5 Things I've Swapped in Order to Reduce My Impact
5 Things I Have Swapped in Order to Reduce My Impact.
I have switched my plastic tubes of toothpaste with NOBS toothpaste tablets. I love this brand because they are fluoride free, compacted tablets of toothpaste that come in a reusable and recyclable glass jar. This product is safe for children and is very easy to use! You just chew one tablet until it's dissolved and fully coats your mouth, grab your wettened toothbrush, and brush like normal. This brand is mess free (no more sticky, gooey tubes of paste!) and travel friendly as there isn't a TSA limit.
The second product I have swapped is liquid hand/body soap to bar soap. I prefer homemade and organic and am able to support small local businesses this way! A lot of liquid hand soaps come in single use plastics or can be refilled if you buy another larger-sized plastic container of liquid hand soap which you'll need to continue to buy in order to refill the smaller plastic container. It's madness really. Liquid body soaps are always single use plastics and if you plan on recycling them, be sure to clean them well because the soap may contaminate your entire load! I recommend checking out the Scrapp app for any information on recycling different products. They are super helpful and all it takes is a scan of a barcode.
Another product I have swapped are plastic food storage containers. Now I use glass Pyrex containers and reuse any plastic restaurant packaging I get when I order "to-go". Glass Pyrex containers are so much better because they last much longer and are oven/microwave safe. No more scooping leftovers out of a plastic container that leaches chemicals into your food and reheating it with a different one now doubling the dishes in your sink.
Reusable shopping bags were an easy swap. Instead of paying 10 cents per plastic bag at the grocery store, I can spend around to $5 for a larger reusable cotton bag that will last years of shopping. One of the biggest problems of reusable fabric bags is forgetting to bring them. Through trial and error and collecting nearly 15 fabric bags in the process, I have combated that issue by always keeping them in my car. Once I finish unpacking my groceries, I immediately place them back into my trunk.
Earth Breeze Detergent Sheets are my latest swap! I love them because they easily dissolve in both hot and cold water so you can continue to use cold water to save your fabric colors and energy usage. They also replace those giant, bulky detergent jugs that take up cabinet space and are tedious to clean for recycling not to mention the messy dibble left from their drippy nozzles.
