My zero waste morning routine is a stabilizing part of my day. I do my best to keep my mornings as simple, healthy and waste free as possible. Since I’m a full-time freelancer and blogger, I’m on the computer for a majority of the day. This obviously doesn’t allow for much physical activity, or socialization. For this reason, I’ve crafted a morning routine that will center me, get my creative juices flowing and put me in a happy state. I do my best to keep my mornings as waste-free as possible too, and I hope it inspires you to do the same. To help you get started, I’ve partnered up with Brush with Bamboo to giveaway a 4 pack of organic toothbrushes, an adult travel case and a tongue cleaner. Check out the bottom of the post for details on how to win! It’s an Instagram and national giveaway only (sorry international followers), but it’s super easy to enter! Now without further ado, here’s my zero waste morning routine.
This post is kindly sponsored by Brush with Bamboo. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
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My Zero Waste Morning Routine
Water
To start off my zero waste morning routine, I drink a cup of ice cold water. I wake up with a dry mouth and water is the only thing that can quench that thirst. Sometimes I’ll add in a few slices of lemon for an extra boost.
I love drinking water out of my stainless steel cup. It’s not only cute, but it’s also less likely to break if it falls. This is important because I tend to leave it on my bed frame a lot while I work (I don’t have an end table to put it on). Plus, I love the “kindness matters” text on the front.
Exercise
Next, I like to fit in some time for exercise. I love yoga and that’s my typical exercise of choice. I rarely do anything else. Usually, I do yoga every Tuesday and Thursday morning for about 20 to 30 minutes.
It’s important to get in some form of physical exercise whenever possible. Also, I’ve been using the same yoga mat for years (it’s technically my mom’s but I do yoga more than her so I use it more often). I never felt the need to buy another, as it would be a waste of materials (and this one works just fine).
Tea
After my workout, I like to make myself some tea. I have a mint plant I got from the farmers market I’ve been growing on my windowsill. I’ve been drying out the leaves to save for tea.
To dry out the leaves, I cut off the stems with the best leaves (usually gathering about 4 to 5 stems), gather them together, tie them with twine, and hang them upside down to dry. After a day or two they’re all dried. That’s when I collect the leaves and compost the stems.
I add the dried leaves to my tea strainer ball, plop it into my favorite mug, and pour hot water over it. I let it steep for about 5 minutes, then drink up. Mint is great for promoting healthy digestion, and easing any stomach troubles (making it ideal to drink in the morning).
Breakfast
Alongside my tea, I like to eat breakfast. My favorite breakfast meal lately has been a nice oatmeal bowl topped with chia seeds, cinnamon and farmers market strawberries. I buy the rolled oats, cinnamon and chia seeds in bulk whenever possible and they definitely last a while. The strawberries I get plastic-free from the farmers market: They come in a compostable carton that I typically just return every weekend.
This meal literally makes my mouth water. Here’s how I make it:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of rolled oats
- 2 cups of water
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon of chia seeds
- 4 strawberries (or two big strawberries)
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of raw local honey or local maple syrup
Directions:
- Bring water to a boil in a pot on the stove. Add in the rolled oats and lower heat to a simmer. Let it cook for 10 minutes or longer (if you like yours creamier), stirring occasionally.
- When it’s done, all the water should have evaporated. Add in cinnamon, chia seeds and sweetener of choice (raw honey or maple syrup). Stir until mixed well.
- Add the oatmeal into a bowl. Wash and cut strawberries into slices. Garnish on top of the bowl however you like. You can sprinkle a little more chia seeds and cinnamon on top for aesthetic if you’d like (as I did). Eat up!
Dental Care
When I’m finish with my delicious meal, it’s time to brush my teeth. I’m one of those people who likes to brush her teeth after breakfast, not before. I’d just wind up brushing them again after breakfast, so there would be no point.
Avoiding plastic toothbrushes is a must for me. Not only do they aggravate my teeth and gums, but they’re incredibly wasteful. After just 4 months, we’re told to discard them, meaning they’re destined for the landfill, or worse, waterways. But here’s the thing: Our toothbrushes never truly go away. At least not the plastic ones.
Did you know over 4.7 billion plastic toothbrushes are produced every year worldwide? And every single one of them is still around today. That’s a scary thought. The good news is, there are sustainable alternatives to plastic toothbrushes.
To keep my zero waste morning routine as sustainable as possible, I use Brush with Bamboo. They’re the only toothbrush that uses certified organic bamboo in their handle, making them completely pesticide-free. That’s super important considering pesticides can be toxic to birds, fish, beneficial insects and humans alike!
Brush with Bamboo’s handle is free of all that nasty stuff, and is compostable at the end of its life. I haven’t had to compost mine just yet, because when the bristles get frayed (after about 4 months) I plan on reusing it to clean around the house. Toothbrushes are excellent for getting at hard to reach places, like grout in tiles!
The bristles are made from 62 percent castor bean oil and 38 percent plastic, making them the most plant based bristle on the market yet. That also means they’re vegan and cruelty free (another win). With that said, the bristles aren’t compostable, so I’ll definitely have to remove them before composting the handle. I plan on using tweezers to get the bristles out when the time comes, then recycling them.
Unfortunately, there are no 100 percent plant based bristles anywhere, but Brush with Bamboo comes close. In fact, they’re pushing bristle manufacturers to develop better alternatives to plastic as we speak.
Another sustainable win, Brush with Bamboo comes packaged in a paper box with no glue or tape. Everything about the packaging is compostable (including the compostable wrapper made from plant cellophane). You can compost this at home or in a municipal composting facility.
Brushing my teeth with this sustainable toothbrush is pretty easy too: I just dip the bristles into my homemade toothpaste and brush away. The bristles are the perfect strength and aren’t ridiculously abrasive like most toothbrushes are. When I’m done brushing, I just rinse off my brush with some water and place it in a glass cup on my bathroom counter.
If I feel like my breath needs an extra pick me up, I’ll use some of my zero waste mouthwash too. It’s super simple to make and saves me a buck. I keep it in a glass jar with an air tight lid – I’m actually running low and need to make more soon!
And that’s it! After doing all this, I’m pretty much set to start my day. What does your zero waste morning routine look like?
How to enter the giveaway
Look for this picture on my Instagram account!
So, want to create a zero waste morning routine too? Thought so. Get the ultimate jump start by winning this 4 pack of organic toothbrushes, an adult travel case and a tongue cleaner! To win, just look for the picture above on my Instagram account.
Please keep in mind this is a national, Instagram giveaway only. If you have an Instagram and live in the U.S., you’re set to enter! If not, no worries, I’ll be sure to have more giveaways on different social media sights soon (and also a few international ones). But for now, here’s what you have to do:
1. Follow me (greenifyme) and Brush with Bamboo on Instagram.
2. Like the giveaway picture on my account (it’ll look like the picture above!).
3. Tag a friend in the comment section of the giveaway picture (tag as many as you want to increase chances of winning!).
That’s it! Giveaway ends Friday, June 29th, 10 P.M. Good luck!
Really nice post. Thank you for sharing amazing information.
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