Are you interested to change the world by one step at a time? Is a zero waste lifestyle captivating to you? This post will provide basic information about how to go zero waste. If you are not vegan and you came to this blog post for tips on how to go zero waste, you are cautious about your stay on earth. Every human on this planet effects the world by some fragmental part of earths life. That cautiousness that we have is what is left to care for this earth from corporations who support plastic companies. To keep the world that we live in to be survivable and clean for our future generation, we must take responsibility of how our daily choices effect the environment. I am so happy you are here and lets talk about the zero waste movement.

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

What is zero waste?

Zero Waste is eliminating or minimizing waste you obtain through day-to-day bases. Right now only 9% plastic waste are recycled, leaving 91% of trash in landfills, the ocean, etc.

Wicked, right?

Try to imagine that.

Going zero waste can also mean you prevent the use of single waste plastic and buying more plant based foods: apples, oranges, corn, lettuce, etc. The zero waste movement is about being conscious of where you shop for clothes, furniture, and daily products that do not endanger the environment. Living a zero waste lifestyle does not mean you need to be perfect to be an advocate for it.

I keep witnessing people in public throwing their trash on the street. There are people who do not care about mother earth and all we can do is to control what choices we make today. Let us take advantage of our privilege of knowledge by being imperfectly zero waste for a healthier earth.

Imperfect action is still action.

Hestiaspeaks.com

“I can’t be consistent, so I’ll pass”

Consistency is important, but believe it or not humans are not perfect. So, our actions will not be consistent but imperfectly consistent. There is so much we can do, and we shouldn’t get mad at ourselves when we get off of the path of doing something substantial or beneficial to the world. When we fall off the train of consistency we tend to go back to doing our ineffective habits we did before, because we stress about not being able to be consistent. No! Doing anything imperfect in the beginning will lead us to good habits and then we will eventually be consistent. Although, if you can believe that you can do it perfectly from the start, then do it!

Does plastic decompose?

We often forget that whatever we produce on earth that is not compostable or biodegradable, it stays on earth. We can’t just throw it into space and ignorantly think it won’t effect us because we choose not to educate ourselves. So, when I figured out from an Instagram post that plastic can take up to hundreds to close to a thousand years to decompose, I was shocked. Made me realize how much trash is out there in landfills. This wasn’t common sense to me before, but now I researched why this is so important to know about.

We can’t throw our trash into a black hole. I know we can’t go back to when the world didn’t excessively use single used plastic but what we can do is to be aware of our actions being so significant.

When I found out I can easily change things I do in my daily life and try to go zero waste it was effortless. For example, If I see the cashiers at a restaurant bagging my food and throwing in utensils and napkins, I simply ask ” oh, no bag, utensils or napkins please”, and they are fine with that. We often think about what people might think about the things we do, but they actually don’t care and won’t remember it the end of the day.

From this article How long does it take for plastic to decompose, by Joshua Davis said, “For example, single-use plastic grocery bags take about two decades to break down. In contrast, plastic water bottles made with polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a common type of plastic, are estimated to take approximately 450 years to fully break down”.

Tell me how to go zero waste?

To keep our world as beautiful as the picture below, we have a job to keep it that way. I’m assuming this is not your first article you have read about zero waste or how to become cautiously aware for the earth. Here are ways to be zero waste right away!

Here are 6 easy ways to go zero waste

REUSABLE UTENSILS.

• As you saw the picture above, I have a set of reusable bamboo utensils and a stainless steel straw that is packaged in a reusable bag with a zipper. You can actually make your own as well, that would be amazing. Here is a clip of “thesorrygirls” showing you how to make a set! I have had this for over a year and a half now. I have to admit, I haven’t been religious about it. Although, I tried my best to keep it in my purse. Etsy has many beautiful designs of zero waste utensils, that’s where I got them. Also, we can help out small business, which is awesome! I was in the

SKIP THE PLASTIC BAGS

• While I’m shopping for produce, I use these zero waste grocery bags that can be used for cilantro, broccoli, and more. Ask the employee at the register to weigh it outside of the bag or take out the tare of the bag.

CARRY A REUSABLE BOTTLE

• Even if single used plastic bottles are “recyclable” . Do not reuse store bought single use plastic bottles that comes with water, they include BPA (Bisphenol A) that can harm not only humans ( and the environment & animals). Also wanted to talk about soaps and detergent since they are sold in single used plastic. There are different brands for laundry detergent eco-sheets but I use earth breeze personally.

THRIFT INSTEAD OF STORE BOUGHT

• Thrifting has been categorized under the zero waste movement because it helps decrease the amount of new clothes that are produced. Since the act of thrifting doesn’t contribute to fast fashion, people who follow the zero waste movement don’t support fast fashion industries. ThredUP is an online consignment store full of different varieties of clothes.
• Leather, silk, etc aren’t vegan. Harms animals btw.

FOOD SCRAPS

• Do you know how to make your own vegetable broth zero waste? If you cook 2 or 7 times a week, you must go through many kinds of vegetables. Grab a reusable silicone bag (can buy them from here or these are cheaper, both from amazon) and throw in your unwanted food scraps in the bag and pop it in the freezer until you have enough to make a homemade vegetable broth. After boiling the scraps in water, throw away the cooked vegetable scraps in the compost bin. Here is a YouTube video on how to make it here.

EATING A PLANT BASED DIET

• Being vegan or following a plant based diet is part of the zero waste movement. Whole foods include: lentils, beans, kale, tomatoes, and more.

BONUS: if you are a girl, I have been using cloth pads. Haven’t been using single used pads for a year or more and I don’t get irritated.

Here’s a fun video I made on TIK TOK

@bananykaa

Tips to reduce waste #earthday #earthday2021 #vegan #plantbased #zerowaste

? Kiss Me More (feat. SZA) – Doja Cat

How zero waste can be ineffective?

When zero waste comes to some peoples minds, they think about the aesthetic of it instead of what it actually is. Zero waste is not buying new glass bottles, when you have plastic containers at home that are still usable. Secondly, zero waste is not buying new aesthetically pleasing reusable items. The point is to reduce the amount of waste you produce and using the items you already have.

Companies take advantage of selling reusable products under the zero waste aesthetic to the consumer. While it’s appealing, it defeats the purpose. So I do recommend if you do want to buy a reusable utensil kit either buy from a small business or create a DIY kit.

Our choices impact the environment 🙂

What I want you to remember from this post is that, being zero waste is to use what you have. You may reuse plastic bags for groceries and to carry things that aren’t able to fit in your purse or backpack. If you have reusable plastic containers, keep them and don’t throw them away! Once they are warn out, then you may. Although, if you use zip lock bags, buy reusable silicone bags! Throw in some reusable bags in your trunk for groceries or for food take out. Even if the containers at the restaurant are biodegradable, lots of energy is used to supply those items. Biodegradable doesn’t mean what you think it means, it take more time to decompose.

I think it is best to know about this information to remind us how important our choices can impact the world we live in in a bad or good way. Let us help the earth a day at a time and use this knowledge to influence others for them to be aware of the zero waste movement.

Thank you reading! Let’s make that change together and support each other. Down below are my socials.