It’s time for me to face some cold, harsh truths: I am exceptionally bad at accomplishing New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps my goals are a bit too ambitious. I mean, let’s face it—if I haven’t mastered Lauren and Twitch’s dance to “My Chick Bad” from So You Think You Can Dance circa 2012, it might be time to lay that objective to rest. My complete lack of dexterity and flexibility are not going to magically modify to give me a better chance of nailing that routine in 2022.

Whether you struggle with resolutions like me or knock them out of the park year after year, Lite Foot Company is here to help you with the goal of creating an eco-friendly home in 2022. Lite Foot’s founder, Katie Rodgers-Hubbard, hand-selected a top-10 list of must-have items to help you make this coming year your most sustainable yet!

1. UNPAPER TOWELS

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I love paper towels as much as the next person, but there’s no denying they account for a great deal of waste and deforestation around the globe. Every year, humans discard 254 million tons of paper towels. To make just one ton of paper towels, it takes at least 17 trees, and during the process of production, around 20,000 gallons of water are contaminated and exposed to pollutants.

Enter: Unpaper Towels. These cotton flannel towels are a great way to rid your home of single-use paper towels for good. They are machine washable, and they cling together naturally, so you can easily wrap them onto a paper towel roll. Plus, they come in a variety of colors and prints to help liven up your kitchen or bathroom in eco-friendly fashion.

2. REUSABLE SPONGE

Sponges are a staple in many kitchens across the country. But your average kitchen sponge is made from plastic. When used to scrub your pots and pans, tiny plastic particles are washed down the drain. Because they are too small to filter, they end up polluting lakes, rivers and oceans. Plus, the U.S. trashes around 400 million sponges each year.

2022 is the perfect time to switch out that wasteful plastic sponge for a sustainable alternative. Check out Lite Foot Company’s Washable Sponge. One side is made from terry cloth, and the other is cotton flannel with polyester mesh to help you with heavy-duty scrubbing situations. And because we all know sponges are basically germ bricks, Lite Foot’s sponge is machine washable so you can sanitize this product anytime you want.

3. GLASS SPRAY BOTTLES

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How many plastic bottles do you have laying around your home filled with various cleaners? It’s relatively normal to have a variety of plastic receptacles filled with cleaning concoctions for any type of mess you may encounter. However, these containers will inevitably contribute to the nearly 300 million tons of plastic pollution generated each year around the world. So, let’s resolve to nix the plastic and change them out for glass spray bottles.

Lite Foot Company sells an amazing all-purpose cleaner, and it comes in a wonderful, reusable glass spray bottle. With the purchase of this product, you’ll receive the 16-ounce glass bottle, a spray nozzle and a Meloria all-purposed cleaning tab. Just add warm water, shake it up, and you’re ready to tackle any mess around your home. When the solution runs out, no need to ditch your bottle. Simply purchase a pack of Meloria all-purpose cleaning tabs and keep using your glass spray bottle for years to come.

4. REUSABLE PUMP BOTTLE

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In keeping with a resolution to eliminate single-use plastics bottles from your home, try out some of Lite Foot’s reusable pump attachments. The reCap Mason Jar Pump Dispenser is the perfect zero-waste option to dispense liquids and soaps. Just pair with any regular mouth mason jar, and you can say goodbye to plastic dispensers forever. When you run low on soaps, you can hit up the refillery products on Lite Foot’s website or catch Hillary the Refillery at her next pop-up market for a restock.

If you are outside of the Savannah area and can’t get to Hillary the Refillery, you can try out the Foaming Soap Dispenser Pump along with Lite Foot’s Hand Soap Concentrate. Again, the pump fits onto a regular mouth mason jar, and the soap concentrate breaks apart and dissolves to make up to one gallon of liquid hand soap.

5. REUSABLE CLOTH BAGS

I know that we are living in a tumultuous political climate, and there seems to be many issues that divide the general population. But if there is one thing we can all agree on, it’s this: Plastic bags are the Voldemort of single-use plastic pollution. In the United States alone, we use more the 100 billion (with a “b”) plastic bags annually. Many plastic bags are not curbside recyclable, so they wind up in landfills or polluting waterways. The waste associated with plastic bags is so great that 77 countries have taken measures to partially or completely ban these products.

To begin your own personal ban on the bags that must not be named, start collecting cloth totes and grocery bags for all your shopping needs. Lite Foot Company offers a variety of cloth shopping bags that are perfect for completing trips to the grocery store, farmer’s market, a day at the beach or transporting food and games to a party. Check out the Shop Lite Tote, the Chose to Reuse Tote, or the Sail Bag today to help eliminate wasteful plastic bags from your home for good.

6. REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS

Since we’ve established that plastic bags are the Voldemort of single-use plastic waste, can we go ahead and collectively agree that plastic produce bags are the Dolores Umbridge? They are plastic bags that go in bigger plastic bags, which, like Umbridge, is the absolute WORST!

So, while you take the step to rid your home of plastic bags, go ahead and add plastic produce bags to that list as well. Lite Foot Company’s got your back with reusable produce bags! They come in a variety of sizes and can hold anything from a large head of romaine to tiny key limes.

7. REUSABLE STRAW

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We all love hitting up our favorite coffee shop in the morning and grabbing a nice iced coffee. But unfortunately, that iced coffee, which includes a plastic, disposable straw, comes with some unexpected consequences for planet. More than half a billion plastic straws are used every day around the globe, which is a major contributor to ocean pollution. It’s estimated that by 2050, plastic trash in the sea will outweigh fish.

Next time you head out the door to grab an iced latte, be sure to bring your very own reusable straw. Lite Foot Company sells affordable reusable straw sets in regular and smoothie sizes as well as collapsable on-the-go straws. These sets come complete with a brush to help you clean out leftover debris from a smoothie or other beverages. If you’re interested in reducing waste from single-use cups, go ahead and snag a Lite Foot Tumbler. This hot/cold cup comes with a steel straw to help you eliminate waste from straws and cups!

8. STASHER BAGS

Plastic sandwich bags were a major staple in my household up until about a year ago. Not only were they found packaging food in my lunches, but I used them while traveling to hold my toothbrush, lotions and moisturizers. And I’m not alone. The average person in the U.S. uses one pound of plastic sandwich bags each year. One pound doesn’t sound like much, but that equates to 540 baggies used once, then tossed into the nearest trash bin.

To cut back on wasteful single-use baggies, check out Stasher Bags! These reusable baggies are made out of premium silicon, so they are durable and built to last. Plus, they come in a variety of sizes and colors, and they are safe to use in the microwave or dishwasher. Stasher Bags are the perfect way to go green in the new year.

9. REUSABLE CUTLERY SET

We’ve all been in situations where we pick up take out with friends to eat at a park or grab a tasty meal from a food truck at a festival, and we inevitably end up using cheap plasticware to consume our meals. Well, you can kiss those wasteful plastic utensils goodbye when you switch to a Reusable Cutlery Set.

This portable cutlery set is the perfect way to cut out waste from your 2022. Each kit includes a bamboo knife, fork, spoon, a metal straw and a brush for cleaning. The roll-up pouch makes the set convenient to take with you on the go, so you can pass on the plastic next time you order out!

10. BEESWAX WRAPS

My utter distain for plastic wrap has been well documented in conversations I’ve had with family and friends as well as in my previous blog post. I’ll spare you the details, but it’s safe to say I’ve never successfully used plastic wrap. And thanks to Beeswax Wraps, we can all reduce our carbon footprints and never have to look at a roll of cling wrap ever again.

These reusable wraps are made from cotton, bees wax and other organic materials. They come in a variety of sizes so you can cover up serving dishes or wrap up half of an onion. They are easy to wash and durable to ensure you can store leftovers over and over again. Once a Beeswax Wrap reaches the end of its lifecycle, you can skip the trash and toss the wrap into your compost.

2022 is the year to make sustainable resolutions for your household, and Lite Foot Company is committed to helping you reduce your carbon footprint. Check out litefootcompany.com for the products listed in this article as well as other useful home goods to make 2022 your most environmentally friendly year ever!

Do you have questions or feel like a specific sustainable product should have made the list? Leave a comment or reach out to us at blog@litefootcompany.com.