Shopper shares clever money-saving trick for nearly empty containers: 'Why waste what's at the bottom?'

Nobody likes throwing their hard-earned money in the trash. That's why one Redditor shared a quick hack that not only saves you cash but also cuts down on excess waste. 

The Redditor posted a picture to r/Anticonsumption of a bottle of lotion that they had cut open with a pair of scissors. 

Although the bulk of the lotion had been used, a decent amount remained in the cut-open bottle, clinging to the sides of the container. 

"The pump on mine broke almost right after I bought it so I've been scooping like that until there was stuff on the sides," the original poster wrote.

According to a recent study published in the journal Sustainability, the amount of product left behind in bottles can be shockingly high, which results from an "insufficient emptiability" of bottles. 

"While jars and airless pump dispensers retain less than 1% of product residues for hand cream products, pump dispensers' values of up to 26% were found," the study revealed.   

In 2018, the U.S. produced nearly 300 million tons of waste "discarded by homes, businesses and institutions," per Environment America. This broke down to around 1,800 pounds of waste per person. 

Sustainable and efficient packaging can reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. This can go a long way in decreasing the greenhouse gases produced by landfills each year. 

In the comments section, users shared their experiences with life hacks regarding beauty products. 

"Face cream! It's so expensive, I'm not throwing 20% because of impractical packaging! I cut open all tubes," wrote one commenter.  

When you think about a product's packaging, which of these factors is more important to you? The way it looks 😍 The information it provides 🧐 The waste it produces 🗑️ I don't think about packaging at all 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

"Conditioner, toothpaste, shampoo, lotion, makeup, everything I possibly can I will cut up and get every last drop!" exclaimed another user. 

A third shared a similar sentiment, noting their desire not to waste anything. 

"I do this with anything that comes in packaging like this, because why waste what's at the bottom? My baby's lotion has the pump top, wasn't pumping anymore, I cut it open…two weeks of applications left, no exaggeration," the Redditor wrote. 

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