My Year of Zero Waste
So I have always tried to live as green as possible. A few days ago I found this awesome graphic and decided to use it to help me.
My “trash audit” for me was essentially an inventory of what I have in our kitchen. Pretty much everything I have in our kitchen is creating waste. All the packaging, and plastic is going to have to be thrown away or attempted to be recycled (if it can be).
So this was my first grocery shopping trip of the new year. 95% was zero waste. I went to 2 stores. Sprouts and Earthfare and only spent $45 between the two. (This is for a family of 3, including a 6′5″ man and a pregnant woman) We are still eating off of everything we already have so no everything we eat will be zero waste for a while. I’ve been craving popcorn and was ecstatic to find popcorn kernels in the bulk bins. Was also able to get protein powder for my boyfriend in bulk as well. I sadly couldn’t find glass bottles of milk for my boyfriend at Sprouts (VERY surprised by this) so went to Earthfare hoping I’d find it. There was no need for the plastic produce bags or plastic containers for our milk and juice.
Our zero waste kitchen is a work in progress. I’m starting our compost back up, I’ve already bought flower sack towels to use in place of paper towels. I recommend these if you can’t afford or don’t want to buy “unpaper towels” I keep them in a drawer. I’m on the search for some bigger glass jars and working through emptying and using up our food so we can transition.
My next steps will definitely be to probably get a juicer and a small blender, preferably used on Facebook marketplace. I’m still working through so much food so I will be able to transition as we go and I’m excited.
Try this ya’ll. It feels great and is great for the environment.
