49 Zero Waste Products We Think You’ll Love
Future generations deserve to enjoy all that we have, so let’s talk about some of the best zero waste products.
Zero waste living: that’s just recycling, right?
Errrr, hold the brakes.
When we previously compared zero waste and recycling, we explained the two are very different—but what is zero waste?
Zero waste is a philosophy of circular consumption in which we not only manage waste, but actually eliminate it.
In perfect form, zero waste means throwing nothing in the trash.
But the world is far from a perfect place and we flawed humans can try our best by eliminating most of our waste through some simple zero waste tips and product swaps.
So what are zero waste products?
Well, they’re products that are typically plastic-free, first of all, but more than anything, they’re reusable items to reduce waste that come in euqally reusable (or compostable) packaging. That doesn’t necessarily mean waste free products (progress over perfection), but rather those that allow us to minimize our daily waste.
Thank you for joining us on this journey through our list of top zero waste products online.
*This post contains affiliate links
Essential Zero Waste Kitchen Products
The kitchen is one of the best places to start on a zero waste journey. There are countless no waste products that can take the place of single-use and plastic products—so much so that this list barely scratches the surface!
What are some zero waste products for the kitchen?
Here are some favorites of ours, but you can check out our zero waste kitchen article for more ideas.
Zero Waste Food Storage
If you’re thinking of zero waste kitchen products, plastic-free food storage options likely came to your mind first.
Old glass jars make for the BEST zero waste food storage containers—and, because they can be used for nearly anything, they’re great zero waste home products in general.
For new, Caraway is a great brand for BPA-free and ceramic coated glass containers, while ECOlunchbox sells stainless steel bento boxes and nesting food storage tins.
Wax wraps are an alternative to tin foil, plastic bags, and plastic wrap—Bee’s Wrap for beeswax wraps and Khala & Co. for vegan soy wax wraps.
Compost Bins
Natural Home Brands have collection bins that make apartment composting easy (note, these are only for collecting your food waste, not actually composting it).
If you want something that actually composts indoors, check out the worm farm from Uncommon Goods or our article on indoor compost bins for more ideas on how to responsibly deal with food waste.
If you’ve got the space and are ready to turn food scraps into garden gold (AKA magic compost), Subpod is the way to go for outdoor compost bins.
Zero Waste Eco-Friendly Products For The Bathroom
Zero Waste Toilet Paper
Are you ready for a zero waste bathroom essential that is not for the faint-hearted?
Zero waste toilet paper isn’t for everyone; if you’re ready to dive into reusable family cloths, Marley’s Monsters will make the process less scary with their brightly-colored Toilet Unpaper.
But don’t stress, as this is not the only eco-friendly bathroom product in this category.
If you prefer to still flush your TP with your wee, Who Gives a Crap makes eco-friendly toilet paper you don’t need to wash between wipes.
If you want to reduce how much toilet paper you use, a bidet from Tushy will help you save more trees (and your bum). We own their electric Ace Bidet, and between its heated seat, heated water, and bum blowdryer, it’s honestly lifechanging.
Reusable Razors
For a zero waste razor, switch to a plastic-free safety razor by EcoRoots.
Don’t forget replacement blades (which is the only part that’s disposable but doesn’t need to be replaced very often and can be recycled) and of course a luscious shaving soap bar or zero waste shaving cream.
If a safety razor makes you feel, well, less than safe, opt for a more modern style razor that still utilized replacement blades instead of plastic heads from Leaf Shave.
Zero Waste Period Products
Make that time of the month a little less awful knowing your Saalt period cup gives back to communities in need or that your Hevea natural rubber cup is totally non-toxic.
For lighter days (or if the idea of a menstrual cup is still too scary), ModiBodi offers leak-proof sustainable period underwear that are an absolulte essential zero waste mentrual product.
Eco Zero Waste Products For Out & About
For those of us who are constantly on the go—whether for work or play—a zero waste kit can help us out with many of these essentials.
ZeroWasteStore.com has a zero waste essentials kit designed for lunching and munching ready to go.
If you already have some items, fill in the gaps as needed with the low waste products below.
Reusable Water Bottles & Mugs
Of all reusable household items, a water bottle might just be the one with the greatest waste reducing potential.
After all, we collectively throw away 20,000 plastic water bottles used every second.
Ditch the plastic bottle for good with Hydroflask and Klean Kanteen’s stainless steel eco-friendly water bottles that can keep us hydrated without running our resources dry.
With insulation for both hot and cold, they’re great for a run to your favorite coffee shop, too.
Reusable Cutlery
Stick a reusable fork in us because we’re done with disposable plastic sporks. Keeping an eco-friendly cutlery set in your purse or briefcase is the perfect way to reduce take-out waste.
Both To-Go Ware and Jungle Culture make reusable organic bamboo cutlery, the latter of which also comes with carbon-neutral shipping as an Etsy shop.
Zero Waste Bags
Reusable bags are some of the msot important zero waste shopping essentials around. Just one can save you anywhere from 100 to 700 plastic bags per year!
For organic cotton shopping and produce bags, make an eco focused choice by going with one of the options from ZeroWasteStore.com.
Zero Waste Sandwich & Snack Bags
Stasher made us all rethink hard to recycle ziplock bags with their reusable silicone alternatives to Ziploc bags in the form of sandwich, snack, and storage bags.
If you want to stick with some all-natural bags, go with reusable beeswax wraps and bags from SuperBee.
Of, if you’re interested in making your own DIY zero waste products, you can make beeswax wraps right at home using organic cotton cloth and beeswax.
Just pack up your sandwich and snacks then toss it all in your eco-friendly lunch bag.
Zero Waste Beauty Products
Zero Waste Dental Products
Several brands are doing zero waste toothpaste nowadays but we like etee’s Chewpaste (toothpaste tablets) for their fluoride and fluoride-free options.
Pop one on a sustainable toothbrush (instead of a plastic toothbrush), like the bamboo brushes from EcoRoots. The latter makes one of the few totally plant-based toothbrushes—including the bristles!
Your mother would want you to floss, but Mother Earth would want you to use zero waste floss, like the compostable and cruelty-free silk floss from ZWS Essentials.
Oh, and don’t forget to rinse with a zero waste mouthwash.
Zero Waste Dedodorant
What’s the importance of zero waste beauty brands?
Aside from setting an example of the otherwise plastic-ridden beauty indusatry, their products are much better for us, too.
Nowhere is this more apparent than zero waste deodorant. Plastic tubes of deodorant filled with neurotoxic aluminum salts are also the pits, so we’d much prefer Ethique’s all-natural bar version.
Meow Meow Tweet makes taking care of B.O. a treat with their deodorant creams and adorable compostable tubes of zero waste deodorant.
Zero Waste Hair Products
A decade ago, it would have been impossible to find a zero waste shampoo and conditioner.
Now, they’ve become some of the most popular zero waste products around. And no wonder, considering 550 million empty shampoo bottles are thrown away every year in the US alone.
boycotting the bottle is simple with brands like Suds & Co and Ethique, who pack all those sensational suds into a compact bar.
While Plaine Products does use a bottle, theirs is made from recyclable aluminum and is refillable.
To take your zero waste shower products to the next level, don’t forget a loofah sponge for your organic body wash.
Zero Waste Skin Care
Fat and the Moon uses plant oils in their plastic-free skincare products to keep our skin feeling over the moon.
Meow Meow Tweet does the same, and their zero waste skin care products are often Fair Trade and 100% vegan!
For zero waste sunscreen, SPF your way to summer bliss with the reef-safe compostable cardboard tubes from ATTITUDE. They have different formulas for everyone, including kids and those with sensitive skin.
Zero Waste Makeup
Zero waste beauty brands are changing the way we think about plastic, refills, and ingredients!
Pucker up in a planet-friendly way with Axiology and their vegan-10-ingredient-or-less lipstick. Dab Herb offers refillable makeup of all sorts, and Elate has us feeling elated with their vegan zero waste products (in gorgeous bamboo housing!).
For a full-blown, eco-friendly makeover, there are several other zero waste makeup brands worth checking out for some green glam.
Zero Waste Swaps For Cleaning
Zero Waste Dish Soap
No one likes doing the dishes, but at least our planet doesn’t mind when we use zero waste dish soap.
Both Blueland and etee have bar versions for one of our least-favorite daily activities, though etee also sells liquid dish soap concentrate.
Zero Waste Laundry
Next time you do a load, take a load off the planet by dropping in a Dropps laundry pod. It’s fully biodegradable, doesn’t contain scary chemicals, and is sent using carbon-neutral shipping.
Tru Earth does something similar in paper form and Zero Co. provides a refillable laundry detergent option for Australians.
In addition to your zero waste laundry detergent, don’t forget a Guppy Friend washing bag to capture all of those microplastics from your fleece and other synthetic fabrics.
Other Zero Waste Cleaning Essentials
For sustainable spring cleaning that puts a spring in our planet’s step, check out the ZeroWasteStore.com or EarthHero for all your scrub-a-dub needs: brushes, sprays, sanitizers, scrubbers, wipes, rags, eco-friendly mops etc.
In fact, both zero waste online stores are some of the best places to find all types of affordable zero waste products online.
In fact, refillable cleaning producs tend to be far more concentrated than standard cleaners, so we can tell you from first-hand experience that they last much longer.
So if you’re wondering, “Why are zero waste products expensive?” consider how much longer they last. In the end, many end up actually being more cost-effective.
Other Zero Waste Lifestyle Essentials
Zero Waste School & Office Products
Zero waste school supplies are fun to shop for and they certainly won’t leave our planet feeling burned out by the time the seventh period rolls around.
Onyx and Green is a great place to turn to for all of the zero waste swaps for school: recycled sticky notes, eco-friendly pens, notebooks, recycled erasers, and more.
AGood Company is exactly that. This brand takes care of office or school supply needs while simultaneously planting trees in Zambia, Africa for every purchase.
Jot down notes in your climate-positive notebook with Sprout World’s non-toxic, sustainably-sourced, plantable pencils.
Bulk Zero Waste Food Products
Fresh food can generally be purchased with zero waste from grocery stores. Just remember to bring your produce bags and avoid those silly wrapped things (like bananas?!?).
But what about dry food and all the layers of laminated cardboard and plastic bags?!
Finding bulk food stores that allow you to bring your own containers is key here. Check out out various guides to the best zero waste stores around the world. If you don’t see your city yet, stay tuned, as we’re trying to add as many as possible!
If there isn’t one near you, look into some of the bulk stores online.
How We Found The Best Zero Waste Items
As we mentioned, zero waste living doesn’t necessarily mean zero waste. Think of “zero” as the end destination, and something we can spend out whole lives prusuing without ever fully reaching.
If that sounds discouraging, it’s not. In fact, it’s empowring, because it reognizes that we’re all human and we make make mistakes. We forget out zero waste shopping essentials and need to take a plastic bag from time to time.
And that’s okay! It’s all about continuinal improvement, which is something we kept in mind when using the following criteria to curate our zero waste essentials list.
Materials:
Whether it’s reusable, refillable, returnable, or compostable, we don’t mind—as long as they’re plastic-free zero waste products!
For packaging, this might mean tins, glass, or cardboard.
When it comes to certain materials (organic cotton, for instance), it’s even better when it comes with sustainability certifications so we know we’re not composting any chemical pesticides or other toxic materials used in manufacturing.
For beauty and green cleaning products, we pay attention to ingredient lists, looking for those that not only cause immediate waste, but won’t lead to invisible environmental pollution (like in the case of sulfates in soaps, which cause major harm to water ecoystems).
- Certifications: OEKO-TEX, Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Fair Trade
End of life:
Zero waste living ultimately means sending nothing to landfills, which requires a little innovation on the part of these brands—and is why we’re seeing products like refillable laundry detergent and plantable pens.
At the end of the day, these zero waste household products consider the 5 R’s: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot.
If something doesn’t fit at least one of these (recycling being the last choice), then it’s not a zero waste lifestyle product.
Sustainable & ethical business practices:
We’re lucky to have brands that go above and beyond when it comes to protecting our planet.
These include the zero waste fashion brands that not only support circular economies, but also provide us with programs to send back old garments to be recycled.
Offering products for zero waste living inherently makes a company somewhat sustainable.
Most of these companies, however, go above and beyond by supporting fair trade initiatives (which ensure employees receive fair wages, safe working conditions, and other protections), carbon-neutral practices, environmental efforts like tree planting, or are members of 1% for the Planet.
- Certifications: Fair Trade, B Corporation (B Corp), Climate Neutral
Final Thoughts On Sustainable Zero Waste Products
Going zero waste can certainly be intimidating… but it can also be all sorts of fun!
Once more for the people in the back: when it comes to low waste living, perfection isn’t the prime objective.
Simply swapping out one or a few of your “normal” items for these zero waste daily essentials is a significant move—one that will encourage more companies like these to better mind the waste their products incur.
Just remember that your favorite zero waste products should be those that you already have. That’s the ultimate zero waste.
So please only use this list as a resource when something new is absolutely necessary (or perhaps if you’re looking for zero waste gift ideas).
Even if you’re not in a position to buy some of these zero waste living essentials, you can still support the zero waste movement by sharing these zero waste home essentials with friends and family.
Together, we can pave the way towards a better future with less plastic waste.
