The Simple Rules of Zero Waste
Bea Johnson of The Zero Waste home is one of my inspirations to start my waste-free journey. I read her book, and it was filled with information and tips to make the transition easier. Â
I applied the 5R’s in my everyday living, and it helped me tremendously.
Refuse - What you accept in your life becomes your responsibility.Â
It requires a great amount of willpower and multiple strategies on how to decline politely. I admit that I am still not a pro at this, but I am slowly learning to say no.Â
That free mug from work with candy bars and gift card inside, wrapped in plastic? Please keep the mug and candies, (I’ll take that Starbucks gift card. haha!) Thank you so much.Â
Free pens and notepads from companies. uhm, I think I have enough of those at home to last me for years.Â
Flyers and Brochures. I would probably read it then throw away in five minutes. So no, thank you.
Simply by refusing, you are slowing down the consumption of these products. You are conveying a message that you do not support the physical clutter that they are trying to give to you. Can you imagine if the majority of consumers refuse? They would stop the production.Â
Less or no demand = Less or no supply.
Reduce - Get rid of duplicates. Try to embrace the beauty of having less. Donate things that you don’t need or use. By keeping these items you are holding them back from being useful to other people.Â
That skirt that you just can’t let go because it’s cute even though it doesn’t flatter your body type? Donate it. If you’ve been convincing yourself that you will wear it “someday”, chances are, you will never wear it.
You have three pans of the same size? will you use all of it at the same time?
We love collecting things. Some of us are very sentimental. But you see, If you give too much value to things, you are accumulating unnecessary items, and it turns into clutter.
I found it hard at first. I love collecting greeting cards given by family and friends. I had a big box filled with cards. And you know what? It takes up too much space in my closet. I took pictures of the cards, disposed them and only kept my favorite ones. It’s a win-win situation. I get to keep the digital files and I have an extra space in my closet.
Reuse - I used to love disposable items. Whenever I host dinner parties, I would just buy those plastic wares from the Dollar Tree. It was quick and hassle-free.  Thinking about it, It was actually more of a hassle.Â
1. go to the store to buy the disposable items
5. bring the accumulated trash to our designated big black bin provided by the city.
6. Â bring that black bin out on Thursday to be collected
7. bring the black bin back to our backyard on Friday.
1. bring out the clean reusable wares.
4. store and use again next time.
So yes, I am cringing on my previous life choices. I didn’t care if I’m throwing out plastic because I wasn’t educated about its effects in our environment.
I still have a few pieces of disposable plastic wares that I purchased prior to living zero-waste. I am still contemplating if I should donate it or use it all up.
Please learn from my mistakes. Support reusable items. It will save you money overtime. Buy high-quality products that will last you a long time. Or better yet, Use what you have and take good care of it.
Recycle - A lot of people are aware of this. Most of us do recycle plastic bottles and that is a great thing! I do recycle too but minimally.
When I say “minimally”, It means I choose glass over plastic. I refuse to use plastic even if it is “recyclable.” You might be asking why?
Well, To produce plastic, it requires a huge amount of energy. To destroy it or “recycle it” requires a lot of work too. And plastics are not 100% recycled. Only a small amount of it. And also the BPA, a chemical compound found in plastics leeching in my food is not an appealing idea. no bueno.
Rot - food waste is one of my source of trash. As the food decomposes, it releases methane gas. When you mix food waste with regular trash with plastic of some sort, the food does not breakdown effectively, and it releases a higher concentration of methane gas, thus polluting the air that we breathe.Â
The best option for food waste is to compost it to turn into a nutrition-rich soil.Â
To live Zero-Waste is a process. What’s important is that you are taking steps in reducing your impact. Thank you for trying.
Be a conscious consumer. Take it one step at a time.
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