Producing zero waste is no easy feat and I've found that there is already so much I need to think about in order to make zero waste a reality in my life.
On Wednesday, I went shopping and I tried to do it zero waste. I had done some research on shopping zero waste and I found that a lot of other zero waste members recommended bringing reusable bags and cans to store my items in (1). So, I brought a bunch of reusable bags with me, and in different sizes, in case I was getting smaller items.
One thing that I didn't think I would have to worry about was where I was going to buy my food. However, the grocery store I usually go to does not have many zero waste options. A lot of the stuff there is packaged in materials that I would not be able to reuse or compost. As an alternative, I thought of my local PCC since they are known for having more zero waste options.
I also didn't anticipate how much planning needed to go into shopping. I had to think about exactly what I was going to be making for dinner, so I knew exactly how much food I needed to get just for me. While leftovers are fine, I don't want to waste any food that can't be scrapped later on.
So I decided on making chili and got all the ingredients I needed. I noticed that I was being very critical of what I was buying in case it came in a package. For example, I needed vegetable stock, but it was in a carton, so I had to check the carton to see if that I could recycle it so it could be reused. Luckily it can! But it was small things like that, actually looking to see if what I was buying could be reused.
Buying beans was also kind of interesting. Something PCC has that is really cool is you can buy grains and other things in bulk without packaging! It was zero waste heaven! I used one of my reusable bags and just scooped beans in and I was done, all I needed to do was weigh it at the counter and pay.
Shopping was a lot more tedious than it had been before when I wasn't fretting over everything I was buying, but the pay off was rewarding. However, I bought WAY too many beans and my chili was huge, so I put the leftovers in a Tupperware and I'm slowly making progress on trying to get it out of my fridge. Next time, I'll think more about how much I am buying, so I don't have so much food left over.
Since then I've been planning ahead when I think about shopping or buying food in general. With lunch, I've been using Tupperware so I can wash and reuse them. I've made a plan that if I get invited to a restaurant, to bring my own Tupperware in case I have leftovers, so I'm not wasting food or extra containers. Even going to get coffee I think about bringing my own reusable cup so that I am not constantly throwing away to-go cups.
In the past when I thought about zero waste, I thought I had to give up absolutely everything which (in true zero waste nature) I should have. However, I just thought of how overwhelming that change would be and was turned off from the idea. How could I not live without toilet paper? Yanno? So I tried to think of something that would limit my environmental impact but didn't require me giving up my sanity. Lessening my food and garbage waste is a good way to start and is relatively easy compared to biking to school every day and washing my clothes by hand.
You know, it's been about 4 days since I've gone zero waste and it's been pretty manageable. I mean, I haven't thrown anything away yet, so that's a good sign! I think I have a good shot at continuing this for the rest of the month. However, I would like to focus a little more on proportions, so I'm not buying more than I need. It would be nice if I got more tips on being zero waste just cause I'm still new to the whole thing. I've been doing some research from other bloggers who have been zero waste for some time, so that's helping. Other than that, I think that this will go pretty smoothly.
A Look at My Week
On Wednesday, I went shopping and I tried to do it zero waste. I had done some research on shopping zero waste and I found that a lot of other zero waste members recommended bringing reusable bags and cans to store my items in (1). So, I brought a bunch of reusable bags with me, and in different sizes, in case I was getting smaller items.
One thing that I didn't think I would have to worry about was where I was going to buy my food. However, the grocery store I usually go to does not have many zero waste options. A lot of the stuff there is packaged in materials that I would not be able to reuse or compost. As an alternative, I thought of my local PCC since they are known for having more zero waste options.
I also didn't anticipate how much planning needed to go into shopping. I had to think about exactly what I was going to be making for dinner, so I knew exactly how much food I needed to get just for me. While leftovers are fine, I don't want to waste any food that can't be scrapped later on.
So I decided on making chili and got all the ingredients I needed. I noticed that I was being very critical of what I was buying in case it came in a package. For example, I needed vegetable stock, but it was in a carton, so I had to check the carton to see if that I could recycle it so it could be reused. Luckily it can! But it was small things like that, actually looking to see if what I was buying could be reused.
Buying beans was also kind of interesting. Something PCC has that is really cool is you can buy grains and other things in bulk without packaging! It was zero waste heaven! I used one of my reusable bags and just scooped beans in and I was done, all I needed to do was weigh it at the counter and pay.
Shopping was a lot more tedious than it had been before when I wasn't fretting over everything I was buying, but the pay off was rewarding. However, I bought WAY too many beans and my chili was huge, so I put the leftovers in a Tupperware and I'm slowly making progress on trying to get it out of my fridge. Next time, I'll think more about how much I am buying, so I don't have so much food left over.
Since then I've been planning ahead when I think about shopping or buying food in general. With lunch, I've been using Tupperware so I can wash and reuse them. I've made a plan that if I get invited to a restaurant, to bring my own Tupperware in case I have leftovers, so I'm not wasting food or extra containers. Even going to get coffee I think about bringing my own reusable cup so that I am not constantly throwing away to-go cups.
So Why Go Zero Waste?
Going zero waste will help our environment because I will produce less waste. There are different types of waste that this can affect. One is food waste, 40% of food is wasted in America each year (2). I contribute to that number and I want to make sure that the food waste I produce is not being sent to landfills etc.. The same goes for garbage that I produce, about 4.6 pounds of garbage is produced per person per day (3). I’m going to try and cut that down significantly. My goal is to have zero waste (if not I aim to produce less waste per day, around 2 pounds?) This will limit the amount of excess waste that I am sending to landfills. Landfills contain many toxic substances that could gradually leak into our soil and water which could be fatal to our environment. Also, landfills produce methane, a greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide (4). By producing zero waste, I can help slow global warming.
Why Now?
Can I do This?
You know, it's been about 4 days since I've gone zero waste and it's been pretty manageable. I mean, I haven't thrown anything away yet, so that's a good sign! I think I have a good shot at continuing this for the rest of the month. However, I would like to focus a little more on proportions, so I'm not buying more than I need. It would be nice if I got more tips on being zero waste just cause I'm still new to the whole thing. I've been doing some research from other bloggers who have been zero waste for some time, so that's helping. Other than that, I think that this will go pretty smoothly.
Links for Days:
Very good, maybe add more pictures.
ReplyDeleteYou got it! My next post will solely be photos
DeleteI love the detail! This was such an interesting read! When you said "around 2 pounds" of waste is what you want to make, is that based off something? How much waste do people normally make? What is most of that waste usually?
ReplyDeleteFor the 2 pounds, that was referring to garbage waste. The average person makes about 4.6 pounds of garbage per day (see my 3rd resource). I wasn't super confident in being absolutely zero waste, so I'm just lessening that amount to 2 pounds as opposed to 4.6. For food waste, people waste about a pound per day, but it's still the most common waste found in our landfills, so I'm trying to compost at home by using my worm bin.
Deletewhat does 0 waste mean?
ReplyDeleteWhat is waste?
Why do we waste?
Follow up question , if food scraps are composted is that considered waste? Would that still be considered waste even if the food doesn't end up in the trash? The trash can is the thing being weighed at the end right?
DeleteIs this something you think "average" people would ever be able fully commit to? Or do you believe that producing zero waste could be too challenging/expensive?
ReplyDeleteI thought about this too! I would consider myself an "average" person, so I think that it is totally do-able for anyone. I'm also not going full zero waste. I'm mainly focusing on food/garbage waste which I believe anyone can do if they try. When I went shopping at PCC I worried about how expensive it could be, but when I went to the register everything that I bought had only brought me to about $20. I still had some stuff left over as well that I can reuse for other recipes. I was also only shopping for myself, which could differ if you're shopping for your family. A lot of people who go zero waste also grow their own herbs and vegetables, so that could lessen the cost of what they spend at the store. Obviously that is not feasible for everyone, but I think this overall is pretty easy to manage.
DeleteI like this topic and all the detail you put into it! How are you measuring how much waste you produce a day?
ReplyDeleteI have a personal trashcan that I can use until the end of the experiment, so I was thinking that whatever waste I make I'll weigh and then average out to see how much waste I produced per day.
DeleteWow you really do reply to people's comments! Super cool how you made chilly with zero waste. You talked about how there was too much left over, how will you regulate portions in later meals? Also, do you think it could be beneficial to made more food to have leftovers? I feel like it could help save time and money the next day when you already have spare food in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteps: how many people stared at you when you put a bunch of beans in that blue fabric bag? "What weirdo steals beans?!" is what I would have thought.
You're right, having leftovers does save time and money and it's obviously not a BAD thing. I just made so much chili that's it's lasted me a week already. I'm tired of having chili every night! But I'm also trying not to waste food so I HAVE to eat it. If I pay more attention to proportions then I won't get bored of what I'm eating and I can move on to the next meal. To track that better, I'll look for recipes that are for one person only instead of a village.
Deleteps: I would have done the same thing if I saw myself gathering beans, but no one was starring which I was thankful for.
I love your expansion of detail, and minor details of everyday things we can do to limit how waste you produce.
ReplyDeleteAlso your mention of bringing a reusable to get coffee is something I make take up on - I'm trying to limit the amount of waste I produce!
I understand how you are explaining your process here, but I am slightly confused to where the statistics are?! I think in order to truly strengthen your blog you should add some facts to support your claims. I want to know that you fully understand this topic. Here are some links that could be of help!
ReplyDeletehttps://bonjouradventure.com/2017/10/does-zero-waste-lifestyle-help-the-environment/
https://www.waste360.com/waste-reduction/difference-between-zero-waste-landfill-and-zero-waste
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