19 Ways to Reduce Waste in 2019
With a new year comes new motivation to improve upon ourselves. Most of us unconsciously produce a lot of waste. A less wasteful 2019 is easier to achieve than you might believe. A few small changes in our habits add up over the year. Here are 19 ways you can reduce your waste in 2019:
1.Reusable coffee mug
Canadians drink a lot of coffee, 14 billion cups a year, to be exact. Of those 14 billion cups, 35% are “to-go”. This means Canada sends billions of disposable cups to the landfill every year. Carry a reusable coffee cup with you and ask the employee taking your order to use your own cup instead of their own single-use cups. Most coffee shops have no problem using your cup. In fact, you’ll often get a discount for bringing your own. At Carleton, we have the Lug-a-Mug program, which gives a 25 cent discount to customers who bring their own mug when purchasing a beverage anywhere on campus.
Snag a Ravens Coffee Co. mug for only $1 from Tunnel Junction, Loeb, or The Market in the Food Court. Our Lug-a-Mug program gives customers a 25 cent discount for bringing their own cup, so the mug pays for itself in four uses!
2. Buy less clothing. Buy secondhand clothing. Learn to sew!
For the new items of clothing you do purchase in 2019, prioritize quality and wearability. Invest in pieces that will last, and look for more temporary/trendy items in thrift stores. Being able to patch up clothing items is also a great way to fight clothing waste. A broken button or loose stitch no longer cut an item’s lifespan short when you can easily repair it.
3. Switch to paperless billing
Are you still receiving mail from your bank, internet provider, or credit card company? Go into your account settings online and switch to ‘paperless billing’ to put a stop to unnecessary paper waste arriving in your mailbox.
4. Compost
Approximately 1/3 of the waste in an Ontarian’s trash bag is food and organic waste. Firstly, we want to fight food waste. But sending our food waste to compost is also a great way to ensure the food gets a second chance at being used. An easy way to keep your compost habit mess free is to freeze it in small paper bags.
5. Join buy-and-sell groups
Join online groups where people in your local community post items for sale. It’s an easy way to get your old stuff off your hands rather than throwing it out, plus you may find a used item in great condition for cheap that you were planning to buy new.
6. Carry a to-go cutlery kit
Avoiding waste when eating fast food is difficult, but a to-go cutlery kit eliminates the plastic utensil waste.
7. Reusable water bottle
Invest in a reusable water bottle that meets your needs. To make it easier, use a bag that has cup holders. Having your reusable water bottle or mug on hand is easier when you can easily take it with you.
8. Refill printer ink cartridges
Ink cartridges are expensive, and they’re often sent to the landfill despite still being usable. You can save a lot of money and reduce waste by having your ink cartridges refilled.
9. Say “No” to single-use straws
Plastic straws are one of the most likely trash items to end up in our waterways due to their size and lack of recyclability. Reduce plastic waste and help keep it out of our marine ecosystems by skipping the plastic straw when offered one while out to eat. If you’re drinking a beverage on the go, invest in reusable stainless straws.
10. Buy funny-looking produce 
Canada wastes more food per capita than Mexico or the United States. A lot of perfectly good produce is thrown away by producers every year because it is not aesthetically pleasing. Consumers can influence purchasing patterns and help prevent imperfect produce from being thrown out en masse by picking the less than perfect pieces of fruits and vegetables.
11. Buy in bulk (for certain products)
Almost our food, toiletries, and cleaning products come with packaging. Buying products in bulk that you will definitely use before they expire is an easy way to cut back on the packaging waste associated with your shopping.
12. Reusable shopping bags
Keep reusable bags in your car so you are always prepared for impromptu shopping trips. Most grocery stores charge customers for every plastic bag they use, so it pays to come prepared with reusable ones.
13. FIFO
Using the First In, First Out (FIFO) method in your fridge is another way to reduce food waste. The idea is that the food put first in your fridge should be the first food pulled out. To avoid forgetting about food purchases, be sure to bring the oldest items to the front each time you place new items of the fridge.
14. Use rechargeable batteries
Switch out single-use batteries for rechargeable ones. The one-time purchase of a battery charger eliminates the need to purchase new batteries for years. If you do have dead single-use batteries or rechargeable batteries you no longer plan to use, make sure to dispose of them properly.
You can drop off batteries at special waste depots all across campus.
15. Take reusable containers to restaurants
Cut carryout container waste out of your life by bringing Tupperware with you.
16. Switch out dryer sheets for dryer balls
Wool dryer balls cut out the need for fabric softener and last for years!
17. Use old clothes for cleaning instead of paper towels
We all have a stack of t-shirts in our dresser that have not been worn in years. Cut up the items into a few large pieces and use for cleaning. The t-shirt rags make for great scrubbing tools and can be used many times before needing to be trashed.
18. Make your own beeswax wrap 
Saran wrap and ziploc bag waste in your kitchen can be cut down with beeswax wrap. The wraps can be molded around containers through the heat of your hands and used dozens of times. There are lots of DIY beeswax wrap tutorials available.
19. Shop at Nu Grocery
Support a local Ottawa business and your zero waste lifestyle by shopping at Nu Grocery!
