Top 5 Zero Waste Travel Swaps
We took a trip! With a toddler and a four year-old. It was wonderful. And crazy. And I would do it again next week if we could.
While I was packing, I was thinking of my own Zero Waster journey, which I started taking seriously back in 2015, and all of it's permutations.
I remember on the set of 5th Passenger in early 2015 when our amazing unit production manager, Micah Brandt, suggested that we get a water cooler and tell all of the cast and crew to bring a reusable water bottle. He mentioned that we would save a bunch of money, and I remember thinking we would save a bunch of waste because while we were walking around the set at the end of the day, we’d noticed all these barely drunken plastic water bottles and it was just so depressing. Plus then someone would have to pick all of that up.
That was the year I got my trash down to about a pint of garbage a week. I was so proud and excited. I was single and living in a Los Feliz one-bedroom apartment- it was easily doable. Since that time I’ve gotten married, had two children, and bought a house. I will say that trying to be Zero Waste and do all "the things" is a lot more challenging than when I was living in Los Feliz, and sadly our trash at the end of week is more than a pint, however, many of these habits that I have instilled over the years are still with me.
With that in mind I wanted to highlight five of my quick and favorite Zero Waste travel swaps that are total no-brainers and are just as good as the conventional product (because you're going to have to buy some version anyway) without all the chemicals and polluting the planet:
1) Reusable Water Bottle - This is a no-brainer
and is usually the first place anyone starts when trying to reduce the amount of plastic in their lives. Imagine if everyone just made this simple swap. As a bonus, using a reusable water bottle (if metal or glass) greatly cuts down on your exposure to microplastics, which studies are showing are worse for us than anyone previously imagined.
2) Reusable Bag - I always have a reusable bag stashed somewhere in my purse because they are just so handy. On our trip, our reusable bag helped us carry groceries several times and then quickly turned into our minimalist diaper bag which we stashed in the undercarriage of the stroller so we didn't have to bring the big diaper bag with us wherever we were walking to.
3) Silk Dental Floss - Entirely biodegradable and it does not have the forever chemicals (PFAs) that conventional dental floss has. When I’m done with this floss, I can put it in the green waste or compost bin and know that it’s going to decompose opposed to conventional dental floss, which is plastic and will be here for forever
4) Shampoo Bars- Effective, efficient and versatile. They work just as well as the bottled shampoo and they are great for travel when they double for body soap.
5) Menstrual Cup- I love a menstrual cup and it has saved me time and time again, especially when I had fibroids. I was spending upwards $70 a month on organic cotton tampons and pads and now I just have one little upfront cost every couple of years and that is that. The cup is made out of silicone, which basically means it's plastic but the amount of waste you would create by not using them trumps the small amount of waste by using them. They travel great, too. Instead of hauling a bunch of pads and tampons with you when you travel, you just have this little tiny cup so now you have more room in your suitcase for shoes which you may or may not wear.
As a bonus round, I want to highlight simple life changes that have massive impacts and are the tenets of a Zero Waste, Eco Lifestyle. I also love these things and they bring me joy:
Shopping at your local farmers market
Buying used whenever you can
Utilizing your Buy Nothing Group and borrowing/trade within your own community
Refusing single-use plastic items you know you won't use or don't need
As always, thank you for reading and for caring.
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