F8 LATIMES.COM
Photographs byRicardo DeAratanhaLos Angeles TimesCLOTH
NAPKINS
> Skip paper
napkins in
plastic
packaging.
Here’s a set of
six cloth
napkins. $32
at Anthro-
pologie,
anthro
pologie.comNO SOAP
JUGS
> Friend-
sheep dryer
balls
naturally
soften
laundry and
reduce static
cling, drying
time,
chemicals
and waste
from dryer
sheets and
plastic jugs
of fabric
softener.
$28 for a set
of six, at
friendsheep
wool.comFOREVER
RAZOR
> According
to market
research by
Euromonitor,
more than
1.2 billion
disposable
plastic razors
were sold in
the U.S. in- Instead,
opt for a rose
gold safety
razor. $32.50
at Eco Roots,
ecoroots.us
REFILL-
READY
>Keep
personal
care
products in
cool,
contemp-
orary
packaging
and refill as
needed. By
Humankind
sells
mouthwash
tablets and
container,
$10; refillable
deodorant
cases with
paper-based
pod inserts,
$12; and
shampoo bar
with soap
dish, $15, all
at byhuman
kind.com.REUSE
THE BAGS
> Bye-bye
baggies.
Reusable
silicone bags
with
Pinch-loc
seal are
microwave
and
dishwasher
safe and
come in a
range of sizes
and shapes
from wild
minimalist
.com.
Stand-up
bag by
Stasher
(shown
here), $19.99
at stasherbag
.comKEEP
AT HAND
> Dissolving
tablets and
refillable
dispensers by
Blueland can
replace
single-use
containers of
hand soap
and
household
cleansers.
Foaming
hand soap
starter kit
with one
glass bottle
and three
tablets, $16,
and
bathroom
starter set
with
shatterproof
reusable
bottle and
one tablet for
20 ounces of
cleaner, $12,
atblueland
.com.BATTERY
CHARGE
> Make a
power play
with Eneloop
rechargeable
batteries
(with plug-in
charging
station) by
Panasonic.
$17.99 at
amazon.comWIPE IT
DOWN
>Use, rinse
and repeat.
Each sheet of
reusable
paper towels
lasts for a
week. A set of
three rolls is
available
from If You
Care. $32 at
food52.comMAKEUP
TIME
> Here’s a
way to make
your beauty
choices
sustainable.
Replace
disposable
plastic
containers
with refillable
makeup
cases from
Kjaer Weis
(pronounced
“Keer
Why-s”):
Lush Up
Volumizing
Mascara, $38
for life
version with
case, and
Embrace
Cream Blush,
$56 in Sun
Touched for
life version
with case,
both at
kjaerweis.
com.EASY, ECO, REUSABLE
BETTER THAN RECYCLING: SKIP SINGLE-USE PLASTIC WITH THESE NINE SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVES
BY BONNIE McCARTHYECYCLING PLASTIC is a
good thing. However, stopping
the cycle — and the plastic waste
— before it starts is better.
Along with selling reusable
shopping totes and plastic straw
alternatives, sustainability-savvy
retailers and manufacturers are increasingly stock-
ing well-designed, mainstream and often affordable
options to cut down on single-use plastic products.
Think reusable cloth napkins and refillable contain-
ers (à la the milkman model).Lily Cameron, cofounder of online store Wild
Minimalist, is all for disrupting the status quo when
it comes to our throwaway culture.
She calls plastic pollution — the 300 million tons
of plastic waste the United Nations estimates we
generate globally per year — one of the most serious
problems of our times.
“It’s really scary,” Cameron said. “I have a 2-year-
old son, and I think it’s not just about polluting the
environment but also the health concerns of what
plastic does to our bodies. We’re finding that plastic
is in everything. It’s finding its way into our watersources. ... I think it’s something we all have to be
aware of and do our part to reduce it.”
Sustainable solutions may seem easier said than
done. However, most people can participate in ways
big and small.
“You don’t have to buy a bunch of new, fancy,
reusable supplies to get started,” Cameron said.
“There’s lots of things you can do for free, like taking
a container when you dine out [for leftovers]. You
can bring Tupperware you already have. Or reuse a
yogurt container.”
Here are some other eco-friendly possibilities.R
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