I have seen so many “zero waste” posts lately and I got to wondering how the heck are all of these people producing no waste?? Guess what? Most of them are still producing some waste. The better term for this movement would be reduced waste or minimal waste. The more I searched into this movement the more interested I became. I decided this could be something Evin and I could slowly achieve ourselves.
First things first zero waste is an ideal. It is almost impossible to produce no waste ever. The most important thing is to realize what items you use and to find ways to reduce that waste. Almost everything is sold in packaging, so its important to just be aware of what the packaging is made of. Lots of glass bottles can be reused and lots of metal and paper based packaging can be recycled. The main goal is slowly incorporating these ideals into your lifestyle because it’s totally impossible to wake up tomorrow and become low waste.
I want to include you guys on this new journey and give you some ideas to reduce your waste! Its super easy things to start out with and you would be surprised how much of an impact it can have!
Ten Easy Ways to Reduce Waste:
- Buy in bulk! When you buy a larger amount it reduces your waste because instead of buying 5 packages you only purchase one. The best thing is to bring your own jars if possible.
- Bring your own bags! I know we all have reusable bags from Marshalls and Publix. Start keeping some in your car so you don’t have to use plastic bags. The plastic bags I have accumulated are being donated to a local thrift shop so they can be reused.
- Have reusable straws and cutlery. I plan to keep these in my purse when eating out to reduce the amount of plastic items I consume.
- Buy things secondhand. I know for some people this is really hard. But, honestly it even saves money! I just purchased a set of plates from target second hand (like an hour before I wrote this). It was a set of four and I only payed $3! Crazy. This will keep more items out of landfill and reduce the amount of packaging you consume.
- Use “unpaper towels” or cloths instead of actual paper towels. Etsy has so many cute unpaper towels if you would rather not make your own cloths from scraps. Seriously go look them up. So freaking cute.
- Use bees paper instead of cling wrap. This can be washed, reused, and they have so many cute prints!
- Buying products locally reduces waste. These items don’t have to be shipped long distances and usually come with less packing involved. So go explore and check out your local farmers markets and artisan festivals.
- Have a reusable water bottle. Metal and glass ones are more sustainable, but use what you already have.
- Be intentional with what you buy. This one is gonna be hard for me. Sure we should treat ourselves sometimes, but try to avoid buying a trinket every time you have a bad day. Just think about your impact and if this item is something you have a need/ use for.
- The last is the most important. USE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE! I know that seems like common sense, but you don’t need lots of fancy things to reduce your waste. Use what you have currently, then when you run out you can find a better more sustainable option. I have even been saving left over glass jars for buying in bulk.
This seems like so much and I was overwhelmed to begin with. However, swapping out a few things at a time can really have a big impact.
Here are my First Steps:
- Silicone straw and reusable cutlery
- Buying some items in bulk with my own jars
- Bringing reusable bags to stores
- Using reusable mop pads (instead of the Swiffer ones)
- Using glass containers with concentrates for cleaning products
- Bamboo toothbrushes (when ours wear out next month).
Let me know if you have any more ideas that I missed. I hope this inspires some of you and shows you that it is easier than it seems. Being “zero waste” seems unattainable and outlandish, but just making a few changes to reduce your impact can really go a long way! Here is a great youtube channel to check out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM6cN45p-QTDRwVPVPRpfYQ. She is honest and shows you easy ways you can reduce your impact on the environment.
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The FashionABLE Milso 