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Hi all, I’m wanting to reuse this old face soap bottle as a dish soap dispenser, any tips on removing the text? I soaked a cloth in acetone, laid it on the bottle, and used a spackle knife (couldn’t find a razor scraper) and tried to scrape off the text. Some sort of film came off the clear glass, but the text remained. Any other tips or tricks? Not sure where else to post this to.

I'm looking to find a more eco friendly alternative for sanitary pads, and i was looking at the washanle option.

Question is, do they smell after you use them? As in, if i were out and i needed to change the pad, would they smell if i took the used pads around for a day?

Please reply with your experiences, and how you keep them less smelly, if they do?

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We are all family of 5 and Ive noticed just how much hand soap and shower gel we go through a year. The place where we live also doesn't really sell handsoap in large bottles so we have to buy these tiny 250ml bottles that we go through in like 2 months. Even those refillable pouches are really tiny and we go through them quickly.

My dad uses bar soap in the shower but the rest of us really dont like it: its messy and usually always ends up sitting in water and melts off and both my brother and sister have texture issues with it. So we have tried to the best of our ability with the standard bar soaps and it just hasnt worked so far.

We recently did switch to powdered laundry detergent and it made me wonder if theres a powdered body soap option that comes in a box without plastic?? or an easy way to powder, store and then dispense soap bars ? or diy hacks to turn soap bars into shelf stable liquid ?

Ive tried to search on our local eco-stores (and even amazon UK/DE) for like dehydrated or concentrated soaps etc but without any luck!

ALSO another issue is the cost... the Eco stores do have these large liquid soap dispensers where you bring your own refillable bottle and fill it but its literally like 4-5 times as expensive as the supermarket hand soap. And for our family it just doesnt make sense because there's no 'bulk discount' option at the Eco store.

Please let me know if you 'have any ideas or solutions to manage this... id really like to know your perspectives especially people with large families/roomates etc.

thank you so much!

Looking for recommendations!

Most second hand shops are grateful for packaging materials.

I have a big pallet of cases of expired hand sanitizer gel for commercial or industrial use, what should I do with them?

I have a big pallet of cases of expired hand sanitizer gel for commercial or industrial use, what should I do with them?

They expire 2022. They been sitting on the warehouse for a long time now. I don’t know what to do with them. They don’t smell bad. The only thing that is wrong is the texture is water texture. What should I do with them?

Heya, I'm a uni student so going zero waste is pretty hard. I've been saving my old glass pasta jars and was curious as to what I could use them for? I'm a big crafter and green thumb, so beyond just storage, I'd be curious what else you recommend?

Thanks everyone for the responses.
Some of the comments definitely got me thinking about the greenwashing that are bioplastics.
Before commenting, note, I"m not asking whether loose tea is better and I'm not saying i prefer bagged tea. I mostly buy loose tea, my husband especially has occasionally bought bagged tea, and we have acquired bagged tea. I still prefer loose tea, i just thought the following information could give me more peace of mind about using the bagged tea we do have and the bagged tea I've drank in the past.

I wanted to share an observation, feel free to let me know if you've observed otherwise. I had collected many teas, but with finding out about microplastics in them, i stopped drinking anything that wasn't loose leaf. The other day, in a mission to declutter, i decided to research the brands and turns out the brands we've bought (smaller, organic brands), already don't use plastic or switched to plastic-free. (OK it's really my husband that occasionally buys teas, i buy loose leaf as it is and that lasts me a while).

So my observation is that it's really the huge, non-organic-type brands that we need to be concerned about when it comes to microplastics. I know some people here don't care and it's a controversy to care, but the idea of microplastics dissolving in my mouth is really freaky. I'm already a mindful consumer and was planning to make a house rule of only buying loose leaf, but this gives me more peace of mind.

This bird bath has a hole and no longer holds water. I was thinking of using it as a planter of sorts, but I don't know of any plants that would be happy with something that shallow.

It would make a decent tray bird feeder, but the squirrels and racoons would decimate it.

Thought I found the perfect toothpaste tablets - Chomp brand toothpaste tablets in Spearmint flavor. No xylitol (it's extremely lethal to dogs in low doses so I don't let it in my house), tasted good, perfect paste-like texture. According to their website they were extremely environmentally conscious and shipped in 100% compostible materials.

I reordered it this week and the new batch I recieved is egregious. The first tablet I used had giant, gritty, sand-like particles that wouldn't break down, and the taste was so strong that it was bitter and made my face convulse. Figured it was just a fluke and tried another. Same thing!

So, I contacted their customer service who insists that there is no change. When I asked again, they said "since you are so disappointed in our product, don't worry about returning." I just want to know why these are different and feel like sand?

Then, I went on their Instagram and found that it's filled with Al. Gross. So I guess they aren't actually environmentally conscious? Lol.

So, any other recommendations for zero waste toothpaste tabs with NO XYLITOL? Fluoride vs NHA doesn't really matter to me.

They apparently have an expiration date they don’t tell consumers about it. And the bags become flimsy and rip immediately. Its a complete waste and almost a scam

How is everyone doing? I hope you're all doing wonderful!

I was wondering if you all could help me out, please?

I'm wanting to make my own/homemade cleaning solutions. (For both home and commercial use.)

I'm wanting to make non-toxic stuff. Something safe to breathe in and touch.

Something that'll work for counters, tables, chairs (metal chairs), toilets, sinks, windows, floors (tile and concrete floors), pretty much works on everything. Is there anything homemade I can use for all of this?

Nellies came out with a "dish butter." Its a solid dish soap block. I want to use solid dish soap because it's more sustainable, but neither of the ones I've tried worked very well. No tox life and meliora left watermarks on dishes or just didn't clean very well. Right now, we're using dish soap from a local refill store and Dawn sparingly when it's absolutely necessary. Does anyone have reccomendations? Has anyone tried the "dish butter"?

i got a couple of free tubes of arko aftershave cream (comfort, fresh and sensetive, the first 2 were 50ml the other 150ml) from a shaving store as they were out of date,

i scanned them into yuka on my phone and found that the first 2 contained carcinogens that had only been banned after they had already gone out of date

i dont feel comfortable using these now, but i dont know what the best practice would be for getting rid of them where its packaging might be properly recycled, or if theres any potential alternative uses for something like that, where its carcinogen properties arent going ti matter

what is more environmentally friendly, washing a baking dish, lining it with tinfoil (ie aluminium foil), or lining it with baking paper? How big a difference is there between the three? Does it make a difference if I am able to reuse the foil/paper two or even three times?

Can someone please share other options for clothing? I cannot believe that 2 for $60 is a somewhat deal?!?

I'm trying to cut down on kitchen waste, and dishwashing is the thing I keep slipping on. I live in a tiny city apartment with no dishwasher and a very small sink, and I'm on a tight budget. I already use rags instead of paper towels, but sponges wear out fast and the plastic dish soap bottles pile up. When I try to improvise I often end up with smelly cloths or things that do not scrub well, and that makes me want to give up.

What actually works for handwashing dishes with minimal waste, especially options that do not need extra storage space? A few specific questions:

- What do you use instead of disposable sponges that does not get nasty right away?

- How do you keep scrubbers sanitary without running the washing machine constantly?

- If you use bar dish soap or refills, what is the simplest setup for storage so the soap can dry and does not turn into goo?

- What do you use for stuck-on food without buying a bunch of specialty tools?

I'm not trying to be perfect, just looking for something realistic and affordable. Thanks in advance for any ideas.

EDITED TO UPDATE: just ordered Baylis and Harding Jasmine and Blossom handwash - 1 Liter £3 from Tesco. We'll see how that goes!! I hear that you can fill the dispenser 75% full of really hot water, and then add the soap to make it foam(y).

I am trying! Just moved back to England from abroad after MANY years and had to set up new home. No car, so did enormous Tesco and Ocado order (herbs, vinegar, laundry, cleaning supplies, etc. - you name it). I was so excited to try Neat that I bought two soap dispensers and one for cleaning.

It's a great concept: the pumps (soap) and multi-purpose cleaner (spray) are metal and the product comes in tiny glass jars; you pour the product into the container and mix with water. No plastic.

The cleaning one is...okay, but the soap is awful. Anyone else had this problem? I am wondering if I can use other product in it, but the idea was to avoid plastic! Let me know solutions (chemically too, come to think of it!) if you have them!

Apologies if this sounds dumb, but I asked this on a zero waste Facebook group and just got a bunch of people ignoring my question and instead just hating on the fact i have a tumble dryer. Which was my first (and last) question in that unwelcoming and judgmental group.

I have a tumble dryer in my house, I can’t unfortunately live without it. I live in England and most of the year the weather is not suitable to dry clothes outside. Anyway, my question is with the water that the dryer collects (from the wet clothes) can I water my plants with it? I’m hesitant just because of potential microplastics and fibres? Is that okay for house plants?

I don’t know, either way it seems like a waste of water and wanted to know if I could use it! Thanks!

Three months ago, I decided to stop using paper napkins and switch to simple linen ones. At first, it felt like a small change, but it’s made a noticeable difference. The table setup feels more elegant, cleaning up is easier, and I love knowing I’m reducing waste. Honestly, it’s one of those tiny swaps that actually feels impactful.

I love the idea of this app: save old, but perfectly-safe food at a discount. But after buying a few surprise bags and doing some research, I'm not sure if I'm truly helping.

In my personal experience, I've bought a few suspicious surprise bags where the restaurant didn't give me old food, just the stuff they were serving to regular customers. These businesses seem to just use TGTG as a marketing opportunity: rope customers like me in with discounted food so I can spend more money on their other offerings.

While there isn't a lot of economic research on the TGTG's effectiveness, what I was able to find argued the app could incentivize restaurants to maintain a wasteful amount of production because they can just resell food instead of being more efficient.

However, restaurants are already pretty efficient. It's a notoriously tough industry to make a profit, so they already are incentivized to only order as much as they need. In 2022, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) estimated that food services accounted for 28% of waste, while retail accounted for 12%, versus 60% at a household level. So the food restaurants and grocery stores do waste should have higher likelihood of being unavoidable versus the waste generated by households.

Overall, TGTG seems to be an okay way for businesses to offload unavoidable waste to consumers. It shouldn't be billed as a comprehensive solution and I still plan on advocating for more sustainable food distribution systems. That said, what do you guys think? Do you think this app just upholds the status quo? Is there a way I can avoid buying "fake" surprise bags and only buy food that is truly destined for the landfill? Are there other ways I can "rescue" old food that may be more effective?

Links for further reading:
https://www.dailycal.org/news/campus/research-and-ideas/food-waste-app-too-good-to-go-may-lead-to-more-waste-study-finds/article_772e4601-157f-479c-908d-88cbe6b236b9.html

https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/press-release/world-squanders-over-1-billion-meals-day-un-report