Reusable dental floss

Turns out there is an alternative to single use dental floss!

While dental floss does not create a lot of waste, if you follow your dentist’s instructions, then you should be flossing every night….that adds up to a lot of dental floss, plus those plastic containers.

This is where reusable flossing devices come in handy. These ones are called ‘Piksters’ and have a bamboo handle with a little brush on a wire, a bit like a mini bottle brush. You can use them multiple times and simply need to rinse after use. I am not sure at this stage how long they last for, but will find out.

They are surprisingly good at getting in between closely spaced teeth and seem to successfully extract anything stuck. The only downside is the frequent washing needed. Amazing that alternatives to single use products are getting so creative!

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Buy nothing – share everything

Another way of reducing your waste is to give away things that you don’t need or don’t use. There are a few ways of doing this.

1. Local Buy Nothing Group
   I am part of a local Facebook Buy Nothing group. This groups has a few rules such as you must live within the suburbs the group encompasses, you are not allowed to offer anything for sale and you shouldn’t be picking up things to in order to sell them but rather be taking them for your personal use. All items listed are free to give away and members may also request an item that they are looking for, or would like to borrow. Read more about this concept.
2. Charity Stores
   We have local charity stores that accept donations at anytime, however don’t drop off your rubbish, or dirty items, these are not appreciated!
3. Bulky Waste
   Some areas have regular Council waste collection days, where larger items such as lounge chairs and furniture will be collected. It is also an opportunity for people to pick up free, unwanted secondhand items. Some areas also have collection points at rubbish tips, where good and reasonable quality secondhand items will be resold.
4. Sell Online
   If you really don’t want to give away your unwanted goods, there are many items that can be sold online. Forums for selling secondhand goods include Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree (Australia). My kids have had amazing success selling second shoes and branded t-shirts that are in good condition.

Let me know what other ideas or experiences you have with sharing, giving away or selling your unwanted items, rather than throwing them in the bin.

Day #3 – Make up rounds

I am guessing if you use make-up, you probably use make-up remover pads. These single use make-up rounds are not too expensive, but certainly don’t suit a zero waste lifestyle. So what is the alternative?

Re-usable make-up remover pads, can be used multiple times, washed and re-used. They are beautifully soft and the mesh bag can be used for storage and to wash them in. I bought mine from Flora + Fauna.

However if you have read this far, I’ll let you into a little secret – Aldis is offering a 3 pack version as a sale item this week! Don’t ask me if the quality is as good, but it may be worth a try.

Day #2 – Fruit bags

Just when you thought you had got rid of plastic bags for shopping, there is always one more!

Supermarkets still hand out those thin plastic bags for fruit and vegetables, but here is an alternative.

Green + Kind’s Produce Bags are perfect replacement to plastic bags used for fruit and veg in supermarkets every day. The pack of bags comes with a handy pouch, so they can fit easily in your handbag when you go shopping and have a little carabiner to hook on to your shopping bag or trolley. We also enjoyed using these at the Farmer’s market, rather than having a large bag with a lot of loose fruit, or a smaller plastic bag alternative.

Day #1 – Swedish dishclothes

In my efforts to seek an alternative to paper towels and disposable kitchen sponges, I came across the amazing invention known as the Swedish dishcloth.

Apparently they were invented  in the mid-1900’s by Swedish engineer, Curt Lindquist. Lindquist discovered that when you mix natural cellulose and cotton, the material can absorb an incredible amount of weight, up to 15 times its own weight!

Swedish Dishcloths are like a regular reusable dishcloth. You can wash them up to 200 times, they also dry very quickly.

Unlike many dishcloths on the market today, Swedish Dishcloths are 100% free from microfibres (plastic), so when the cloth is starting to deteriorate, it’s safe to discard it into your home compost system. That’s as zero waste as you can get! Also as an added bonus they come in some funky patterns to suit every taste.