Since February 2016, I’ve been cold turkey Zero Waste style.
Let me explain.
I discovered the lifestyle of Zero Waste living and it was eye-opening.
The commitment to prevent sending an item to landfill through conscious environmental purchases, recycling and reuse related to me on many levels.
I was so inspired that I started instantly, I didn’t have a concrete plan of when or how to start.
I dived straight into the deep end, got out the other side of the pool and then dived back in.
Despite living in the UK, I’ve had a successful Zero Waste journey. There have been many mistakes and discoveries but that is all part of the learning journey.
MY PERSONAL ACHIEVEMENT
What stood out the most was my relationship with food left-overs. My lack of attention to my portion sizes caused food to go to waste. If I didn’t feed them to the dog, I stored the leftovers in the fridge until the next day. However, this never went according to plan…
I always forgot about the leftovers.
I always ended up throwing them away because they would start to harvest penicillin…
The only way I stopped creating leftovers was to focus on my portion control or save them to eat the following day.
WHAT DID I LEARN ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE?
Zero Waste encourages you to analyse your product usage and purchases. Early on into my challenge I became aware of the ignorance of the rubbish disposal system.
Many of us do not understand what happens to items that are sent to landfill.
This isn’t something people talk about, especially the glamorous A-list celebrities who motivate the majority of social trends.
In summary, there is an information gap behind the science of waste decomposition and the recycling processes.
DOING FOR THE SAKE OF DOING
If you follow any of the Zero Waste gurus, you will be familiar with their DIY toothpaste recipes. Unfortunately, they aren’t promoting healthy habits.
Let me explain.
The common DIY toothpaste recipe is baking soda and essential oils mixed with coconut oil.
Sounds harmless?
WRONG!
Baking soda is very abrasive and can cause more harm than good.
Brushing your teeth twice daily with baking soda can harm the enamel structure on your teeth. Essential oils should not be used inside the mouth because of the intense sensitivity they leave afterwards. And the carbon created to harvest and deliver coconut oil especially to us in the UK…
Ugh.
Don’t worry, I’ll be following up the Zero Waste toothpaste debunking myth in its own dedicated blog post in the near future.
Too many people choose Zero Waste alternatives because they have been promoted as Zero Waste. Exposure on a Zero Waste approved item is great, but people are forgetting the overall environmental damage caused to harvest and transport Zero Waste products.
FAMILY AND FRIENDS HABITS
Nothing screams frustration more than someone not understanding your Zero Waste commitment, especially if these people are friends and family members.
My partner adds further challenges to my Zero Waste journey by being picky over what he likes to eat. And my mother always brings round store purchased cakes when she comes to visit me. Some days I want to curl up into a ball and cry, surrounded by the items that end up to a life of landfill.
Hey, we are only human- You can guide a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
I appreciate any change someone makes to help the environment.
CRAFTY ZERO WASTER
I have a compost bin outside that I use regularly, but since the winter months the ground is very wet and a walk to the compost bin pulls up the surrounding grass.
To solve this issue, I made an indoor worm bin to still continue recycling my kitchen scraps into compost. I recorded the DIY project too!
[click here to view the video]
To add to my crafty ways, I’m waiting for my first ever batch of Bokashi compost to ferment. When that is finished I’ll share my results with you and my DIY building process.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In realistic terms, we live in a world dedicated to plastic production. Plastics serve us many benefits; they can be made into any shape and as flexible as we choose, from
Plastics serve us great purpose; they can be made into any shape and as flexible as we choose, from aeroplane wings to medical prosthetics. For the world of a Zero Waster, trying to fight back against the over-consumption of the plastic desire in everyday life is tough.
Remember that we will can all experience complications during out Zero Waste journeys; financial dependency, lack of transport, poor selection of bulk stores.
Whatever challenge you face, do not feel bad if you can’t find an eco alternative.
Find your eco-friendly balance that works for you, even the smallest commitment to protect the environment makes a positive change on a larger scale.
If you enjoyed reading my first month of living Zero Waste and it provided you with value, I would greatly appreciate if you could share my journey with a friend or a family member.
