5 Tips for Waste Free College Living

1. Bring Your Own Bottle/Cup

As we all know, coffee is a college student’s lifeline. Whether you like your coffee iced or hot, bringing
your own cup is an easy and effective way to skip the single use products. Some benefits include, spill
proof lids, lack of condensation on the outside of the cup, and you can personalize your cup. Another
bonus to bringing your own coffee cup is that it can save you money because most coffee shops offer a
discount for bringing your own cup.

This doesn’t just apply to coffee; you can also purchase your own reusable water bottle. Preferably a
plastic free bottle. Owning a reusable water bottle is a one-time purchase option which over time, saves
lots of money. At this point, almost anywhere public you go, there’s a hydration station. This means that
the water is free! You also don’t run out of water in situations like this because you can keep refilling.
No need to worry about getting to the store to buy another case of water and struggle to carry it up the
multiple flights of stairs to your room.

2. Use Reusable Grocery Bags

Whether you have a meal plan or live off campus, grocery shopping is a necessity. Having reusable
grocery bags is beneficial because most of the options are stronger/ more durable and can hold more
contents than plastic bags. Not only are they stronger, but you can also save money depending on what
state you live in. There are eight states that have started to charge people for using plastic bags and more
states are following in their footsteps. What’s the point in paying ten cents for a plastic bag when you
can purchase a reusable bag for less than a dollar and use it forever? You’re right, there isn’t a point.
3. Try Reusable Kitchenware
Using paper plates and plastic utensils may seem convenient, but they can be very irritable at times. For
example, have you ever stuck a plastic spoon into your ice cream and the handle snapped? That’s the
worst. It can easily be avoided by using metal or wooden utensils. The common theme of a one time
purchase option is relevant in this area as well. Once you buy your set of kitchenware, you don’t have to
keep purchasing more.
Okay, maybe there is a slight inconvenience to reusable kitchenware. That is that you must wash your
dishes. Most dorm rooms don’t have dishwashers, so you have to hand wash. This may seem annoying
but if you create a schedule and wash every Monday and Thursday, then you have a routine and are able
to keep up with it.
Lastly, if you have less single use products then you build up less trash. This is great for those living
with others because often times trash build up can cause fights. We’ve all heard the classic, “I took it out
last time” comment and with less trash, less arguments about it.
4. Choose to Receive Your Receipts via Email
Sure, college students shop. Since we shop, we find lots of receipts laying around in random places
because “what if I want to return it.” An easy fix to preventing the receipt pile up, or even worse, losing
your receipt, is choosing the option to receive your receipt via email. This way, you can pull the receipt
up on your phone when need be. Also, choosing to get your receipt via email gets rid of having to
answer “yes” to “is the receipt in the bag okay?” question.
p.s. you can also bring your reusable bags to retail stores!
5. Be Creative if You Can’t Say Goodbye!
Finally, for those single use products that you just can’t live without, there’s creative ways to use them
around your house or for your inconvenience. Check out the website below for some DIY activities!

https://www.budgetdumpster.com/blog/diy-plastic-bottles-recycling/