Not just recycle...

A trip 2-years ago to the local landfill gave me a needed awakening to the amount of waste I create. It awakened in me an overwhelming sense of accountability; to not only recycle more, but to create ways to actually reduce the waste I make, recyclable waste included.

I came home and instantly saw a solution to something we did every day. We drank water. I usually drank tap, because living in the USA, I feel blessed to have clean water from my sink. But my husband toted bottled water, and drank about 3 per day– give or take– on the go and at home.
So, I went and purchased a couple six packs of Perrier, with the intent to reuse their glass bottles for drinking water use. The cap is metal, and screws closed, and is reusable. Glass bottles can be sanitized in your dishwasher and have no fear of plastic chemicals.
We also purchased a case of the FUZE drink bottles. These are 20-ounce, and nearly double the size of the Perrier bottles. 2-years ago the FUZE bottles were glass, today they are plastic and about 18-ounces. However, you can still find some large glass drinks with reusable lids out there. The minor investment up front is such an amazing savings in the end.
Finally, we purchased some stainless steel bottles as well, to account for softball games, around the pool, and places where glass is not feasible.
In the end, I wanted to know how much less waste we were creating, so I decided to figure it out (roughly).

At 3 bottles a day x 365 days = 1,095 bottles we stopped going into the landfill or the recycle bin! At a yearly cost savings of about $364 in purchased water. Now, we still have a cold bottle of water at our fingers in the fridge, but at zero environmental cost.

I am ever on a quest for more ways to create zero or less waste as we go about our daily lives. Join in.