Hey earth muffins! Today I’m coming at you with another post about eco-friendly products that can be purchased at not-so-eco-friendly stores! 😊 I’ve featured sustainable Target products and eco finds at Walmart, but I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to find eco-friendly Dollar Tree swaps. Yes, that’s right – the dollar store. Target has a nice selection of low waste products and even Walmart has some options… But can a store that survives off producing and selling cheaply made items have “sustainable” options? Let’s jump right in and find out!
Does Dollar Tree Care About the Planet?
Before I showcase a few of the scarce sustainable products I could find, I wanted to briefly talk about Dollar Tree’s sustainability practices. Surprisingly, they actually have an environmental plan to reduce their impact on the planet. To save yourself from reading this 50+ page corporate sustainability report, let me recap it for you. While they probably should be focused on reducing the amount of plastic that goes into their products, they focus more on energy usage in stores and reducing travel emissions and packaging. I am not hating on them at all, as I think they actually have quite a good sustainability report compared to others I’ve seen. But, they haven’t even updated their environmental policy since 2019, which makes me think it is not a core value of the firm… Regardless, I was able to actually find a few low waste products – here are some eco-friendly Dollar Tree finds!
1. Bamboo serving spoons & utensils
Bamboo products are awesome because bamboo is a great sustainable material (check out my favorite bamboo products here). While Dollar Tree seems to specialize in all things plastic, they do have bamboo serving utensils at some stores. For those with a smaller budget, this can be a great option! The Dollar Tree also has a bunch of kitchen “reusables”, but I’ve found that many of them are still made of plastic. Reusable mugs, containers, and bags are great, but I wouldn’t recommend buying plastic ones. It just isn’t great to mix food with plastic if you don’t have to. 😬
2. LED Lightbulbs
Since Dollar Tree’s environmental goals are mainly about energy, it makes sense that they would sell LED lightbulbs. It is always a good idea to switch to these bulbs to reduce your energy consumption… So it is nice that the Dollar Tree offers them at an extremely low price! I haven’t tried out any of their bulbs specifically, so it wouldn’t surprise me if they aren’t as long lasting as other LED bulbs (due to it being the dollar store and all)…
3. Cloths
If you are looking to reduce your paper towel usage, a great option is to buy some cheap cloths from somewhere – and the Dollar Tree has you covered! While it is better for the environment to use rags or cloths you already have around the house, this can be a back up for that. Plus, if you buy them cheaply you won’t be sad when they get stained as you clean! 🎉
4. Cards
As I mentioned in my recent Goddess Provisions post, I absolutely love getting things in the mail… But, a lot of cards these days are full of glitters, plastics, or other non-recyclable materials. If I can’t find the right card in my collection of secondhand ones, I always buy cards from the Dollar Tree. The ones they carry are just paper which can be recycled after mailed – perfect! Again, this is always a last resort (as I have massive box of cards I’ve thrifted over the years), but it is something to consider when thinking about eco-friendly Dollar Tree finds.
5. Bar soap
When I was younger, I used to LOVE the beauty products at Dollar Tree (especially the nail polish). Not my finest hour, but I was all about making my small savings stretch as much as it could back then. In terms of beauty products today, the Dollar Tree does still have some sustainable options in terms of packaging. You can find some products (such as bars of soap) without any plastic packaging. It is much better to opt for things in recyclable cardboard, so I call this a small win for Dollar Tree.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion: the Dollar Tree doesn’t have that many eco-friendly products… But it does have a few. Depending on your dollar store location, you might even be able to find even better sustainable offerings than I did! I don’t find myself shopping at Dollar Tree very much anymore; but, if I do, it is usually to buy a specific card for someone. Do you shop at Dollar Tree? Comment below and let me know your favorite things to buy there!
Love,
Jenna ♥
It is so encouraging that eco friendly items can be found for an affordable price!