Plastic-Free Laundry Detergent

biodegradable laundry detergent

In an effort to reduce plastic packaging and overall waste, I’ve been trying several different new eco-friendly laundry detergents in order to weigh performance, cost, and waste reduction between different brands and types of detergents. I’m using three different types of detergent: Method For these tests, I’m using our own front-loading High Efficency (HE) washing machine, one that uses less …

Eliminating Waste in Packaging – Laundry, Dishwasher & Hand Soaps

household packaging waste

There have been so many cool new innovations recently in packaging reduction and the re-imagining of how to deliver products to consumers, most notably in the cleaning and detergents category. Many have led the way into more environmentally friendly cleaners, like Method, Vaska, and Seventh Generation; and building on that is a new generation of cleaning products that come without …

Minor Eco Products with Maximum Environmental Impact

Minimize plastic waste

Collectively, there are a lot of small changes and inexpensive products that can replace everyday disposable items for a big impact. Throw together a kit with these items and keep them in your purse, backpack, messenger bag, briefcase, or a bag in the car. The Plastic Straws Gaining much more attention lately due to their propensity to show up in …

Upcycling Plastic Ocean Trash into Fashion

swim wear from waste

A while back I wrote an article about a collaboration between Adidas and Parley to create a shoe out of abandoned fishing nets appropriately named the Adidas Recycled Ocean Waste Shoe. I was happy to see that this turned out to be more than just a concept and that you can actually purchase Adidas shoes made from recycled plastic. Even …

Waste from Shoes and Shoes from Waste

It’s estimated that 20 billion pairs of shoes are produced annually, with roughly 300 million pairs ending up in landfills after they have been worn. The Ethylene Vinyl Acetate, which usually makes up the midsole of most running shoes, can last for as long as 1,000 years in a landfill. There are a few organizations out there trying to reduce …

Reusable Mesh Produce Bag – Bag Again

There are a lot of great choices out there for reusable grocery bags, but Bag Again has created a recycled plastic mesh bag perfect for produce and bulk foods. Not only does it hold it, but you can wash, rinse, and scrub your produce in the bag for even more convenience. Bag Again sent me a few samples to try …

Where Does Bio-Plastic Go, Compost or Recycle Bin?

Corn plastic, otherwise known as polylactic acid (PLA), is rapidly replacing traditional petroleum based plastics for food containers, utensils, disposable cups and more, but how do you dispose of it? It is common to find a recycle symbol printed or molded into the container, and many also promote that the item is compostable or biodegradable. So what is the most …

Green Bag Revolution Around the World

Around the world, the concept of the reusable bag is catching on with gusto. The reasoning may differ from country to country, but the effects seem to be the same: less waste and more money towards environmental causes. Many people claim that paper is more environmentally friendly than plastic, but the truth is far from that. Paper bags consume over …

Biodegradable Plastic Garbage Bags

Does such a thing even exist? Personally, I just use a trashcan without a liner and just rinse it out when it gets funky rather than add more trash to the landfill, but this doesn’t work for everybody. There are those times where you really do need a garbage bag, and not all trash bags are created equal. Jig-A-Loo recently …

Sun Chips Compostable Bag

I just happened to see an amazing thing last night on television, a (seemingly) plastic snack-chip bag biodegrade in a time lapse in 12 weeks. Impossible! Or is it? NatureWorks has developed a compostable bag for PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Division, the makers of SunChips. As with many claims of length of time to biodegrade, it is usually very dependent on the …