For my first diary here on zero waste, I'd like to start off with a green disclaimer--zero waste is not the most important thing a person can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Taking public transportation over driving, particularly for a daily commute, weatherproofing one's home and turning down the thermostat, cutting down on air travel, switching to renewable energy sources, and most importantly political action to get the Republican climate deniers out of Congress are all bigger priorities in fighting climate change. Don't use zero waste as an excuse to rest on your green laurels.
That said, zero waste is working towards the goal of having no household trash, and it has both obvious and subtle environmental benefits. Obvious benefits: less trash going into landfills and the giant trash island in the ocean. Subtle benefits: simplifying one's lifestyle by going zero waste may allow a person to live comfortably in a smaller space, requiring less energy to heat and cool, and hopefully closer to one's workplace, reducing transportation energy. Also by buying less in the first place and reusing what you have, less energy is required for manufacture and transport, particularly for disposable items and packaging.
My own situation with going zero waste came from the realization that I was in for a time of belt tightening. My company is having problems, laid off many of its staff, and sure enough, a couple months ago the remaining employees all had to take reduced hours and pay at three days a week. Zero waste is a positive, cheerful way of looking at living on less, but I have found that it does help if you have some cash to spend upfront to prepare. A good intro to zero waste is by Bea Johnson, who also experienced the positive benefits of zero waste when faced with downsizing. Her style is a lot more minimalist than mine, but you get the general idea here:
I have been following her lead in trying to get rid of my trash and even recycling. At the beginning I never thought I would go as far as I have. It builds on itself. I would like to post regularly here at Living Simply about my own journey towards zero waste, and to hear about the experience of others if they decide to try it. I am a terrible gardener and an omnivore so not mainstream green. I am a divorced mother of two with my kids on the weekends, living in the Boston suburbs in a very small duplex with a small backyard.
Bea's first rule is Refuse, Refuse, Refuse. Refuse to be given trash. Then after that it is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Of course the first thing to refuse is junk mail, and I will have a later diary on my struggles with that, but another source of high volume trash/recycling is groceries. Attempting zero waste groceries generally involves three steps:
- Buying in bulk with your own containers and bags
- Buying at the deli and butcher counters with your own containers
- Shopping at farmers' markets or joining a CSA
It takes some chutzpah to walk up to the deli counter and ask them to use your container, and you can get funny looks and comments, but so far so good. My local Whole Foods has been accommodating.
A big change with living this way is that much more time is spent cooking. Pre-processed foods come with excessive packaging. Other zero waste tactics like using microfiber cloths instead of paper towels have a minimal impact on everyday life, just a little extra laundry. However, cooking everything from scratch does require a more fundamental shift in worldview. It's fulfilling, with the food being more delicious and healthier (especially if one buys organic), but a daily slog nonetheless.
I'd be interested to know in the comments people's experiences with doing more home cooking, and if anyone else has begun to try for zero waste.