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It is not impossible to withdraw from contributing to waste generation. Zero waste as a philosophy is catching up and it involves redesigning reducing, reusing and recycling resources to minimise trash. Bea Johnson, a Zero Waste Lifestyle Leader- Speaker – Blogger, and author of ‘Zero Waste Home – Auteure de Zéro Déchet’ has successfully made her household zero waste.[/box]
Zero waste seems difficult simply because our civilization is so set in consumerism that one cannot imagine living otherwise. There is also a lot of misunderstanding about wastefree living – people tend to think that it costs more and takes more time. My vocation today is to shatter these misconceptions.
I once urged my husband to compare bank statements from 2005 (pre Zero Waste life) with 2010 (when we had already adopted Zero Waste as a lifestyle). He found out that we were saving 40% on annual household costs by living this way.
Voluntary simplicity has changed our daily routine, as even cleaning the house only takes a few minutes each day. It makes our housework and professional work much more efficient.
Simple Actions
What my family does to generate only a one quart size jar of trash per year is not that complicated. We simply follow a set of `5 in order, and so can you if you are looking to reduce your waste.
- Refuse what we do not need (for eg., single use plastics, junk mail and freebies)
- Reduce what we do need (furnishings, clothes)
- Reuse by buying second-hand and swapping disposables for reuse (that includes shopping with reusable material such as cloth bags, jars and bottles)
- Recycle what we cannot refuse, reduce or reuse
- Rot (compost) the rest (fruit peels, lint, hair or floor sweepings).
The most important thing one can do to stop waste and clutter from entering their home is to simply say no! Think before accepting something that is handed out to you. Turn down flyers, freebies, party favours, business cards, single use plastics (such as plastic bags), and fight junk mail. They are a waste of resources and once they are brought into our home, they add to the clutter and require effort to dispose them later.
Going zero waste
It is downsizing that triggered our rethinking. Our transformation was not overnight, but rather gradual. It took two years for us to go from living in a large home to choosing a more environmental-friendly way of living. It also required finding a system that works for us, which meant researching, testing, and then adopting waste-free alternatives.
Our biggest challenge was finding balance, figuring out what works for us and what does not. Since 2009, we found that for Zero Waste to be sustainable in a household, one has to adopt alternatives that fits his/her schedule and are feasible in the long run!
Be a leader
Since 2009, my family’s zero waste lifestyle has inspired thousands throughout the world to follow our lead. It really is humbling! We never expected to start such a movement.
Bea’s Tips for Zero Waste
Kitchen
- Use alternatives to disposables such as reusable rags
- Compost kitchen waste
Bathroom
- Use an alum stone or straight baking soda as antiperspirant.
- For shaving, (re)use a safety razor
- To exfoliate, use bulk baking soda. For a mask, use bulk clays (French, Kaolin, Bentonite, etc…), mixed with water or apple cider vinegar.
- Reduce your cosmetics and instead use homemade substitutes.
- In lieu of disposable feminine products, invest in menstrual cup and reusable liners
- For your nails, use a nail clipper, stainless steel file and homemade balm for moisture and shine
- Earbuds are best avoided
- Hair and nail clippings can also be composted
Cleaning
- Use a metal scrubber on stainless, a wooden brush for light scrubbing, old toothbrush for hard to reach places and rags for everything else
- Use rags on your un-washable messes (wax / auto grease / glue / caulk)
- Let houseplants absorb toxins and clean your air. Open a window instead of plugging in an air freshener
- Laundry washing once a week saves time and dryer energy costs
- Iron fewer things and use a homemade starch in a stainless spray bottle
Dining and Entertaining
- Use ceramic dishes and cloth napkins at all times.
- Avoid the use of serving platters / dishes: When serving straight onto dinner plates, it simplifies,saves water from extra cleaning, and it allows for a plate presentation.
- Find creative ways to decorate your table with few napkin folding tricks, discarded leaves /branches from the yard, or just seasonal fruit…
- Stop buying CD and DVD’s – download music and videos online.
- Educate your friends about your zero waste efforts (so they don’t bring waste into your home)
Office
Refuse, and therefore help stop the madness of the free-pen / free-pencil give-aways - Use refillable pens, piston fountain pens, mechanical pencils, refillable white board markers and donate extra office material (paper, pencils) to your need schools
- Start your personal junk mail war, cancel your phone directories, and sign up for electronic bills and statements
- Reuse single-side printed paper for printing or making notepads held by a metal clip, reuse junkmail response envelopes and when buying new paper, choose recycled and packaged in paper
- Ditch the trash can, strive to use your compost and recycling bins exclusively.
- Reuse paper clips instead of staples
- Use your library to read business magazines and books, sell your books or donate them to your library for other people to enjoy
- Use memory sticks and external drives instead of CDs
Closet
- Stick to minimal wardrobes, shoes and purses.
- Only shop a couple times a year to avoid compulsive buys.
- Buy second-hand clothing
- If you must buy new, buy quality with minimal tags (leave the shoe box at the store).
- Be ruthless on fit, if it fits well, you’re most likely to wear it.
- Bring a reusable bag for your purchases.
- Donate unworn pieces.
- Keep some of your worn-out clothes for rags and label the rest as “rags” for Goodwill to recycle.
- Learn of few sewing tricks (like shortening a hem or darning).
- You can also… take it to the tailor for a better fit so you’ll actually wear it, and keep a handkerchief in your purse / bag…
Medication
- Keep only a minimal supply, so you can see what you have.
- You can also… reconsider your true need for vitamins (as opposed to a healthy varied diet) and use sunscreen moderately (you don’t want skin cancer or vitamin D deficiency)…