Is the Zero-Waste Lifestyle really Zero Waste?

If you’re curious about the zero-waste lifestyle, you’ve come to the right place. We've outlined our tips to help you start going zero waste in every area of your life, so you can do something every day to show your love for planet Earth.

Those living a zero-waste lifestyle try to reduce their trash output and consumption of single-use plastic in every area of their life, instead choosing reusable, sustainably made, and eco-friendly alternatives.

Contrary to popular belief, the lifestyle is not about perfection — it’s just about significantly reducing your waste and overall environmental impact. And don’t worry, going zero waste is much easier than it sounds.

1. Stock up on "out and about" reusable products

Invest in some useful reusable items to take out with you every day which will enable you to complete avoid single-use takeaway packaging. For example, a coffee cup, water bottle, straws, cutlery, shopping bags, and food containers.Plastic bottles should be among the first things to go in a zero waste lifestyle. In 2017, The Guardian reported that one million plastic bottles are purchased around the world every minute. If consumers don't cut down, that insanely high number could increase another 20 percent by 2023.

2. Look for bars over bottles

If you need soap or shampoo, get bars of soap and shampoo bars. This is a super easy way to avoid using a plastic bottle each time. If you already have a bottle of shampoo or soap dispenser bottle, use it up then get a bar next time. If you’re feeling crafty, you can clean the bottles out use them to dispense the perfect portion of oil onto your pan for cooking.

3. Learn to say no to the little things

Whether it's a business card at a meeting, a straw at a restaurant, a plastic bag at the store, or a disposable pen from a conference, recognising and denying waste — no matter how small — is crucial! Next time someone hands you something, think. Do you really need it?

4. When ordering take-out food, bring a reusable bag to pick it up

Sometimes you just need an easy meal, so you don’t have to stress about dinner. Ask the restaurant to just have the packaged meals ready (no napkins, plastic cutlery etc.) so you can pick it up with a reusable bag, they’ll let you do that no problem. It’s a bonus if you find a restaurant that packs their food in compostable containers!

5. Switch to a bamboo toothbrush

Toothbrushes made from bamboo with nylon 4 bristles are 100% compostable and biodegradable. So, you can brush in the knowledge that when you're done with your toothbrush, you can dispose of iit in your garden or compost bin and it will not exist forever in landfill or the ocean like many plastic toothbrushes.

6. Buy Food Without Packaging

Buy food without packaging, or as little packaging as possible. Sure, you can buy red bell peppers packed in styrofoam and plastic wrap, but why? Choose loose fruit and vegetables whenever you can. And take advantage of bulk food sections, where grains, seeds, nuts and more are free of excessive packaging.

7. Reuse Old Sheets and Towels

Don’t throw away things like sheets, towels and other fabric items, consider transforming them into rags for cleaning, applying wood stain in the workshop and wiping up outdoor messes. Keep that fabric out of a landfill as long as possible!

8. Look for glass pasta sauce jars

If you just switch your pasta sauce purchases from plastic jars to glass jars, you’ll be able to reuse the jar and reduce plastic waste. Once you’ve used up all of the sauce, you can clean the glass jar and store pasta, peanuts, spices, homemade toothpaste, and really anything you want into it. And of
course, you could just make pasta sauce from scratch and fill your glass jar with that.

9. Rescue markdowns with Gander

Of course, we couldn't finish without a shameless plug. Everyday, hundreds of food items are marked-down on supermarket shelves as they approach their sell-by date. The Gander app connects you to these markdowns in your local area in real time so you can buy your favourite food at a discounted price and save food from the bin.

10. Join zero waste communities for support

To stay motivated and open to learning helpful tips from others, seek out zero waste communities for support — whether online or in person.