In the effort of sustainability and saving money, I like to look for ways to reduce and reuse products that are often considered single use. In this blog, we'll explore 4 common household items that are often marketed as single use and how you can shift your lifestyle to reduce the waste you create while also finding ways to repurpose what others might consider trash.
Here are 4 simple things you can do to reduce your waste footprint that don't require a lot of extra effort.
Reusable Menstrual Products (Menstrual Cups and Discs, Reusable Pads and Underwear)
Many people with periods are making the switch to reusable feminine hygiene products, like cups, discs and washable pads and underwear. Similar to families that switch to cloth diapers, when switching to reusable period products, your savings will stack up over time. One person can expect to spend $120 or more each year and $6,000 during their lifetime, on disposable period products. While a single reusable cup costs around just $30 and can be used for up to 10 years before replacing.
Reusable Menstrual Products at a Glance
- Can be worn for 12 hours (vs. 8 hours for tampons)
- Silicone menstrual cups are free from chemicals like bleach and PFAs found in disposable products.
- Essential for people with periods but taxed like a luxury item: 21 U.S. States apply sales tax to feminine hygiene products classifying them as non-exempt "luxury" goods rather than necessities like groceries or medicines.
- “Pink Tax” describes the higher prices charged for products and services marketed to menstruating persons.
- Disposable products are more susceptible to increasing and fluctuating costs with inflation.
- Savings add up over time!
Everything you Need to Know about Reusable Discs »
Repurposing Glass Food Jars Beyond their Intended Purpose
Grocery store shelves are lined with products in disposable glass containers, intended to be single use. But those single use glass jars have a lot more in common with the trendy expensive Weck storage jars than you might think. Here are some ways you can reuse your favorite Spaghetti sauce jars around the house and on the go too. Replacement lids are also available to buy online in various sizes that should fit your jars on hand if the original ones need to be freshened up.
Turn Those Glass Food Jars into “Tupperware”
- Storing homemade syrups and sauces
- Container for Taking Soups to Work for Lunch
- Prepping Overnight Oats
- Bulk Food Storage for Shopping at a Bulk Food Store
- General Leftover Food Storage
- Clean Water Cup for Rinsing Paint Brushes
- Storing or Displaying Craft Supplies
- Storing Miscellaneous Supplies in the Garage
Give Your Old Shirts a Second Life with These Simple DIY Ideas
Got a pile of old t-shirts lying around the house? Don’t send them to the landfill. Instead, turn them into everyday helpers around the house! Cut them up into handy cleaning rags, slide one onto your Swiffer mop instead of a disposable pad, or keep a few around for messy paint projects. Kids’ art day? An oversized adult tee makes the perfect DIY smock! You can even repurpose the soft cotton shirts into cloth wipes or extra absorbent inserts for inside your cloth diapers.
Upcycle Your Old Cotton TShirt
- Cut up into reusable cleaning rags for dusting and wiping surfaces
- Use as a washable pad on your Swiffer or mop instead of disposable ones.
- Turn into kids’ painting smocks
- Keep a few as painting or staining rags for DIY and craft projects
- Cut into strips for garden ties—they’re soft on plant stems and biodegradable.
- Cut smaller squares to make reusable baby wipes or facial rounds.
- Fold into a rectangle and use as cloth diaper absorbency
Getting the Most Out of Those Brown Paper Grocery Bags
Don’t let those brown paper grocery bags go to waste—they’re full of second-life potential! Instead of sending your brown paper grocery bags straight to the trash, try reusing them instead. Cut the bags apart and use them as eco-friendly gift wrap. You can leave them plain for a minimalist look or let the kids paint and doodle on them for a handmade touch (perfect for birthdays and holidays when the wrapping usually ends up ignored anyway). They also make great shelf liners, packing paper for shipping boxes, or even a natural weed barrier in the garden. Simple swaps like these keep something that’s normally single-use working a little harder for you and the planet.
Creative Ways to Reusable Brown Paper Bags
- DIY Wrapping Paper for Presents: Cut grocery bags into flat sheets and use them to wrap gifts
- Kids’ Art Canvas
- Weed Barrier in the Garden: Lay flattened bags beneath mulch in garden beds to help block weeds
- Shelf or Drawer Liner
- Packing Material for Shipping: Crumple paper bags to cushion fragile items
- Compost: If uncoated, brown paper bags can be torn into small pieces and added to your compost pile
And, if you live in one of the growing number of cities or states that have phased out single-use plastic bags (like Connecticut), you’ve probably built up quite the collection of reusable grocery tote bags. The good news? They’re also super versatile! You don’t need a different bag for every activity, those sturdy totes and drawstring bags pull double (or triple) duty. Use one as a gym bag, another for library trips or storytime, or stash a couple in your car for beach days, soccer practice, or weekend errands. Reusing what you already have is the easiest way to keep waste out of the landfill.
Past kinder sustainability blog
