I’m convinced that going low-waste is a major anxiety hack

table of contents

Being human means loving a good life hack. I love the part of Google’s definition that refers to life hacks as techniques for “reducing chaos,” because that’s exactly how I find myself scripting the mental benefits of keeping my home as low-waste as possible.

That psychological boost doesn’t just come from feeling good about helping the environment — being more eco-friendly at home is one of the only habits that consistently helps me feel less overwhelmed about life. Like many other adults, my mood, emotional state, and ability to sleep are strongly associated with the length of my to-do list. Living a more low-waste life reduces the number of household tasks I need to worry about, which makes me feel a little more put together.

So yes, while I find deep comfort in reducing my plastic and food waste footprint for the sake of the planet, I also find comfort in putting out less trash, less nasty smells, and less clutter overall. These are all real results of easy, eco-friendly changes that actively de-stress my daily routine. If traditional internet stress and anxiety hacks haven’t worked for you, let me know how creating less waste has helped me protect my peace.

The psychology of clean, decluttered space, but applied to litter

I firmly believe that my household’s waste production and my anxiety levels are positively correlated. The physical clutter of a full bag, the arduous journey to the bin, the waste of it all – it’s overwhelming. So I’ve implemented some easy routine changes over the past few years that have significantly limited my waste output, and that control has worked wonders for keeping me healthy when I’m spiraling.

You’ve probably heard about the connection between physical clutter and mental clutter. Maybe you read an article about it (or watched a TikTok) or you discovered that you are, in fact, more productive when your desk is neat and clean. Although most references to this relationship are talking about your brain’s subconscious response to visible clutter, my brain definitely counts hidden junk as clutter, despite it being behind a trash cabinet door.

Just thinking about the gallon-long pile of dirty, sticky, smelly trash in my kitchen feels just as disorganized and dirty as those crunchy dishes in the sink.

Imagine how much less trash you would have to take out if you weren’t throwing away food.

My Mill Food Recycling Bin has made the biggest dent in the amount of waste coming out of my apartment, and I can’t imagine living without it. It’s basically the size of a traditional step-on kitchen dustbin, and it even has a presser foot.

Instead of throwing plate scraps, food prep scraps, or old leftovers straight into the trash, almost any food can be milled. Every night, before any meat or dairy or wet spinach starts to stink, the mill dehydrates the food and turns it into a clay-like consistency, which I send back to the mill to be reused in chicken feed.

Mill’s massive filter captures nasty odors far better than any expensive scented bag.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable

That’s about 246 pounds of food per year – think how many trash bags we’ve saved.
Credit: screenshot/mil

Without food in the equation, my three-person household barely uses one garbage bag per week. The trash fee requirement is so low that no one dreads it, especially because it’s not that big of a deal – not eating food means no mysterious juice dripping from the bag onto your socks.

Pre-Mill, I was first introduced to the concept of collecting household food waste through Lomi. Most of those electric countertop composters aren’t actually making actual “compost,” but they are still drying and grinding your food scraps down to a fraction of their original size. The result is a smaller bucket of “dirt” that won’t stink if it sits in your trash for a few days, and won’t release as much methane into the landfill. If you don’t have a garbage disposal any of these countertop gadgets are a game-changer.

Plastic waste has been another major source of the permanent pit in my stomach since 2018, when I learned that most plastic isn’t actually recycled.

All those empty cleaning bottles and jugs of laundry detergent that took up so much space in my trash were basically destined to rot for 500 years. very nice! For most of us who don’t have curbside recycling, taking out the recycling involves extra walking or driving. For me, the elevator ride down to my apartment’s shabby basement is a scary trip — so I’m always trying to strategically extend the life of my recycling bin before going down there again. Switching from plastic to paper packaging, which can be folded or flattened, creates more space to hold goods.

A less wasteful lifestyle requires less cluttered storage in the home

My entire cleaning routine has been pretty much low-waste-based, which plays as big a role in organizing storage spaces as it does in reducing the size of my trash. And organization at home plays a significant role in my daily stress level.

There aren’t a million plastic spray bottles clanging in the cabinet under my sink. Multi-Surface Cleaning Spray refills come as small Blueland tablets dissolved in the same glass bottle. My soluble laundry detergent strips come in a thin cardboard envelope, which is much easier to hide than a giant, crusty jug of laundry detergent. Stretchy dishwasher-safe silicone lids have completely replaced plastic wrap, and Swedish dishcloths (reusable paper towels that can go in the dishwasher) have freed my cupboards of a never-ending tower of paper towel rolls.

Laundry sheets, dishwasher pods and cartons of dish soap are easy to store in apartments with limited space.
Credit: Leah Stoddart/Mashable

Then don’t let me catch you using a ziplock bag as Tupperware.
Credit: Stasher

My parents have also had positive experiences with downsizing on their low-waste journey. My dad didn’t have to lug around industrial cans of bottled water in the garage because he simply switched to a good tap filter. My mom took the advice of my robot vacuum and mop and freed up precious shelf space that was previously home to boxes of Swiffer WetJet refill pads. Seriously, don’t underestimate the calming power of structure within your home storage setup.

I don’t think many people realize that switching to low-waste household habits will mean they won’t have to restock so many household supplies all the time. There is serious freedom in reducing your reliance on disposable items, as well as smaller (cheaper) grocery store lists.

Replacement paper towels or ziplock bags are no longer permanent fixtures on the grocery list, because we’ve stopped relying on disposable versions of any of these. When you don’t burn that many garbage bags on a weekly basis, you rarely realize that you’ve run out of fresh bags. Yes, some low-waste swaps cost a little more up front, but their reusability pays for itself within a few months.

I’m a maximalist when decorating, but a minimalist when holding junk

mental burden of Material is real. Not “stuff” in the maximalist chic decor way, but “stuff” in the sense of all the crap living rent-free in your home and your mind. You don’t know what to do with it, so you just keep it to yourself (and then feel its dark presence whenever you’re in that room). That overstimulating stress loop made it impossible for me to completely relax at home for long periods of time. But after being in low-waste mode in my kitchen for a few years, the pipeline of clutter throughout the house came naturally.

Suddenly, I was inspired to clean out the drawers, shelves, and boxes under the bed that had accumulated worrying levels of junk – and then sit down and research how to get rid of that junk permanently. It turns out that there are ridiculously easy ways to recycle broken phone chargers, dried-up pens, dead batteries, old glasses, and many other random things that I grabbed just because I would feel anxious about sending them to the trash.

For unwanted items with a slightly higher price tag, like clothes or old AirPods or decor that is no longer my cup of tea, online resale apps have become key to reducing the unease of my messy home. You will be shocked at the range of exclusive items that buyers are willing to snatch from you. If there was any level of emotional attachment, I can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the item is getting a second life instead of gathering dust on a cluttered Goodwill shelf.

I’ve realized that maintaining a cluttered space doesn’t have to be a challenge when you have clear methods for properly removing unwanted stuff. I now have a pretty solid idea of ​​what can be recycled where, even things that are really hard to recycle, and what can sell on eBay.

If I’m not sure, my reaction now is to research what to do with it instead of stuffing it in a procrastinating-clutter drawer. Similarly, I’m able to follow a weekly fridge cleaning schedule because I can throw anything I want in my bin. I no longer put expired items back in simply because it would stink up the garbage, and old leftovers no longer pile up to the point where new groceries can’t fit in.

Now that my brain is wired to take the path of least waste in most situations, I’ve become really good at getting less stuff done in the first place. If I’m on the fence about a purchase, the first question I ask myself is, “Will it be hard for me to deal with it a year from now?” Will I really be excited about this thing for more than a few months? Is it high quality enough to last? Can I find it secondhand on Depop? However, I’ll never deny the importance of giving yourself a little gift, as intentional shopping is an underrated way to steady a wandering mind.