Welcome to the A Drop in the Ocean blog!

Every Monday we're popping into our EcoWarrior community's inboxes with practical + actionable tips for living more sustainably, and we're always working hard to add those emails to our blog as well. But we're a small team and sometimes we get behind because, hey, we're human.

So if you want these kinds of tips every week, without even leaving your inbox, join the EcoWarriors for Make Waves Mondays - because that's one thing we don't get behind on. Pinky promise.

Blog

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Store: What is wishcycling and why is it a problem?
Let's be real... Recycling makes us feel goodBut unfortunately, our brains are so wired to do the “right” thing that it can actually lead to "wishcycling" instead of true recycling, and, ultimately, all that wishcycling actually leads to less being recycled. So let's talk about that really means for sustainability.
The 7 Types of Plastic You Need to Know (And How to Recycle Them)

Recycling is not the solution to our waste crisis, but when we do recycle it's important we do it right. So this week, we’re diving deep into the 7 different types of plastics - what they are, how to identify them, how to recycle them correctly, and ultimately, how to avoid them completely.

A Drop in the Ocean Online Zero Waste Store: What does the chasing arrows recycling symbol mean?
We all know and love the chasing arrows recycling symbol (♻️), but let's talk about it a bit. What does it really mean? Is recycling really the answer to our waste problem? Who are the loudest voices pushing us to recycle more? Recycling has a fraught history, so let's dive into it!
A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Store: Why Reusing Isn't Always Better Than Recycling
I've recently started a new series on Instagram called, “I gotta say it…” where I’m sharing all of my sassy, why-is-no-one-talking-about-this thoughts about zero waste and sustainable living. So today, I gotta say it... Reusing isn't always better than recycling. Here's why.
A Drop in the Ocean Online Zero Waste Store Blog: 5 Common Recycling Myths Debunked

It's Plastic Free July! So let's talk recycling. It's one of my favorite things to talk about, especially because I’m a firm believer that we should be recycling less, not more, when it comes to going zero waste. But in order to do that, we need to have access to better products and we need to know how to recycle right - wherever we are. So today I’m debunking five common recycling myths so you can be confident that your recycling efforts are anything but in vain.

How "green" are specialty recycling programs?
Specialty recycling programs like TerraCycle and Ridwell pick up the slack when it comes to hard-to-recycle items not accepted by our municipal recycling programs. When we're trying to live zero waste, this sounds like a great solution. But are these programs actually sustainable, or are they greenwashing us and letting corporations off the hook?
A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Store: Composting vs. Recycling - Which is more sustainable?

Today we're chatting all about recycling versus composting, which is better, and why. This topic was inspired by one of our EcoWarriors when she commented on a post in our EcoWarrior Pod that pizza boxes are compostable, and that’s better than recycling. I realized that this is something many of us assume in the sustainability space, especially with how much we hear about how broken our recycling systems are, but is it really true?

A Drop in the Ocean Zero Waste Store Is boxed water really better for the planet?

Boxed Water is a brand of prepackaged water in cartons rather than plastic bottles. When I first heard of them in 2017, I was totally on board, because at the time in the zero waste world, all plastic was bad. But, is boxed water really better, as they claim?

Are Pizza Boxes Recyclable?
Last week a friend forwarded me an Instagram Story from Domino's Pizza that got me real fired up. So let's take a look... How much does grease and cheese impact recyclability? Are pizza boxes recyclable at all? Is Domino's greenwashing us all?
A Drop in the Ocean 5 Tips for Hosting a Zero Waste Party

The arrival of fall brings shortly behind it the holiday season, full of gatherings with family and friends. And with those gatherings typically comes a quite bit of waste. But does it have to? In this week's blog post we're chatting 5 ways to keep parties low to zero waste - without spending any extra money.

5 Pieces of Paper That Are Surprisingly Unrecyclable

Last week I shared a video on Instagram about a common paper product that’s surprisingly not recyclable. I got sooo many comments that I decided to dedicate this week’s blog post to the top five surprising pieces of paper that aren’t recyclable. Because as we’ve discussed before, recycling right really does matter - otherwise we could be doing more harm than good.

A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog The 5 Most Impactful Zero Waste Habits to Reduce Your Eco Footprint

Zero waste doesn’t demand perfection, but it does demand we start...somewhere. There are so many little (and big) changes you can make in your life today that can bring about real positive impact, which over time cannot be understated. These are the top 5 things that we've changed in our life that have made the biggest dent on our waste generation.

A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog Is bioplastic the answer we've been looking for?
"Greenwashing” is when companies spend more time and money making you think they’re doing something good for the planet than actually doing good for the planet. And there's one that I see so many well-meaning people fall into...
A Drop in the Ocean Sustainable Living Zero Waste Plastic Free Blog The 5 Things You Need to Know to Recycle Right
“I feel like your recycling bins have become a main character in your life,” my friend chuckled after I relayed to him - again - the day’s non-recyclables overflowing in the community bin. I don’t talk about recycling much, but I think it's time to address the elephant in the room.