If you are curious about the zero-waste lifestyle, want to try it out and don’t know where to start, don’t worry, we gotcha. Simply put, a zero-waste lifestyle aims to eliminate a significant amount of trash we produce every day, ultimately reducing all the waste that ends up in landfills – which contributes to climate change. This results in living a much healthier, sustainable life, while also managing to save a few bucks and reducing our own ecological footprint. The primary way through which we can achieve this is remembering the 4 R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Reject and Recycle.
Of course, this shift is not an overnight process, but baby steps matter. So, here is a list of things you can try out to start your journey towards zero-waste living.
Eliminate Single-Use Items
The first step towards zero-waste living is eliminating plastic and other single use items. We know, plastic is all around us, but that is the point. If you observe the trash you generate in a day, most of it consists of plastic and single use items such as wrappers, plastic bottles, paper napkins, etc. Instead, replace these items with reusable alternatives such as cloth bags, your own wooden cutlery, metal straws, glass or metal water bottles,keep cups, lunch boxes and so on.
Reject
When you start using your own sustainable, reusable carriers, dishes and tumblers, you will be able to reject plastic to-go food boxes, unhealthy toxic styrofoam, plastic shopping bags and other single-use items. You could also try to shop from a zero-waste or eco-shop that lets you bring your own containers that you can weigh, fill and pay. Whenever you are about to buy something, stop and think if you will be needing it much or not. Shopping consciously will eliminate extra waste that you could be potentially generating for the future.
Recycle
You do not have to buy new items to adopt a zero-waste lifestyle. Instead, have a look around the house, reuse and recycle all that you can. Metal, aluminum, glass containers can be used to store things like dry foods, glass jars for wet items, old bed sheets for a new tote and so on.
Buy in Bulk
If you buy things in small quantities, the waste you generate when you throw their packaging out increases significantly. Instead, you can try and buy in bulk. A lot of food stores and markets sell items such as cereals, dry fruits, rice, beans on bulk; and some even let you refill your jars of shampoo or soap. Some markets also don’t mind if you bring your own bags. It is easy on the pocket since they usually offer discounts for bulk buying.
Compost
Composting is a great way to reduce food waste. Try and find an indoor composting system and use that to compost tea bags, unbleached paper, food waste, coffee grounds, eggshells, etc.
Connect
Reach out to zero-waste lifestyle communities online or in your vicinity to increase your knowledge about this movement. Find new ways to reduce waste and gain support for this new journey.
Once you have successfully adopted these habits, you could move on to having a zero-waste bathroom, making your own zero-waste products, eventually reducing daily waste so much that a month’s waste could fit in a small jar!
It really does not matter if you are not able to make these changes immediately. All small efforts count and hold the potential to bring remarkable changes.
And if you are someone who is already following a zero-waste lifestyle, please share your tips and tricks below!
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