin. I also cloth diapered for almost 4yrs between 2 kids!
we recycle and we use reusable bags whenever possible
We bring our own containers when we’re getting food to go.
We recycle and try not to use plastic
We recycle paper, pop & glass bottles, use a compost & we use reusable bags when shopping!
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I recycle as much as I can. Seasonally, I plan to reuse Christmas wrap. Also, I freeze my tomatoes in leftover cottage cheese containers.
We recycle and avoid products with excessive packaging
We recycle and choose products without excessive packaging.
We recycle what we can and it is limited in our rural area. I buy from the bulk barn and use all sizes of mason jars to for items.
We try to avoid using disposable containers like sandwich bags as much as possible
We recycle and compost all the time. Thanks for the chance
We compost and recycle.
We do our best to recycle everything we possibly can. It takes extra time but you get use to it and it’s definitely worth it.
we use re-usable water bottles, coffee mugs, food containers, and hankerchiefs!
We recycle all we can, buy second hand and compost.
We use reusable lunch bags/containers, a low flow toilet and never use plastic cups or plates
We reduce waste in our home by re using as much as possible and always recycling and composting. We use cloth diapers and I use cloth menstrual pads too. I always try to pack my lunch and not bring anything wasteful
We donate the kids used clothes and toys. We also recycle as much as we can.
We always recycle and compost to help reduce waste.
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we recycle as much as possible and use reusable bags for shopping
We compost and recycle a lot of cardboard and plastics.
We haul ALL of our own garbage to a recycling center. So, we separate and recycle everything!
We use reusable containers for packed lunches and we compost and recycle!
We reduce by avoiding prepared and packaged foods. Making from scratch avoids needless garbage.
we use tall plastic laundry hampers under the island in the kitchen for plastic & paper as well as cans all through the house.
we also safe kitchen scraps for compost in our garden
We use a green bin for all food scraps
We recycle and compost. We buy in bulk and bring reusable shopping bags. We save water by following this rule in the bathroom “if it’s yellow, let it mellow…if it’s brown, flush it down.”
We recycle and use re-usable containers.
We do lots of recycling
We sort our trash (wet, dry) and reduce the amount of electricity we use when we can.
We compost and only use reusable bottles and mugs/
Recycle everything we can!
We have our own compost pile at the very back of the backyard in addition to the compost that we bring to the curb every week as well as recycling in the blue bin and reuse whatever is possible.
reuse, reduce, repurpose, recycle and pass whatever im not using on to someone else. I also pick up stuff other people throw out and refurbish
We compost and recycle as much as we can.
we recycle and reduce our electricity and heating use