15 Sustainable Hacks That Are Actually Worth Your Time
I'm a sucker for a good life hack, especially if it's about reducing the amount of waste I create on a daily basis. So, I scoured through and found the very best ones on the r/zerowaste subreddit. Here are the most practical and surprising ones I found:
1."Couldn't get rid of this ugly stain right in the middle of the shirt, used some old dye to make a cool patchy shirt instead!"
"Haha! I did something similar to my favorite shirt. I got a baby oil stain on it and couldn’t get it out. I soaked the whole shirt in baby oil. If the whole shirt is stained, then it’s not really stained anymore."
"Big brain move right here."
2."I'm just making scrunchies out of old socks, don't mind me."
"I do this, too! Also, for big fluffy socks that are not wearable anymore, I cut a thicker piece and use them on my wrists and arms when washing my face at night so water doesn't drip down to my elbows."
3."Sometimes junk store frames don’t come with hanging hardware. Tin can lids get the job done with the help of a glue gun. Learned this trick from my high school art teacher."
4."Some store-bought jars like this Aldi pasta sauce have hidden measurement markings under the label. Keep them and reuse them for cooking!"
5."I collected some leaves and used a hole-punch to make confetti."
"I did this for my wedding! My mom and I gathered eucalyptus tree leaves because they often fall in shades of red and pink. It took forever to do, so it was a good do-while-watching-a-movie activity. At the time, I thought it was over the top, but not going to lie, I LOVED it on my wedding, and it felt absolutely magic as people threw it during our first dance. One caution — check with your venue to make sure they're okay with it, and ideally, use plants native to your area!"
6."When I came home for Christmas last year, my mom was making homemade fire starters out of old dryer lint and old candles she’d melted down."
7."I patched a large hole in my favorite overalls today. Can't wait to wear them for years to come."
8."Amazed at how much is still in the bottle when I was going to throw it away because it was 'empty.'"
9."I’m a quilter who saves every scrap. I made this Dumbledore quilt using all of the tiny scraps from my stash."
"Fifty points to Gryffindor for the best quilt Hogwarts has ever seen."
10."You can grow loofahs. They are in the cucumber family and called 'loofah gourds.' Grow them, dry them, and use them to wash dishes. Five plants make enough for about two years in our house. They're fully biodegradable when they're worn out."
11."Re-use egg cartons to build up charcoal pyramids for the BBQ. Just light it on fire at the edges to get it going! Got 67 bricks here, which should get a decent heat going."
12."I convinced my friend to not throw away his old fencing and let me build him garden boxes."
13."Reuse an old shoe organizer for paint/art supplies (whatever is useful for you) so you know where everything is."
14."Most Windex (or any other spray tops) can screw onto a water bottle or soda bottle. Great for if you need to mist reptiles or plants with purified water or just a great way to reuse a Windex bottle."
And finally...
15."I cut open my disposable masks and take off the twisted ties. They are stronger and longer than the average ones + it makes them easier to recycle."
Now, it's your turn! What's a sustainable hack that you use on the regular? Comment below!
Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
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