24 BEGINNER zero waste swaps to try in 2025!

Want to go zero waste in 2024? This is where you should start! These are my top low waste swaps for beginners (or really anyone) to try for a zero waste New Year. Let us know your favorite eco swaps below so we can expand the list!

Videos mentioned/recommended:

Timestamps:
00:00 - Reusable water bottle
1:29 - Reusable grocery bags and produce bags
3:12 - Reusable coffee cup
4:11 - Silicone baking mat
4:48 - Misto
5:12 - Reusable cutlery, plates, cups, and bowls
5:55 - Bamboo or recycled toilet paper
6:38 - Eco toothpaste/toothbrush
8:09 - Shampoo and conditioner options
8:58 - Eco-friendly deodorant
9:46 - Rags instead of paper towels
10:17 - Bioplastic sponges/wooden dish brushes
10:51 - Change up your laundry routine
12:10 - How to recycle
12:52 - Eco-friendly hand soaps
13:23 - Zero waste shaving
14:09 - Conserve water and energy
14:57 - Zipper bags and plastic wrap
16:05 - Reusable makeup remover wipes
16:27 - Shop second hand
16:58 - Plan your grocery list
17:43 - Use what you already have!
19:25 - Bloopers

SHOP MY FAVES!

SHOP MY GEAR

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[hZCBpMy]

17:48 “The most sustainable thing is the thing you already own.” ❤

[lawra]

Saalt period underwear, menstrual cups and discs. You save literally thousands of dollars and they're more comfortable, create no pollution and their packaging is also all recyclable. Their customer service is great and they post helpful videos on their YouTube channel. You can either use the period care stuff you have or donate them to a women's shelter or somthing of that sort. They are a little bit of an investment, but they pay for themselves after maybe 2 cycles.

[AWanderingEye]

I see you're an eyeglass wearer as am I. Locally the Lions Clubs collect used eyeglasses to redistribute. I highly recommend making that donation if you have accumulated some that you no longer need and they are just sitting around at home...in my town they have a bin at the city hall which is very convenient.

[janetstonerook]

I can only recycle # 1 and # 2 plastic drink containers, metal food cans and clean paper/cardboard. And the center is 20 miles from my home.
So my focus is limiting what I buy in the first place. If possible I always buy cardboard containers over plastic ones.

[frankysanchez]

If youre like me and super clumsy, constantly break your dishes and also can just not stand the sound of food on cermaic/porcellain you can get hard plastic dishes that can be washed in the dishwasher and hold for a long time.
I know there are some options that (claim) to be biodegradable.
My parents used to have them for us as kids and theyre still going strong after 20 years.

[anastasiabondsfield]

I love second hand shopping, especially vinted (I can search for particular items/brands!) Another tip which I think is easy for beginners is reusing paper, I have additional needs which mean I have to hand write first draft notes when at University, instead of recycling paper with at least one blank side, I will write my notes on it to later type. I have given so much paper another purpose before recycling! Another great video! Happy New Year!

[juliarene]

Not to be an environmental downer, my one tip for people who are new to low-watse living is with reusable bags. YOU HAVE TO USE THEM, you dont need 500 of them, this is one of those solutions which has become a problem get a few good quality ones (or the ones you have gotten for free from rando brands throughout the years) and that is all you need, and then you have to use them so stick them in the boot of your car for when you are shoping.

[elikelly]

For shaving, I just use the same soap I use to wash my body (Caress) to shave. You don't really need shaving cream, just something sudsy to reduce your risk of cutting yourself. Just get sudsy and shave!

[whoah]

I got a Panera Sip Club membership this past year which has saved me a lot of money and also I bring in my own tumbler to refill every time and have not gotten any push back for it.

[ashleystanley]

For toilet paper I alternate between recycled and bamboo (whichever is on sale or most affordable). As far as toothpaste, I actually saw Colgate fully plastic recyclable tubes at two relatives' houses over the holidays! I love Tom's the most personally. Badger shave soap is the BEST shaving soap we've ever tried!!

The only pretty easy swap I can think to add is switching to loose leaf tea. I am trying to recommit to that swap this year. I only drink herbal teas at home at night. So it makes sense for me to switch to loose leaf to avoid tea bags and tags. I will try to reserve bagged tea for travel.

[paulas_lens]

15:55 if you still buy boxed cereal, save and use those bag inserts to wrap up & store stuff.

[lankakaaos]

One main thing is to learn how to mend your clothes. Just learning how to sew a button and few stitches what to use to sew small holes and mend seams if they brake down. This is very important if your clothes are made from cotton, silk, wool, merino to other animalfibers. It is more important to use the clothes we have than buy second hand. You can even buy something new if you are planning to mend it.

[sage]

I'm so pleased that I already do a few of these things! Like, I already use rags (so many rags) before I use paper towels.

[lyra]

Thanks Emma! It's good to get a reminder of the basics once in a while - just started volunteering in our local refill shop and I'm loving seeing the impact we can make.

[kat_thefruitbat]

I really like The Humble Co. for toothpaste and bamboo toothbrushes. Their toothpaste foams and distributes really nicely (I’ve found that I can use a lot less than I would with other brands), the price is very fair for the quantity and quality you get IMO, it’s not overly minty/cooling (sensitive teeth 👋), and the tubes + cap are made of food grade plastic that is widely recyclable (I’m not 100% but I’m pretty sure the plastic is also PCR, or at least partly PCR). 👍👍
Great video as always Emma! ❤ Hope the four of you are having a nice stay back in Ohio! Sending you hugs from the NE region. 😊

[ruhan]

I recommend Silicone Kitchen as a brand for the silicone baking sheets. Many silicone baking sheets contain microfibers that can possibly get into your food as time goes on after many uses. Silicone Kitchen is one of the brands that I have found is very transparent of what their product contains compared to other products

[adventureswithhank]

I Love thrift shopping! Ì make my own laundry detergent, (Danny seo's recipe) I use shampoo bars. I either use hello brand tooth paste or, make my own. I use bamboo floss, and tooth brushes. I use reusable shopping bags. If I use produce bags I use the ones I made. I recycle aluminum cans. I pick them up when we walk that's my spending money. Thanks for all you do and for the video!

[mellyq]

the first thing I did when I got into zero waste was wrapping my sandwiches furoshiki style in a dish towel. I actually kind of forgot about it until you mentioned that sandwich wrap. I have since used other ways like a sandwich sized reusable container and fabric sandwich bags but wrapping sandwiches in their own napkins is a cool idea I might need to bring back.
I also try to keep a small set of reusable cutlery on me in case the I need to get food out to cut down on disposables.

[julie-elizabethmack]

I use collapsible crates with basket handles when I get walmart pick up and my grandma's cooler. Works great and the employees just put the groceries in those. It's great.

[azuritevalentine]

I plan on using a portable bidet, making my own toothpaste and deodorant when I run out. I'm transitioning to buy bulk with produce bags and then transferring to glass food jars that had food or drinks in them. Plan on going to the reuse store once I get money from my conserve funds, for eco-friendly books and items. The more I transition the happier I am bc its my dream plus morals and values to be eco friendly. I dont believe in zero waste living bc that doesn't exist in most places in the world. But I am trying to reduce as much plastic as possible when I shop for anything. Was gonna buy my eco friendly items off amazing, but their packaging isn't always eco friendly. So I'll be buying from Etsy shops and my local non-profit reuse stores. ❤❤❤❤