If you’re just starting out on your zero-waste journey, then deciding on which products to swap out first can be a little overwhelming. To get you off to a running start, our Zero-Waste Starter Kit, helps you start small, by slowly replacing those wasteful products in your home with more sustainable alternatives.

 

The Zero-Waste Starter Kit

Whether you’re shopping, improving your food storage methods at home, or you’re preparing a zero-waste lunch for work, the Zero Waste Starter Kit has got everything you need:

  • Beeswax wrap
  • Bamboo utensil
  • Dish block soap
  • Straw
  • Straw + utensil pouch
  • Produce bag
  • Bamboo toothbrush

Here, we look a little deeper into how our Zero-Waste Starter Kit helps you reduce waste in and outside your home.

 

Khala & Co Food Wraps

Plastic wrap is landfilled in huge quantities since it is contaminated with food making it nearly impossible to recycle. Some estimates put the levels of plastic film in use at 6% of all packaging, 33% of plastic packaging, and 19% of all plastic in the waste stream. That’s a staggering amount of plastic wrap!

However, what do you do if you want to wrap your sandwiches, bread, cheese, or other foods in something protective? Khala & Co has a range of beeswax wraps in different sizes that are more practical than plastic wrap. Made from cotton and hemp and using a blend of natural waxes (including beeswax), coconut oil, and natural tree resin, they are hand-washable and biodegradable.

 

U-Konserve Bamboo Utensil

The epitome of single-use, it is estimated that around 100 million plastic utensils are discarded in the US every day. The real problem is, that the qualities that make them so convenient (lightweight, compact, disposable) are the very things that make them near impossible to recycle. Luckily, there are other materials out there that offer the same qualities without generating harmful waste.

U-Konserve’s Bamboo Utensil delivers all that convenience in a simple and entirely biodegradable package. Manufactured from sustainably-harvested bamboo and free of BPAs, BPS’, phthalates, and lead, they can be packed in your picnic, takeout, or work/school lunch and then used again once you’ve finished eating. When they do reach the end of their useable life, they can just be chopped up and thrown in the compost.

 

No Tox Life Dish Block® Zero Waste Dish Washing Bar

Your standard liquid dish soap is not only heavily reliant on plastic packaging, but its chemical composition is also potentially harmful to the environment. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) guide places more than 50% of well-known brands in the C, D, and F categories, meaning that little is known about how much damage the ingredients actually cause.

In truth, almost all these potentially harmful chemicals are unnecessary, and swapping out your dish soap for a more sustainable alternative will help you and the environment. No Tox Life’s 6 oz. Dish Block is packaged entirely in cardboard and is free of fragrances, dyes, phosphates, sulfates, and parabens. It also doesn’t rely on palm oil and is entirely vegan, making it easily biodegradable and septic-safe. Perhaps most importantly, it is extremely versatile, and it can be used to deal with laundry stains, remove labels from glass, spot-clean your carpet, and wipe down counters too! That’s even less plastic waste in your home!

 

U-Konserve Stainless Steel Straw

The recent consumer/media assault on plastic drinking straws has been particularly effective in raising awareness of the impact of this ubiquitous single-use plastic. Today, plastic straw bans are spreading across the US, with cities across the country implementing bans or awaiting pending legislation.

However, for some people, the drinking straw is a part of the American way of life, a staple of soft drinks and cocktails everywhere. Luckily, there’s a viable replacement for polluting plastic straws in U-Konserve’s stainless steel straw. The straw conveniently comes with a cleaning brush so you can easily remove any buildup inside and use the straw for many years. Just say “no” the next time someone offers you a straw.

 

EcoBags Produce Bags

Plastic bags remain among the most prevalent items of plastic within landfills, and while many US states have introduced legislation to reduce our reliance on shopping bags, produce bags sit within something of a gray area. In many cases, retailers are still free to provide produce bags without charging, meaning there are still millions of those difficult to recycle bags going to landfill.

Swapping out plastic produce bags with a more sustainable alternative then seems like a great idea, and EcoBags has got exactly what you’re looking for. The Organic Mesh Drawstring Bags are made using 100% Certified Organic Cotton and a fully recyclable. However, you should get plenty of shopping trips out of them before that happens, and the large capacity means they’ll comfortably hold up to 12-15 lbs without breaking.

 

Brush with Bamboo Bamboo Toothbrush

A billion plastic toothbrushes are trashed each year in the US—and guess what, they’re almost impossible to recycle. Today, some limited recycling programs do exist, however, in general, the small parts and multi-material construction means they damage existing machines and are discarded in landfill.

Problem solved with the Brush with Bamboo toothbrush though, as they are 100% plastic-free. The handle can even be chopped up and thrown in your compost. Additionally, they’re packaged entirely in recycled card and paper, with no glue or tape used, to ensure recycling (or composting) is simple.

 


 

You can also check out our Zero-Waste Bathroom Kit and Zero-Waste Kitchen Kit. Don’t forget to subscribe to zerowaste.com for more and news on the zero-waste movement and how you and your business can push forward in your journey.

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