Basically for the last few years I have been trying to dramatically reduce my single use plastic consumption. As most of us know plastic we use in our every day lives that gets immediately thrown out (straws, plastic utensils, zip-lock baggies, etc) can take 10 to 1000 years to decompose assuming they make it to the landfill they are heading for. Where it currently stands much of the trash we generate ends up in the oceans, and there are currently five large garbage patches around the globe in our oceans.

The largest of these trash patches being the Great Pacific Garbage Patch which is located between California and Hawaii and it is now three times the size of France. This is an issue for a few reasons including, but not limited to, endangering the health and well-being of all marine life and the entire ecology of the ocean. No biggie.

Besides just marine focused there are lots of other reasons you might want to consider trying to use less plastic overall. See informative picture below.

So anyways, 15 products under $20 that, with no inconvenience to you, can help you, help the planet, and reduce your single use plastic consumption.

REUSABLE STRAWS

$8.99 on Amazon for a set of eight plus two brushes and boasting 4.5/5 stars from 1,504 reviewers these are the straws I decided to go with. They are stainless steal and I keep a few at home, a few in my desk at work, and a couple in my purse so whenever I need a straw I whip out one of these.

The Extra Work - You do have to clean them, but they come with brushes and I carry a travel size of Dr. Bronner’s Soap around with me.







UTENSILS

$10.29 on Amazon fore a set of two. There are lots and lots of options for reusable utensils out there including basically a normal dining set that comes in a cute little case, many times with chop sticks. I opt of these (one in my purse, one in my office desk) because I love how they fold down compact and do not take up much space.

The Extra Work - remembering to clean them and dry them out well. Due to these being a cheaper alternative, you have to make sure they are fully dry before putting them away or they risk internal rusting.





INSULATED TUMBLER

$10.99 on Amazon for a 30oz. This thing is my ride or die. I have one at work and one at home and I constantly have ice cold water in them. I honestly don’t know what to say besides you should buy these. I am lucky that my employer has a filtered water fountain so I can fill them up. They keep ice in them for about 12 hours and it is a great way to never have to use a plastic water bottle again. (Also, when I went on a cruise last summer to the Caribbean these things worked perfect to not only keep me hydrated, but also sometimes I would put pina coladas in them that stayed cold and did not melt in the 90+ degree direct sun).

The Extra Work - the brand I have is not dishwasher safe so you have to hand wash them. I mostly stick to just water in them so I only wash them out about once a week.





INSULATED WATER BOTTLE

$19.99 for a 16 oz on Amazon (available in four sizes and 33 prints and colors) I like participating in extreme activities from time to time, and that means I need water, but I like it to have a lid. I sprung for the 32 oz but that is $29 and thus not eligible for this list. I also bought a replacement lid that has a smaller opening to drink through as the mouth on this was a little to wide for my personal liking. The bottle is insulated and will keep ice for an annoyingly long time so if you want to actually drink your water, I suggest you just put cold water in these and not add ice. Since it is insulated it does not sweat which is a massive plus. The lid is also designed with a stainless steal interior so plastic never actually touches your water if that is something you are looking to avoid. I bring this to the beach, on bike rides, hiking, sailing, you name it. The bottle being metal does not add significantly to the weight which is nice.

The Extra Work - this specific brand is not dishwasher safe so you have to hand wash the bottle, the mouth is fairly wide, but you will still probably need a bottle brush to get in there. Also due to this being stainless steal if you drop these, they might dent. There was a rock climbing incident with mine and now it has a lovely little ding in the side. It was not structural, just cosmetic, I like to think it gave my bottle character, but unlike the plastic counterparts (Nalgene) these are not as durable.





TOOTHBRUSHES

$9.97 on Amazon for a set of five toothbrushes (or $2 each) for biodegradable bamboo toothbrushes. The American Dental Association recommends that you replace your toothbrush every 3 months so this is more than an annual supply of toothbrushes that will not weigh on your conscious when you throw them away.

The Extra Work - there really is not any. The bamboo does absorb more water than conventional plastic toothbrushes too so you may not want to store this in a damp, dark area where it will not dry out due to mold concerns.





REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS

$14.99 for 15 on Amazon these are lightweight, drawstring, mesh bags that you can put your produce in while grocery shopping or at the farmers market so you do not have to use their plastic bags. Not only are these more durable, and better for storing most fruit in, but they can double as snack bags for larger snacks like chips. If you are handy, you could also make these yourself out of some left over fabric from sewing. They do not have to be mesh.

The Extra Work - remembering to bring them / occasional cleaning. I am typically the worst at remembering to bring my bags to and subsequently into the store. But once you get into the habit it gets easier. Every few weeks I just throw these into a sink of soapy water and give them a little wash. I am not sure that they really need to be washed, but I like to be proactive.





REUSABLE TOTE BAGS

$13.99 for five on Amazon (other color options available) these cute supersized reusable bags fold in on themselves for compact storage. There are thousands of reusable bag options out there, many made from woven fabric over synthetic fabric like these, but they tend to cost significantly more. I prefer these bags because not only are they super strong, but as previously mentioned, they fold in on themselves for easy storage so they do not take up tons of room in my car.

The Extra Work - remembering to put the bags from my house into my car and from my car bringing them into the store. It is a habit change that over time just becomes the new norm and you remember to do it.





BEE WAX WRAP

$18 on Amazon (other prints and colors available) forget plastic wrap this stuff is the bomb. I honestly did not believe the hype when I first bought them but I am a firm believer. It is a piece of cloth covered in bees wax and then heated (so yes, if you are crafty you can make your own). The wrap sticks to itself and creates a lovely seal around food. I have wrapped avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, sandwiches, you name it and they have all stayed fresher than they would have if I had used a zip lock or plastic wrap. To clean them you just gently wipe them down with a wet paper towel and you are good to go.

The Extra Work - just cleaning them off, which honestly, is barely that hard with these.





REUSABLE SANDWICH BAGS

$14.99 on Amazon for three of the sandwich sized bags (other prints and colors available). I bought a set of these and a set of the snacked sized bags and I do not think I have used a zip-lock since.I love to bring my lunch to work, but I have little self control or sense of portion so if I am bringing something like mixed nuts these are a really great way to portion snacks out and bring them places. When I went to Costa Rica back in February I loaded these bad boys up with all my travel snacks. I occasionally will use these to store produce as well. I have thrown a partially cut up lemon or half an avocado in here and they will last a day or two. I was drawn to these because they are made out of nylon so they are moisture resistant and easy to clean. As with most things on this list if you can sew, these would be super easy to DIY, I really need to get on learning that.

The Extra Work - these have to be cleaned out but a quick rinse in the sink and a drying off with a rag and they are good to go.





DRYER BALLS

$10.45 for six on Amazon. Did you know that dryer sheets are not the only way? I did not, until a friend of mine one day showed me wool dryer balls. I don’t pretend to understand the exact science behind it, but if you throw these in your dryer not only does it in fact help reduce static, your laundry will also dry faster. I put a little vinegar and essential oils on them before I toss them in to help soften and scent my laundry (the clothes will not smell like vinegar if you use just a little white vinegar).

The Extra Work - literally none. I keep them in a little storage container on a shelf above my dryer and toss in a few or all of them depending on the size of the load of wash and when the dryer is done I pluck them out and put them back into the container. They take zero maintenance and last ages.





REUSABLE MAKE-UP ROUNDS

$12 for 8 on Etsy by Remiusables (lots and lots of colors and options for the makeup pads, and Remiusables offers a wide variety of products to replace single use products you may be using). I was very skeptical about making the switch to these. I have really sensitive skin that easily gets irritated, and I assumed that when cleaning off my makeup with these little pads I would straight up ruin them. Luckily these bad boys did not let me down. They have two sides, the color is a softer minky type fabric and the black back is a terrycloth material. I use them to remove my makeup and then to apply my facial toner at night. I just throw them in with my normal wash and they come out good as new.

The Extra Work - as with most things on this list, these pads require you to clean them, but as I said before I do not do anything special I just wash them in with my normal clothes and they are good to go.





STAINLESS STEAL RAZOR

$18.95 on Amazon this has been my most recent transition away from using disposable plastic in my life. The design of this razor is phenomenal and you are no more likely to cut yourself than with a conventional bic or other. I get my downstairs brazillianed, but have not noticed any change in the smoothness of my legs, underarms, or other body parts from multi-blade razors.

The Extra Work - occasionally you have to change out the blade which seems to be an overall easy thing to do, and is that really any more work that trying to attach a new head to the plastic razors?





BARS OF SOAP

$7.59 on Amazon. Swap bottles of soap for bars of soap, assuming the bars of soap come in paper or cardboard wrapping. I was always a big fan of using body wash, I am not sure why, but I have made the transition to bars and I am content and as clean as ever. I bought a soap sack which not only holds bars, but pieces of soap once your bar gets real small and exfoliates your skin when you use it. I am a big fan of the Dr. Bronner’s brand (more on that later - my love for Dr. Bronner might have to be a whole post on it’s own) they have eight different standard scents, in addition to several seasonal scents. BONUS POINTS - bars of soap are not considered a liquid by the TSA and can be easily packed into any carry on without worry of leaking, not taking up precious space in your small ass quart sized bag all your liquids are crammed into, and no worrying about whether you will have enough soap to last you the duration of your trip.

The Extra Work - you might have to buy a bar of soap holder for your sink or tub or a soap sack to keep your soap on or in, but other than that … ?? none really. Overall bars of soap are cheaper than their body wash counter-parts.





REUSABLE PADS

$13.99 for five on Amazon. (available in several sizes and color options) I know, believe me I know. If you menstruate I understand. When it is that time of the month, day, year, however yours hits, it is not an ideal time and the last thing you want to be dealing with is more work. But for the last few years I participated in Beach Cleanup run by a local non-profit and I was horrified by how many tampon applicators were lying all over the place. 1% of all the trash they collected in 2017 was tampon applicators. I understand 1% does not sound like a lot, but that is also a 20% increase from 2015. You can see all the results here if you are interested in what kinds of trash you can expect to find in New Jersey waterways. Anyways that was enough to make me look for not single use alternatives and I found these. These pads have a soft bamboo charcoal fabric lining with a festive outer water resistant lining. I have suffered from ovarian cysts on-and-off for the last few years so I have had some very heavy periods and though only ever buying the “small” they never once leaked. These things absorb like you would not believe. They are no more “gross” to look at then a conventional pad, even less so honestly due to their black color.

The Extra Work - naturally these require cleaning. I make my own laundry detergent due to having sensitive skin, which is perfect when washing these since they touch my most sensitive areas. I toss them in the wash (their own load) with just a bit of my laundry detergent and some vinegar (make sure your laundry detergent is vinegar friendly) and I wash them on a delicate cycle. They are not stained and come out clean, and not smelling of blood. I was honestly shocked how well these worked out.





MENSTRUAL CUP

$15.95 on Amazon (available in 12 colors and two sizes). No shade to Moon Cup, but they are not the only contender out there any more. Not only was I looking to switch away from tampons due to the aforementioned issue of the huge amount of trash, but also because they made my vagina feel dry and I was having issues with yeast infections immediately following my periods. So I made the switch to the cups. I tried a few brands (Moon included), but despite being skeptical of the less than $20 Blossom, they fit my vagina the best. I bought several of them and I keep a few at home, one at work, one in my purse, and one in my car. I have found even on heavy days I do not have to empty these out as frequently as I would of had to change tampons either.

The Extra Work - unfortunately those of us who menstruate are not all the same, the shape and size of our inner-workings vary. The one big hurtle I faced was finding a cup that fit. If you buy one and it is not working out, it is leaking, it doesn’t feel right whatever, do not lose hope, all cups are not built or shaped exactly the same. Using a cup also means you have to be comfortable with your own body to some degree. There is a bit of - up in your own personal space - that goes on in putting these in and taking these out. And of course, cleaning. It does take some used to dealing with an actual cup of your own blood that is not absorbed in any sort of way. I was lucky enough to not really be bothered by that, but I can totally understand how some people might be. I have found the best way to go about it if you are in public (which you may think is embarrassing) is to buy two, so you plop one out, put a clean one in, then take the first and empty it into the toilet and go rinse it in a sink while you wash your hands. Normally I just use water to rinse them off throughout the day, then nightly during my period I will wash them off with a mild soap (Dr. Bronner’s Castile is my go to) just make sure you rinse them REALLY well. Soaps alter natural PH balances and that does not end well for anyone. Then after my period is over I take all the cups I used throughout the week, clean them off with soap and water, then I put them into slightly boiling water and sanitize them.





Now I provided links of where you can purchase these products online, but I suggest you try to find some place local to buy these instead. Look around at your local health food stores especially. If, for whatever reason, that is not possible for you consider using Amazon Smile or a similar service which is a donation program where, at no cost to you, Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase to a charity of you choosing. I selected Clean Ocean Action a local 501©3 whose “…goal is to improve the degraded water quality of the marine waters off the New Jersey/New York coast.“

Not everyone has to live a waste free life, but there are a lot of small, every day changes that do not take much time or money to make that can make a big impact on the amount of single use plastics or products you consume.