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As an incoming college freshman, I know firsthand that the transition into college life can be challenging. Students encounter one of the most stressful aspects of this transition before they even arrive to campus: Figuring out everything they need to bring or buy to turn their dorm room into a more comfortable and livable space.
Every new student wants to ensure that their dorm is stocked with all the essentials. However, this can often amount to the accumulation of a lot of… stuff. This article hopes to provide examples of more sustainable alternatives to crucial dorm necessities, while letting students personalize their space without the waste!
- Canvas Tote Bags
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As I’m sure we’re all aware, tote bags have seen a massive rise in popularity over the past few years. Not only are they versatile in their uses, but they are also customizable in their style! You can pick up a variety of different totes around your college town. Whether you’re supporting a local business/club, or picking one up while thrifting.
Once you have a tote or two, don’t forget to bring them with you while shopping as an alternative to plastic grocery bags. Or alternately, if you end up with plastic grocery bags, try to repurpose them once or twice as a trash bag for your dorm. Or, you can see if there are any organizations on or off-campus that are collecting them for reuse or recycling.
- Coffee Cups & Pods
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The biggest non-negotiable for my transition to college life was making sure I could satiate my coffee addiction without totally breaking the bank. For me, this looked like buying a single-serve coffee maker for my dorm room, which was a pretty affordable option, and it also was the only real solution allowed by my school.
My only issue with this product was the amount of waste that is produced by the regular coffee cups or pods used by these machines. I did some research to find reusable coffee cups and there were many different options from plastic and stainless steel refillable cups to compostable, disposable coffee cups.
I went with the stainless steel option and I bought a few bags of ground coffee beans from the grocery store and I’ve been set from the start. Although it’s not a huge change, this small contribution can help reduce your individual waste. In addition to being more sustainable by minimizing your waste, you could keep your used coffee grounds and potentially start a compost bin to make fertilizer for plants or your school’s greenhouse.
- Tableware and Cutlery
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I know there is a current attitude in regards to cutlery and tableware in the dorms. Although people may be aware that it’s better to use reusable place settings, no college student will actually take the time to wash them. So, you might as well just buy and use paper products and disposable utensils.Â
I believe this rhetoric can be very harmful and attempts to alleviate college students of responsibility from both a personal and environmental standpoint. Some good alternatives to these disposable items may either be 100% compostable paper plates and utensils or reusable plates made of more durable materials, such as glass, plastic or wood.Â
Although I know there are concerns for both glass and plastic tableware, (such as its fragility or the unknown effects of microplastics) I believe it is more important to buy a few quality items that you know will last, rather than exhausting a finite resource.
In addition to tableware, there are many more sustainable alternatives to single-use disposable utensils, such as metal or wooden utensils. Bamboo utensils are very sturdy and reusable, but also compostable once they have reached their limit.
- Cleaning Supplies
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Another area in dorm life that could require a more sustainable take is cleaning supplies. Whether you are in a quad where you may have to clean your own bathroom or if you need to keep your room tidy with a few cleaning items, there are many aspects of dorm life that have more sustainable alternatives.
For example, many people use disposable disinfectant or cleaning wipes to clean or dust around their dorm room. However, using supplies such as this can quickly become rather wasteful. A more sustainable option would be to use cloth towels (such as kitchen towels) or torn up old T-shirts that can be turned into rags.
Another suggestion is to look at the cleaning supplies themselves and their ingredients. Evaluate if you feel comfortable using those in your environment. I would suggest looking for more environmentally friendly cleaning brands or using age-old products like baking soda and vinegar, which are long known to be safe and effective cleaning tools.
A final area of cleaning that could be made more sustainable is laundry. It is a common known fact that laundry detergent can prevent the jug itself from being recycled and could contaminate an entire bin of recycling. An alternative that I would recommend is laundry detergent sheets. In addition to detergent sheets, I would also recommend using dryer balls that can be effectively used hundreds of times. Another way that you can use the dryer balls is infusing them with essential oils to make your laundry smell fresh without all the harmful chemicals that could possibly be in dryer sheets.
- Go Thrifting!
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Although I am aware that this is not an item that can make your shopping more sustainable, it is an overall suggestion that could help reduce the waste that occurs during a more typical dorm shopping atmosphere.
I suggest that before you go to a big name store or look towards an online retailer, you evaluate the items that you already own, and then go to local thrift stores or bargain outlets to search for what you need. Not only will you be able to find items for a more affordable price, but you will also be exposed to a wider range of options. You will avoid contributing to a cycle of waste and pollution that is harmful not only on an individual, but a global scale as well.
Thrifting can help you develop your personal style while also helping you curate your space further. Looking towards online, second-hand retailers, may provide a wider variety of room decor and supplies than what is offered at local thrift stores, or what is provided in big name retailers.
I hope you found these sustainable (yet personalized) alternatives to dorm necessities to be a helpful guideline for future shopping. Hopefully this article will inspire you to evaluate the impact of your current shopping habits and their impact on you, others and the planet.