So there I was last summer, walking along South Padre Island with my college roommate who was visiting Austin, and I literally stepped on this crushed water bottle that made the most obnoxious crunching sound. Like, it completely ruined this otherwise perfect sunset moment we were having. But here's the thing – instead of just kicking it aside like I normally would've done, something about that moment really got to me. Maybe it was because I'd been seeing all these posts on Instagram about sea turtles eating plastic bags, or maybe I was just having one of those quarter-life crisis moments where you suddenly care about stuff you never thought about before.
I mean, I'd always considered myself pretty environmentally conscious. I recycled… sometimes. I didn't litter. I even bought organic produce when it wasn't too expensive, which honestly wasn't very often on my nonprofit salary. But standing there looking at this piece of trash that was probably going to outlive me by about 400 years, I realized I had no idea how much plastic I was actually using every single day.
When I got home, I started paying attention to my trash can for the first time ever, and oh my god, it was horrifying. Takeout containers, plastic wrap, yogurt cups, those little plastic produce bags I'd grab without thinking, packaging from literally everything I bought. I looked up some statistics – you know, because I'm a millennial and we research everything – and found out that only 9% of plastic ever produced has actually been recycled. Nine percent! The rest is just sitting in landfills or floating around in the ocean or getting burned and releasing toxic chemicals into the air we breathe.
That really messed with my head for a while. I went through this whole phase where I felt guilty about everything I bought, which wasn't super productive. But eventually I decided that feeling bad wasn't going to change anything, so I might as well try to do something about it, even if it was just small stuff.
The kitchen seemed like the obvious place to start since that's where most of my plastic waste was coming from. I'd been using plastic wrap for everything – covering leftovers, wrapping sandwiches for lunch, you name it. Went down this whole rabbit hole researching alternatives and discovered beeswax wraps, which I'd never heard of before. They're basically just cotton fabric coated with beeswax, tree resin, and jojoba oil, and they stick to themselves when you warm them up with your hands. Sounds weird, but they actually work really well.
The first ones I bought were kind of expensive – like $25 for a pack of three different sizes – but they've lasted over a year now and I can probably get another year out of them before they need to be composted. Way better than constantly buying rolls of plastic wrap that just get thrown away after one use. Plus they look way nicer in my fridge than everything wrapped in plastic.
Next thing I tackled was all my mismatched plastic food storage containers. You know how it is – you start with a nice set and then somehow end up with random containers from takeout and nothing has matching lids anymore. I saved up and bought a set of glass containers with snap-on lids, which was definitely more expensive upfront but so worth it. No more mystery stains, no weird smells that won't come out, and I can put them in the oven if I want to reheat something properly.
The bathroom was actually harder to figure out. Like, what are you supposed to do about shampoo bottles? I tried making my own shampoo from baking soda and vinegar after seeing some zero-waste blogger rave about it, and let me tell you, that was a disaster. My hair felt like straw and looked terrible. But then I found this place in town that sells shampoo and conditioner bars – basically like soap but for your hair. I was skeptical because they don't lather up the same way liquid shampoo does, but my hair actually feels cleaner and healthier now. Plus one bar lasts way longer than a bottle of shampoo and comes wrapped in paper instead of plastic.
Switched to a bamboo toothbrush too, which was easier than I expected. Honestly can't tell the difference except it doesn't look as sleek as the electric toothbrush I used to use. But electric toothbrushes have all those plastic replacement heads that add up over time, and this bamboo one can go straight into my compost bin when it wears out.
The whole grocery shopping situation took some getting used to. I'd always grabbed one of those thin plastic produce bags for everything – apples, carrots, spinach, whatever. Started bringing my own little mesh bags instead, which felt super awkward at first. I was worried cashiers would think I was being difficult or trying to hide something, but literally no one has ever cared. Most of the time they don't even notice.
Biggest game-changer was finding this bulk store about fifteen minutes from my apartment where you can bring your own containers and fill them with rice, beans, nuts, spices, even laundry detergent and dish soap. The first time I went I felt like I was doing something wrong because I'm so used to everything being pre-packaged. But the staff there were super helpful and showed me how their system works. You weigh your empty container first, then fill it up, and they subtract the container weight at checkout. Not everything is cheaper than regular grocery stores, but some stuff definitely is, and the quality is usually better.
I started carrying a water bottle everywhere, which seems obvious but I'd never been consistent about it before. Used to buy bottled water all the time – at work, when I was out running errands, definitely when I was hungover and needed hydration immediately. Now I just fill up my bottle before I leave the apartment and refill it throughout the day. My coworker calculated that she was spending like $400 a year on bottled water, which is insane when you think about it.
The farmers market on Saturday mornings became my new favorite thing. Everything there comes without packaging, the produce is actually fresher than what's at the grocery store, and I like supporting local farmers instead of big corporations. Plus there's this one vendor who sells the best salsa I've ever had, and she lets you bring back the glass jars for reuse. It's definitely more expensive than shopping at H-E-B, but I figure if I'm eating less packaged food overall, it probably evens out.
Not everything I tried worked out. Attempted to make my own deodorant from coconut oil and baking soda after watching a YouTube tutorial, and it gave me a rash. Tried using "family cloth" instead of toilet paper for like two days before admitting that some conveniences are worth keeping. Bought these supposedly compostable trash bags that fell apart before I could even get them to the dumpster. You live and learn, I guess.
One thing that really surprised me was how much plastic was hiding in places I'd never thought about. Like, tea bags often have plastic in them. Who knew? Chewing gum is basically flavored plastic. A lot of clothing contains synthetic materials that are essentially plastic fibers. It's everywhere once you start looking.
I had to accept that I can't eliminate plastic completely. Some things just don't have good alternatives yet, or the alternatives are way more expensive than I can afford, or they're not practical for my living situation. Like, I'd love to have one of those fancy water filtration systems, but my lease doesn't allow modifications to the plumbing. So I use a Brita pitcher instead, which still involves some plastic but way less than buying bottled water.
The recycling situation in Austin is pretty good compared to some places, but it's still confusing. You have to clean everything first, and certain types of plastic aren't accepted, and glass has to go to special drop-off locations. I keep a recycling guide on my fridge because I can never remember what goes where. Sometimes I wonder if stuff actually gets recycled or if it just makes us feel better about throwing things away.
Started getting creative with containers I couldn't avoid. Those big yogurt containers are perfect for storing leftovers or bringing lunch to work. Glass jars from pasta sauce work great for overnight oats or iced coffee. I have this whole collection of mismatched jars now that I use for everything – storing spices I buy in bulk, organizing screws and batteries in my junk drawer, even as drinking glasses when friends come over.
The upcycling thing became kind of addictive. Made planters for my herbs out of old plastic containers, which actually look pretty decent if you wrap them in twine or paint them. Used plastic bags to stuff a floor cushion instead of buying new stuffing. My neighbor showed me how to weave plastic grocery bags into mats, which is weirdly relaxing and creates something actually useful.
What I wasn't prepared for was how much this would change the way I think about consumption in general. When you start paying attention to packaging, you start noticing how much stuff we buy that we don't really need. I used to impulse-buy things constantly – random kitchen gadgets, clothes I'd wear once, beauty products I'd try and then abandon. Now I think more carefully about whether I actually need something and how much waste it's going to create.
My trash output has definitely decreased, but probably not as dramatically as those zero-waste influencers who fit a year's worth of garbage in a mason jar. That's just not realistic for most people. I still generate waste, I just generate less of it, and I'm more conscious about what happens to it afterward.
The whole process has been way less painful than I expected. Some changes required an upfront investment or a period of adjustment, but most of them have just become normal parts of my routine now. And honestly, a lot of these switches have saved me money in the long run – less takeout, fewer impulse purchases, buying higher-quality items that last longer instead of cheap stuff that breaks immediately.
I'm not perfect at this. Still forget my reusable bags sometimes and have to do the walk of shame with plastic ones. Still occasionally grab bottled water when I'm desperate. Still generate way more waste than I'd like to. But I'm doing better than I was two years ago, and that feels like progress worth continuing.
Daniel’s a millennial renter learning how to live greener in small spaces. From composting on a balcony to repairing thrifted furniture, he shares honest, low-stress ways to make sustainability doable on a budget. His posts are equal parts curiosity, trial, and tiny wins that actually stick.
