This is probably one of my favourite yet most dangerous tips if you’re prone to turn into a packrat… as a zero-waster, you very easily find yourself falling into the jar-hoarder club, which can become problematic when you find yourself with more jars than things to store in them lol.  Honestly though, this tip has probably saved me the most money, solved majority of my organizing problems, and reduced most of my waste production.

I do my best to find products package free or as re-fillable options, but sometimes there just aren’t any; and when you don’t have the equipment or storage space to make the stuff from scratch, your only options are to cut that item out, or purchase the packaged option.  A big item for me was coconut yogurt – I love it and it has been a pretty big staple for my breakfasts the last few years. They’re easy to load up with lots of great things and are such a refreshing way to start a warm morning on the road, but finding zero-waste options has been impossible for me.  This unfortunately meant I was purchasing a lot of plastic containers… Normally these would just get thrown out once they’re empty, but I found myself saving SO many throughout the year and using them as refillable containers at bulk-stores.  They were super handy to have on hand for storing leftovers or sharing food with others since I didn’t need to worry about getting them back!

This was a practice I used back at home a lot as well – saving anything from small glass jars for propagating plants, to large protein powder plastic containers for storing rice and oats.   Glass jars are preferred, as they just stay sealed a lot better and look nicer, (and don’t involve opening half a dozen yogurt containers because you forgot to label them) but it was a nice way of giving these containers another purpose for a little while, and diverting a lot of plastic that would’ve ended up straight in the landfill.   This also meant I wasn’t having to purchase Tupperware/storage containers for any of my food.

I also use upcycled containers (along with boxes) for organizing drawers + desk spaces – like jars for elastic bands and paper clips, or little boxes for sorting my underwear + sock drawer.  Anything that could help keep small spaces organized, so that I could easily located whatever I’m looking for.

If you’re looking for more guidance on what a “zero-waste” life looks like, check out my post: “How and What You Buy Matters.”

Stay passionate and curious,
Hunter 💛