Zero or less waste has become quite the trending topic! Which is GREAT because we as American’s have become such heavy consumers of stuff that our environment is starting to pay the consequences 🙁 More information on this topic at The Story of Stuff. I highly recommend their documentary.
If you don’t know, zero waste is a way of aiming to reduce, or even eliminate, what you contribute to the garbage landfills. The population in America currently makes up about 5% of the word’s total population, but somehow we account for 30% of the world’s garbage. In fact, everyday in the U.S. we produce enough trash to equal the weight of the Empire State Building! Why is this a problem? Because landfills are consuming so much of our land and are releasing toxins into our soil as well as emitting greenhouse gases.
So what a novel idea to just eliminate garbage altogether by using recyclables, composting, and bulk shopping! Well…it’s not exactly that easy. In fact, if you’re trying to adapt a zero waste lifestyle overnight, good luck because it’s most likely going to be a lot harder than you think. I tried to go cold turkey myself and couldn’t believe how many items I toss in the trash can without a second thought.
So I put together a little beginner’s guide to offer some tips to anyone who is interested in a zero waste lifestyle 🙂
Don’t complete an overnight household overhaul
Although it might be tempting to trade out your old plastic kitchenware for new shiny glass jars and canvas grocery totes, the whole point of zero waste is to not contribute to the landfills. Use what you have for as long as it lasts, and start incorporating new reusable products. Also, maybe just start room by room so that it’s not a huge lifestyle shock. With any good habit, you have to start somewhere, but sometimes it’s important to start out slow to ensure that you’re learning the correct techniques.
Eliminate the need for disposable products
Ask for no straw when you’re at a restaurant.
Pack your own lunch.
Buy silverware from a local thrift shop to use in your lunchbox.
Cut up old sheets or shirts to use as handkerchiefs and napkins.
Use reusable grocery and produce bags. If you forget them in your car…go out and get them! You won’t make that mistake again.
Don’t buy plastic water bottles…use your own reusable water bottle.
Bring your reusable coffee mug to the coffee shop and ask them to use it instead.
Buy food with minimal packaging, and buy in bulk when possible to eliminate packaging altogether.
Use bar soap instead of liquid soap
Go paperless for all your bills and eliminate junk mail by going to dmachoice.org.
These are just a few ideas to get you started on eliminating the common disposable products in your everyday life 🙂
Start composting
Because paper and plastic are recyclable products, a lot of what we put in the trash can are perishables. Most people don’t even realize how many foods can be composted instead of thrown out. These days, you technically don’t need a spot on your land dedicated to your compost pile, there are plenty of indoor compost bins to look into. I think I will dedicate a separate blog post that goes deeper into composting, but here are a few common perishable items that are compostable:
Fruit and vegetable peelings (raw or cooked)
Tea bags
Coffee grounds
Pasta and breads
Dried fibrous materials such as empty toilet paper rolls
Avoid using citrusy fruits, cat or dog drippings, plant seeds, and of course animal products.
Some of my favorite zero waste products 🙂
The Wild Minimalist offers so many awesome zero waste items! I just love everything they have on their site. There are also plenty of cool DIY ideas out there for zero waste products.
Small Mesh Produce Bags
Glass Bottles
Zero Waste Starer Lunch Kit
Market Basket
Glass Jars
Stainless Steel Straws
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