We all know that it takes privilege of wealth and time to transition into a zero-waste lifestyle, which is not always accessible for many college students, but even small changes can be very impactful when adopted by more people. In honor of Earth Day and in the face of the looming climate crisis, here are a few small things you can do that could make your morning routine more earth-friendly.
GREENING YOUR GROOMING HABITS
Reduce the amount of plastic waste in your morning routine by making easy swaps with the products you buy. Notice the little plastics and single-use items you throw away every day such as q-tips, cotton balls and dental floss. Plastic shampoo and soap bottles are not recyclable in Eugene, so perhaps experiment with the shampoo bars which are growing in popularity, and try switching from body wash to bar soap, which can have all the same ingredients without the packaging. It is also important to try to reduce the amount of water you use, which can be easily accomplished by turning the shower off while you are applying products or shaving.
Reuse and clean washcloths or washable cotton pads as an alternative to single-use products. For those who wear make-up, you can even make your own washable (and free!) make-up remover wipes by cutting old cotton fabric into squares to use with a non-comedogenic oil in order to remove make-up. Another money-saving hack is to get a second use out of coffee grounds by mixing them with coconut oil to make a simple, natural exfoliating scrub.
Recycle cardboard products and packaging used in the bathroom, such as the often forgotten toilet paper rolls.
MAKING BREAKFAST MORE EARTH-FRIENDLY
Reduce the waste that comes with your morning caffeine hit by using refillable containers to collect freshly ground coffee from the bulk bins at grocery stores. If you prefer tea, try out loose-leaf instead of throwing out individual wrappers with every cup. Simple changes that reduce the waste in daily activities, such as preparing your staple morning beverage, add up in the long run.
Invest in refillable k-cups instead of throwing out single-use ones if you have a Keurig. You can also purchase a washable coffee filter for a drip coffee-maker. Additionally, when grocery shopping for the produce you might have for breakfast, reuse produce bags instead of taking new ones every time.
BEING A SMART RECYCLER
Recycle every bit of food packaging that you can, but be mindful of not including what is not accepted by the Eugene system. The city of Eugene urges us to “when in doubt, find out or throw it out,” because improperly recycled items take extra time to sort out and make the recycling system less effective. You can quickly find out if a questionable item is recyclable in the city of Eugene with the city’s easily accessible WasteWise search tool, found at lanecounty.org or by downloading the WasteWise app.
If you are not from Lane County originally, what is accepted by the recycling system in your hometown may not be accepted in Eugene, so it is a good idea to check out the recycling guidelines found at eugene-or.gov to make sure you are not recycling what you shouldn’t be. A common culprit is waxed paper milk cartons and plastic yogurt tubs, which are recyclable in other places but are not currently accepted by Eugene. There is also a fairly new program that allows us to put compostable food waste in the yard debris bins in Eugene, so if you didn’t know about this before, it is super easy to start composting food waste, and it is good for the environment since food rotting in landfills can break down into methane gas.
