10 Easy Steps to Go Plastic-Free Today

The word "plastic: spelled out in large plastic colorful letters, on white background. — Photo by Merakist on Unsplash.

Here are 10 ways to go plastic-free quickly!

Some of these overlap with my “14 Ways to Go Plastic-Free with Food,” but these are the easiest overall switches you can begin with, to give you momentum and make an immediate impact. Once these have become routine, you’ll start thinking about all of the plastic in your life. Especially those single-use disposable plastics!

1. Say no to plastic bags.

Reusable bags are sold everywhere these days, and given out for free at many places, too. However, many of those are made of plastic cloth and don’t last a long time. Look for canvas bags, which last longer and can be mended easily. The best place to buy plain canvas and cloth bags is usually craft stores. You can even decorate them with permanent markers, tie-dye, regular dye, or fabric paint. (Bonus if you use materials you already have in your home or obtained secondhand.)

Pro-tip: Store your bags in your car so that they’re always with you.

Close up of a canvas bag and its handle, off white, on a white background. — Photo by Mel Poole on Unsplash.

Or, go for something easy to travel with, such as ChicoBags, which are packable bags that fold into a small pouch and have a carabiner clip to attach to a keychain, backpack, or purse. I personally own a set of these and really like them.

Blue colored ChicoBag with pouch, on white background. — Image from ChicoBags.

Worst-case scenario: If you find yourself without your reusable bags, ask the store for paper bags instead of plastic.

Super Pro tip: Avoid plastic produce bags, too, by investing in a set of reusable produce bags.

4 reusable off white mesh cloth produce bags with different types of produce in each one, on a white table. — Photo by Karola G from Pexels.

Reusable plastic mesh produce bags with various vegetables in them, on a light wood table. — Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.

Or, skip a bag altogether. Bananas, for example, have their own packaging – so they don’t really need a bag! Anything you must peel – onions, oranges, lemons, limes, garlic, avocados – don’t really need a bag!

2. Skip the straw.

You don’t really need a straw for most drinks, especially at sit-down restaurants. Their drinkware is sanitized through a dishwasher with a much hotter temperature than most homes.

If you do need a straw while out and about, or for a child, buy a reusable stainless steel or glass straw. These are relatively inexpensive. You can also buy paper or bamboo straws, which are still disposable, but at least not plastic.

Pro tip: I’ve started saying, “No straw, please” when I first order a beverage now, because restaurants often serve one automatically, out of the wrapper and in the drink. Once that straw is opened, it’s going to the landfill whether you use it or not – so better to request no straw at the onset.

Plastic straw in glass beverage at a bar or restaurant, wooden counter or table. — Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash.

3. Stop buying bottled water.

Most bottled water is often just municipal tap water. The plastic bottles are technically recyclable, but only about 8% or 9% of plastics are ever actually recycled. Further, those bottles can leach toxins into the water you drink.

Invest in a reusable water bottle, preferably made from metal or glass, not plastic. These are available almost everywhere, and you can get them secondhand as long as you sanitize them.

Pro tip: Invest in a water filtration system to remove unhealthy toxins from your water.

5 water bottles in various colors, sittin gon a white counter with aqua background. — My family’s various water bottles. Photo by Marie Cullis.

4. Invest in a reusable travel coffee mug.

The disposable cups at Starbucks and other coffee shops are lined with plastic and always come with a plastic lid. These cups can leach microplastics into your drink and into your body. Worse, heat makes the problem even worse because it causes more microplastics to leach from the plastic.¹

Buy a reusable travel mug designed for hot beverages.. Again, these are available almost everywhere, and you can get them secondhand as long as you sanitize them.

4 travel mugs in various colors, on a white countertop with aqua wall background. — My family’s various insulated travel mugs. Photo by Marie Cullis.

5. Switch to bar soap.

Body wash, shampoo, and even conditioner that come in plastic bottles are more water than cleanser, so why not just pay for the soap only? This reduces shipping costs and reduces emissions too, since only the soap ships, not the water that normally comes in the product.

There are hundreds of soap options available online. I personally like Nourish Savannah soap, since I have sensitive skin. It has generally safe and gentle ingredients and smells lovely. Bonus: it doesn’t ship with plastic packaging.

Pro tip: Switch to shampoo bars (and conditioner bars!).

4 bars of soap with paper wraps and twine, on a wooden table with lavender sprigs in the background. — Photo by Aurélia Dubois on Unsplash.

6. Stop using fabric softener and dryer sheets.

Fabric softener and dryer sheets usually has toxic ingredients: they contain hormone-disrupting phthalates, chemicals that damage the reproductive system, and compounds that trigger asthma. Fabric softener liquid almost always comes in a plastic bottle. Most fabric dryer sheets are made of nonwoven polyester fabric, which does not biodegrade. It’s the same as plastic trash.

There are so many alternatives! Wool dryer balls have been one of my favorite replacements. And nowadays they come in adorable colors and designs!

6 wool dryer balls, penguin designs. Bag and white background.

Basket of wool dryer balls, some with colorful felted designs.

7. Switch to toilet paper that isn’t wrapped in plastic.

Most toilet paper is shipped and sold in non-recyclable plastic wrap. Worse, toilet paper is made from trees, the very thing we humans need to breathe! About 1 million trees are cut down daily to make traditional toilet paper.²

You can hit two targets with one arrow by buying recycled or bamboo toilet paper from companies like Who Gives A Crap (Bonus: they donate 50% of their profits to ensuring everyone worldwide has access to clean water and toilets).

Pro tip: Buy plastic-free paper towels or switch to something reusable.

Super Pro tip: Switch to reusable cloth wipes, also called family cloths.

Photo by Marie Cullis.

8. Limit the number of plastic items you buy.

This might seem like a no-brainer, but it’s actually harder than we initially think. I once needed a new dustpan, but the only ones I could find locally were made of plastic. And those always break and have to be replaced! I found a metal one on Amazon, but of course, it shipped in plastic.

A black metal dustpan wrapped in clear plastic. — The black metal dustpan I bought came wrapped in plastic. Why? Photo by Marie Cullis.

But a dustpan being plastic is something I never thought about until I needed to replace it. And there are dozens of items like this in people’s homes. Plastic pens, storage bins, hairbrushes, toothbrushes, trash cans, soap dispensers, craft paint, clothing hangers, school supplies, purses, shoes, food packaging, dishes, sunglasses, toys, games, ice cube trays…the list is endless.

So, next time you need to replace something, look for a plastic-free alternative!

Pro tip: There are several stores online that sell items that are plastic-free and ship without plastic packaging.

Super Pro-tip: Is there a zero-waste store to shop in your area?

9. Invest in a set of reusable metal or glass food containers.

Use these containers for leftovers, packing lunches, and transporting food for parties. Ball jars or mason jars are perfect for these tasks, too. Don’t buy plastic ones, and especially do not reheat your food in plastic containers because the chemicals in plastics leach into food.

Pro tip: If you already own plastic containers, you can repurpose them to store other items, such as cosmetics, small game pieces, small electronics, or craft supplies.

Super Pro tip: Consider keeping a couple in your car for restaurant leftovers, instead of using the Styrofoam containers restaurants provide.

Tri-bento box or tiffin, all metal, white background. — Tri-bento box from ecolunchboxes.com.

Clear glass container with bamboo lid, Ikea, white background. — Clear glass container with bamboo lid from Ikea.

Collection of foods containers, including metal and glass rectangular ones, a small green soup thermos, a silver tiffin, and 2 Ball jars; on white countertop with aqua wall background. — Some of my family’s food storage containers, including a small soup thermos, a tiffin, Ball jars, and rectangular containers in glass and metal.

10. Buy secondhand.

Buy secondhand, anything appropriate for you. Think clothing, purses, household items, books, video games, board games, smartphones, art supplies, and even school supplies. Whenever you buy secondhand, you reduce your overall carbon footprint through reduced production, packaging, and shipping emissions. This includes lowering the amount of plastic used in both the product and its packaging.

Bonus: Secondhand items cost less, saving you money to spend on other things (like a fun trip!).

Clothing racks with shoes on top, with shoppers and other various vintage items in background. — Photo by Hugo Clément on Unsplash.

“Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. The same is true for your plastic-free home. It’s going to take some time to transition but with patience and persistence you can easily weed plastic out of your home and create a new lifestyle that’s dramatically leaner when it comes to plastic usage.” -Sandra Ann Harris, founder of ECOlunchbox³

Footnotes:

Article, “Release of microplastics from disposable cups in daily use,” by Huier Chen et. al., Science of the Total Environment, Volume 854, January 1, 2023. ↩︎
Page, “Are 1 million trees really cut down each day to make toilet paper?” Impact & Sustainability Info, whogviesacrap.com, updated February 10, 2025. ↩︎
Book, Say Goodbye to Plastic: A Survival Guide for Plastic-Free Living, by Sandra Ann Harris, Hatherleigh Press, 2020. ↩︎

November 20, 2025November 20, 2025

This Holiday Season, Let’s Shop Differently and Do Something Unexpected

Black Friday in hot pink letters with black background and sparkles, with white lettering at bottom, Buy Nothing! Save 100%

Many people now understand that Black Friday is mostly a hoax. It used to be a shopping day when people could get decent deals on gifts, but not anymore. Most Black Friday sales are not good deals, have limitations, or are outright scams.

Still, every year, we break records for Black Friday sales. In 2024, consumers spent a record $10.8 billion, which was 10% more than in 2023. That’s also just over double what consumers spent in 2017.¹

Worse, inflation over the last few years has not kept pace with wage and salary increases. And things have only worsened with the introduction of new tariffs. Our buying power has decreased. Most people feel the pinch and don’t want to live in debt.

At the same time, extreme wealth is on the rise for those extremely privileged few at the financial top. According to Forbes, there are now more than 3,000 billionaires worldwide, worth $16.1 trillion combined. “But the distribution of this extreme affluence is far from equal. Just three nations account for more than 50% of all billionaires.”²

I think it’s time we reject the billionaires. Or at least stop supporting them.

Further, many of the cheap items we buy don’t last very long, contribute to pollution, have toxic ingredients, or all of those.

Maybe we need longer-lasting, less polluting, and less toxic gift items in our lives.

Scrabble letters, "Holiday Shopping," on wood table with evergreen, Christmas ornament, lights, and holly berries surrounding them. — Photo by sarah b on Unsplash.

What if we could reject the billionaires, protect the environment, save money, and still have a wonderful holiday season?

We can do all of those at once!

Here’s how.

Buy Nothing

If it’s possible for you and your loved ones, opt out of gifting this year. That’s like getting 100% off!

However, it’s unrealistic for many people, myself included. I’m not going to not give gifts this year. I just plan to be smarter and more conscientious about it. You can too, read on!

Close up of American dollar bills and change. — Photo by Mathieu Turle on Unsplash.

Limit Spending on Gifts

First, you don’t need to break the bank. Create a small or moderate gift budget and stick to it. In general, we can give one gift to someone that they will enjoy. We don’t need to shower people with multiple gifts.

People are generally happy just to see their loved ones. Time together is a gift.

Other options: Your family can draw names, Secret Santa style, and buy only for that one person. Or, your family can choose only to give gifts to the children. Or, some families go on a fabulous vacation together, and that is the gift from the parents or grandparents.

Group of people or family sitting on a mountain rock, overlooking a valley with a lake below, at sunset. — Photo by Arthur Poulin on Unsplash.

Buy local

Buying local simply means buying from a local store (not a chain store) or vendor. These are often referred to as small businesses or Mom & Pop stores. But they can be anything from local craftspeople at farmers’ markets to food trucks to storefronts. Think about the locally owned bookstore, the local comic book or game shop, or the locally owned coffee shop in your area. Is there a local cheese shop, bakery, winery, soap shop, chocolatier, or ethnic food store near you? Maybe you can buy a beautiful houseplant at the local garden store. You might have to search a little, but I bet you can find several choices in your area.

Chalkboard sitting a shop window, "Thank you for shopping local." — Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash.

Buy second-hand

Of course, if you’ve read any of my other articles, you’ll know that I’m a huge advocate of buying most items second-hand. Second-hand items cost less, have already off-gassed most toxins, and reduce the need for new production of goods (hence less pollution). You can find great gifts at quality thrift stores, consignment shops, flea markets, antique stores, and second-hand book or record stores. In our area, we even have a couple of second-hand outdoor gear stores. You never know what you’ll find, but you’ll likely find something nice for your loved one.

A white woman with glasses and a backpack shopping in a bookstore, with shelves of books all around, some comic books on the right side, and an open door to the street at back left corner. — Photo by John Michael Thomson on Unsplash.

Buy gifts from non-profits

You can buy an array of gifts from non-profit organizations, which is awesome, because you can support your favorite orgs while gift-giving! Always check Charity Watch or Charity Navigator to verify nonprofits you aren’t sure about.

Orca plush, black and white, on white background. — Orca plush from Whale and Dolphin Conservation.

Make something

If you’re crafty or can sew, then there are so many options!

But you don’t have to be super crafty for this category. You can make simple but lovely items using online tutorials.

Or, you can cook or bake something and give it as a gift. Do you have a breadmaker (maybe that was gifted to you, and you never use) that you can make a loaf of rosemary sourdough in for someone? Maybe you have great cake decorating skills (unlike me). Cookies, doughnuts, muffins, scones – the possibilities are endless!

If you are not crafty and don’t cook or bake, perhaps you can put together a coffee basket using locally roasted coffee beans, a mug (from the thrift store!), and a chocolate-covered spoon. Or you could put together a basket of just locally made items! Think outside of the box (um, basket?) on this one and I bet you’ll come up with something fantastic.

A white woman's hands with red nail polish knitting with beige yarn. — Photo by Marina Ermakova on Unsplash.

Experiences

You can gift experiences in the form of a digital gift card or certificate, or by purchasing tickets to an event or place for someone. Maybe Grandma has been wanting to go to the art museum? Buy her tickets and a digital gift card to the adjacent restaurant. Or, maybe you have a friend who wants to go to a concert to see their favorite performer. How about a digital gift card for the movie theater? Think of something the person you are gifting has been wanting to do or go see.

Concert performance in a large theater, lots of seat and lights and people. — Photo by Sean Lee on Unsplash.

Give and Donate

This is the exception to rejecting billionaires and large chain stores. Our family always participates in food drives, Toys for Tots, Salvation Army’s Angel Tree, and Forgotten Child Fund’s Coats for Kids drive. All of those require new items only, and most items they need are only available at large chain stores. But when we give to those who are less fortunate, it’s ok to make those exceptions.

You can also donate money to those types of organizations.

What About Buy Nothing Day?

This movement falls on Black Friday. I’m all for this movement; however, critics have pointed out that buying nothing for one day a year does not help curb rampant consumerism. We need to buy less permanently.

Reduce

Remember, there are no rules when it comes to gifting. But we all need to save money. We all need to limit waste and reduce our impact on the environment. Every time you don’t buy something new or from across the world, you’re reducing your impact. And we need to stop supporting mega corporations and billionaires because their greed is the opposite of what we’re trying to do during the holidays!

Besides packaging and plastic, don’t forget to use alternatives to Disposable Gift Wrap!

Also, don’t worry about doing everything perfectly. I certainly will still buy a few new things for my son and others, simply because I can’t find them second-hand. You want to limit and reduce your impact, but don’t stress if a few items are brand new from Amazon. It happens.

Happy Holidays! Let me know in the comments if you have ideas about holiday shopping. Thank you for reading. Please share and subscribe!

Footnotes:

Article, “Most Black Friday shoppers bagged their deals online this year, with record spending,” by Emma Bowman, NPR, December 1, 2024. ↩︎
Arti c le, “The Countries With The Most Billionaires 2025,’ Forbes.com, updated July 15, 2015. ↩︎

October 23, 2025October 23, 2025

Have a Spooky Halloween and Fall with Limited Waste

Fall leaves, orange and red, on a tree branch with sunset light background. — Image by Hans from Pixabay.

Fall is my favorite season. The weather cools, the air is less humid, the colors change, and it is more enjoyable to be outdoors. I love the family memories we’ve made. We’ve played in fall leaves, hunted pumpkin patches for the best pumpkins, picked apples, and enjoyed the smells and flavors of autumn. And of course, Halloween is one of our favorite holidays!

But the waste from Fall can be great. For Halloween alone, Americans will spend $13.1 billion in 2025, according to the National Retail Federation.¹ With that comes a great deal of waste: Halloween costumes, candy, food, and beverages come with a lot of disposable plastic packaging. In the current economy, I think most of us need to save money, and we need to limit waste.

Zero waste is such a great concept, but not always practical. If we aspire toward limited waste, that will still make a huge difference to the environment, our homes, and our psyches.

Here are some ways you can save money, be healthier, and limit waste this Fall!

Pumpkin Spice Everything

Cup of cocoa or coffee with marshmallows and cinnamon sticks on top, sitting on a wooden board, surrounded by pumpkins, orange berries, pine cones, and green leaves. — Image by Ylanite Koppens from Pixabay.

Besides the traditional pumpkin spice coffee, there’s now pumpkin spice-flavored everything…from cereal and cookies to candles and hand soap, and even baked goods and dairy products. My son insisted I buy pumpkin spice-flavored whipped cream at the grocery store this week! I say indulge in a treat or two, but resist the urge to buy pumpkin spice everything, especially those products that come in disposable packaging (such as whipped cream in a metal can, which is not recyclable where we live). Though that and one pumpkin spice latte is all we’ve bought this season, so we’ve limited waste in this category.

You can always make your own pumpkin spice bread, coffee, or cupcakes at home. This will save money and limit waste, and maybe even be healthier. (Then the house will smell good, too.)

Also, if you get a pumpkin-spice latte or coffee, drink it at the coffee shop in a ceramic mug – or bring your own insulated travel mug!

Pumpkins & Jack O’Lanterns

Three orange pumpkin Jack O'Lanterns sitting outside surrounded by fall leaves and colors. — Image by Mayur Gadge from Pixabay.

Who doesn’t love the sight of a beautiful pumpkin? Many use them as decorations, and though expensive, this is far better than buying cheap plastic decorations that are likely to break or degrade quickly. Especially if you compost or consume the pumpkin before it starts to rot.

It’s better to pick your pumpkins at a pumpkin patch because freshly cut pumpkins last much longer than pre-picked ones from the store. Plus, picking your own pumpkins from a patch is a lot more fun!

If you’re going to carve a Jack O’Lantern, save the seeds to make a great snack! My son looks forward to this part almost more than the Jack O’Lantern part, honestly. This limits waste, and it is a super healthy snack.

Simply scoop the seeds, wash them and separate them from the pumpkin pulp, and dry them on a towel. Next, season them with extra virgin olive oil, Kosher salt, and cumin powder. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer, and roast at 275° for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Then eat!

Seasoned pumpkin seeds on a white plate with yellow/gold pattern around edge. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

The most important thing with a Jack O’Lantern is that you compost it once you’re ready to discard it.

Apple Picking

Pink-red apples dangling from branches with green leaves, and a blue sky background. — Image by beccazsky from Pixabay.

If you can get to an apple orchard, this is a wonderful way to celebrate fall. There is nothing more delicious and healthy than a crisp, fresh-picked apple. At most self-pick orchards, you can purchase a basket that you return with every year, instead of using plastic bags. Picking apples is healthier because the fruit is local and fresher (though not necessarily less expensive than apples from the grocery store). You’re likely also supporting a small business.

You can bake any number of apple yumminess and with limited waste, especially if you compost the apple peels and cores. Or, make apple cider vinegar from them (which I’ve done with only mixed success). That would make it zero waste!

Bonus if you go to an orchard where you pick apples and a pumpkin!

Basket of apples with flowers in a vase in background, on a wooden table. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

Fall Leaves

This is an easy category to limit waste. If you read my article on Fall leaves disposal, then you already know that leaves should never be bagged in plastic or sent to the landfill. Fall leaves biodegrade on the ground, in the compost, or in the woods. I don’t recommend burning because they can spark and start fires, and also because the smoke is not healthy to breathe, even from a distance. Check with your local municipal entity to see how you can safely discard leaves. Please read my article for additional information.

Halloween Costumes

Phot from inside of a Spirit Halloween store, showing black shelving with costumes in plastic packaging, cement floor, orange signage. — Photo by Phillip Pessar on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY 2.0).

New costumes can contain chemicals, come in plastic packaging, and are expensive. The easiest way to save money, limit plastic packaging waste, and be healthier is to buy costumes second-hand, from any store that sells used clothing. The materials will have already off-gassed, making them less toxic to you.

The next simplest method for costuming is using what you already have at home, which limits waste and saves money. Trading costumes with friends or getting them at clothing swaps/sales is also an option.

Or, you can do a combination of those.

While I have purchased a brand-new costume once, my son usually insists on piecing together his own costume (and not for environmental reasons). Last year, he wanted to be Roronoa Zoro from the One Piece anime series. He wanted a costume like this:

Person in costume of character with green hair, white shirt, green haramaki, and black pants and swords. Brown background.

Online, the costume was more than $50, packaged in plastic, and did not include the earring or swords!

At the thrift store, we bought a small women’s white shirt with an opening at the chest, and rolled up the sleeves. We then found a black and green striped shirt that I cut up and resewed into the haramaki and the tie on his arm. I also found a pair of children’s black pants in his size at the same thrift store. We used a black bandana that we already had at home for his head, since he couldn’t dye his hair green due to a theatrical performance he was in at the time. And he already owned the three play swords.

Child dressed up as Roronoa Zoro, white shirt, 3 swords, green mid piece, black pants and bandana. Parking lot background. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

The most challenging part was the three-piece earring. Since my son’s ears aren’t pierced, I decided to make something similar to what Zoro wears. I made this earring from a paper clip to form a “clip-on” earring, and attached three pieces of nose bridge strips for cloth masks (bought during Covid times) and painted them gold. I was pretty proud of this costume and thought he looked amazing!

Child's profiled face, showing black bandana and gold earring up close. — Photo by Marie Cullis.

For more Halloween costume ideas, Pinterest is a great resource. Also, Kathryn Kellogg has a great article and video on Halloween costumes you may already have in your closet, which I’ve linked in the footnotes below.²

Halloween Candy

This is a difficult waste stream to avoid, but it can be done.

If you’re giving out candy, there are lots of options! Read my article on Halloween candy wrapper waste to find ways to avoid plastic waste. The best option is to buy individually wrapped candy in bulk (like foil wrapped chocolates) or boxed candy (Junior Mints, Milk Duds, Nerds, etc).

If you’re trick-or-treating, navigating that waste stream is much more challenging. The best approach is to recycle any wrappers you can (paper, cardboard, etc.) and limit the amount of candy you bring home. You can’t control what others give out, and you’re grateful that they are spending their hard-earned money on giving free candy to hordes of children, including yours. It’s best to limit how much you collect, and if you get too much, share it with friends, family, or coworkers.

Happy Fall and Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween illustration, orange background with black silhouettes of jack o'lanterns, owls, cats, bats, and a spider. — Image by Alexa from Pixabay.

I hope this article gave you some ideas about how to save money and limit waste. Leave me a comment if you have a question or suggestion. Thanks for reading, and please subscribe. Have a lovely Fall and Halloween!

Footnotes:

Page, Halloween data center, National Retail Federation, accessed October 19, 2025. ↩︎
Blog post, “Ethical Halloween Costumes: Plus Six Costumes You Have in Your Closet,” by Kathryn Kellogg, goingzerowaste.com, updated January 23, 2024. ↩︎

July 26, 2025July 26, 2025

Does the Cora Ball Really Work? My Mixed Results

Cora Ball, blue and dark blue plastic nubbed ball, sitting on towels on a washing machine. — Image from coraball.com.

What is the Cora Ball?

Cora Ball is simply a laundry ball that collects microfibers and prevents them from getting into the ocean. As I explained in Part 5 of my series The Real Global Price of What You Wear, synthetic fabrics shed microfibers during washing, which then enter our waterways, pollute the oceans, and ultimately harm fish, marine mammals, and even humans.

When you use a Cora Ball in your washing machine, it collects these microfibers. The company cites a 2020 study that indicated that using a Cora Ball “prevents 31% of the microfibers per load from washing downstream” and “helps prevent microfibers from breaking off your clothes” in the first place.¹ I’m not clear on how it prevents fibers from breaking off clothes, so I’m not sure about this claim. A 2019 study claimed Cora Ball captured 26% of microfibers,² and a 2021 study put the number at just 10%. The latter study described that the “difference between the two studies can be explained by the different length of studied fibre…since the trapping efficiency of Cora Ball increases with the size (length and lint) of fibres.”³ (The studies also indicated that the Guppy Bag has a higher rate of microfiber collection.)

People researching how to keep plastic out of the ocean invented the Cora Ball. The co-founders of Cora Ball “first founded the nonprofit Rozalia Project for a Clean Ocean to launch their mission of preserving a thriving marine ecosystem by tackling marine debris through cleanup, education, research, and solutions development.”⁴ The company now addresses other plastic problems through non-plastic product creation.

The company makes the laundry balls from recycled plastic, manufactures them in the United States, and the company even has a take-back program!

Angled photo of a stainless steel washer and dryer with towels coming out of the open machine door. — Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay.

So I Tried It

I ordered one about 6 months ago and threw it in my washer and left it in for every wash. For the first couple of months, I didn’t see much collecting in it – just a few pet and human hairs, and a single loose thread or two. I finally started seeing a tiny bit of accumulated lint, but not enough to even pick out of the ball. From Cora Ball’s welcome email, this seemed fairly normal: “Sometimes, after everyday clothing loads, you may not see much. It may be there accumulating and tangling up with hair and larger fibers, it’s just too small to see and you will be able to remove it when the tangles do get big enough to grab.”⁵ So I just left it in the machine for months.

Then I made a mistake. I had purchased some fabric for a sewing project and washed it before doing the project (as is often recommended). The fabric frayed and got badly tangled in the Cora Ball. I’d also washed a blanket with fringe, and that also got tangled in the ball. All are made of cotton and should not be as harmful to the environment as synthetic fabrics. But the company recommends not washing those types of things with their laundry ball. On their FAQ page: “We recommend that you DO NOT wash anything with lace, tassels, chunky or wide-knit, crocheted sections, or fraying threads with Cora Ball.”⁶ Those mistakes left me with this mess:

Close up of a blue and dark blue Cora Ball with many tangled threads in various colors.

Cleaning the Cora Ball

I spent about 30 minutes using scissors and my fingers to try to remove the strings and threads, but I couldn’t get all of it out. I certainly can’t replace it at $46.00 per ball, but it’s still usable and I’m not going to give up on it.

Piles of threads in green and other colors on a white background.

Up close, some of the microfibers or “lint” are visible in the threads (it looks gray and fuzzy):

close up of threads in green and other colors on a white background. — Photos by Marie Cullis.

The Real Solutions

Of course, the real solutions lie in avoiding synthetic textiles in the first place. While I buy as little fast fashion as possible, some inevitably enters my home since I buy some of my family’s clothing second-hand. You don’t always have a choice in the fabric content of second-hand clothing.

Is it better to buy second-hand clothing or newly produced natural fiber clothing?

Both are good practices. Though in general, the answer is always TO BUY LESS. For my family, we buy second-hand because it is far more affordable than new clothing of any type. It’s better for the environment since those clothing items have already been produced. And it is always better to reuse rather than put them in a landfill or ship them to developing countries, where the discarded items may worsen that country’s waste problems.

We can wash our clothes less and do laundry better to increase the lifespan of the clothes we already own. Avoid the toxic, poisonous, and harsh ingredients that are in most laundry detergents and fabric softeners.

Final Thoughts on Cora Ball

While I ask that people focus on shifting away from synthetic clothing and fabrics, buy less, and buy second-hand when able, I do think that Cora Ball can help with already-owned synthetics. And I recognize that some outdoor gear and swimwear must be made from synthetics. While Cora Ball will help, it is not the only solution to our global pollution problems.

So I’m asking that if you buy one, please don’t think you’re done helping solve the crisis. Continue to think about these problems and make improvements. I’m certainly going to continue using mine.

If you’ve tried this product, I’d love for you to leave me a comment about your experience. Thank you for reading, and please share and subscribe!

This is an honest review, and I did not get paid or receive goods in exchange for this review.

Footnotes:

Article, “The efficiency of devices intended to reduce microfibre release during clothes washing,” by Imogen E. Napper, Aaron C. Barrett, Richard C. Thompson, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 738, October 10, 2020. ↩︎
Article, “Capturing microfibers – marketed technologies reduce microfiber emissions from washing machines,” by Hayley K. McIlwraith, Jack Lin, Lisa M. Erdle, Nicholas Mallos, Miriam L. Diamond, Chelsea M. Rochman, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 139, February 2019. ↩︎
Article, “Quantification of different microplastic fibres discharged from textiles in machine wash and tumble drying,” by Kärkkäinen, N. and Sillanpää, M., Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Volume 28, April 2021. ↩︎
Page, “Meet the Cora Ball Team,” coraball.com, August 16, 2022. ↩︎
Page, “Frequently Asked Questions,” coraball.com, accessed July 26, 2025. ↩︎
Page, “Frequently Asked Questions,” coraball.com, accessed July 26, 2025. ↩︎

December 1, 2024April 18, 2025

Innovative Alternatives to Toilet Paper

Toilet paper rolls in a white basket. — Photo by Vlada Karpovich.

Toilet paper is something we use every single day. It’s something we don’t question. It’s a given in our culture. We take it for granted. We even hoard it!

But are there alternatives to toilet paper?

Bidets

Modern bidet. Photo by Basan1980 at German Wikipedia/Wikimedia.

A bidet is a bathroom fixture much like an additional toilet, used for washing your ‘bathroom’ areas. “The classic bidet is a miniature, bathtub-like fixture situated next to the toilet, with taps on one end. Its tub is filled with water, and the user straddles themselves over it to wash below the belt,” an article in The Atlantic described.¹ Bidets have adjustable water pressure, temperature, and sometimes a drying function. They are considered very hygienic and they are eco-friendly alternatives to toilet paper. But bidets are more popular in Europe, Japan, and Venezuela than in North America.

Does the use of a bidet reduce toilet paper consumption, and hence save trees? Yes, according to an article in Scientific American, they save trees and also they save water, from the production of toilet paper!²

I’d love to try this but there is just no room in our small bathroom. But in a future residence, perhaps!

Wipes

First, do not buy disposable wipes – even if they use words like ‘flushable’ or ‘septic-safe’ or ‘biodegradable’ on the packaging. They might even be sold in green packaging, like the example above. They are most likely made of plastic, are not biodegradable, and cause major damage to sewer systems. “Once flushed, the wipes glom together with any fat from food waste and can form what are called “fatbergs”—iceberg-style blockages that can clog a whole system.”³ They are expensive to extract and it is costly to repair the damage they cause. Disposable wipes also end up in waterways, the ocean, and beaches.

If you must buy these, please throw them in the trash can – even if they are advertised as ‘flushable.’

Cloth wipes, sometimes referred to as family cloths or reusable toilet paper, are reusable cloth wipes that you launder after each use. I had a family member who made her own to use while she was pregnant because she was peeing so frequently – brilliant! Many people have strong opinions for and against this process.⁴ I sewed some family cloths for our home to use instead of disposable wet wipes. I simply took cotton flannel scraps and old t-shirt fabric and made two-layer rectangular wipes. We have found them very useful as a supplement. We rinse them out after use and wash them in the washing machine.

Flannel family cloths, laid out on top of a white toilet back. — Family cloths, very similar to the ones I’ve made. Photo by Joan on Flickr, Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC 2.0).

Paper Scraps

I’ve never tried this, but in a pinch, why not? Especially paper already bound for the trash or recycling. Just don’t flush the paper scraps – throw them in the trash!

Leaves

This is a classic, reliable option for camping or hiking. Many of us have had to do it at one time or another. However, I don’t recommend this one for home use. And definitely don’t flush them. I’ve seen how leaves clog up my gutters, so I can’t imagine what they’d do to my drainage pipes.

Tree-Free Toilet Paper

Colorful Toilet paper rolls from Who Gives A Crap — Toilet paper rolls from Who Gives A Crap. Photo by Marie Cullis.

This is my favorite! I first wrote about plastic-free, recycled toilet paper in 2018, specifically about the company Who Gives A Crap. They make both recycled and bamboo-sourced toilet paper. You can read all about it here.

Other Ideas?

Have you tried one of these alternatives, or another that I did not cover? I’d love to know if you’ve thought of something else, leave me a comment! Thank you for reading, and please share and subscribe.

Note: Portions of this article were previously part of my 2018 article on plastic-free, recycled toilet paper. It eventually made sense to move this information to its own space.

Footnotes:

Article, “The Bidet’s Revival,” The Atlantic, accessed March 18, 2018. ↩︎
Article, “Wipe or Wash? Do Bidets Save Forest and Water Resources?“ Scientific American, December 16, 2009. ↩︎
Article, “The Bidet’s Revival,” The Atlantic, accessed March 18, 2018. ↩︎
Article, “What Is “The Family Cloth” And Why Do People Use It? An Explainer,” Buzzfeed, March 8, 2018. ↩︎

May 23, 2024January 12, 2025

Product Review: Ethique’s Concentrates

Last updated on January 12, 2025.

Ethique products lined up in color hues, transitioning from magenta on the left to red, orange, then yellow on the right. — *Ethique products.*

I have struggled to find a good, plastic-free conditioner for my hair. But I think I’ve discovered one, by a company called Ethique.

Ethique, a New Zealand company, sells plastic-free shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, lotion, body wash, soap, etc. The company also uses non-toxic and sustainably sourced ingredients. Even more exciting is that their products are rated in the low to moderate range of the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep database.¹ Further, the company uses compostable packaging, cruelty-free and vegan ingredients, no palm oil, and is a Certified B Corporation!

Over the last few months, I’ve tried several of their products and now I’m reviewing them!

Conditioner Bar

When I searched Ethique’s site for a conditioner bar, I noticed they also sell conditioner concentrates. The concentrates are bars dissolvable in water to make a liquid conditioner. I bought both a conditioner bar and a conditioner concentrate to try out.

The bar I bought was The Guardian, which is for dry hair. The bar was fine overall, but I have long, thick hair and always have trouble getting thorough conditioning with any conditioner bar I’ve ever tried. Next, I tried the conditioner concentrate.

Set of 7 Ethique concentrates in the original packaging, all white wiht orange, gray, or magenta colors. — The Ethique concentrate products I purchased. Photo by Marie Cullis.

UPDATE, July 8, 2024: Since writing this article in May 2024, Ethique discontinued its concentrated products, which is super disappointing. I emailed the company to confirm, and they were quick to respond and very nice:

“Unfortunately, we had to make the tough decision to discontinue our concentrates. When certain products don’t sell enough, we’re unable to continue making them in a sustainable cost-effective way. In saying this, like you, we love the concentrate format and offering alternative plastic-free options, so the Product Team are working hard to improve the formula so you may see concentrates again in the future!”

In any case, I’ll have to either use their conditioner bars or switch to another type of conditioner. What are you using?

Turning The Bar Into Liquid Conditioner

Ethique conditioner concentrate package next to a blue ball jar, on a white counter with an aqua-toned wall. — *Photo by Marie Cullis.*

Though the instructions didn’t quite work as well as they should, I figured it out. The instructions were to break up the bars into triangles from the forms, pour boiling water over the pieces, and stir them until they dissolved. However, I had to heat the mixture on the stove to melt it completely. Then I had a lovely, creamy conditioner! The second time I made it, I put the triangles from the bars into the boiling water and immediately removed the pan from the stove. This worked better than my first try.

It did make slightly less than the package indicated, but I think that might have been my fault, as I likely lost some of the water to evaporation when I put it on the stove.

Overall, the conditioner is thick and creamy and I enjoy using it in my hair. Though I still have to use a detangler. The one downfall is that because it is thick, it is difficult to transfer to a pump bottle. And it doesn’t pump well either. I could use a pump attachment with a ball jar, but I don’t feel safe keeping a glass jar in the shower. I have to keep it in a container we open and close each shower. Not everyone in my household is happy with this.

Ethique purple and white conditioner concentrate packaging, next to a pink flower and glass beakers with liquids. — *This is the appearance of the updated Ethique Conditioner concentrate packaging.*

The Shampoo Concentrate

I placed another order and purchased the shampoo concentrate and the lotion concentrate (see the next section). Two bars are supposed to make about 12 ounces of liquid shampoo.

I followed the instructions but instead of using a bowl, I boiled the water in a pan on the stove, turned off the eye, and then put the triangles into the water. This worked well, but I again must have lost some of the shampoo to evaporation as I ended up with about 10 ounces instead of 12. I used a funnel (plastic, because it’s a holdover from years ago) to put the shampoo into a reused pump bottle. It made a great liquid shampoo.

Ethique shampoo concentrate packaging, pink and cream colored.

The Lotion Concentrate

Ethique lotion concentrate, lavendar and white packaging. Oil and coconut in background.

Last, I made the lotion concentrate – but I forgot to take photos while I dissolved it! It takes a little while to thicken. So here’s what it looks like in a reused container:

Dark blue container with cream colored lotion in it. — *Ethique lotion from concentrate. Photo by Marie Cullis.*

I like the lotion so far, though it is not super scented, which is probably a good thing. It absorbs into the skin very well.

Overall Satisfaction

Though I will return to using my favorite shampoo bar – because it is far easier to buy and use – overall, I am pleased with Ethique’s products. I will continue using the conditioner and lotion concentrates because I love that they are plastic-free. It does take a few minutes to turn the concentrates to liquid, but I find the effort worth it. I hope this review helps and encourages you to try any plastic-free products! Thanks for reading, please share and subscribe!

This is an honest review. This article does not contain affiliate links nor was I paid to promote the products in this post.

Footnote:

Database, EWG’s Skin Deep, accessed April 11, 2024. ↩︎

April 29, 2024April 25, 2024

Product Review: Panasonic Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries

Eneloop set, green case showing the battery sets inside.

After writing about battery recycling and discovering that most alkaline batteries are landfilled, I became disheartened with them. Recycling batteries remains far more difficult than it should be. It is only available in my area through pay-for-recycling programs, like TerraCycle. I felt like I was paying a lot of money for something I would just toss, or have to buy and then spend additional money on to recycle.

First, I wanted to see if I could stop using batteries altogether. While that is a nice idea, so many things use batteries! The food scale, the camera, the weather radio’s backup, game controllers, all remote controls, and many of my son’s toys. So my family reduced our battery reliance by using chargeable or wired items, like wired mice and keyboards. While I was able to reduce battery usage, I was not able to completely stop using them.

I read that rechargeable batteries have greatly improved over the years, which encouraged me to try them.

Pile of dozens of batteries, alkaline, laptop, and others. All different brands and colors. — Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash.

Panasonic’s Eneloop Rechargeable Batteries

Interior of Eneloop battery set, showing the white batteries and charger inside of a green case.

Right after I published that article, I transitioned to rechargeable batteries. I stopped buying alkaline batteries and purchased a set of rechargeables. Online reviews at the time favored Panasonic’s Eneloop batteries, though EBL brand was my second choice because they are well-rated.¹ I bought the above set, which included a four-battery charger, 2 AAA and 8 AA batteries, and 2 C and 2 D “spacers.” Spacers allow you to put an AA battery inside a plastic case shaped like a C or D battery.

Overall, I am happy with the Eneloop batteries. As with all rechargeable batteries, they take a few hours to charge. I always keep some charged so that when the remote dies or my son’s lightsaber stops working, I can replace them. Then I charge the ones I removed immediately. It’s as simple as putting them in the charger and plugging it into the wall. Easy.

In 2023, Wired reviewed rechargeables and said “Nothing beats Panasonic’s Eneloop range for durability and reliability.”² The standard Eneloop batteries can be recharged up to 2,100 times, and retain 70 percent of their capacity after 10 years in storage. They are rated for use in temperatures between -20 °C and 50 °C, which makes them optimal for outdoor activities.³

My only complaint is that my Samsung TV remote drains its batteries fast, so we must recharge those frequently. For all of my other uses, the batteries last a long time.

C and D Spacers

I haven’t used the C and D spacers much, since we use few C batteries and only use D-sized in the flashlights. And for some reason, we still have D alkalines in the house. But in their review, Wirecutter chose Eneloop spacers as the best pick for C and D-sized batteries. “Since most household battery chargers charge only AA and AAA batteries, these adapters could save you from having to buy a separate charger for your larger batteries.”⁴ Good point, as I noticed this issue when I first started shopping for a rechargeable set and I ultimately chose Panasonic Eneloop because it had all four common types of batteries.

White battery spacers, plastic battery shapes, that hold a AA battery and take the place of a C or D battery. — Eneloop spacers.

Cost

The initial investment in these is higher than standard alkaline batteries. I spent about $50 for the initial set and I’ve had to buy additional batteries over the years to have enough (especially around the holidays). However, if you add up the cost of replacing those same-size alkaline batteries repeatedly, it would cost more. A four-pack of AA Eneloop batteries costs $14.98 on Amazon; a four-pack of Duracell costs $4.97. By reusing the Eneloop brand just four times, you’re starting to save money. C and D cost more, so you can really save with the Eneloop spacers.

9-Volt or 9V

We use 9V alkaline batteries in the smoke alarm since rechargeable batteries were not recommended for them in the past. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore, though I could not find anything official online. I did discover that EBL brand makes rechargeable 9V batteries, which cost around $32 for five batteries with the charger. For comparison, a four-pack of Duracell 9V costs around $17. I am considering these for the future.

White battery charger with 5 white 9V batteries charging in it. White background.

Have you tried rechargeable batteries? I’d love to know what you’ve tried, so please leave a comment below. Thank you for reading, please share and subscribe!

This article does not contain affiliate links nor was I paid to promote the products in this post. This is an honest review.

Footnotes: