1. Refill Household Goods
Refill your household goods like dish soap and laundry detergent – even shampoo! Denver has a ton of refill shops – all listed here. I see more and more pop up around the country too. Just wait until you run out of x, then refill that bottle at your local shop.
2. Recycle Better
Colorado & Denver’s recycling is really low at 15% (the nationwide average is 30%). Colorado recently passed a produce responsibility bill that will improve recycling across the state, but it will still be up to you to recycle the right things.
Learn what you can’t and can’t recycle and how to sign up for recycling services here.
Plastic Fim: aka grocery bags and amazon mailers, can’t be recycled through your city recycling, unfortunately. Nationwide you *should* find recycling bins for these items are your grocery store. You can also sign up for a service like Ridewell (which I use and love) that not only recycles plastic film but other hard to recyle items like light bulbs and electronics.
3. Start Composting (It’s so easy)
Composting is so easy. It makes me really sad that we don’t all do this; it’s so basic. Let food decompose into fertilizer and trash go into a landfill. Since we started composting two years ago, we create half as much waste, and I don’t feel bad when food goes bad. I have a full blog post on how to start composting in Denver and Colorado here.
4. Sustainable Kitchen Swaps
The kitchen is one of the easiest places to be more sustainable. From using reusable containers like Stasher bags to compostable anti-bacterial brushes like these. I did a full blog post on all the easy swaps you can make in the kitchen here.
5. Sustainable Laundry Room
Besides refilling your detergent rather than buying a big plastic jug again and again. There are two ways you can really make an impact in your laundry room.
Reduce your Microplastics: The large majority of our clothing is made from plastics – think polyester or rayon. When you wash your clothes, tiny particles of plastics “microplastics” mix in with the water and eventually end up in our rivers, lakes, and oceans because they are too small to be caught by water treatment. Read more here. You can reduce this in two ways
- Guppy Bag: The Guppy Bag is basically a ain’t mesh bag you wash your clothes in that collects microplastics – kina looks like lent for you to throw away.
- Mircopastic Filter: Attach this filter to your washer and catch microplastics without needing to put your clothing in a bag for every was
Use a Wool Dryer Ball: A wool dryer ball is a natural way to reduce static and acts as a fabric softener. No need for dryer sheets, aka plastic and chemicals; just use a dryer ball!
6. Shop Sustainable Brands
The most sustainable thing is to shop your own closet or shop consignment like Poshmark or Tradsey. But if you really want to buy something, these are some of my favorite sustainable brands. You can also use sites like Good On You to see ratings for your favorite brands.
I hope you find these tips helpful on your journey to becoming more sustainable! I’d love to hear about your favorite ways to be sustainable – Drop a comment or slide into my DMs!
