The whole idea behind zero waste is to send as little to landfill as possible. Most of us live in a "use once and toss" society so creating trash has become extremely normal for us. Although most of these single use items are relatively new. As a whole we are creating far more trash than we ever have before. As someone who cares about the environment, and worries for the planet's future, the more I can do to minimize my footprint, the better. With that said, here are a few of the small things I do (and that you can do too) in an attempt to create less waste!
1. Take your own cup to the coffee (or smoothie, tea, etc.) shop with you. I like to bring a mason jar for cold drinks, and a thermos for hot. Most places offer a small discount when you have your own container as well. Single use cups are terrible for the environment. I always keep reusable ones in my car.
2. Take reusable bags to the store with you. This means shopping bags, bulk bags, and produce bags. I bought my shopping bags at the checkout counter of my local grocery store for 88 cents a piece. The produce and bulk bags that I purchased can be found at www.ecobags.com. If you go to the store prepared, there is no need to create waste! Also look for produce that is not packaged, and buy your cereals, beans, pasta, nuts, etc. in bulk! The less packaging the better.
3. Make your own products (or buy products in glass containers) instead of buying plastic bottles. I've started with shampoo and conditioner. I use baking soda and water to wash my hair, and vinegar and water as a conditioning rinse. So far I've seen no difference, it seems to work just as well as my expensive "natural" hair products I was buying before. You can also make your own cleaning products, deodorant, moisturizer, toothpaste, and more. Google is your friend.
4. Pack your lunch in reusable snack bags. The ones I bought are called lunchskins. For a while I was using a new ziplock bag for the sandwiches, chips, and other things that I brought to work with me. What a waste! Now I can use a lunchskin, toss it in the dishwasher, and use it again. Love that.
5. Recycle and compost! This probably goes without saying (or maybe only in Oregon) but always recycle and compost when possible. Recycling is second nature for me but I know tons of people who throw all of their recycling in the trash, and it actually hurts my soul. It's easy to think that everything we throw in the trash just disappears, but it doesn't. It goes to landfill and sits there for years and years. Eventually we're going to run out of space on this planet. Recycle and compost! Please, please, please.
6. Rethink how you eat out. I work across the way from a food cart pod, so I take a lot of my food to go. I always keep a fork and spoon in my car so that I don't need to take the plastic ones they offer. Thankfully the to go containers I'm given are recyclable, but some places may not have these. If you're going out to a restaurant, bringing your own tupperware for your leftovers is an option. Also, say no to plastic straws. It won't kill you to drink straight from the glass!
7. Just be mindful. Now that I'm in this zero waste mindset, it really amazes me how easy it is to create trash without even thinking about it. When I'm focused on creating less trash, I make better decisions, and I feel good at the end of the day. Always be thinking of ways to reduce your waste, and you can't go wrong!
