Where to Start with Zero-Waste Living

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by zero-waste, you’re not alone. Most of us arrive here with good intentions and a busy life, and sometimes, that means convenience ends up winning out over our values.

Today, we’re focusing on simple shifts you can make in your day-to-day that add up to less waste over time. The goal isn’t perfection—it’s choosing the next right thing and letting those choices compound.

At Kindred, we believe small, doable shifts in the places you touch every day (your sink, your counter, your morning routine) make the biggest difference. Start where you are, use what you have, and swap one habit at a time. Below are simple upgrades for teeth, hands, dishes, laundry, and your daily coffee or tea—each paired with products that make life easier and create less waste.

1) Brushing Your Teeth

Toothpaste tubes are hard to recycle and pile up fast. Enter toothpaste tablets: no plastic, no mess, and TSA-friendly if you travel.

Shop: Plastic-Free Dental Care

2) Washing Your Hands

When you’re washing multiple times a day, that’s a lot of plastic pumps over a year. Reuse what you own: retrofit a mason jar with a pump or foaming lid and refill with gentle soap.

Shop: Mason Jar Pump and Bulk Refills

3) Doing the Dishes

The biggest wins are the tools and the format: solid dish soap lasts, cuts plastic, and works with plastic-free brushes.

Shop: Dishwasher tabs, gel, powder, rinse aid

4) Laundry Loads

Liquid detergent jugs = heavy plastic, every month. Also? You’re just being sold a ton of water. Our detergents are concentrated so you use less, it's gentler on your clothes, and saves you $$$. Start with an easy, high-impact upgrade that reduces dry time and static without sheets or fragrances.

Shop: Laundry detergent and Dryer Balls

5) Coffee or Tea (Your Daily Ritual)

Daily brewing creates stealth waste (filters, bags, pods). Shift to reusables and loose leaf where you can—and compost spent grounds/leaves.

Shop: Loose-Leaf Black Tea in Bulk Refills; loose leaf tea steeper

Small swaps can make a big payoff. These aren’t overhaul-your-life changes—they’re simple upgrades you’ll use every day. Refill instead of rebuy, choose reusables that last, and watch the plastic (and the “why is this so expensive?” feeling) disappear. Most of these options cost less per use, take up less space, and make your home look and feel better.

So pick one swap and try it this week, and then stack another when you’re ready. That’s how “zero-waste” becomes your new normal.