Zero-waste lifestyle: All the essentials
By now you've known two things about me: I'm vegetarian (and 99% vegan), and I love animals. The thing about caring for other beings is that you can never stop growing and learning. One day I decided to stop supporting animal cruelty in any practical form (circus, fashion, beauty, etc), the next day I ditched animals from my diet. Then after a while I knew I had to do something to minimise the damage I created on Earth. That's how I first came across zero-waste lifestyle.
What is zero waste?
According to Zero Waste International Alliance, zero waste is the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of all products, packaging, and materials, without burning them, and without discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.
To put it simply, by living zero waste, people are trying not to throw away things mindlessly, to buy less, and be more responsible for the waste they create. It's all about living ethically to ensure that the Earth can still be a decent place to live for many more centuries to come.
Why zero waste?
Thousands of things are disposed irresponsibly as a result of human activities. People consume water from disposable plastic bottles, buy snacks in plastic packaging, use plastic straws for drinks, and make so many other seemingly mundane purchases that we are not even aware of, all of which come with single-use containers. Every trash ends up either in landfills, where the trash will just pile up (some are burnt and create more greenhouse gases) and endanger the people around it (see: garbage landslide), or even worse, this trash ends up polluting the ocean, ruining animals, marine life, and our ecosystem. Ironically, the problem of overflowing waste is unique to modern time as people innovate and strive for practicality in life. We wanted strong packaging to hold our things, so we created durable plastic that wouldn't decay for hundred of years. Plastic is a wonderful innovation, but it is also very deadly. Plastic can't be recycled easily without quality degradation. It can't simply disappear just because we put it in trash cans. But do we care? Most people don't.
However, waste problem is created not only by plastic but also other things like food, clothes, electronics, and almost everything we use in a daily basis. We are conditioned to consume more, even when we don't need any new things. We're so used to buying things, and throwing away objects that no longer hold our interest, and we couldn't care less about where our waste ends up in. The situation is made worse by giant corporations that exploit human's nature and drive people to be more consumptive and materialistic. Sad, really, how these days we measure happiness and success by the things we own and buy. In the end, the dire consequences are inescapable.
Our own selfish and mindless actions have driven the earth to be what it is right now: full of uncertainties and dangers. We have climate change, animal extinction, land degradation, and hundred other issues unresolved.
Now only questions are left: What kind of world do we want to pass down to the future generations? How many more years do we have before we drive even our own race to extinction? Are we that hopeless? Can we do something about it? Will YOU do something?
Surprisingly (or not surprisingly), all the afore-mentioned problems can actually be resolved by living consciously. That's what zero-waste lifestyle is trying to teach us. We can't have literally ZERO waste, but we can definitely MINIMISE it. Remember, we're not striving for perfection.
How to start zero-waste?
Zero waste life doesn't have to be complicated, and we can start anytime and anywhere. It doesn't have to happen overnight, too. Consistency is key.
First and foremost, we have to be ready to get out of our comfort zone and change our perspectives. We have to admit that HUMANS like us are at the core of the problems and we must be willing to change. This change might cause inconvenience at first, but there is no easy way out. We need to change.
Now on to the practical steps.
1. Refuse and avoid single-use packaging whenever possible
Bring your own bottle everywhere. Find refill stations in your cities in case you run out of water. Apps like 'Refill My Bottle' helps tremendously.
Refuse plastic straws. Drink directly from the cup/glass/bottle, or bring your own reusable straw (stainless straws, bamboo straws, glass straws, etc).
When going to coffee shops, bubble tea shops, or the like, ask the servers to put the drink in a glass or your own bottle.
Want to order a take out? Plan ahead. If you can, visit the restaurants directly instead of calling for delivery. That way, you can bring your own containers to put the food in. If the restaurants don't let you use your own containers, place your order as dine-in, and move the food yourself.
Bring your own reusable cutleries everywhere just in case you eat in places that use single-use cutleries. Don't take those disposable cutleries!
2. Shop for groceries in bulk stores
These days, almost everything is packaged in plastic, but there are places that still let you buy in bulk. Go to those places. Traditional markets are great options. There are also zero-waste shops that sell many spices, legumes, rice, fruits, vegetables, and many other basic ingredients for food.
Shopping in bulk means you have to prepare empty containers before hand. It might look like a lot of work, but it also keeps you away from mindless or impulse purchases since you can only buy things you've planned for before.
3. When it comes to beauty and hygiene, find eco-friendlier alternatives
Replace liquid shampoos and soaps that normally come in plastic containers with bar soaps and shampoo bars. Swap plastic toothbrush with compostable bamboo toothbrushes, cotton pads with reusable ones, tampons with menstruation cups, tissues with handkerchiefs.
If you want to take things to the next level, make your own products. There are many recipes for natural home-made soaps, detergents, and cleansing agents on the Internet.
4. Fix and reuse
You don't have to buy fancy silicone bags for your fresh produce to start a zero-waste life. Most of the time, the best thing you can do is using what you already have. Find time to look at your house and see which ones you can upcycle or reuse. After all, zero waste lifestyle is about mindfulness and minimalism. Buying fancy zero-waste kits you see online is totally the opposite of zero-waste lifestyle.
5. Make responsible purchases
Try not to buy new clothes unless you really need them. Go to thrift stores and buy second hand if possible. Rent or swap clothes. If you have to buy new things, make sure to shop locally and ethically whenever possible.
6. Manage your domestic waste wisely
The truth is, we will always produce waste. But there are ways to manage it. Separate your trash, and bring anything that can be recycled to your local recycling centres. Make compost out of your organic waste. What we want is to have as few things as possible ending up in landfills.
7. Find support through local communities
Almost every country has environmental organizations, or zero-waste groups. Follow them to get more knowledge and know-how. Join their talk shows or seminars. Get information online.
8. Don't give up
Last but not least, don't give up and be consistent. Do whatever you can within your own means.
So, will you try to reduce your waste today?
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