Reuse
Use items that may be repurposed on a continual basis. Lauren shops with reusable cloth bags. All her food is contained in reusable glass jars. Lauren goes the extra mile to avoid plastic, which may as well be the Antichrist of the zero waste lifestyle. Her clothes are all bought second-hand.
Reduce
Make a conscious effort to reduce waste you produce. This includes a home which is clutter free and each item which takes space has a specific purpose.
Recycle
Lauren recycles any and every item that may be recycled. Through this challenge, I've learned glass can be recycled indefinitely. The recycling process can be contaminated if you are not familiar with what is accepted in your area. Avoid waste by recycling items which will be accepted by your local facility.
Refuse
Simply put, refuse to allow trash to enter your home. Lauren is able to avoid trash by carrying her own water bottle and to-go containers. She uses reusable bags for purchases to avoid plastic bags. The author, Bea Johnson, considers this to be the first and most important principle. If she can stop waste from entering her home by refusing to accept it, her home then becomes virtually waste free.
Rot
Lauren has the luxury of composting all vegetable waste. She lives in New York where there is a drop site for vegetable waste to be composted and reused for surrounding farmers.
I was quite taken aback by this way of living. The next day I decided to make myself aware of how much I would throw away in one day. It was not a pretty sight. I had opened the trash can eight times before I left the house in the morning for work. Work involved more waste: my styrofoam coffee cup, plastic utensils, paper plates, paper napkins.
Living in America affords us the beauty of trash service. I put the trash in the trashcan and a magical truck picks it up every week and it will be gone from my view forever. The unfortunate aspect of our perspective involves our lack of perspective. We continue to create trash at alarming rates and it does in fact go SOMEWHERE. I assumed because I was using a cloth bag for most of my groceries and recycling that I was not wasteful. I am always talking to patients about stress and being overwhelmed with their lives. I believe the amount of stuff with which we surround ourselves also takes up our valuable time. If I am able to reduce my environment to a simpler way, then I have more time for the things I enjoy.
I set out to make some immediate changes to my regimen: water cup from home, a fork for lunch, and adding more reusable bags to my grocery runs. But of course I wasn't going to put a toe in the water. Soon enough I had ordered reusable dish sponges, microfiber towels to replace paper towels, and wool dryer balls in place of dryer sheets. I made a conscious effort to avoid packaging at the grocery store. This immediately stops the inflow of junk food as you are limited to fresh produce, meat, dairy, and the bulk aisle. Surprisingly, our new shopping had not affected the weekly grocery budget. It had significantly increased the variety of our food. I wouldn't plan meals ahead of time because I never knew what would lack packaging in the produce aisle. Apples went in a pile on the conveyor belt instead of a plastic produce bag. Milk bottles were returned the next week with the weekly grocery run (a local dairy packages in a reusable glass bottle which requires a $3 deposit that is paid back with return of the bottle).
Trash day came and I peeked into the Herbie. One trash bag to be thrown out. I had cut our waste by 66%.
Zero waste certainly takes a hefty commitment. I can safely commit to minimizing waste, which really requires minimal effort on my part. I love not having to plan meals ahead of time. If I am void of options, I swing by the ready made food for ideas. I worry about one week at a time, which will cut down on the amount of food that is thrown out due to spoilage.
If you would like to make changes, here are a few suggestions with links.
1. Toilet Brush
2. Grocery Bag
6. Water Bottle
I should also mention I changed many of our cleaning supplies several months ago. I am still trying new methods to clean, but I was fed up with how much store bought items cost and I wanted to use more environmentally friendly items.
White Vinegar is dirt cheap. It is also extremely effective for cleaning. I use water mixed with white vinegar in a 50/50 ratio in a spray bottle for all purpose cleaner and window cleaner. The smell of vinegar is gone once it dries. Hydrogen peroxide can be used when disinfecting is required. Dr. Bronner's castile soap is a multi-purpose soap that does not harm our water supply. I use it to refill the foaming hand soap in a ratio of 1:4 soap to water. It also makes a great dog wash! Why does our cleaning equipment need to wipe out 99% of bacteria. Bacteria are everywhere and a good balance of bacteria is required to keep us healthy. More research is needed to determine whether household cleaners will lead towards bacteria resistant to disinfection. The most effective cleaning method still remains to be FRICTION. Yes, friction is considered to be the most important part of hand-washing, not anti-bacterial soap. (I still use soap people....the earth friendly kind ;)
What are your wasteful habits? What have you done to reduce waste or made more environmentally friendly?
