The 5 R's of sustainability can help you be a more conscious consumer

Being a conscious consumer is good for both the environment and your wallet because it means thinking twice before you buy. An easy way to make sustainable decisions is to follow the 5 R’s of sustainability: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot or compost.

Sabrina Auclair owns Unpacked Living, a sustainable refillery store in Beverly, Massachusetts.

“Using your reusable water bottle, bringing your own mug to the coffee shop. Even better, make your coffee at home instead of buying disposable coffee cups -- that is as sustainable as it gets," she explained.

Auclair also leads a sustainable life at home. She took the first major step toward her zero-waste journey five years ago.

“I was very much aware that I had a lot of plastic in my house, and I was also guilty,” explained Auclair. “So, I decided to take all the plastic, products that I had in my house … I put everything on my dining table and took a picture… and then I decided to start reducing it.”

But how did she do it?

“Waste management is a problem, and we should be doing waste prevention instead of waste management.”

For instance, in the kitchen, you can opt for cloth instead of paper towels, reusable silicone resealable bags instead of disposables and completely avoid plastic wrap.

“We have these reusable silicone lids. They are extremely easy to use and very convenient to have because they last for a really long time. They're stretchy, so you can cover anything even if you lost your Tupperware lids,” Auclair said.

Consider switching to bars or products like dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, and bath soap. If you still prefer liquid hygiene products, opt for refillable brands at ecological stores.

“Refills are very easy to do. Just come with your own containers. It can be glass or it can be plastic. What we do is we weigh the container and then we just refill it with whatever you need from hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, anything,” explained Auclair.

In the bathroom, you can switch plastic cotton swabs for bamboo, toothpaste tubes for chewable tablets, and disposable cotton pads for reusable ones. It is recommended to avoid plastic -- even in brushes.

“Trying to like switch to a bamboo toothbrush instead of a plastic toothbrush, said Auclair. “There are a lot of materials, mostly natural materials. So, mostly bamboo, paper, cardboard, things that will, if you lose it into the environment, they will just decompose and biodegrade.”

If you take a close look at your closet, you’ll realize how much plastic you’re wearing. Polyester contains plastic and it’s piling up in landfills.

“When it comes to clothes, I think the more sustainable thing you can do is to just use whatever you already have. Love the things you already have.”

When you have a bag of clothes you no longer love, trade it with friends and family, donate, or sell it. If you must buy new clothes, Auclair recommends checking the label and buying 100% biodegradable fabrics such as organic cotton, linen, wool, and silk.

If you are interested in starting your zero-waste journey, you can start by calculating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions you are producing and disposing of at home. The EPA has a domestic carbon footprint calculator on its website.