Better late than never, I apologize for being MIA for most of the summer. From a very busy work contract to a huge family reunion/vacation, I totally fell off the blogging bandwagon but, I’m back with a new challenge for September (Stay tuned) and a post for you about my Zero-Waste June.
This challenge was one that I have been excited about doing since I started this whole monthly challenge and blogging journey. It was the most difficult and rewarding one yet! I am happy to say that a lot of the habits that I built from this experience have stayed with me.
I first started to learn about this movement when I saw a Ted Talk by Lauren Singer (now the owner of the package free shop in New York). I will link the video below in the resource section. Which then spiraled into a huge Youtube binge on the subject which led me to Bea Johnson’s many lectures on the subject. I was hooked on the concept and wanted to join in right away. I could spend hours explaining all of the waste issues in our world and why you should also join this movement but first, I will just share my experience with living a month of Zero-Waste.
Concept: Use the “5 R’s of Zero-Waste” to reduce my waste by as little as possible:
Refuse – Unnecessary & wasteful items like plastic bags, straws or packaging whenever possible.
Reduce – Limit your consumption of products and over-purchasing. Only buy what you really need.
Reuse – Items like jars and bags instead of throwing them out after one use. You can get pretty creative with this one.
Recycle – While the recycling system isn’t perfect and plastics only down-cycle, items like glass and metals can still be recycled which is a better option than them ending up in the landfill.
Rot – Compostable items like food scraps and natural fibers can actually benefit the environment by turning into nutrient-rich soil for gardens and plants. * Just be sure to note that Biodegradable isn’t the same as compostable. While it will eventually disintegrate, it doesn’t have to have a specific timeline to be labeled as biodegradable so it may still be in a landfill for a couple of years before it breaks down.
Essentials and Tips:
Kitchen/ Grocery / Eating out: I have always used canvas bags to do my grocery shopping but I invested in some cotton and mesh produce bags to buy veggies and bulk foods like nuts, oats, and pasta instead of using the little plastic ones all over the store. I use mason jars also to buy and store bulk items like flour, pasta, maple syrup and seeds. Glass and stainless steel Tupperware and Tiffins are great for storing leftovers, packing lunches and bringing with you for takeout or leftovers after a meal out. Plus, packing food in a glass container is so convenient for re-heating in either an oven or microwave. I pack a small bamboo spork (spoon-fork) in my purse too just in case I need some cutlery and the only options are disposable. I always make sure to have a few canvas bags, a container, a water bottle and a travel coffee mug in the trunk of my car just in case I decide to go shopping or out for coffee spur of the moment. This has come in handy an unimaginable amount of times. I think Zero-Waste and Girl Scouts have the same motto “BE PREPARED”!
Bathroom/ Cosmetics: This category is definitely way harder than I had anticipated. Have you ever bought cosmetics that aren’t in plastic? It’s nearly impossible. While most die-hard zero-wasters make their own makeup or just skip the makeup altogether, I just did my best to find glass or cardboard packaging whenever I could. I don’t believe that throwing out all of my currently owned cosmetics is conducive to this movement so I did end up still using plastic packaged makeup but here are a few items that I have switched to, to reduce my waste:
- Makeup remover cloths instead of disposable wipes
- Facial oils instead of moisturizers
- Cream Deodorant
- Bamboo Toothbrush
- Tooth Tabs or Toothpaste in a jar
- Shampoo, Conditioner, soap and shave cream in bars instead of liquid (you can also find bulk liquid options at places like Bulk Barn and Unwrapped Life)
- Safety Razor or Sugaring instead of Shaving with plastic razors or waxing
- Exfoliating Loofah
- Diva Cup instead of tampons and pads
- Makeup from brands that have a recycling program or recyclable packaging (Lush, MAC, Physicians Formula bronzer, Cargo, and RMS Beauty to name a few)
- DIY makeup (I will link a few bloggers below that have tutorials on DIY options) – find my DIY lip balm recipe here.
Cleaning swaps:
- Washable cloths instead of paper towels
- Laundry Balls or Soap Nuts instead of detergents
- Wool Laundry Balls instead of Dryer Sheets
- Bulk Dishsoap (Bulk Barn and Unwrapped Life both sell this)
- Vinegar and water (with optional essential oils) to clean surfaces
- Washable duster
- Compostable Dish Scrubber and Walnut sponge
Clothing:
I hadn’t even thought about how buying clothing impacted the world so much. I made sure to shop only second hand and tried to limit my consumption as much as I could. Watch – The True Cost – Documentary if you want to learn more about this topic.
Where to shop:
– Bulk section of your grocery store
– Local Grocers
–Community Natural Foods/ Health-food store
– Farmers Market
– Lush (for Bars or Recyclable packaging through their program)
– Thrift shops/ Consignment
Resources:
Bloggers/Youtubers/ Instagramers – There are so many! Here are just a few of my favourites: Trash is for Tossers (Lauren Singer), The Zero Waste Home (Bea Johnson), Eco-Boost (Kate Arnell), The Girl Gone Green (Manuela Baron), Sustainably Vegan, Zero Waste Daniel, Wastelandrebel, My Green Closet, and so many more.
Books – The ZeroWaste Home by Bea Johnson, The Zero Waste Solution by Paul Connett (a little dry and outdated but a lot of information about how we deal with waste in our society), My Zero Waste Kitchen by Kate Arnell.
Films – Global Waste: The Scandal of Food Waste, True Cost, Plastic Paradise, Trashed, Mission Blue.
Websites – www.zerowastecanada.ca, www.goingzerowaste.com, www.zerowastehome.com, www.trashisfortossers.com.
Conclusion:
I wish that this movement wasn’t called ZERO-waste because it is nearly impossible to be entirely free of any waste. Whether it is compost or production waste before you buy your veggies at the market, there is always going to be waste. The thing I took away from this challenge was that awareness is the most important thing and making small, easy changes to your everyday life as simple as not using disposable items like plastic cups and cutlery, can make a huge impact. I am very proud that I was able to inspire quite a few friends and strangers to bring their own mug to the coffee shop or to not use plastic straws in their drinks at the bar. Let’s see how many people you can inspire with just starting a discussion on this topic.
Let me know if you would like more in-depth information or more tips on going zero-waste.
Comment below with any questions or what swap you are going to try to reduce your waste.
Miss Naomi 
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