Between New Year’s and spring cleaning season it seems we’re constantly on the look out for ways to stay more organized. But keeping waste to a minimum should be a priority as well. We asked Amy Korst, author of The Zero-Waste Lifestyle, to give us a few tips that will help us keep our green priorities while we get our house in order. Here’s Amy…

We all want to simplify. Eat healthier, shop locally, reduce our reliance on artificial flavors and chemicals. What if I told you one lifestyle change could help you achieve all this and more?

A zero waste lifestyle, where you reduce the amount of trash you make through a combination of strategies, lightens your impact on the planet and leads to a more satisfying life. New Year’s is a great time to start your journey down the zero-waste path. Here are 10 tips to get you started.

1. Buy whole fruits and vegetables instead of prepackaged varieties: Prepackaged apple slices, baby carrots or salad mixes may be convenient, but they are expensive and create a lot of unnecessary trash. Instead, opt to cut up your own apple or mix your own salad.

2. Recycle unusual paper items: This may seem like a no-brainer, but do you recycle the inner cardboard tubes in a roll of toilet paper? What about receipts, price tags, straw wrappers and shredded paper? Submit all paper items to the “tear test” – as long as they tear like regular paper, you can recycle the item at hand.

3. Eliminate paper towels: This may seem drastic, but it’s really not difficult. Replace paper towels with rags for cleaning counters, mirrors and other household surfaces. Cloth napkins can be used in place of the paper variety, too.

4. Make food from scratch: This applies to more than just staples like bread and cookies. Recipes abound online for simple homemade foods such as ricotta cheese, sour cream, bagels and crackers. Take a look at your garbage, determine what pantry item creates the most waste in your household, and see if you can make a delicious homemade variety instead.

5. Donate used greeting cards to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children: This organization recycles cards by detaching the front of the card and gluing them to a new blank card. For more information, go here.

6. Switch from liquid soap: Bar soap, which comes wrapped in paper, and powdered dishwasher and laundry detergent, which comes in a cardboard box, are better choices than their plastic counterparts. Just be sure to recycle the packaging.

7. Think about trash before you make a purchase: Check out the packaging of a product before you put it in your shopping basket. Is all the packaging recyclable? If so, you’re good to go. If not – do you really need that particular item? Can you find a variety that produces less trash?

8. Think green when giving gifts: As a personal rule of thumb, I give gifts that fall into one of four categories: the best gifts are experiences, homemade, benefit charity or antiques.

9. Switch to a fountain pen: Dried-up ink pens are nothing but garbage. Bring a touch of elegance back to your life by switching to a refillable pen or fountain pen. Remember to compost your pencil shavings, too!

10. Remember your reusables: I keep a “to-go” kit of reusables in my car and desk drawer. This way, I always have several canvas tote bags, a reusable water bottle, travel coffee cup, cloth napkin and set of silverware at my disposal, just in case.

Begin your own Zero-Waste Lifestyle and win a copy of Amy’s book!

The The Zero-Waste Lifestyle was released just last month and we’re giving one lucky reader a chance to win a copy! Just leave us your comments below and include your best tip for obtaining a low-waste life. May the best reader tip win.