If you are trying to reduce plastic waste at home, you might be wondering what to do with the plastic you already have. The answer is not to throw it all away and buy a new set of eco-friendly swaps. It is to use what you have, rethink the plastic that moves through your home, and start noticing where single-use plastic shows up in your daily routines.

In this episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, Sarah talks about reducing single-use plastic in real life: using the containers, bags, bins, and Tupperware you already own; choosing reusables that actually fit your habits; giving so-called disposable plastic one more job before it hits the garbage; and using your voice to ask for better systems.

Plastic itself is not the whole problem. Waste is the problem. Disposability is the problem. And this episode is a practical reset for anyone who wants to reduce plastic waste, keep materials in circulation, and make small shifts that actually fit real life.

Takeaways

• Plastic itself is not the problem. Single-use plastic is often the problem.
• Reducing plastic waste does not mean throwing away every plastic thing in your house. Use what you already have until it is no longer usable.
• A reusable product only works if you actually use it. Choose reusable products that fit your real habits, not the ones that look the most sustainable online.
• Individual habits matter, but they are not the whole story. Ask businesses why plastic packaging is there in the first place, and use your voice as well as your wallet.
• Systems are made of people, and people can be influenced.

One Small Shift

Before you throw away a piece of plastic, ask whether it can do one more job. It’s only single-use if you use it once!

Resources

Plastic Free July

31 Easy Swaps to Reduce Plastic Waste

10 Zero Waste Kitchen Swaps That Save You Money

Plastic-Free Pantry: How to Refill in Your Own Containers

How to Pack a Zero Waste School Lunch

Related Episodes

Episode 8: 5 Easy Plastic-Free Kitchen Swaps

Episode 47: Eco-Friendly Bathroom Swaps

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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

Climate action begins at the kitchen table — and a more sustainable kitchen starts with knowing where to focus.

In this episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, Sarah talks with Naomi Hansen, author of Building a Sustainable Kitchen: A Practical Guide to Prioritizing the Planet from the Heart of Your Home, about what actually matters when it comes to food, waste, and climate action at home.

Together, they explore why the kitchen is such a powerful place to begin, how food waste connects to bigger climate solutions, and why the most sustainable choice is not always the one that looks the most sustainable from the outside.

Takeaways

• Why the kitchen is a meaningful place to start with climate action
• How food waste connects to sustainability and climate impact
• Why some popular sustainable swaps only scratch the surface
• How to think about trade-offs, like packaging versus wasted food
• Why individual action still matters, especially when it spreads through families, friends, and communities

Connect with Naomi

Website

Instagram

Building a Sustainable Kitchen (book)

Resources

Drawdown:The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming - Paul Hawken (book)

How to Prevent Food Waste With Kids (blog post)

11 Ways to Reuse Food Scraps (blog post)

10 Zero Waste Kitchen Swaps That Save You Money (blog post)

Related Episodes

Ep. 4 - How to Conduct a Household Waste Audit

Ep. 13 - Beeswax Wraps 101

Ep. 45 - How to Spend Less on Groceries by Reducing Food Waste

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Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.

Can you be sustainable in the suburbs? Well, yes and no.

Suburban life can make sustainable living complicated — especially when communities are built around cars, convenience, private space, and consumption. But the suburbs are also where so many of us live, raise families, volunteer, vote, garden, organize, and build community.

So what does climate action actually look like here?

This episode looks at sustainable living in the suburbs beyond eco swaps and bigger purchases, and asks what becomes possible when we start thinking about our neighbourhoods, local politics, shared resources, and community resilience.

Takeaways

• Why suburban sustainability is complicated, but very doable
• How car dependency shapes the landscape and our daily choices
• Why the suburbs should not be written off in climate conversations
• How sustainable living goes beyond buying greener products
• Why free, inexpensive, and investment-level actions all matter
• How community resilience and local politics shape what comes next

One Small Shift

Choose one free action that connects your household to your community.

Sustainability is something we practise, share, and build where we live — and sometimes that starts with one small step outside our own front door.

Related Episodes

Ep. 7 - Rethinking Zero Waste and Building Community Care

Ep. 12 - How to Quit Using Amazon (and Why You Should)

Ep. 24: 5 Sustainable Living Mistakes to Avoid (and What to Do Instead)

Ep. 36: How to Host a Clothing Swap

Ep. 42: Overwhelmed by Climate Change? Start Here.

Ep. 45: How To Spend Less on Groceries by Reducing Food Waste

Blog Posts

50 Ways to Be More Sustainable

How to Drive Less in the Suburbs

How to Start Living Sustainably

Support the show

Connect With Me

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Newsletter

Shop

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Support the Show

Sustainable in the Suburbs is mixed and edited by Cardinal Studio

If you enjoyed this episode, I’d love it if you followed the show, shared it with a friend, or left a rating and review. Every little bit helps more people find Sustainable in the Suburbs — and live a little greener.