There were several updates we knew we wanted to make at the start of the year around our sustainability efforts. We already do a capsule wardrobe for our children, Portland has a great trash sorting system, and we began limiting our meat and dairy consumption a few years back. But there were still ways we could improve. So in the first week of January, we did some quick research and implemented the following three products into our home.

Better Recycling

It doesn’t take long to start noticing all of the Ridwell boxes sitting on porches in Portland. I had to see what they were about, and much to my delight they are a company that comes to your house and picks up all of the hard to recycle plastic. It’s your plastic bags, plastic film, amazon bubblewrap bags….you know, just things that you use all the time. They also take several other types of garbage that the standard city recycling does not take. It was a no brainer to join this program. We have had two pickups so far, and our bag of plastic fills up at an alarming rate. Ridwell is currently in Portland, Seattle, Denver, Minneapolis, and Austin. If you live in one of these cities, I can’t recommend this company enough. They are an affordable service and they literally come to your house to take your garbage. Bravo, Ridwell!

Laundry Detergent & Dishwasher Pods

I was already on the hunt for a cleaner and more nontoxic laundry detergent. What we were using was fine, but I was really looking for something that used less plastic and had a better grade on EWG. Enter: Dropps! We switched over to their laundry detergent for our family and the dishwasher pods. So far we have been very happy. Our clothes are clean and our dishes sparkle. We purchased all three boxes below.

Toilet Paper

I can’t be the only one who has a grandma that keeps single ply toilet paper in her home. And every time I visit her house, using the restroom is….an experience. So when it came to switching out our TP, I was hesitant. I didn’t want rough toilet paper on my bum. Over the holidays I was talking with a family member who switched to Who Gives A Crap (and yes, we discussed sustainable toilet paper at Christmas. We are a cool bunch), and I decided to take the chance. I like that WGAC has the option for bamboo toilet paper. It’s softer, but still making less of an impact on climate change. I also love that their packaging uses zero plastic, and they are on a mission I can get behind. Is it the softest toilet paper I’ve ever used? No. Is it better than Grandma’s house? Yes. Bonus points that each roll has cute wrapping paper.