Zero Waste

Zero waste is a lofty goal, but I would never discourage anyone from trying to give it a go. Many people who at least attempt zero waste, even for a trial period, become much more aware of their consumption and waste. Some try it as a challenge for a “once a week zero waste day”, a week, a month or even for an entire year. Scroll down to FILMS and you can find a great film about a couple who took on the zero-waste challenge as a competition.

Minimalism, reducing plastic and zero waste, overlap in my mind as a Venn diagram. Zero waste really begins at the purchasing point, which adjusts consuming habits, which then naturally leads to minimizing discarded waste.

Food waste can be dramatically reduced by creatively utilizing scraps in your cooking, as well as the tried and true practice of composting. To read more about composting click here.

Below are some suggestions which can help you decrease the waste accumulated in living your day to day life.

Stay away from processed foods and their excess packaging.
Don’t be afraid to ask for no plastic or packaging at deli counters, bakeries, or when going out to eat.
Come prepared with jars, bags, and containers that can be reusable items for collecting the foods you are buying.
Have an eating out kit, lean more here.
When trying to go waste free it helps to shop at a stores which are welcoming to green lifestyle customers. At Whole Foods, for instance, all you have to do is bring in your jars or containers and get their “tare” weight put on them. This way the cashier will know to calculate the price accurately.
Shop Farmers Markets, they can be a good source or less packaging.
Bulk stores and the bulk section of your grocery store are a wonderful source for a zero-waste lifestyle.
Don’t be reluctant to make special requests at your local merchants. There is a local restaurant with a wonderful salad dressing I love, so I asked the manager about purchasing it directly from them. Now I simply bring in my Mason Jar and they fill it up for me.

ARTICLES | BLOGS | RESOURCES

Five (Simple) Rules for Going Zero Waste, According to Someone Who’s Been Doing it for More Than 10 Years | Lauren Phillips | Real Simple | April 23rd, 2019

7 Zero Waste Blogs To Start Your Plastic-Free Journey | Audrey Stanton | The Good Trade

10 Zero Waste Bloggers You Should Know | Katherine Martinko | TreeHugger | March 2nd, 2017

18 Ways to Create a Waste Free Kitchen | Abigail Hopkins | The Clean Life

Building a Zero Waste Grocery Kit | Litterless | March 22nd, 2018

We Are Wasting a Massive Amount of Food. Here Are 4 Concrete Ways to Change That | Michael Shank and Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo | TIME | November 9th, 2019

I Tried Creating Zero Waste for One Week to See How Hard Being Sustainable Really Is | Shannon Bauer | Shape

Imperfect Zero Waste

Is It Possible to Live Trash-Free? | Cady Drell | Marie Claire | July 30th, 2019

This Is What My Low-Waste Lifestyle Looks Like | Abby K. Cannon | InStyle | July 1st, 2018

It's time to ignore Instagram's portrayal of zero waste | Katherine Martinko | Tree Hugger | May 20th, 2019