Skip to main content

Items to Kickstart Your Zero Waste Lifestyle

Items to Kickstart Your Zero Waste Lifestyle

I have complied a list of items that are helpful live a zero waste life. Some are necessary to living a zero waste lifestyle while others are not. 

1. Reusable water bottle- We all own one, you actually probably own more than one. If you are not already using it this is an easy way to kickstart a zero waste lifestyle. The number of disposable water bottles used every year is astounding. Ban the Bottle stated that for 2017 "The average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled 38". In total "Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year".
Check out this video to look out what happens to three different plastic water bottles that are disposed of in three different ways.

2. If you are a coffee drinker purchase or continuing using a coffee cup or travel mug. To eliminate the waste that disposable coffee cups create, bring your own cup or travel mug to the coffee shop and ask them to use it instead.

3. Another item that you can purchase or make yourself is reusable grocery or shopping bags. Here is a link to Reusable Produce Bags on Amazon. An idea which incorporates the reuse side of zero waste is using t-shirts you no longer wear or left over material from other projects to make reusable shopping bags.



4. For those you can't give up drinking straws, don't worry there are a number of different alternatives to plastic straws. Simple Straws sells a number of different styles, types, length, and colors of glass drinking straws. From there website you can even purchase a cleaning brush and traveling case for the straw. Bamboo straws are another option. On Amazon you can purchase 12 Reusable Bamboo Drinking Straws; a cleaning brush is included.




















5. Biodegradable bamboo silverware is another idea for zero waste item to purchase. This is one of those items that is not necessary for everyone to own. If you already own metal or silver silverware continue to use that.













 6. One of the most important items to purchase to kickstart your zero waste lifestyle is glass jars and containers. This is essential for shopping in the bulk section of the grocery store. If you choose to purchase your glass jars from the thrift store and they don't have lids or are not air tight, I would recommend purchasing these lids.


7. The last item I am going to include in this post is zero waste lunch boxes. You can purchase glass or stainless steel eco-friendly lunch boxes. As long as they are plastic free you are good to go. 


The reason for why you should consider purchasing biodegradable products compared to non-biodegrable products is because "Certain industrial products contain substances which, due to low degradability or even toxic characteristics, may build up in nature to levels representing a threat to humanity's future use of the natural resources – that is, drinking water, agricultural soil, air and so on" (Desmond, 2006; Menikpura et al., 2012; Troschinetz and Mihelcic, 2009). 
The list for this post is mainly for suggestions on products that can be extremely helpful when you are first starting to live a zero waste lifestyle, but in no way are they entirely necessary to successfully live a zero waste lifestyle.

Sources:

Song, Qingbin, Jinhui Li, and Xianlai Zeng. "Minimizing the increasing solid waste through zero waste strategy." Journal of Cleaner Production 104 (2015): 199-210.


Labels:

Comments

  1. EliPOT LLCJune 15, 2022 at 7:47 AM

    I generally want quality content and this thing I found in your article. It is beneficial and significant for us. Keep sharing these kinds of articles, Thank you.Ceramics Accessories Online Shop

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction Into Zero Waste

Introduction Into Zero Waste The main objective of this blog post is to define and introduce zero waste and give the reader a better understanding of what exactly this crazy moment is.  Zero Waste Definition Zero waste can simply be defined as a "whole-system approach that aims to eliminate rather than 'manage' waste" ( Curran, T., and I.D. Williams ). The focus of living a zero waste lifestyle is eliminate or lessen the amount of waste that is ultimately sent to the landfill. Why the Need for Zero Waste? Due to the cause of items, such as electronic,s that used to be seen as luxuries which have now become everyday items, production of these goods has resulted in the need for constant expansion in order to meet the needs of a culture that is consumed with this consumption. The materials used in the production processes involve a composite and hazardous materials. The consequence of using these mixed sources in the production of waste that is damag...
4 comments
Read more

The History of Zero Waste Policy

The History of Zero Waste Policy The term "zero waste" was first used by Palmer (2004) while receiving resources from chemicals.  Canberra, Australia Places that have adopted zero waste policies. The idea for having a zero waste community originated in Canberra, Australia. ACT (Australian Capital Territory) No Waste by 2010 bill in 1995. The passing of this bill marked the first time ever a city created a zero waste goal.  In there first year of launching the ACT No Waste Campaign, Canberra was able to divert 42% of waste from the landfill. During the year between the beginning of the campaign and the end of the goal year of 2010 there was leveling off and only slight increases. With the being said by 2009 the city was diverting 73% of its waste away from landfills.  The most recent changes that have been made in an effort for Canberra to become zero waste, they have made an adjustment to the 2010 goal, with a new goal of 90% diversion by 2025. This is ...
3 comments
Read more

Is Living Zero Waste Expensive?

Looking at the Financial Side of Living Zero Waste Apart of zero waste that I was truly interested in researching was looking to see if it was more or less expensive to live a zero waste lifestyle. Disclaimer, this is not a full research report on whether its is economically beneficial to live zero waste or not. This post compares everyday box store items to biodegradable or zero waste options. The grocery store used to find the prices of the box store items was a Super Savers. This grocery store was chosen because of the bulk food section. This purpose of this post is to inform on the alternative zero waste options for everyday items. Quaker Instant Oatmeal vs. Bulk Organic Quick Oats The Quaker Instant Oatmeal sold in individual 1/2 cup servings (serving per container is 10) is $2.98. 1 pound (10 servings of 1/2 cup) of Organic Quick Oats from the bulk section at Super Savers is $1.68. To make purchasing the bulk quick oats zero waste...
Post a Comment
Read more