10 ugly sustainability habits // realistic zero waste hacks (that are also free) 

What was the most and least ugly zero waste hack in your opinion? 💚 btw lots of love and happy Monday 🌿

When I was in college, I saved all the paper that students left on the printers that were only printed on one side and blank on the other side, and one-sided handouts from professors. I used the blank side for scratch paper, to do lists, notes, etc. before recycling. It’s been 4 years since I graduated and I still have tons of paper left that I still use

I’m a 60 yo Afro American woman from Winterville NC USA and I been doing everything you do, I learned from my grandmother, I’m retired and have a very good pension, some people call me cheap but I live a life in comfortable luxury. Thanks grandma for teaching me common sense.

All this time I thought I was just poor for reusing everything. Turns out I’m sustainable!

Ugly sustainability tip: When my pajamas or cotton shirt wear out I tear them into rough squares or rectangles and use them as handkerchiefs. I don't bother hemming them. They're always super soft, easy on the nose, iron up nicely and I get decades of use out of them. When they're finally in complete tatters, I compost them.

Also adopt the black cat/dog. They are less desirable, in my local shelter they are always left. And they are just as nice as the white/beige ones. Go look for perosnality not the looks. Our black dog sleeping next to me agrees:)

My grandma used to cut up envelopes and cardboard boxes to have little pieces of paper for quick notes, shopping lists. I think she did it because she knew scarcity during the war, not from an environmental point of view. Either way, I find I have assumed this habit from her and am grateful she lead by example whatever her motive was.

I thought I was the only one who saved napkins! So glad to find I'm not alone after all. My friends think I'm crazy for saving them all.

The fact, that all of this "messy and ugly" things are my aesthetic. Like, my mom always made us safe napkins, plastic and glas jars and buy "ugly" food (as long as it is not expired), so this is nor quite something new for me, but this is definitely helpful for others :)

For chopsticks - I've bought stainless steel ones and I'm taking them with me every time I go for sushi. Some places in warsaw with korean food like Yache or Hesu have stainless steel chopsticks, but everywhere else I saw wooden single-use ones. I also try to write opinions on google maps which include suggestion that it would be cool if they had stainless steel chopsticks. I encourage you to write it on google maps too, the more of us, the bigger possibility they'll listen to us.

Sadly, the “disposable era” of the past few decades has established a mindset of “toss out the mess… hassle-free”. This needs to change!!!!!! Thank-you Gittemary for addressing the “ugly” aspects of living a low waste lifestyle. I grew up in a home where my Mom dyed and cut old nylons into strips to make “yarn” for knitting slippers, laundry was hung on an outdoor clothesline, milk bags were washed out & used for snack bags or sandwich bags, everything was re-used and upcycled. “Ugliness” and repurposing saves money and saves the planet!! I loved this video and am uber-thrilled to see how you adopt these practices into your daily living!! 🌎💦Ⓜ️ary💕

I just wanted to add that the part of reusing the plastic containers is very common in Latin America. This means that you're probably will get very disappointed if you find an ice cream container in the freezer... it may have beans or other food in them 🤣🤣🤣

Some of my ugly & free sustainability habits: 1. Saving showerwater and the water of the spinning programm from the washing machine in buckets to flush the toilet 2. Reusing plastic joghurt cups and empty food cans as pots for propagating my houseplants or for growing vegetables from seeds 3. Using food scraps to make homemade vegetable broth 4. Donating jars I no longer use to bulkshops (for custumers who might have forgotten their jar at home) 5. Saving and resusing every cardbordbox/envelope as packaging for my old clothes, books etc. that I sell at online second hand platforms 6. Using the water from washing homegrown food for watering the garden/houseplants 7. Making a "Frankensoap" using small soup scrapes Not really ugly ones, but: - making art out of trash - upcycle old clothes, furniture, etc - propagating housplants instead of buying new ones (you can even have a plant party with your friends to exchange plants with each other)

in case anyone struggles with taking the labels off jars try applying a paste of equal parts of baking soda and coconut oil and leaving it for a couple hours, it always works ;)

In our home in Norway, our most ugly thing is a big bag of single use plastic containers/bags etc. that we collect instead of letting it go in the bin with unrecyclable trash. Over the years we have collected quite a lot and will celebrate when the municipality starts sorting plastic - and will then hand in our private collection ;)

Oh yes, ribbons! My family does this as well, we usually keep and reuse gift ribbons 🎀 Last Christmas we noticed an especially festive one and realized that it was one my grandmother had bought already 40 years ago 😊

One thing I heard was that single bananas at the store often get thrown away. I like I grab a few of those instead of grabbing an "intact" bunch so maybe I'm saving some bananas🤷🏼 also, I really don't like the taste of bananas that have brown spots on them, so I'll cut them up and put them in a bag in the freezer to use in smoothies later 😍

I love mismatched tableware! You get more options, sometimes you feel like using a colorful bowl, sometimes a plain plate, sometimes fancy, sometimes rustic, it's a lot more fun, i prefer it this way :)

Thanks so much for sharing this! The internet needs more of how diverse low waste lifestyles and habits can look :D. My favorite 'ugly' sustainability habit is buying products at the supermarket that are on sale because they're 'about to go off' (usually they are more than fine and not about to go bad at all). Usually wrapped in plastic and with an ugly 35% off sticker that you cannot remove but it saves food waste and if I have to buy something that is packaged in plastic, I'd rather have it be an item that I can save from being wasted!

Yes! The drawer of chopsticks and napkins for sure! I also have a jar of twist ties that I use with different things as well.

YES and also gardens that are more sustainable and less neat, many people call them ugly but I love the look. It's just more natural in the purest sense. My grandpa calls this aesthetic "wild-romantic" and I adore this 😂🌿

I use water that I have cooked my veggies or pasta in (no salt added) to water my plants with. I dilute it a bit if it's too potent. So there are usually jars of dirty water sitting in my window sill waiting for the next watering! Life is messy and that's okay. 😻👍

I feel the struggle of not falling into the "aesthetic" of zero waste - I always have to remember I have functional, good objects, and buying a new one is NOT part of the solution. I also get the feeling that zero waste is "trendy" right now, which doesn't help the constant aesthetic appeal. But I also hope this isn't just a trend, that this is a lasting mindset people carry with them.

How can you not love someone who feels sorry for ugly veggies…Gittemary, you’re the best! I didn’t find anything ugly in this video, it’s real life. Great video.

For years, I brought old paper bag to my tea shop so they can refill it with tea in bulk. But due to the pandemic, it's not allowed anymore. So I got a new bag and new piece of metal to close it each time. And I use them to stake my tomato plants. I also use big plastic yogurt pot to transplant my seedings or to gift some plants to friends. I reuse chopstick, paper towel (also stored on a zipbag), wrapping paper (+ ribbon, rope...), dog treats containers, candle jar (to make home made candle), I cut old print paper into square to make notes, convert old linen cover into wrapping bag/produce bag/ tissues. Berries cardboard containers are turned into drawer organisers, and I keep safety pins, cardboard... I also buy the ugly vegetables at the farmer market, the produces that are about to go bad at the grocery store I do not reuse glass jar because I already have a ton of jars, but I wash them and bring them to the charity shop, I give them to friends and neighbors...and I bring back metalic hanger to the dry cleaner's. So, sometimes my tiny appartment can be a little bit messy, but sustainability do not need to be pretty.

Love the idea of writing where a box has been when using it to ship stuff! Totally doing this!

One of my fondest childhood memories is doing the food shop with my grandma. She’d have her list written on scrap pieces of cardboard, always

I love all of your hacks! :D my „ugly“ zero waste hack would be buying regular makeup via vintage/second hand apps, where you can get perfectly fine, unopened cosmetics for cheap, just because someone else bought a wrong shade or forgot to return an item.

I love the ugly food one. I actually am lucky enough to be able to get my produce from a company called "Rübenretter". They buy the ugly veggies and fruits that can't be sold in the supermarket (too small, too big, spots on the peel, things like that) and resell them. Also usually locally sourced and way cheaper than what I would currently pay in a regular supermarket. By the way Rüberretter means basically "turnip/beet saviour" 😂 I love saving food

Following my daughter’s ethical approach when buying stuff in the supermarket packed in the cardboard boxes I pick up the one that is bashed. The contents is the same but if people don’t buy a bashed box it will go to waste.

I've said this a million times... old sheets as bum wipes instead of flushable toilet paper or wet wipes. I keep a small wet bag in my purse for my wipes and portable bidet, so I literally can't remember the last time I used TP.

Our family has always done some of these things - save and reuse tissue paper, gift bags, plastic containers, cardboard boxes, etc. The problem is that there is a fine line between saving something with the intention of using it again and hoarding! We always had piles and piles of empty boxes that we were "saving for something" but never used, same with plastic food containers, and so many other things. We weren't living sustainable lives, so a lot of junk came into our house but never went out because we didn't want to waste anything. It's been a challenge to change some of those habits so that there isn't an overwhelming amount of stuff to save and we are able to functionally reuse what we have.

What a charming idea to write down the places, where a cardboard box has been in it's life so far. I will definitively do that in the future!

Used a piece of cardboard from an old Broth packaging to organize my embroidery threads and yarn yesterday. Not the cutest but fastest, most practical, most sustainable and cheapest

I do all of these. For wrapping gifts that I give to friends and family I put them in my reuseable tote bag and tell them I want my bag back. We laugh and they use the same bag to give me stuff. It's fantastic. We always act surprised when we see the bag again and again. I like the idea of writing inside a box where its been.

When I was in college I got all my food from a dumpster. All that ugly produce you see. I think the staff knew because all the food was neatly place in the dumpster and the bathroom trash was always double bagged. This was a time before excessive surveillance cameras. I had to do my dumpster trips at 3am, which can be exhausting. One week the store wasn't throwing any food out, so I had to go back to the dumpster every single night for a week. I had to get very creative on how I ate. It's a shame that some companies will go to great extremes to keep people out of the dumpster, but that's how some people feed themselves. Dumpster diving is the ultimate zero waste activity.

I already do most of these; not the cardboard, though. It attracts spiders and is easily recycled. I like the variety of unmatched dishes. My little daughter was assigned the responsibility of steadying the container of vintage plates my mom gave us. She was surprised. " Mommy! These are all the same plate!" 😊

Love mismatched things! Besides in the kitchen, also in furniture, to me unique pieces are more special and interesting than sera. And I also go for ugly/small/strange veg when grocery shopping! They taste perfect and they are funny!

My part of ugly sustainability: I wear my shoes until they definitely don't work as shoes anymore. My ones look pretty ugly because the material is worn.. but this way I need to buy new shoes one or two years later. Thank you Gittemary for attracting our attention on the true sustainably, even if its ugly ❤🌱

I have a tissue holder on my visor in my car…I keep all the extra napkins I get from restaurants in there for my kids’ snotty noses and messy faces. That way I avoid purchasing wipes.

I reuse plastic containers for storing pantry items instead of buying new ones. Same with glass jars and sturdy plastic bags. Anything is “reusable” if you reuse it, regardless of material!

I think that the most ugly sustainable thing are my socks, mended many times :D I also cut boxes from tea into rectangulars and the reuse them for my grocery lists or notes. This is something that my grandma tought me. Also if I got plastic bag or silver foil I try to wash it, air dry and use it few times :)

I LOVE my mismatched jars! I used to work at a cafe where we went through a LOT of large pickle jars, and instead of throwing them out, I'd take them home with me (because they're PERFECT for larger/bulk storage!) We also buy a lot of salsa from a friend who makes it locally in our area and i just take off the labels and reuse them for storage, overnight oats, etc.

I have my groceries put in a medium sized cardboard box at my neighborhood store. The clerks are happy to do this for me and then I use that box to pack up donations for charities etc. It's so much easier than trying to lug things about in plastic totes and each one is just the right size for me to carry and I can seal it up well and just drop it off. No waiting for the thrift store clerk to empty and return my container. Then they can use it in their storage!

Haven't had to do the mix & match plates since ours is Blue Willow China passed down from Great Grandma. Heirlooms count as free zero waste!

My ugly zero waste habit might be somewhat unconventional, and I definitely do not recommend it unless you have your own bathroom or you are really comfortable with your roommate... Me and my husband do not flush the toilet every time we pee at home. We probably flush it after 3-4 times we use it. This saves a lot of water. We also do not shower every single day, especially during winter when we don't sweat much. Again, not conventional, but works for us.

I’m in my 60’s and my parents and grandparents reused everything they could. They taught us well to be frugal and not wasteful. They went thru wars and depressions were every cent counted and were in my opinion the best at zero waste.

I find myself sometimes taking trash from the street home just so I can put it in the right recycling bin

I keep napkins from takeout in my car for “emergencies.” I also keep spice packets, like red pepper flakes, from takeout and either put in the fridge for later use, or I add the contents to my spice jar.

Yes! I love the real and “ugly” side of low- waste & sustainable living. I have a tower of old shipping boxes awaiting their next journey.

I use packaging that ricotta cheese, or fresh mozzerella, etc. comes in to grow my microgreens in the kitchen, or to store seeds for my garden, or to keep toasted pine nuts in lol. I reuse the paper packaging that comes from stores when they wrap up ceramics and glassware as wrapping for when I deliver or mail my artwork. I plan to use them as wrapping for Ramadan and Eid as well, with the help of a handmade custom stamp (and blackberry ink!) to make them pretty. I find that the more I pay attention to every minute detail of the things I bring into my life, the more use I find for them. I also do the paper napkin thing (I've gotten some weird looks from fancy places for slipping a few unused napkins into my purse) And I reuse old sauce and jam jars to store random things in as well as to make my infusions or vinegars. It makes me happy to be throwing less things away.

I like the idea of listing where the cardboard boxes have been to. It like they have their own passport.

I am using my clothes fancy-printed tags as bookmarks for years! They have lovely shapes and colors, even textures, and normally people just throw them away immediately.

I do most of those things and actually have been doing most of these things(except the napkins) since I can remember. Growing up in post-com country makes all of this normal.

This is more of a frugality hack as opposed to a sustainability one. We keep paper napkins around, primarily for when we have guests, & I cut them all in half before even putting them in the holder.

Love all of these! I have a basket full of rags and cloths on my kitchen counter instead of a paper towel roll. Some of these rags used to be my husband's underwear so....yeah 🤦🏼‍♀️

Exactly, it's not always about being "the best" or spending money. It's about spending less and using and reusing what you got :)

"Waste isn't waste until you waste it." I love that!

I do all of these but the bookmark - that's so simple but genius! I was just looking for a bookmark the other day and ended up using a post it note that has important information on it. I have so many boxes to recycle, how did I not think to use it?! Thank you for sharing!

I also try to buy things that have a close to expiry date as I know they are more likely not to be bought as people on the opposite tend to buy things that have late expire date. I feel sorry too for the veggies, fish and meat that might end up thrown away otherwise. Same for things that are dented (like a tetrapak milk bottle for example) as long as it's still sealed, then I buy that instead as I know most people wouldn't.

I love having mismatched stuff! It's unique💙

I would love to see more of the "ugly" side

LOVE that idea of writing on boxes where it’s been, so cute

Yep, I've a spot in my kitchen drawers for napkins as well! And of course a spot for wrapping paper, jars and boxes. We don't have a compost at home, but a "green bin" that gets picked up every two weeks. Instead of also having a smaller bin in the home, we have a Tupperware (on the kitchen counter) for all "green" waste. At least once a day (more often in summer) it gets wrapped in newspaper (brought in from work) and put in the bin. The "green bin" stays relatively clean and thus bug free, no leaking through of the newspaper, because everything has time to dry a little and (now going on three years) no smells in the house. The Tupperware just goes in the dishwasher for cleaning. Pretty? No. Handy? Yes. No extra waste either. Will be doing the same for our future compost pile.

Also, IKEA's dishware is very low quality and chips at the first opportunity, whereas vintage dishware tends to be much more durable :)

Great video. I do most of these. I also have the same skull glass without a handle from hot sauce. It's awesome; bought a pair. Anyways, my ugly zero waste idea I just put into action last week was I had a 100% soft cotton fitted bedsheet that ripped. I def didn't want to toss the cotton and to get it to a fabric "recycler" where I am is just: UGH! So I decided to cut it into 8x8" squares and use them as tissues. They are so soft on the nose and I just toss them into the wash in my delicates bag. I haven't serged the edges yet, but I'm not sure if I'll actually get to that part of the project. For now, they are working well

An “ugly” thing I do is keep a jar in my bathroom to put in my compost. I’ll put my hair that comes off the shower wall, compostable dental floss, and paper packaging my shampoo/conditioner/body bars come in.

I do that too and I don’t think it’s ugly 🥰 I told my mom yesterday, that I have a bedsheet from her ( I think it was from the time I was born😂) and now it’s broken :( unfortunately :( but I liked it so much. I’ll now prepare it to make wax wrapping paper out of it. Because why not? I need new ones and won’t buy beewax paper’s. And I like the color of it. She said it’s a little bit disgusting, that I’m using old bedsheets for my lunch or something else. I was a little bit hurt, when she told me that.

I do those things too. I love seeing the glass jars full of things. Unfortunately something come is plastic jars. I try to use those for dry beans. Love this video. Normalizes what we do.

we had a blankt years ago, it was christmas plaid, but it got torn and thin so we couldn't use it as a blanket. My grandma cut it up into smaller pieces and we've used it as gift wrap, tying it off with nice ribbon and maybe putting bows on it. Looks great, and we've had the same wrapping, for some of the gifts, since I was a kid (now almost 28)

I feel you on the napkins, we use them exclusively for cat puke as it seems too gross to use reusables for that. Some that I can add that people give me looks for it is reusable tissues for like snot, reusable ear swabs and using only gray water for watering plants as well as wearing clothes past their prime. Ive gotten looks for all of these things. Haha

I'm just halfway through the video, but I the fact that you were so honest about the "ugly" part it's something that I can relate to. I was finding hard to relate to the other tons of videos that I have watched about sustainability...and yours, so honest and open and simple. Thank you for that

I keep using train tickets as bookmarks :) I like giving spare jars to the zero waste shop, sometimes it's like a swap - someone else donated one that works better for you (also non-matching jars might make knowing the contents easier!) ^ that's a thing every creater seems to have sorted - anyone else opening containers and guessing what the item is...? --> The issue is when it's either shampoo or toilet cleaner 🤣

I am by no means “zero waste” but I like to say I’m reusable and waste mindful. That being said most of my practices are would likely fit in the “ugly” category, but I don’t mind. Never purposefully used old packaging as post-it, but do collect old papers and kids school work paper to use a little note.

I also collect unused paper napkins, reuse supermarket jars, and I try to use what I already have before buying the sustainable alternative. My mom always reuses plastic containers to store leftovers over and over. I too don’t find any of these things ugly. Love your videos and your activism!❤️

I'm a huge fan of empty peanut butter jars that I use for storage and my sourdough starter! Great video topic thanks for sharing! 🙂

Same thing for giftwrapping and cardboard. 😘Whoever had a garden knows that ugly légumes are the same !

I use to be annoyed when things don't match, but now I love my drinking glasses which are old pickle/pasta sauce/curry paste jars 😂 I also save my alcohol wipes that come with injections I use and take them out to wipe my fingers after touching hand rails/buttons when out Proud to say I do pretty much all of these ugly sustainable things 🌱 🌿

What you said was so beautiful! I was raised by a marvelous mother who lived through WWII in Europe. Yes, I am in my 60's! Everything you spoke of was so familiar to me! I raised all my children to reuse as much as possible. I suppose it shows that wisdom never changes it just puts on a fresh dress! Thank you for keeping the truth alive!

Using cardboard boxes to organize drawers. I have some drawers of lids, rubber bands, small kitchen tools, and I needed to get it organized. Cutting up some cookie boxes/tea boxes helped organize everything beautifully!

I definitely do the gift wrapping thing and it’s great since it also saves me money! I also reuse jars from the store and I love my fun, mismatched dishes. 😊

When I was moving, I refused to buy packing materials (except for the really big items) and used my clothes/towels/blankets. Saves space in the suitcase and all that single use packing materials. :)

I also do almost everything Gittemary mentioned in this video! My restaurant napkins aren’t all nice and neat in a bag though, they are in stacks scattered around the house in various strategic locations where one might need a napkin. I’m also quite proud of my glass jar collection, which is all reused from food I bought at the grocery store. I love finding food that comes in a glass jar of a useful size with a wide lid so that I can add it to my collection. My favorite jars are Petit Pot plant based pudding jars, which are 3.5 oz (100g), a great size for bringing sauce or dressing in my work lunch. They are so small and cute and have an cute little cartoon guy on the lid!

Turns out, growing up in a house where we ended up doing most of these things to be “budget friendly” actually made us more “eco friendly” too! I’m so glad I grew up this way. It’s just second nature to me now!

one thing that I love the look of but that some people see as ugly is visible mending!

I love all of these - I think I’ll start collecting an unmatched set of dishes! My ugly tip is using empty boxes from crackers or cereal etc as a place to keep my compost until it’s time to take the full box outside. It’s ugly on the counter, so if we have visitors, I’ll try to fit it under the counter.

I don’t find any of these ugly! I can also relate on every single one listed 🙌

The god old random Glas jars. I love them and I managed to make some of them match. For example I used pesto jars from the same brand to store spices in them. That way they all looked the same. As for giftwrap my mum and my sisters use newspapers that we just keep, behause we still read and prefer the occasional „real newspaper“ over online options. Especially my mum is a Genius in finding pictures that are pretty and/Or match the theme of the present. She also wraps it in a was that you can see the pictures on top before opening the present. Personality I also like to use brown packing paper if I have a creative Design in mind. I Koke thats More in the asthetic category but if I can reuse packing paper that I already have I‘ll do that. I also like using silk paper or anything like that… that you sometimes get when ordering stuff either for Gift wraping or in my journal for a Bit of scrapbooking. I dont think I ever bought paper like that myself

Thank you for not minding to leave the labels on jars! I put so much pressure on myself to get rid of a label, that sometimes that alone is a deterrent for my keeping the jars. If you don't mind, I don't have to either! Thanks for your videos!😊

Great ideas! I save napkins & old wrapping paper as well. Oh yes, & I have a jar that I use to save rubber bands feom packaging. I have no idea what I will do w/all of these but they come in handy sometimes =)

😀Who knew!! I’ve been living “sustainability” for years! I do all the things mentioned in your video, I grew up doing all the things! 😀 I still can not let jars and plastic containers go until they have been well reused. I keep and reuse boxes and rubber bands and gift wrap. Nice video! Thanks for the validation!

I don't love my mismatched jars. But they do have so many practical uses and if I break one it doesn't ruin a set. I never thought about ugly veggies. I'm going to adopt that one.

I recently started watching videos on this topic to get inspired but this video showed me that my hoarding character has been doing ALL of your “ugly” things without knowing there’s a movement behind it. Wow.

Love the idea of writing the places the cardboardboxes were to!! ♡

I use some envelopes for scrap paper. I shredded alot of my junk mail for packing materials. Chopsticks are used when I make balms(they are going to make awesome fire starters one day). I think mismatched dinnerware/silverware is so cool. It’s table decorations without really trying 😁

one silly thing: I pick up every hair tie I see on the floor wherever I go !! you always end up running out of then at some point and usually no one cares to pick them up. if they're dirty, just wash it once you get home ! now you've got thousands of hair ties (and they can be used for many other purposes too! to keep together all of the disposable chopsticks you saved for instance :) )

I have a HUGE 'supermarket' jar collection! My daughter calls is 'Dutch Tupperware' (yes, my great-grandparents came from The Netherlands) I don't think they are ugly at all! I also have quite the collection napkins from restaurants.

"I go for the ugliest looking piece that I can find - because I feel sorry for it." Mood.

I love this! So often "sustainable" is sold as an aesthetic. When I was living on my own for the first time, I bought some random mismatched flatware from the thrift shop.

I was happy to see I do many of the same things you highlighted - love your suggestion of writing where a package came from to encourage others to continue the trend. My grandmother reused envelopes for notes or lists, so she influenced me from a very young age to not be wasteful. I read somewhere that a bookmark should never cost more than your country's lowest value paper currency - because you could just, otherwise, use the currency as your bookmark :) I've recently started searching for the 'ugly' produce because it's still going to be delicious, and like you, I think I feel sorry for it. :) LOVED this video! I felt encouraged that I AM making good choices. Subscribing now so I don't miss any tips/hacks.