How to Embrace a Zero Waste Lifestyle

How to embrace the zero-waste lifestyle

Zero-waste is a journey. A journey which is not always easy, but with a little effort, so worthwhile.

It is becoming one of the biggest lifestyle trends of our century and for good reason. We need to protect this planet, it’s the only planet that can sustain human life. So for the meantime, there is no planet B.

The zero-waste movement aims to combat the impact that humans have on this planet by reducing our consumption habits, maximising recycling and avoiding creating waste in the first place.

Habits, they’re a tough one to break. Unless you are consciously aware of what you are doing, it’s so easy to grab a plastic produce bag and place a few bananas in it, but why is it so hard to just put the bananas straight into your trolley? Bananas are an amazing fruit, not only are they full of essential vitamins and minerals, they come with their own natural peel off packaging! My anxiety levels always soar seeing single bananas packaged in individual plastic packaging that will annoyingly be put into yet ANOTHER plastic bag at the checkout.

Small steps are better than no steps and next time you make a purchase, think about the waste you may be creating or contributing towards. Simple swaps such as bringing your own reusable produce bags, using stainless steel straws and packing your lunch instead of buying takeaway, are all small steps in the right direction. It shouldn’t be too long before these actions turn into new habits and you’ll start wondering why you EVER needed to put bananas into a plastic bag.

When making a purchase I always ask myself, do I “need” this or do I simply “want” this? When you ask yourself these questions, it puts most purchases into perspective.

You can also start thinking about single-use alternatives, such as purchasing a stainless-steel bottle or takeaway coffee/teacup as opposed to a plastic version. Stainless steel does not harbour odours, durable and can be infinitely recycled. Only certain plastics are recyclable and not every council has the facilities to handle them. It’s best to check what type of plastic you are buying so that should it come to its end-of-life, at least it can be recycled into something else.

Here are some helpful tips that have helped me, on moving toward living a more zero-waste life.

At home

• Shop your pantry and create a meal plan based on the items you already have in your fridge and pantry. Write down all the meals that you can make with what you already have. If you are missing an ingredient or two for a particular recipe, pop that item on your shopping list.
• Buy in season – not only will this save you money as they are cheaper, often in-season vegetables are the freshest and tastiest.
• Re-use your empty glass jars. Glass is a favourite of mine. It doesn’t harbour odours, easy to clean, it’s see-through and can be endlessly recycled without loss in quality or purity.

At work

• Bring your own lunch in reusable containers, cloth napkins, beeswax/vegan wraps or even in a glass jar. Once you get in the habit, it’s not hard to cook a little extra the night before to allow for left-overs for work lunches the next day.
• Avoid buying coffee in takeaway cups. Bring your own reusable mug or go a little earlier and sit in the café to enjoy the coffee from a ceramic mug.
• If you have to print, print double-sided and keep a paper recycling bin next to/under your desk. It’s astounding the amount of paper each office goes through and to help reduce paper waste, think twice before you print and re-use the paper as much as you can after it's been printed.

When travelling

• Pack light. The heavier the plane, the more fuel it will need to use, emitting more carbon dioxide into the air. Depending on where you are heading, you can often be totally fine with a single carry-on overnight bag and another personal item such as a handbag or laptop bag. I have often travelled for up to 14 days without having to bring a suitcase. Before your trip, research the weather conditions, what events/plans you have scheduled and write down each day of your holiday and plan your outfits day-by-day. Choose clothing that can be worn in many different ways, such as a top that will go with a skirt and jeans, this will optimise the number of outfits, yet keep your packing list to a minimum. Less-packing and un-packing in my book is a win-win.
• To further save space, wear your bulkiest items on the plane such as a hoodie or coat. It’s always chilly in the airline cabin anyway, so layering up will help keep you warm.
• Bring a flannel/cotton face washer for washing your face on long-haul flights instead of single-use makeup remover wipes or alternatively use these bamboo/cotton re-usable wipes.
• Bring a reusable water bottle, coffee/teacup, snack containers and cutlery. Raising my anxiety levels yet again is having takeaway in South-east Asian countries. You’ll most likely end up with layers upon layers of plastic packaging and plastic cutlery. I prefer to bring my own light cotton string bag and my own re-usable stainless-steel straw and cutlery. It’s such a good feeling to say no to plastic bags and you are also educating the shop owner that plastic is not always necessary.

 These are just a few ideas to get you started. Remember, going zero-waste is a journey and every little step towards reducing waste is better than not starting at all! 

Have you any zero-waste tips that you would like to share? We would love to hear about them!

Photos by cottonbro