Zero Waste is not limited to the kitchen and your home office. If you look around, you can probably find ways to reduce waste in almost every room of your house. That includes your laundry room. While you might not spend much time just hanging around your laundry room, you still create waste through using cleaning products, and some of that waste can be recycled or reduced. Here’s our guide to reducing waste in your laundry room:
Recycle Containers
The first thing you can do is recycle empty containers. The easiest choice here are the cardboard boxes used to hold dryer sheets. Tear them apart or break them down and drop them in your recycling bin.
But bleach and detergent containers can also be recycled. These containers are typically made with high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a heavy duty plastic built to protect the chemicals from leaking from the container. This is plastic 2 in terms of recycling, which most recycling companies accept. Brazos Valley Trash Valet accepts plastics 1-7, so you don’t have to worry about the number. You should, however, make sure that you thoroughly clean the container before dropping it in your recycling bin as chemical traces can spoil the batch of recycling.
Buy In Bulk
Recycling containers is great, but it shouldn’t be your first choice. You can limit even the amount of waste that needs to be recycled by buying fabric softener and detergent in bulk. Keep reusable glass containers at home and fill them up from your bulk supply. Once they’re empty, you can refresh them at home. Only once you’ve run out completely will you need to recycle the bulk container, and that’s easily done. Buying in bulk will also help you to save money over time, and it will mean far fewer trips to the grocery store.
Reusable Dryer Sheets
One-use dryer sheets are perhaps the biggest source of waste in the laundry room, but this, too, can be avoided. You can buy reusable dryer sheets, some of which can be used for up to 500 loads of laundry or more. These can even be washed if need be so as to keep using them for even longer. You can also invest in a dryer ball, typically made with wool. Like dryer sheets, these dryer balls absorb the static that can stick to your clothes during the cycle, but they can be used over. These also lack the chemicals that typically come with dryer sheets, which many people actually prefer.
Looking for a way to do it yourself? Purchase a ball of wool yarn and toss it into your dryer. It will have the same effect at a lower cost.
Knowing the tips to reducing waste in your laundry room can be a big help, but it also helps to have a recycling service that’s on your side. That’s why Brazos Valley Trash Valet accepts plastics #1-7, cardboard, and a variety of other acceptable materials in our single stream recycling service. Contact us today for more information or to subscribe to our trash pickup service with complimentary recycling.
