A year ago, I hoarded my trash to track my waste. Here’s what I swapped, and still swear by, to cut out single-use plastic

 

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I’ve always considered myself a relatively sustainable person. I avoid plastic water bottles, recycle religiously and try to rely on secondhand shopping (like borrowing clothes from my sister). I bring tote bags to the grocery store, use every last drop of skin care and try to make low-waste choices at home whenever possible. Sure, I never neglect buying overpriced coffee and sometimes forget my reusable bag, but overall, I would’ve given myself a B rating when it came to living sustainably.

That all changed when I tracked my trash for a week — and the results were sobering, to say the least.

In the lead-up to Earth Week, I saved every piece of waste I generated for a “trash audit.” From food packaging to beauty “empties,” this challenge helped me get a clearer picture of my environmental impact. By the end of the week, I was left with a horrifying pile of yogurt cups, coffee lids, plastic wrappers and takeout containers — far more than I expected. I even had enough trash to cover my entire dining room table. My biggest offenders were plastic food packaging, disposable coffee accessories, beauty product waste and cleaning supplies.

It was both a wake-up call and the start of a deeper shift in how I think about plastic waste and consumption. Here are the sustainable swaps I made and still use more than a year later to help reduce my plastic use.