r/ZeroWaste

Tired of buying smaller or typical sized expensive bottles of fragrance free stuff. It's already harder to find as it is. I want to use and refill may own bottles too. Looking to save a little money by buying larger quantities. Any recommends for larger bagged or bottled sizes in shampoo , conditioners and other products?

Specifically for kids under 5 but any books geared towards kids would be great!

My new favorite hobby is going to my favorite park and collecting trash. That's literally it. I listen to the birds, the river, the trees, and I pick up what I can. My mom got me a grabber thingy for my birthday. But all you need is gloves and a bag. Be careful with anything sharp. Never underestimate what you can do!

So I think we can all agree that toilet paper has become ridiculously expensive. I've been thinking of switching to WGAC for a few years, because it's always been a similar price to my regular TP. But is it?

Toilet paper marketing makes my blood boil more than I'd like to admit. 12 rolls for a bargain, but the cardboard tube is massive or the roll is tiny. 400 sheets, but the sheets are smaller than regular sheets. 12 rolls = 16 rolls! It's 4 layers, but the individual layers are see-through. We've seen it all. Recently I've gotten radical with it, I've started weighing the toilet paper on my kitchen scale and it turns out that that bargain pack at Lidl or whatever your discount store is, is actually exactly the same price per 100 grams as your local supermarket's own brand. You can't fool me with your gigantic cardboard tubes, Lidl.

So, I'll spare you all my monologue about how toilet paper packs should have their weight on them so consumers can't be deceived.

What I'm wondering instead is: would any of you out there who have some WGAC rolls lying around be willing to weigh them for me? Please let me know how many rolls you put on the scale so I can compare the maths.

Any other sustainable TP companies available in the EU are welcome too!

P.s. My toilet is incompatible with a bidet, I have a wall mounted hanging toilet, common in my country. Very sad. Any bidet suggestions that don't require attachment to the toilet water source (because it's inside the wall) would be greatly appreciated as well

The waste I notice most now is not always the obvious kind. It is often the small, repeated stuff that used to feel too minor to matter: using more detergent than needed, replacing things before they were fully used, or reaching for single-serve convenience items because they felt easier in the moment.

That has been one of the more useful shifts for me. It made me realize that a lot of waste does not come from dramatic choices. It comes from normal routines that seem harmless because each instance looks small on its own. But once they repeat every week, they add up fast.

I think that is why some zero-waste changes feel more effective than others. The habits that work best are often the ones that interrupt those quiet, repeated patterns rather than the ones that look the most impressive from the outside.

Interested in which kinds of waste became more visible to others only after they started paying closer attention. Not the most obvious waste, but the kinds that hide inside ordinary routines.

I’m trying to transition to a low-waste lifestyle specifically to reduce my plastic waste, but hit a barrier the last time I was grocery shopping. Everything is wrapped in plastic. Every single thing.

I do not have the time to make things from scratch every week, me and my partner both work full time jobs and come home so exhausted that we can barely do the dishes or chores. We need pre-made food to survive. And even then, every ingredient for cooking from scratch comes wrapped in plastic.

So, what do we do? What do you all do? I’d like to make simple changes, like making our own yogurt and having our friend make all our bread, and we swap once a week. Or meal prepping once a month and freezing it. I’m so tired a majority of the time, it’s tough to conceive of.

I'm in the NT (Australia) and have given up riding. Have two motorcycle helmets in decent condition (never been in a crash) but about 10 years old now. Can't resell them due to safety laws - any other ideas of what to do with them?

I keep seeing zero waste advice turn into a scavenger hunt for the perfect plastic-free version of whatever we already buy. For me, the real win as a busy parent was learning to refuse the automatic convenience purchases, even when the replacement is boring or not Instagram-perfect.

Example: school snacks and quick lunches. I used to spend so much brainpower hunting for wrappers-free snacks that my whole system fell apart the moment we hit a chaotic week. What actually stuck was less exciting: fewer choices, making bigger batches, and being ok with imperfect packaging once in a while.

The changes that made the biggest difference for our family were:

- Stop buying backup convenience food that ends up becoming the default

- Repeat the same 5 to 7 low-waste staples instead of chasing new products

- Use what we already own, even if some of it is plastic, until it wears out

Also, can we stop acting like you have to earn the right to do zero waste by owning mason jars and having endless free time? If you are working, parenting, caregiving, dealing with health stuff, whatever, you are allowed to set up systems that actually survive real life.

Curious if others agree: is the most effective zero waste move often just buying less, even if that means you are not replacing every disposable item with the perfect reusable version right away?

I tried menstrual cups many years ago but I have a very high cervix and could not get them to work. I tried a couple of different brands and styles but they always leaked bad. I gave up after about 1 year of trying then switched to just reusable pads. They are getting time to be replaced but I came across reusable menstrual discs and I’m wondering if this could be a potential replacement? Or will I most likely just have the same issues I did with the cup? I hate traveling with my usable pads and they are uncomfortable when I work out. Again, I have a very high cervix so looking for opinions for those who have one as well!

Thanks!

Would love y’all’s recommendations for plastic free deodorant that doesn’t leave oily spots/ residue?
Using a mineral rock after showers but need something for other days. I liked native’s plastic free but seems to leave alot of oily residue on my dark colored scrubs …. Thanks!

they are the expensive kind but they were old and cracked so i had to replace them, i wanted to reuse them into something useful but im not sure what

So I've been dealing with this ongoing issue where my dishwasher has been leaving white spots and film on everything, and I'm pretty sure it's because we have really hard water here. I've tried a few different cleaners from the grocery store but nothing seems to make a real difference.

The buildup is getting pretty bad - you can actually see the mineral deposits on the heating element and around the door seals. I'm worried it's going to start affecting how well the dishwasher actually cleans dishes if I don't get this sorted out soon.

I've been looking into specialty cleaners but there are so many options and honestly some of them seem pretty overpriced for what they are. Has anyone dealt with similar hard water issues and found a dishwasher cleaner that actually cuts through the mineral buildup effectively?

Hey all! I want to buy some eucalyptus sheets for summer as I’ve been told by some friends it helps if you’re a hot sleeper. I wanted to buy some secondhand but can’t find anyone selling a twin xl set. If I’m going to buy them new I don’t mind saving up for a set that will last me awhile but I don’t want to end up buying a set that rips after a few years so I was wondering if anyone had any sheet sets they wanted to recommend. Thank you all!