It’s the most wonderful time of the year… goal setting season. I love a good New Year’s Resolution, and I also love shopping consciously. This blog post will outline a few products you can feel better about using compared to their traditional high-waste counterparts.
Personal Care
Akamai Basics offers a refreshing alternative to personal care products made with parabens, plastic beads, and other not-so-great ingredients. I’ve used their soap, toothpaste, hair/face oil, and tongue scraper, but they’ve added many more great products like mineral drops for healthy hair and nails, mouthwash, skin balm, and refillable floss. They focus on recyclable or biodegradable packaging and simple, natural ingredients.
Use code MINIMALIST20 for 20% off a one-time order or a subscription over $35 (now through Jan 5, 2020!)
Contact Lenses
It can be frustrating to deal with bulky contact lens packaging if you’re trying to reduce plastic consumption. Scout from Warby Parker is a new contact lens made with a super-moist material that reduces dryness and a smooth edge design for comfort. As a bonus, they come in flat pack packaging using about 80% less packaging material than traditional contact lenses.
You can try a six day trial of Scout for just five bucks, and then get a 3 month supply for $110 if you love them.
Reusable Menstrual Care Items
Periods suck, but they suck a little bit less when your pads are cute. At least this is what I tell myself when I buy pads with sharks on them. Reusable menstrual items significantly reduce the amount of plastic waste produced by a person’s period. Tampons and pads come with a ~$3k lifetime cost for standard brands, produce a ton of waste, are full of toxic stuff you don’t want near your genitals, and mess with your natural pH and vaginal flora.
Check out Party in my Pants or search Etsy for cloth pads to find some in any and all fabric patterns, colors, shapes, and styles. If you want something custom, work with an Etsy seller on your idea!
If you’re interested in a menstrual cup, check out Put A Cup In It to take a quit that will help you select the right brand and size for your particular needs.
Do you have a resolution to reduce waste in 2020? Tell me about it!
Caitlin Liz Fisher 
I’m thinking of doing a Buy Nothing Year, as I want to get better at mending things, making things and buying secondhand, rather than my go to ‘order a new thing’.
Of course it won’t really be ‘buy nothing’ as I will still need to buy food etc, but I feel the need to challenge myself!
This is a great goal to avoid amazon prime fever.