41 Ways to Reduce Waste at Home

So, say you’ve already tried Marie Kondo-ing to #sparkjoy, but now you want to learn more about how to reduce trash at home effectively.

That’s a smart move because not only will reducing your household waste give you less to throw away, but it will also lower your carbon footprint and help simplify your life.

Wondering how can you reduce waste at home? Check out these 41 simple ways to reduce trash and clean out excess clutter in your home or apartment.

So much of the waste we produce comes right out of our kitchen, whether it’s plastic and paper bags from the grocery store or food containers from restaurant takeout, there are better ways to reduce the amount of trash in your kitchen. Let’s take a look at how to reduce waste at home in 41 different ways.

Instead of using disposable paper towels every time you have a spill in the kitchen, try switching to small reusable towels or cloth pads. You’ll find they’re just as absorbent and can easily be tossed in the laundry. Cloth napkins are a great alternative as well.

Rather than buying and throwing away disposable cups, invest in a quality travel mug. Not only do these reduce waste, but they also keep your coffee hot for longer and come in many shapes and sizes.

If you’ve shopped at a grocery store recently, you’ve probably noticed more people bringing their own reusable bags. Avoid adding to your household waste by switching from paper or plastic bags to cloth or nylon reusable shopping bags that can last for years.

Along the same lines, mesh produce bags are an easy way to reduce plastic use at the grocery store. Wash and dry them occasionally, and they’ll last for a long time, helping you reduce trash at home.

Many food scraps can be composted instead of thrown away. With a small composting bin, you can recycle veggie peels, coffee grounds, eggshells, and more then add worms to speed up the process 🪱.

Related Blog: How Long Does it Take Everyday Garbage to Decompose in Landfills?

Instead of buying individual tea bags, try loose-leaf tea steeped in a reusable tea ball or infuser. These small changes can add up to significantly reduce waste.

Rather than giving your kids new disposable sandwich bags every day, switch to reusable sandwich bags. Simply wash and dry them after each use for a sustainable, waste-reducing option.

Dish soap bottles contribute to plastic waste, and costs can add up over time. Try making your own dish soap mix in a reusable container, adding essential oils for a personalized scent.

Many people still buy bottled water, which adds to plastic waste. Installing a water filter provides clean, purified water without the environmental impact. Plus, with so many attractive reusable bottles available, you can say goodbye to single-use plastic bottles for good.

Enjoy your daily coffee while reducing landfill waste by using reusable coffee filters. Options like hemp or stainless steel filters, including reusable K-cup filters, help cut down on disposable waste.

Once you’ve ditched plastic sandwich bags, the next step is replacing lunch bags with reusable lunch boxes. Lunch boxes are durable, eco-friendly, and a lot of fun for kids to use.

Joining a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program connects you directly to local farmers. You receive fresh produce without the excess plastic bags or packaging, supporting sustainable farming and reducing waste.

Shopping at farmers markets also helps reduce packaging waste and supports local farmers. You get fresh, seasonal produce while cutting down on plastic and other packaging materials.

If you’re still using plastic Tupperware, consider switching to glass containers. Glass lasts longer, won’t absorb odors or stains, and is better for the environment.

Cooking meals at home with whole, minimally processed ingredients means less reliance on fast food and takeout packaging. Your family enjoys healthier, fresher meals, and you reduce waste at the same time.

🙃 Frustrated by your kitchen? Make it better with these 4 easy steps to decluttering your kitchen!

Try making your own foods like yogurt and seltzer water. DIY projects reduce packaging waste and can even save you money. Learn more about recycling and repurposing in the process.

Grow your own fruits and vegetables to reduce trips to the store and avoid packaging altogether.

Sponges can get dirty quickly and often need to be thrown away. Dishcloths are washable, reusable, and can save you money and reduce waste.

Many single-serving foods come with excess packaging. Consider buying in bulk or making your own snacks to cut down on waste.

Many places have banned plastic straws, and you can easily replace them at home with reusable options like stainless steel straws.

♻️ It’s not hard to shop eco-friendly and reduce your carbon footprint! Check out these practical, sustainable, and environmentally responsible ways to shop sustainably today.

The bathroom is another room where we often generate a lot of unnecessary trash. You can still enjoy your shampoo, soap, and toiletries while reducing waste significantly.

If you catch frequent colds, tissues add up fast. Switching to handkerchiefs lets you simply wash and reuse them, cutting down on waste.

Though not for everyone, using the family cloth is a highly sustainable alternative to toilet paper. Keep a small hamper and clean cloth strips by each toilet. Over time, you might never want to go back to disposable toilet paper.

Disposable tampons and pads generate a lot of waste every month. Many women have switched to reusable menstrual cups, which save money and reduce trash.

Safety razors work even better than disposables and don’t need to be constantly thrown away.

Most bathroom cleaning products come in plastic containers and generate a lot of waste. When you start making your own, you’ll save money and conserve resources.

Babies are perfectly happy with cloth diapers. It’s easy to either hire a service to wash and resupply them or clean them yourself.

Shampoo bottles are something we throw away without a second thought. Try shampoo that comes in bar soap form and over the course of a year you’ll dramatically reduce your carbon footprint. It’s even possible to make them yourself.

There are definitely a few ways people generate waste in their laundry room. If you’re not careful you will go through a lot of laundry detergent containers and dryer sheets each month.

Instead of dryer sheets use wool dryer balls. You’ll find they make clothes soft and fragrant.

It’s simple to make eco-friendly laundry soap and put it in reusable containers. Plus, making your own zero-waste laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer balls saves money and gives you control over allergens that might affect your family’s skin.

Old pillows and blankets don’t need to be thrown away. In fact, they could really benefit someone who might lack these necessary items. These are great items to donate to charities like Goodwill.

If you’ve been following Marie Kondo’s advice, you have a lot of clothes and shoes to donate. These items should rarely be thrown away unless they are in truly poor shape. Consider giving these items to charity or organize a clothing swap with your friends.

Some ways we throw away items in the entertainment rooms at home slip under the radar.

Back before streaming video was popular, people bought a lot of VHS tapes, DVDs, and Blu-ray. Today, assuming you have an internet connection, it is easy to stream almost any television show or movie you might want to watch or own.

Along the same regards, increasingly CDs are becoming history. You’ll likely even find that streaming audio services offer an excellent level of audio quality.

Who likes getting bills in the mail anyhow? Save some paper every month by opting in for online bill delivery.

Many people value their prized book collections. But do you really need to own every book? If it’s something that you don’t think you’ll be looking at time and time again, consider just checking the book out of your local library.

Your home office is not one of the main places where waste originates, but e-waste dumping tends to be among the most hazardous due to the various toxic chemicals that can leach into the land over time. Here are some ways to do better in your office.

If you only occasionally use a printer or fax machine, maybe you don’t actually need the machine. The same could be said for household tools that you will only use once or twice. Create relationships with neighbors where you get in the habit of borrowing from one another.

It’s frustrating when a computer you just bought slows down or gets a virus. The good news? Regularly updating and scanning your devices can help them last longer.

If an electronic device no longer meets your needs, recycle your e-waste responsibly.

Do you really need a garbage bag in your office or home trash can? Often, trash cans can be used without plastic liners, reducing waste.

Printer cartridges add significantly to landfill waste. Instead of discarding them, refill your cartridges to save money and reduce waste.

Switch to high-quality refillable pens that last for years, so you don’t have to throw away cheap disposable pens constantly.

Recycle various types of paper in bulk bins, including office paper, newspapers, colored paper, cardboard, magazines, catalogs, junk mail, and phone books.

Make an Impact by Reducing Trash in Your Home

These 41 tips are just the beginning. Small changes in how you manage household waste can make a big difference for the planet.

You don’t have to do everything at once, even committing to 5 or 10 changes is a great step toward reducing waste at home.

Related from the Trash Talk Blog:

• Pros and Cons of Tiny House Living
• What Can Go in the Curbside Recycling Bin?
• What Can’t Be Recycled in Your Curbside Recycling Bin?
• Eco-Friendly New Year’s Resolutions: Twenty Ways to Go Green in 2020