Zero Waste Life–All Hail the Mason Jar!

Sep 9, 2019 | Zero Waste Life

Looking for an easy way to reduce your waste?  Look no further than the ever popular, plain ol’ Mason Jar (or canning jar).  We literally have dozens of these in varying sizes around the house.

Did you know they come in sizes ranging from 4 oz to 1 gallon? And even in different colors of glass. Of course, they are traditionally used for canning, but they can also be used for so many other things, like: 

  • Storing things – In our home, we have all sorts of things stored in mason jars like herbs from the garden, nuts, beans, quinoa, buttons, grains, change, push pins, etc.
  • Making salad dressing (put the top on and shake!)
  • Chia pudding (again, put the top on and shake)
  • Freezing stock
  • Storing leftovers
  • Crafts
  • Mixing small amounts of paint
  • Beverages to go (you can get opening/closing lids for the jars!)

The list goes on … these are our favorite and most used household item. But the best thing about Mason jars?  They can be used over and over and over.  If the metal lids get rusty, you can recycle them and buy some new lids for pretty cheap.  There are also different kinds of reusable lids you  can use over and over again. Zero. Waste. Life.

 

 

What is the Zero Waste Life?

Jul 9, 2019 | Zero Waste Life

You may have heard the term “zero waste life.”  It refers to the efforts of everyday people to generate as little waste as possible. While much of the world is good at wasting, Americans really invented the disposable life.  This has led to enormous and dangerous amounts of non-biodegradable items filling our dumps, landfills and oceans.  Much of the waste is industrial, but even small households generate a lot of waste.  According to the EPA, solid waste generated by Americans is at least 4.5 pounds per person, per day!

We won’t lie.  Achieving a zero waste life takes some thought and effort, but it is important to start somewhere.  Much household waste comes from the kitchen, so we’ve compiled a list of ideas and products to help you get started. (more…)