I’m going to preface this by saying I am far, far away from zero waste. I’m not sure that I will even get close. But I’ve continued to be more conscious about how to reduce waste in a way that works for me now, because as I am learning, it’s a practice, like many things.
You may already be applying these pro-tips on the regular (reusable water bottle, maybe!?) so I hope you’ll find these helpful. Below are some things I’ve been practicing in real life:
- Carrying reusable items: I try to have with me at all times, the following:
-a 24oz reusable water bottle; I carry this so much that it annoys my husband when I ask him to “hold this for a second.” I added a carbineer to the lid so I can attach it my tote without worrying about spillage. It also encourages me to drink more water. I have a 16oz one for coffee as well.
–reusable utensils + straws; Restaurants in Portland are using straws less. I still like straws for cocktails sometimes. If I’m on the run and taking food to go, I’ll use my own utensils. All of this is fairly lightweight, so it’s not a big deal to carry it. I am looking into getting some of these as well.
-reusable grocery bags. We have LOTS of them. I carry a compact version in my bag.
- Kitchen Things:
–Stretch lids for containers; We use them for opened metal cans, bowls without lids, etc.
-Reusable food wrap; Got half an onion or lemon to save? Wrap it! We also use paper snack + sandwich bags as another alternative to plastic wrap.
- Other Things:
-Imperfect Produce: I love this service. While I can’t always get everything I need, this is a great way to save produce that would otherwise be thrown away. It also encourages us to cook at home more.
–COMPOSTING (and recycling!) They’re both relatively easy things to do and I predict it will become part of our daily routines.
- Other Things we’re working on:
-Groceries; alongside using reusable bags, we found a cute little co-op where we can buy in bulk (food and non-food items, like shampoo). We still need to accomplish one full shopping trip there.
-Homemade cleaning and beauty products; I’ve made natural deodorizing spray that I am happy with. I use shaving bar soap and not shaving cream. Once we’re out of toothpaste, I’m willing to make some to see how we (my husband gets a say, of course) like it.
This almost feels like I’m bragging about how I am saving the environment. I’m none the wiser and it doesn’t make me better than anyone else. But I am taking part of the change in our environment as we continue to consume more and more as years go by.
This post is inspired by a good friend of mine wrote a helpful blog on her zero waste effort, which includes environmental facts we’re currently facing. Here’s a recent TED radio hour podcast on circular economics.
Happy Zero-Wasting!