Here’s an ugly truth: 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, 8 million of which gets dumped in the ocean, where it stays for 400 years or more as it decomposes. Over 40% of the plastic we use is in the form of packaging. Plastic makes up most of the items we think of as disposable — the problem is, it’s not.

Non-recyclable and unsustainable items are so deeply embedded into our daily routines that it’s easy not to think about the sheer volume of it. While living totally waste-free might seem like a far-off goal for most of us, it’s not impossible — and blogger Lauren Singer and fashion designer Daniel Silverstein (both of whom live a zero-waste lifestyle) are part of the movement to make it a little bit easier for most of us plastic addicts.

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Last month, Lauren and Daniel opened Package Free, a pop-up shop in NYC set to run through July, with sights on expanding in the future. The store sells a number of innovative products and brands meant to be sustainable, nontoxic alternatives to standard beauty, wellness, and household items — including Daniel's own clothing line and Lauren's laundry products.The pair isn’t just out to hawk products, though; they host workshops on making DIY beauty and wellness products, and encourage the eco-curious to “find their own best practices,” as Daniel said, by starting with small, manageable lifestyle changes that are cost-effective as well as eco-friendly.

Lauren’s number one piece of advice is to take a look at your current routine and figure out where you could make the most effective change. “One of the easiest things you can do is look at the trash that you’re already producing and see if there’s something that you’re prevalently throwing away.”

Here are some hacks for making your own beauty routine less trash-y:

Take it off: If you use a small mountain of cotton balls every day to take off your makeup, consider switching to washable, reusable cotton rounds. You won’t have to restock every other month, they won’t accumulate in a landfill, and you get to skip out on the potentially harmful chemicals present in regular cotton balls, like dioxins produced in the bleaching process.

Go vintage with your razor: If you shave, invest in a safety razor the next time you run out of disposable plastic ones. You can find a reusable, stainless steel razor for less than $18 and spend less than a dollar each on replacement blades — much more cost-effective and less wasteful than those regular plastic options. And yes, it works just as well.

Minimize: Speaking of things you probably don’t need, take a hard look at your makeup drawer next time you feel the need to refill. Do you really need a primer, concealer, foundation, bronzer, and setting spray? As a space-saving hack, try investing in double-duty products like lip balms that can also be cheek stains, so as to simplify your vanity.

Replace and recycle: The Environmental Working Group maintains ratings of the toxicity of commercial beauty products, many of which contain ingredients associated with a risk of allergies, irritation, neurotoxicity, and cancer. But better options do exist for makeup lovers. Lauren recommends cosmetic brands like W3LL PEOPLE, which not only make organic, nontoxic products, but also use FSC-certified paper and entirely recyclable packaging.

Shine bright: Store-bought toothpaste contains ingredients that may cause cancer or other adverse health effects, such as lowered thyroid hormone levels, in claims still being investigated by the FDA. The good news is, you can DIY your own version. “The first thing that I ever made myself was my toothpaste, and it was made of baking soda, coconut oil, peppermint essential oil, and stevia. I still use that now,” Singer said. By making your own toothpaste, you can skip the added ingredients and avoid tossing out a tube.

Brush up: To really shape up your dental hygiene routine, replace your next toothbrush with one made of bamboo. (Unlike plastic, bamboo is biodegradable.) The ones by Brush With Bamboo come in compostable packaging and include instructions on the best way to recycle the brush when it’s worn out.

Come clean: Bar shampoos are a cool, efficient way to skip the disposable bottle problem caused by most liquid shampoos. But even liquid products can be waste-free if the container is recyclable or reusable. Lauren and Daniel both use soaps and moisturizing oils by Meow Meow Tweet. Their liquid products are sold in reusable containers, and you can even bring your own jars into the store to purchase products by the ounce. Look for brands, like Lush, which will recollect empty containers to upcycle.

Recycle: According to Lauren, “disposable tampon applicators are one of the biggest forms of ocean plastic pollution.” You could switch to applicator-less tampons, or even better, invest in a menstrual cup — they last for up to 10 years, producing far less waste than disposable menstrual products, avoid the chemicals present in tampons, and save you a lot of money over time.

Call for change: “If you have a product that you’re not willing to give up, contact the manufacturer and see if you can get it in bulk. Give them the feedback that you wish their packaging was recyclable,” Daniel recommends. Consumer pressure can make a difference. If brands hear that a consumer loves their product, but can’t support the amount of waste it produces, they might look into improving their practices. It’s worth a shot!

Related: This Major Drugstore Brand Just Promised to Become WAY More Eco-Friendly