21 Zero Waste Products for 2021

Why you should care?
A new year means new resolutions! Make it a goal to lower your carbon footprint with these 21 zero waste products for 2021!

by Hey Social Good

New Year’s Resolutions for 2021

Yes, we’re finally at the start of a new year! After the 2020 pandemic year, we can use a fresh start. Have you made your new year’s resolutions yet? This time around, our goals to work out more, spend less, start meditating, and connect with family seems ever more meaningful! And, among everything else, climate impacts are still increasing. Yeah, it’s hard to know how to tackle ice melts, loss of polar bear habitat, and spreading wildfires. But, little actions achieved by many really do reduce pollution and make an impact. WE CAN collectively reduce pollution and waste. So, add an extra layer to your 2021 New Year’s resolution: limit your carbon footprint and get to zero waste (ok, more like less waste) into each of your big goals. Start with our curated best 21 zero waste products for 2021.

What is a Carbon Footprint?

A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact your activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) produced through the burning of fossil fuels. Most consumption items are manufactured through the burning of fossil fuels. One of easiest ways to decrease our carbon footprint is to look at the products we use on a daily basis and figure out ways to be less wasteful (as waste is a large contributor to CO2 production too).

What Does “Zero Waste” Really Mean?

If you’re new to the term “Zero Waste” let us quickly break it down. Kathryn Kellogg, Author of 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste perfectly stated, “We aim to send nothing to a landfill. We reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, send little to be recycled, and compost what we cannot.” Think of all the things you use and toss in the trash on a daily basis. Items such as zip lock baggies for your lunch, q-tips used this morning to clean your ears, makeup wipes used to wash your face, and the plastic fork that came with the dinner you ordered. All four of these products have “zero-waste” alternatives that are just as durable, and even better, more sustainable and waste free.

How Do I Get Started?

Unsure of the impact your new resolution will have? “By 2030, Zero Waste strategies could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 400 million metric tons CO₂ per year, the equivalent of taking more than 20% of U.S. coal-fired powered plants off the grid”, reported Eco Cycle Solutions Hub. If you make a goal this year to switch out your usual products to zero waste alternatives, YOU can quickly be a part of this change. To get started, we suggest looking at your trash. What are some of the most commonly used products you see in your bin? Pick 2-3 of them and order a zero waste alternative. Start small, but start somewhere. We welcome you to IMPERFECTLY go zero waste as you explore some of the 21 zero waste products for 2021 we’ve rounded up below!