Small Zero Waste

Let's save the Earth together! Always feel free to text me or send me a question! ☆ "We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly." • handmade • plants • animals • food • less waste • my progress • my experiences • human rights • lifestyle • English isn't my first language, so please excuse any mistakes. 🙈

[smallzerowaste]

Hi!

I wanted to apologize to you all for abandoning my blog without any warning. I really was feeling down back then (thank you for your cheering up messages!)... Also I kind of lost my interest in zero waste. I mean I’m still trying my best to live low waste and use the tips I were using before and sharing with you, maybe I also found some new ones. There are many better zero waste bloggers, I wanted to share my own story, but at that point I felt like there wasn’t much more for me to share. The lockdown really clipped my wings. 

I’m finally back on Tumblr, but I will be posting on my new personal journal blog, I’m leaving the link below if you want to check it out ;)

Take care  🌼

My new blog: https://darlenesparkle.tumblr.com/

(PS. I completed my “decluttering 1000 things challenge”! It was really a thing! I recommend you trying doing something similar, it’s really worth it!)

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July decluttering sum up!

I just want to apologize you for not posting anything new. I have been having a tough time lately. Also I am late with that post...

Here is the list.

shirts - 2 donated

underwear - 3 donated

cloth for cleaning glasses  - donated

pendants - 3 donated

pencil cases - 2 donated

box of drawing pins - donated

toy - donated

pen - donated

charcoals - 2 donated

earphones - donated

brushes - 1 donated, 8 thrown away

pot plant - gave away

tape - gave away

thermometer - gave away

badge - gave away

hula-hoop - sold

skirt - sold

DVDs - 2 sold

onesie - sold

broken pot - thrown away

trousers - 2 thrown away

magazines - 2 thrown away

calendar - thrown away

bookmark - thrown away

notebooks - 2 thrown away

coursebook - thrown away

CDs - 3 thrown away

CD storage boxes - thrown away

documents sleeves - thrown away

small bag - thrown away

a lot of copies - thrown away

slippers - thrown away

shopping bag - thrown away

lighter - thrown away

blanket - thrown away

hair sprays - 5 thrown away

body creams - 3 thrown away

decorative jars - 2 thrown away

decorative box - thrown away

lipsticks - 2 thrown away

tablespoon - thrown away

lunch box - thrown away

shampoos - 2 thrown away

ruler - thrown away

film reel - thrown away

glue pads - thrown away

ink - thrown away

incomplete decks of cards - 2 thrown away

And it is 761 of 1000 things!

Hang in there!

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May and June decluttering sum up!

Hello! I am back after about two months of being barely active on here. I had to go to work for some time and then I was taking my final exams at school. I will try to post more from now ;)

I had very little time to declutter at May, so I decided not to make a separate post about it and I decided to put the months together.

Here is the list:

skirt - gave away

stuffed animal - gave away

velvet sweatpants - gave away

toys - 10 gave away

pot plants - 6 gave away

pinafores - 2 gave away

small bags - 10 gave away

photo frame - gave away

a small torch - gave away

a soap bubble liquid - gave away

baking plates - 6 gave away

a thermal mug - gave away

a soap - gave away

scribers - gave away

ink pen - gave away

drawing charcoal - gave away

drawings - 3 gave away

paintings - 2 gave away

badges - 5 sold, 2 gave away

a card game - sold a pair of snickers - sold

Tarot cards - sold

a T-shirt - sold

a shampoo bar - sold

paper folders - 3 thrown away, 1 gave away

stickers sets - 2 thrown away, 1 give away

unfinished sewing projects - thrown away

candles - 2 thrown away

old receipts - thrown away

small pieces of old fabric - thrown away

pair of socks - thrown away

gift cards - 2 thrown away

old oil pastels - thrown away

old (dried) ink - thrown away

lip balms - 2 thrown away

a glass box - thrown away

a lot of sketches and drawings - thrown away (count as 1)old projects (mainly printed graphics) - thrown away

notebooks - 15 thrown away

notebooks covers - 5 thrown away

old documents - thrown away

trousers - thrown away

calendars - 2 thrown away

magazines - 6 thrown away

a newspaper - thrown away

a book - thrown away

a cup - thrown away

puzzles - thrown away

small pendant - thrown away

organiser box - thrown away

a piece of underwear - 1 thrown away a bottle of expired shampoo - thrown away (I wanted to use it up, but I got rash...)

And for now it is 679 of 1000 things.

I will publish another post about decluttering soon where I will sum up my experiences after decluttering for half a year ;) 

Thank you for staying with me!

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I have another difficult topic to bring up. 🏳️‍🌈

I will speak on behalf of polish LGBT+ community. Today (10th of July) the president of Poland (Andrzej Duda) signed a law called "THE FAMILY CARD" established to “protect” the children. The law says that for children the most dangerous are LGBT+ people. Alcoholism, pathology, domestic violence or pedophilia are not even mentioned. 

Formally they call us “ideology”, “pedophiles”, “strangers”. A lot of people threaten us. We have to deal with insults everyday. They do not listen to us at all. They want to get rid of us. They use the flag of our country against us! 

They want to protect children by banning sex education. By restricting the law. By restricting human rights. By restricting the individual liberty. 

Please, visit the side I linked below. You will find more info on the site, a controversial video and a petition to sign for free. 

https://lgbtqpl.carrd.co

Stay strong and spread the news. 

Please help!

🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍🌈

[smallzerowaste]

Hello friend! I wanted to ask what recipe you used to make your homemade flour tortillas from scratch! They looked so good! I’m having a hard time finding cooking and baking staples at the store due to the pandemic, but I do have a good amount of flour in the house and have always disliked the plastic packaging that comes with tortillas from the store. I’d appreciate it! Thanks!

I’m so sorry for the late reply! 🙈

You can find the recipe online ;) I used this one:

3 cups of wheat flour

1 tbsp of salt

1/3 cup of canola oil (or olive oil)

1 cup of warm water

Mix the ingredients and knead the dough, then form the dough and bake it in a pan ;)

I hope it can still be useful  🙈

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Quick note: For now I almost don’t have an access to the computer/internet so I’ll answer all your comments and questions later. Sorry for that! 

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Please, take a moment to read this text.

Today I want to share with you something very crucial that happened in my country. 

Yesterday (May 15, 2020) in Poland a pro-life (anti-choice) activist Zuzanna Wiewiórka was honored with a medal of justice. 

(”Stop hate for life defenders”)

She have been harassing a seventeen years old girl, who wanted to have an abortion due to risk of death. The teenager was seeking help online and she was found by the activist, who stalked, blackmailed and sent her pictures of aborted babies.

Moreover this is not Wiewiórka's first action like that.

The girl refused changing her mind about abortion, but the activist was unstoppable and got information (most likely illegaly) about her child's father and her family in order to tell them about young girl's plans. The family locked her at home and she is apparently struggling with side effects of a failed abortion made with non-medical tools.

Zuzanna Wiewiórka also said that “Blowing up clinics offering abortions is a good way to prevent murder and killing doctors who provide abortions is crucial to stop killing innocent”.

What's more Zuzanna's brother Maciej Wiewiórka supports his sister. He said that "Sometimes rape is the only chance for a man to have sex". I do not even know how to comment that I will leave you with that.

How could someone who technically took away that young girl's life get a prize for saving a life? How is she called a hero?

I wanted to mention that anti-choice activist try to take advantage of epidemy and lockdown that makes strikes impossible. Their actions do not seem like life saving at all. 

I am shaking right now. I cannot even imagine how the poor teenager must be feeling. I definitely do not want to live in a world like that.

Please share! Spread the news, we have to resist this madness.

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I've cut my menstrual cup's ring! And it feels much better now ;) I've had an continuous feel of it poking me and it was irritating my vagina, now I can't feel it at all ;)

I wanted to wait with cutting the stim utill I get comfortable with inserting and pulling out my cup. I adapted to this quickly ;)

I'm also considering buying a bit smaller cup, but for now this one is okay.

Check out my previous post about menstrual cups ;)

Greetings!

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April decluttering sum up!

I almost forgot about it... again :D

2 hairbands - donated

winter hat - donated

3 sweaters - donated

shirt - 1 donated, 1 sold

dungarees - donated

trousers - donated

half face mask - donated

2 pairs of shorts - donated

dress - donated

hoodie - donated

3 lanyards - donated

2 badges - donated

backpack - donated

safety reflector - donated

3 dices - donated

toy - donated

spectacle case - donated

rope - donated

cap - gave away

adapter - gave away

2 pendants - gave away

T-shirt - 1 sold, 1 donated, 3 thrown away (and upcycled)

yukata - sold

3 stationery sets - sold

Tarot cards - sold

leaflets - thrown away

old gums (used in sewing) - thrown away

5 letters - thrown away

4 gift drawings - thrown away

invitation card - thrown away

old documents - thrown away

sketches - thrown away

operating manual - thrown away

trading card - thrown away

disposable cutlery - thrown away

a lot of small boxes - thrown away

3 (huge) boxes - thrown away

20 zippers - thrown away

24 various buttons - thrown away

a lot of small textiles - thrown away

4 buttons sets - thrown away

beads set - thrown away

needle - thrown away

barrette - 1 thrown away, 2 donated

broken spool - thrown away

broken pendant - thrown away

3 shopping bags - thrown away, 1 donated

pair of socks - 1 thrown away, 3 donated

bottle of perfume - thrown away

The list seems to be long, but I got rid of not many items ;)

By the way, I want to mention that I make two kinds of donations. Things that are in very good condition I donate to various foundations and the things that are in worse condition (but still good quality) I put into containers for used clothing. I believe it is enough and even if the thing won’t reach new owner, they will be recycled properly. Textiles recycling is really crucial!

Greetings! 

[smallzerowaste]

Why did I decide to switch to safety razor?

Some time ago I decided to obtain a safety razor. For me the easiest way to buy it was online. So I chose a simple one with bamboo handle.

There are many advantages of switching to a safety razor:

It’s traditional and enjoyable.

It’s better shaving than while using disposable razor, also safety razor reduces skin irritation and ingrown hairs.

It’s less expensive. Disposable razor cost 1 to even 5$. I bought my safety razor with about 21$ and razors are really chip and fully recyclable. It’s very good way to save money.

I enjoy shaving with safety razor because of the attention I’m paying to it. It demands focus so it helps not to think about anything else. I’m taking care of myself and relaxing at the same time.

I’ve always had a problem with cutting myself while shaving, now while using safety razor I rarely do it.

Furthermore disposable razors are not recyclable. According to the EPA 2 billions of them end up in landfills every year. Terrible, right?

To be honest I was surprised how easy is the safety razor in use and in fact it’s a lot easier to use that kind of razor. I was also impressed with that feeling after shaving when my skin felt smoother and softer than while using disposable razors!

I highly recommend it to people who don’t want to give up shaving but want to be more eco friendly.

By the way from my point of view it’s also a very good gift idea!

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This is the waste I created using a safety razor for 14 months. Eight recyclable blades instead of about 30 disposable razors ;)

And I haven't change my mind about that topic - I absolutely love my razor ;) Seriously, using it is easier than it seems!

What about you? Do you own a safety razor or look forward to obtain it? ;)

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Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things, 2015

I haven’t seen that movie before and while watching it I completely fall in love with it (especially the first half 🙊). 

The quote is about my dream life. Owning only valuable items. I’m going to achieve it!

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Nope, it won't let me rb your menstrual cup post :/ I love mine and wanted to add onto it but tumblr is being whack

Oh it’s weird, I’ve never heard from anyone about that kind of problem... Maybe try again or write your comment in comment section or send it as this one I’ll publish it ;)

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Tumblr just crashed after I tried to rb something from you. I'm so lucky I followed before that! Your blog is super cool so far!

Oops :D Thank you so much! ♥

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Thank you for 2000 followers!

You’re the best! I’m so grateful for your support and I hope my posts inspire you, so we can make small changes everyday for better future 😄 (by the way: it is my 100th post!)

What do you think about 2k Q&A? Feel free to send me a question about anything anytime! | smallzerowaste.tumblr.com/ask

I love you all! ♥ 

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Today I made a tortilla dough for the first time in my life! Until now I have been buying ready flours in supermarkets. By making it at home I avoided unwanted packaging and ingredients :)

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Reusing paper and plastic 💚 Seedlings 🌱

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During the pandemic...

This is a tough time for many people. At the moment in my country there are 7918 confirmed infections and 314 deaths.

Remember to always make your health a priority.

I want to share with you some less waste tips that may help you these days.

Let’s start with masks - they are not difficult to sew at home (or even make without sewing!) and it is obvious that having a reusable one is better than using lots of disposable ones. After use you can disinfect it with boiling water or just put it into laundry ;) I recommend you having a few face masks.

Hand sanitizer - the world went crazy about it. Try making it yourself, it is easy! Ingredients: 

12 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol 

5 tablespoons of aloe vera and 3 tablespoons of glycerin which will prevent your skin from drying out and provide extra protection

You can also add some drops of essential oil ;)

Most of people started to care about cleaning much more due to the pandemic. Using homemade cleaning products is a goal that I still have not achieved yet. If you feel ready to start using them, go for it, look for the recipes (for example on pinterest) and make your own natural cleaning supplies!

I know that gloves are required to be worn now, but to be honest I do not believe that using disposable gloves will save us and from my point of view we are just making a huge waste with this plastic or rubber accessories. But...

please, wash your hands after touching any questionable surface. It is crucial to keep you and others save.

If you are storing food, remember that using aluminium or metal cans is probably a better choice than choosing plastic or glass due to recycling. Of course you can reuse most of packaging. But again, make yourself comfortable and buy what you need to survive.

Buy fruit and vegetables that stay fresh for a long time as: apples, potatoes and sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, apples, carrots, celery, lemons, beetroots, cabbages, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower. You can also freeze fruits, I often freeze my bananas ;)

Grow your own food and make your own bread, cookies, muesli, pasta etc. ;)

I hope you’re doing great and have everything you need. I wish you good heath! Greetings!