25 Zero Waste Stocking Stuffers

Looking for some zero waste stocking stuffers? I hear you: Every year my family puts out the same stockings we’ve been using forever. And I’m always left scratching my head wondering what I should fill them with. Especially since going zero waste: I cannot tell you how many plastic items there are in this world that fit inside Christmas stockings. It’s incredibly annoying, considering the smaller the plastic item, the less likely it’ll actually get recycled (and only 9 percent of plastic ever gets recycled anyway). That’s because small plastic items are so much easier to lose in the recycling system. 

So…it’s best to opt out of purchasing plastic stocking stuffers all together. Not to mention they’re usually cheap and won’t really get much use anyway. Perfect example: My mom got me a plastic candy cane full of Hershey’s kisses one year as a stocking stuffer. Can you imagine how quickly THAT plastic was ready for the garbage? Very quickly – I go through chocolate like wildfire. 

Zero waste stocking stuffers on the other hand? Now that’s where it’s at! I’ve curated a bunch of these cute and mini zero waste gifts, perfect for slipping into a Christmas stocking. They’re thoughtful, useful and most importantly – fun! All of these will put a smile on someone’s face, plus help them reduce their waste. Most importantly, you’ll be doing the planet a kindness by making the holidays less wasteful. Anyway, without further ado, here’s 25 zero waste stocking stuffers – all under $50!

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Reusable produce bags are great stocking stuffers. These handy bags can be used to in place of disposables to hold fresh veggies and fruits. You can even hold some dry goods in these as well, like oats or almonds.

These produce bags are super durable and machine washable, though I usually just wash mine by hand. I especially love that these reusable produce bags are mesh and transparent, making it easy to remember what’s inside of them. They’re super lightweight, so you don’t have to worry about paying extra for the bag itself.

I’d be thrilled to get these as stocking stuffers. Check them out here.

Related: Zero Waste Farmers Market Essentials

This vegan organic lip balm in biodegradable tube is the perfect stocking stuffer! It’s small and cute so it’ll perfectly slip right into any size stocking.

I love how this lip balm is made using certified organic ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, candelilla wax, essential oils and vitamin E. The essential oils are lemongrass and mint, which gives it a minty, refreshing feel after applying it.

It’s also packaged in paper so the whole tube can be composted when it’s empty! What could be better? Oh right – it’s completely vegan. Check it out here.

Related: 5 Zero Waste Makeup Brands Worth The Money

Safety razors cut back on so much waste – and I assure you, they’re not as scary as they sound. They actually give me the best shave I’ve ever had. They make perfect stocking stuffers because of their small size!

This chrome plated safety razor is easy to recycle at the end of its life. That said, you won’t have to replace your razor any time soon – it’s built to last! All you’ll have to replace is the blades, but if you care for your safety razor correctly, you’ll only have to do that once a year or so.

This makes a great stocking stuffer, along with some blades. This is the kind of gift that keeps on giving because they won’t have to buy anything for a long time. I’ve had my razor for over two years and I’ve only went through two blades so far! Check it out here.

Related: Zero Waste Shaving: My Experience With a Safety Razor

Who needs plastic packaged facial toners when you can get one in glass? This zero waste facial toner utilizes natural ingredients – plus the bottle is super cute too.

Glass is 100 percent recyclable and never loses its quality, no matter how many times it’s recycled. That means it’s infinitely recyclable, unlike plastic. That said, you should totally encourage the gift receiver to reuse this glass bottle when it’s empty! It’s perfect for storing dried herbs or vinegar cleaner.

I also love how this facial toner is vegan, cruelty free, and made from simple ingredients like witch hazel, willow bark extract, chamomile and St. John’s wort. This facial toner will help reduce redness, calm inflammation and heal your skin.

This little goodie should slip right into any Christmas stocking. Check it out here.

Forget disposable cotton wipes (which are usually packaged in plastic too) – these reusable cotton rounds are where it’s at! They’re small so they’re perfect stocking stuffers!

These cotton rounds can be used to remove makeup, nail polish, and more. You can also use them to apply medicine, toner, or other skin care products in place of disposable cotton balls. I love the fact they’re made from 100% organic bamboo and cotton fleece – they’re super soft and gentle on skin!

They’ll last you a long time, and you can just wash them after each use – either by hand or with the rest of the wash (in a lingerie bag – so they don’t get lost). Check them out here.

 

Know someone who likes to be clean shaven? Consider getting them an eco-friendly shaving brush! Here’s one with boar’s hair bristles (completely compostable at the end of its life) and one with synthetic bristles (cruelty-free and vegan). I love the fact Tiny Yellow Bungalow offers both as options.

Both these brushes have beautiful beech wood handles and were made in Italy. The boar’s hair bristle brush is the better choice for those who prefer a more exfoliating, scrubbing action. The synthetic bristles are definitely softer. Both are easy to transport anywhere.

I love how easy these brushes are to fit into a Christmas stocking. Check them out here.

Lotion bars are so underrated. They’re seriously genius! Essentially, a lotion bar is a solid lotion. It kind of looks like a bar of soap, but acts like a lotion. You can use it anywhere on the body – just simply rub it in and it’ll slightly melt onto the skin.

Tiny Yellow Bungalow sells several amazing lotion bars to choose from. I love the fact they all come in easy to recycle and/or reuse tins. All of them are handmade, organic and vegan too, which is fantastic. Also, there’s no fragrance oils in these – just pure essential oils.

I really like the sound of the lavender chai and jasmine mint lotion bars – they’d probably make me smell like a really floral cup of tea (I love tea, so – it’s a win in my book).

They’re also small enough to fit into Christmas stockings! Check them out here.

Related: Zero Waste Body Lotion

Did you know most conventional cotton swabs are made out of plastic? Sure, the tips are cotton, but what good is that if the short rod is plastic? You can’t compost it. That’s where biodegradable cotton swabs come in!

These 100% biodegradable cotton swabs are made from soft cotton and bamboo. After using them, you can simply toss them into your compost bin. How cool is that? The box they come in is also made from recycled cardboard (and you can compost that as well).

They’re great to use at home, or while travelling. They’re also small enough to qualify as a stocking stuffer. Check them out here.

I absolutely adore KooShoo hair ties. They’re amazing because they’re completely plastic-free and compostable at the end of their life! Most hair ties are made using plastic and will never biodegrade. Considering I end up losing lots of my hair ties…that’s a pretty scary thought.

These are the world’s only organic cotton and plastic-free hair ties. They’re completely biodegradable and woven, sewn, dyed and shipped from the USA. You get 5 hair ties per pack and can choose between black or colorful ones.

They’re designed to last a long time and hold up really damn well, honestly. They’re also super comfortable, never pulling at your hair or causing headaches. I really love them and cannot reccomend them enough.

They’re small enough to fit right into a Christmas stocking too! Check them out here.

Possibly my all time favorite lotion on the planet, Yay for Earth sensitive skin lotion is a god send. I apply this religiously day and night to my face and use nothing else. It’s amazing.

Packaged in a glass jar with a metal lid, this lotion is completely plastic free and easy to recycle (or better yet – reuse). You only need to use a very little bit to yield positive results – which means it’ll last you a very long time.

It’s not vegan, but it is cruelty-free and all the ingredients are all-natural: Just organic olive oil, local beeswax, organic shea butter, and organic pomegranate seed oil.

I can’t say enough good things about it – if you gift it to someone, you should consider buying one for yourself as well. Just saying. Check it out here – and snag yourself one too!!

Related: My Zero Waste Skincare Routine

I use a wooden saucepan brush to wash my dishes and absolutely love it! It takes the place of a sponge at my sink and does a great job getting everything sudsy and clean. Plus, it’s not too big at all, which makes it a great stocking stuffer.

It’s great at cutting through grease and grime and is an essential part of any zero waste kitchen. This brush is completely plastic free and made with genuine French beech wood with vegetable fiber bristles. It’s fully compostable at the end of its life, but it will likely last you months. That’s way longer than a plastic sponge ever will!

If you know someone whose a foodie or neat freak, you got to get them this brush. Check it out here.

Instead of using the abrasive side of a sponge, or a disposable scrubber, try a loofah scrubber! I absolutely adore the ones Tiny Yellow Bungalow sells – they all come in such cute designs. I’ve bought the eggplant and pineapple ones before and was not disappointed.

Loofahs are non-toxic and completely compostable. These loofahs in particular are dyed using 100% natural vegetable dye to get their fun colors. You can simply add it to your compost bin at the end of its life.

You can use these handy loofahs to clean fruits and veggies, or scrub stubborn pots and pans. I personally loved using mine for the latter – it did a great job getting out tough food stains! Plus, the string attached to it made it easy to hook on my sink’s faucet, allowing for easy use.

It’s non-scratch, so you can use it on multiple surfaces, such as stainless steel, wood, porcelain, glass, etc. To clean it, just rinse, squeeze and leave it to air dry.

This makes such a cute zero waste gift. Check them out here.

Perfect for the zero waste newbie or beginner. This cute travel spork and cork carrying pouch will make all the difference!

While out and about, you’ll never have to accept a plastic utensil again. This travel spork will fit into any lunch or work bag, making it a breeze to say no to single use plastic. You can also stash it in your car’s dashboard! Since it’s made from 100 percent bamboo, and the carrying case is cork, you can even take it with you on an airplane.

Because of it’s small size, it’s a great stocking stuffer. Check it out here.

Snacking on the go can be super wasteful! Just think about all those annoying zip-lock bags you have to go through. Well, that’s where reusable snack bags come in handy. These cuties will eliminate the need for single use plastic baggies once and for all.

You can store so many different snacks in here – anything from small fruit (like grapes) to granola or trail mix. Because of it’s small size, you can easily fit it in your purse, backpack, or lunchbox. This little snack bag is made from organic cotton, making it fully biodegradable when it reaches the end of its life. Until then, you can reuse it and machine wash it plenty of times.

This truly makes an adorable, and handy, stocking stuffer. Check them out here.

Sometimes you have really annoying stubborn food that just won’t come off a pot. That’s why these bamboo pot scrapers make amazing zero waste gifts! They’re a great plastic free alternative that’s lightweight and stronger than wood.

These certified organic bamboo pot scrapers come in a set of four. It won’t scratch cooking surfaces at all, and it’ll make your life a lot easier. You don’t have to use them conventionally either – you can use them to scrape windshields, remove dried candle wax, or shimmy a chair.

You can compost these at the end of their life without worry. They’re super cute and fit in your hand perfectly, making them excellent stocking stuffers. Check them out here.

So many people in the zero waste community rave about Savon de Marseille cubes – truly they are life changing! These blocks are essentially zero waste dish soap –  they last for so long and save you so much money, it’s incredible. Tiny Yellow Bungalow is one of the few places that sell it, completely plastic free.

To use this dish soap block, all you need to do is scrub your dish scrubber onto it directly, then use the lathered soap for washing dishes. Super simple. It’s completely vegan, cruelty free and made using natural ingredients. Tiny Yellow Bungalow sells a palm oil cube and an olive oil cube – it’s up to you which you prefer.

I recommend getting a 300g cube, as this will be a perfect fit for a Christmas stocking. There is a bigger size (600g), but that may be a bit too big to qualify as a stocking stuffer. Check them out here.

Seed balls are such a fun little stocking stuffer idea! They’re especially great for kids. Tiny Yellow Bungalow sells adorable handmade wildflower seed balls. I really love their vibrant colors – very kid friendly.

These throw and grow wildflower seed balls come in a set of 20 balls per order. That makes it super easy to add two or three balls per stocking! Each seed ball is about the size of a quarter. The seeds used are a blend of perennials and annuals, including but not limited to: Catchfly, snapdragon, red prairie coneflower, daisy, white yarrow, sweet alyssum, poppy and sweet william.

These cute little seed balls are great for the environment and local pollinators alike! Check them out here.