17 gifts for your friend who wants to rock that zero waste lifestyle
It may seem counter-intuitive to gift someone interested in living a zero waste lifestyle more products, but reusable essentials are always worth the investment.
Achieving zero waste is all about minimizing your carbon footprint by limiting the number of garbage you produce — and believe it or not, you need a few things to help make this possible.
From reusable water bottles, to cloth bags, and jars there are loads of items you can give someone hoping to limit their waster production.
Here are 17 sustainable products, for the perfect zero waste holiday:
1. Reusable water bottle
Reusable water bottles are a must for anyone looking to cut back on their waste production. And why not trade your water bottle habit for the insulated Coldest Water bottle? It promises to keep your water at a deliciously icy temperature for up to 36 hours.
Price: $26.99 on Amazon
2. Glass jars
Jars are essential for storing just about everything: rice, flour, left overs. And they also double perfectly as cups. The Le Parfait jars come highly recommended for all of your food storage needs by Bea Johnson, author of Zero Waste Home.
Price: $16.30 on Amazon
3. Mesh produce bags
These lightweight mesh bags are perfect for picking up produce at the store without wasting a flimsy plastic bag.
The bags are BPA-free and can easily be rewashed for optimal freshness. Each set comes with three small, six medium, and three large bag sizes.
Price: $7.99 on Amazon
4. Baggu tote bag
Baggu's signature shopping bag folds up into a flat five by five inch pouch, can hold two to three grocery bags worth of products, and comes in a number of fun designs.
Price: $12 on Baggu
5. A set of stainless steel drinking straws
Ditch plastic straws, and invest in metal straws (complete with a scrub brush) to make sure you never have to compromise your love of iced coffee with your love of Mother Gaia!
Price: $3.99 on Amazon
6. Bamboo travel utensils
If whoever you're gifting this year loves take out food, then these portable and reusable To-Go Ware bamboo utensils are a necessity. They're heat and stain resistant, lightweight, and you can even throw them in the dishwasher.
Price: $11.99 on Amazon
7. Handkerchief
Handkerchiefs may seem like a relic of the past, but they're actually incredibly useful when it comes to cleaning up small spills and messes, blowing your nose, and limiting your use of tissues and paper towels.
Eco Hanky's cotton handkerchiefs are super absorbent, hypo-allergenic, and made out of a moisture-wicking material.
Price: $9.99 on Amazon
8. Insulated grocery bag
Insulated bags are perfect for transporting perishable items, packing a picnic, and a million other things. Not to mention, having an insulated bag can reduce the risk of any of your food spoiling, meaning you create even less waste.
The insulated Earthwise bag is made with heavy duty nylon, is water and leak proof, and can fold flat for easy storage.
Price: $19.99 on Amazon
9. Bee's Wrap
A far better alternative to plastic wrap, this beeswax wrap can be reused over and over again. You can cover your dishes, wrap up sandwiches, and preserve all kinds of food without hurting the environment.
Made out of cotton, beeswax, tree resin, and organic jojoba oil, Bee's Wrap is eco-friendly, as well as biodegradable. Each pack comes with a small, medium, and large wrap to best suit all of your food wrapping needs.
Price: $18 on Amazon
10. Bamboo makeup remover pads
Instead of using cotton pads to remove your makeup or apply toner, use these reusable bamboo pads, that promise to do more heavy lifting than your typical cotton pad.
This set is enough to last at least you a week, and the pads can be washed to keep them hygienic and fresh. This set comes with 21 rounds and two small laundry bags so they don't get lost in the wash.
Price: $13.25 on Amazon
11. Cloth napkins
By using cloth napkins you actively cut down on your paper towel usage, not to mention they'll give your home a chic update. CB2 makes gorgeous, simply designed napkins for a reasonable price, sure to impress all of your house guests.
Price: $19.95 on CB2
12. Wool dryer balls
An organic alternative to disposable dryer sheets, wool dryer balls help soften your clothes without creating waste.
All you need to do is throw them into the dryer with all your wet clothes and you'll be surprised by their effect every time you use them.
Price: $16.75 on Amazon
13. Pressure cooker
Pressure cookers are invaluable when going zero waste as they reduce most cook times — meaning, you'll use less energy than you normally would preparing a meal.
Presto makes a super affordable pressure cooker that has an easy to use cover lock, and comes with a 64-page book of recipes, perfect to help you get started!
Price: $39.99 on Amazon
14. Staple-free stapler
A stapler might not be on the short list of things to buy when going zero waste, but for someone who finds themselves going through staples constantly this staple-less stapler is a worthwhile product.
It functions just like any other stapler and you never need to worry about refilling it!
Price: $8.25 on Amazon
15. Indoor Food Recycler and Kitchen Compost Container
A big part of going zero waste is composting, but if you don't live in a house or have a backyard, that can prove difficult.
Fortunately Food Cycle Science has created an Indoor Food Recycler and Kitchen Compost Container to make sure that everyone has the ability to compost their food, perfect for enriching all of your indoor and outdoor plants.
Price: $299 on Amazon
16. Spatty Daddy Spatula Tool
If you're a beauty junkie then you already know the importance of getting every last drop of your beauty products — and this tiny Spatty Daddy Spatula makes that possible.
Price: $9.25 on Amazon
17. A gallon jug of their favorite soap
Okay, a big jug of soap isn't the sexiest gift in the world, but it's super useful. Plus, you're helping whoever you're gifting it to lower the amount of packaging they would have been using over time buying smaller bottles.
Dr. Bronner's has a wide range of pure-castile soaps that come in gallon jugs, and they have a bunch of different scents.
Price: $57.59 on Amazon
This was originally published in 2018 and updated in 2019.
