Reusables

A great practice is to put each one of these in the back of your car, so you’re prepared while on-the-go!

• Water bottles

• Coffee travel mugs

• Make sure your coffee shop allows them

• Cloth napkins

• Metal straws

• Large grocery bags

• If you have your own grocery bags at checkout, make sure you tell the cashier so they won’t use plastic.

• Produce bags

• To-go containers, for unfinished food from a restaurant

Recycling

Recycling is pretty accessible in the Dayton area, and it is important to know what is recyclable and where to put it (see list of options below). Places like the Washington Township RecPlex and the Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub are wonderful resources to increase our recycling options and take better care of the planet! When those twisty ties add up, or those plastic take-out containers take over our kitchen, load them up and drop them off at a recycling center.

However, when items are recycled they are usually down-cycled and at some point become limited in how it can be recycled. Additionally, it is cheaper for companies to use virgin plastic to make their products, so their incentive to recycle goes away. The 100,000 ft view: it doesn’t make sense to recycle economically or environmentally in the long run. And while these recycling services accept numerous types of items, it is best to:

1) move away from harmful chemicals like in Febreze Air and processed foods like in Entenmann’s

2) begin to limit your consumption of single-use plastic and plastic overall so that our earth and humans can be cleaner and healthier.

One thing is for certain: Recycling is better than sending it to the landfill—but we can’t recycle our way out of this plastic issue. Trying to go waste-free is best. If we all work together and challenge large companies to stop using so much plastic, we will make a difference!

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Look around your house and see what sustainable switches you can make.

Everything we use and do can be done to care for other people and the earth!

Grocery

• Most stores (if not all) allow reusable grocery bags and produce bags

• For apples, green beans, brussel sprouts, etc. 

• If you have your own grocery bags at checkout, make sure you tell the cashier so they won’t use plastic. Sometimes self-checkout is easier when using your own bags.

• If you forget your grocery bags, try to use paper at checkout. Then reuse the bags later, or recycle/compost them.

• Plan ahead with a list: buy only what you need to try to reduce waste (and save money!)

• Try to purchase items with packaging that has glass or cardboard, to ensure it is recyclable

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Cooking and Baking

• 1 day of the week dedicated to Meal Prep

• Plan out your meals for 1-2 weeks and write them down

• Make sure some ingredients are used in several of your meals, and not just 1

• Cook some of the ingredients ahead of time and store in fridge

• Try to list any leftovers that you have in the fridge so you won’t forget about them (like half of that onion that got pushed to the back of the fridge!). Have this listed where everyone can see

• As the week goes on and you think of other recipes to make with your aging produce, write those down 

• “Meals”, “Leftovers”, and “Need to Make”

• Make sure that produce is stored correctly in the fridge so it can last longer

• See How to Store Produce Without Plastic

• Cook on cast iron or non-PFAS cookware. Although it’s handy to have non-stick (Teflon) pans, these “forever chemicals” are harmful to your body and leak into your food. (See this article to learn more). Here are some helpful and healthy alternatives:

• Cast iron 

• Stainless steel

• Ceramic

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Eating

• When throwing a party or having a family gathering, consider sticking with the normal plates, glasses, silverware, and cloth napkins. Not only are you helping save the environment, but others will feel a sense of delight and value using those items.  

• Most single-use items, such as paper plates, end up sitting in landfills and not compost. Other items, such as plasticware, cannot be recycled and are often found in the ocean.

• If you don’t have enough glassware, plates, etc. have your friends contribute some of theirs

• If you are worried about cleaning the dishes, gather some friends around you and use that time to chat and clean!

• Additionally, when you are out and about, use that metal straw or silverware that you bring with you! (see Reusables above) Tell the server at the restaurant that you don’t need a straw, or when you are in the drive-thru communicate that you don’t need any plasticware. Simple acts like this help inform others that we don’t need single-use items, and you can take heart that you are keeping that item out of the landfill!

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Cleaning

To cut down on plastic containers (and get more “clean for your dollar”) look at these options: 

• DIY cleaning products (like all-purpose cleaner, laundry detergent, etc.)

• Buy other eco friendly cleaning products, such as:

• Dropps

• Blueland

• Replace paper towels with cleaning rags and hand towels. This can help save money, and cloth towels can clean up messes without breaking apart 

• Replace your Swiffer (which uses disposable Swift pads) with a more sustainable mop, such as the Quick Loop, or a mop that you can attach cleaning rags to the bottom, and toss in the laundry when finished

• Cleaning your nose

• Think about switching to a handkerchief or squares of soft fabric–or compost those tissues!

• Cleaning your bum

• The average American uses 140 rolls (28 lbs) of toilet paper per year. That’s a lot of trees just to use the bathroom!

• To stop buying toilet paper wrapped in plastic, look at Who Gives a Crap toilet paper or Tushy’s toilet paper

• Consider elevating your bathroom and purchase a bidet (Tushy has these too)

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When you pay for a sustainable product, know that it is helping other people as well as the earth.

Compost

See the different options below for composting!

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Clothing

Be mindful of where you buy your clothes and how they are made, and how often you purchase. One sustainable mindset is to be aware of Fast Fashion. Fast Fashion is a movement in which much of the clothing sold in the U.S. is made overseas (or even in the U.S.) with cheaper, plastic-based fabrics and in sweatshops. Fast Fashion wants us as consumers, or “customers,” to give in to instant gratification, buying the latest, trendy item of clothing whether we need it or not. In fact, studies show that there are now 52 micro-seasons in a year, instead of the normal 4. And with the rise of influencers and social media, there has been a trend of people not wanting to be seen in the same outfit more than once. The end-of-life for an article of clothing is hurting our environment as well, with much of it sitting in landfills.

Here are some other things to think about:

• Every year the number of clothes made is roughly the same as the number of humans who have ever lived - about 100 billion. So every year more clothing is being churned out. 

• Of the total fiber input used for clothing, 87% is incinerated or disposed of in a landfill.

• Fabrics like Spandex and Polyester (a plastic-based fabric) takes hundreds of years to decompose. And when they do it releases microplastics into the ground and air. (Source)

As we find ourselves needing to save money, having to buy an article of clothing for an event, for our growing kids, or when we lose weight—it can be difficult to try to fight against fast fashion. Simply try to be aware that where you put your money has power, and 1 simple act of sustainability can add up and positively make a change. And when you are done with your clothes, think about donating it to a friend or thrift store, or if it is unwearable ship it off to be recycled. 

How to Fight Fast Fashion:

• Try to borrow from a friend instead of buying

• If an article of clothing is ripped or broken, try mending it (take it to Marie B. Mobile Mending!)

• It’s encouraged to wear your clothes at least 30 times–the average is less than 10 (Zoe Abrams)

• Think about purchasing clothing that is ethically made and has little to no polyester

• Buy your clothes at a Thrift Store! You will probably find some unique items there, they are probably cheaper, and you are giving it a second life. Here are some in Dayton:

• Valley Thrift

• Village Discount Thrift

• Second Harvest Thrift Store

• St. Francis Thrift Store

• American Thrift

• Salvation Army

• St. Vincent de Paul

• Goodwill

• Clothing Recycling

• Cincinnati Recycling and Reuse Hub accepts jeans

• For Days

• Re-Told

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Arts & Crafts

• Homemade glue/tape: Making homemade tape further helps cut down on the use and reliance of plastic. This is because most tape is made out of plastic, which is single-use and cannot be recycled, and that plastic adds up. While there are some heavy-duty tasks that demand regular (plastic) tape—or painting projects that require masking/painters tape—we have found that a lot of projects can be accomplished with the homemade stuff, which can be composted when finished. Put the wheat paste on small strips of paper to create pieces of tape, personalized labels, tape a cardboard box, or to hang a poster. It only takes 10 minutes to make and can live in the fridge in a jar for months. Also, you can make strips ahead of time! Zero Waste Chef provides some great insight into how to make it. Click here.

• Furoshiki wraps: a Japanese practice of wrapping gifts in fabric, a great swap from wrapping paper and it makes the gift look beautiful and unique. Not all wrapping paper can be recycled, and even then much of it still ends up in the landfill. Grab some fabric from around the house, get some from the thrift store, or purchase these amazing wraps from Pink Moon Goods, and try them out. Here are 3 easy ways to make furoshiki.

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Use up what you have before buying new.

Transportation

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Other Resources

• Waste-Free Dayton

• Follow us on Social Media 

• Sign up for our Newsletter

• See our News (Blog) page

Daily Sustainable Living

• Zero Waste Chef (website and IG): “Concerned with the planet’s plastic pollution problem, Anne Marie went plastic-free in 2011.” She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and has since compiled a helpful blog, written a cookbook, and more! All to share with others how she has learned to cut down on waste.

• Going Zero Waste (website and IG): “Kathryn Kellogg is the founder of Going Zero Waste a lifestyle website dedicated to helping others live a healthier and more sustainable life. She’s a spokesperson for plastic-free living for National Geographic, Chief Sustainability Officer at the One Movement, and author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste which breaks eco-friendly, sustainable living down into an easy step by step process with lots of positivity and love.”

• Tiny Waste: a blog of a woman on a journey to cut down waste and plastic. She lists some helpful facts and provides tips for others who might want to join her on the waste-free journey.

• Litterless: a website that lists bulk stores around the U.S. Click here to see what Ohio has.

  Solar Power

• Solar United: “Find out if your roof is good for solar, ask questions, and get help with every step of the solar process.”

• Miami Valley 2023 Solar and EV Charger Co-op: “Info to help you understand solar, a direct line to ask specific questions, a team that solicits and reviews proposals from solar companies, and community—you’ll join the growing solar movement.”

Parks and Plants

• Save Ohio Parks

• FiveRivers MetroParks: “Five Rivers MetroParks is a regional public park system consisting of conservatories and outdoor recreation and education facilities that serve the Dayton metropolitan area. The name Five Rivers MetroParks comes from five major waterways that converge in Dayton.” You can find numerous activities for all ages, sites for camping, and featured programs like composting and gardening—these programs are designed to inspire people to explore nature and the areas around Dayton.

• Tadmor Greenes: a native plant shop in the Dayton area

• Often found at Second St. Market  

• See website and social media for more information and updates

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If you have any suggestions or additions to the page, we’d love to hear from you! Just email us at info@wastefreedayton.org.