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Tips for Starting a Zero Waste Lifestyle

Tips for Starting a Zero Waste Lifestyle

Making the switch to living a zero waste lifestyle is a daunting thought. In this blog post I will detail three steps that I recommend for those you are just starting or looking to begin. Going zero waste is a process and it is better to start by incorporating small changes here and there and then work up to bigger more drastic changes. 

Disclaimer: I have not gone completely zero waste, but these are the steps that I created for myself. I started by following these steps and now continue to follow as I slowly become more and more zero waste.

  1. Conduct a waste audit- Yes this is gross, but its your trash so its really not that bad. A waste audit is when you go through your trash and take an inventory of all that you threw away in a certain period of time. Look to see what you threw away and what could have been recycled or composted. Knowing what you are throwing away can help you to evaluate what areas of your life you can start to make changes. If you are someone who generates the most waste from food scrapes, composting on a small scale is one option for eliminating this waste. If composting does not fit your your current lifestyle, there are many online resources can assist you in lessen your food waste. Kathryn from the blog Going Zero Waste published a blog post Innovative Ideas For Cooking with Food Scraps where she gives eight ideas for different uses of food scraps or waste that you would usually just dispose of. 
  2. Start making small changes- How I went about making zero waste changes was when I went to throw something away I through of the Five R's of Zero Waste. To explain how this works I will give an example. When you go to dispose of something think can this be reused, repurposed, recycled or composted. I created an easy graphic that will help those who are just starting to work zero waste practices into their lives. 
  3. Be a smart consumer- When it comes time to purchase a new tooth brush do not revert back to old habits and purchase a plastic tooth brush. Instead buy a biodegradable bamboo tooth brush. An example of an item that I will no longer be repurchasing is shaving cream. I found that this is an unnecessary item that is producing waste.

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Comments

  1. seostar2July 5, 2020 at 7:52 AM

    The process of chewing on the Miswak stick helps to strengthen your gums and your tooth enamel. organic toothbrush

    ReplyDelete

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