#makethezwswitch

[throwawayless-blog]

My stainless steel army

Simple changes that can really make a difference.

[throwawayless-blog]

Homemade

Since I've tried to reduce my waste, I discovered that going plastic and package-free means ditching some of my staple food products.

Yet, what I also discovered is that it makes me appreciate what I eat even more and have fun while doing things from scratch.

Here you can see two products that I consume almost daily with my oatmeal: apple sauce & nut butter. The applesauce is much better! It's made with apples that I've picked myself, and the addition of cinnamon.

[greenhabits]

Plastic trash challenge

I've just completed my first 8 days of Platic Free Life challenge. So here's the result:

Name: Inês

Total number of items: 15

List of recyclable items: tetrapak packages; yogurt packages; can of tomatoes; noodles package; batteries package; contact package; bread paper; toilet paper package; vegan protein package; detergent bottle; Justin's peanut butter cup packages.

List of non-recyclable items: as far as I know, 0.

Feelings: I feel overwhelmed by the amount of plastic I have in my home. Most of these items were not new purchases, which really made me think. Even re-usable batteries come in plastic - how ironic is that?

What items can I easily replace with plastic free or less plastic alternatives?

I can definitely not buy noodles with packaging - I can either make my own pasta or buy the ones available in bulk (without packaging).

I will definitely no longer buy bread with packaging - although this is something I was only doing once in a while, it's not an option now.

Buying tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes in a can - it's so easy to make them from scratch. I've already done it twice since last week :)

Detergent - I will use this very own bottle to buy it in bulk. Unverpackt (a package-free store in Berlin) is finally selling detergent and other liquid cleaning products.

Soy milk and yogurt - these two are the most difficult ones. However, I did found out that the production of Provamel products is CO2 neutral so I'll be buying those instead. (Learn more about it here). At least until I can make them on my own.

What items would I be willing to give up if a plastic free alternative doesn’t exist?

Justin's peanut butter cups. They are amazing but still not worth it.

Vegan protein. At least this brand. I did get in touch with them to ask why they have to store the powder in plastic, and it's true that they've been struggling with packaging. In the end, it's a give up item.

What items are essential and seem to have no plastic-free alternative?

Toilet paper is unfortunately essential for me. However, the one that I buy is organic and made from 100% recycled paper, including the packaging.

Contact lenses. I could try to use my glasses more and reduce the overall consumption but they are still essential.

Pain-killers. Tooth pain is unfortunately impossible to ignore.

LWhat lifestyle change(s) might be necessary to reduce my plastic consumption? Honestly it's just a matter of being aware of your choices. Being mindful about what you buy and how can you make a difference. Additionally, making your own food from scratch really helps.

What one plastic item am I willing to give up or replace this week? Already did - all the give up items mentioned above.

Update: If you want to follow my journey, I now have a new blog called: throwawayless.

[cheysiexoxo]

My little zero waste win♻️🙌🏻 Packed my food for the train but unfortunately didn't expect to run late and need lunch. So I picked this up at the train station. Spinach and Fetta pastry. Made sure to ask for just a paper bag as I didn't have a container and saw they had a lot of styrofoam containers. I got an apple too both the cleanest and zero waste food to grab❤️ #zerowastefood #zerowaste #zerowastewin #cleaneating #travel #train #railway #nowaste #noplastic #refuseplastic #envyeatsclean #trashisfortossers #makethezwswitch #zerowastelifestyle (at Central railway station, Sydney)

[cheysiexoxo]

Had to be on liquids last night before my medical scans today. So I squeezed some orange juice for my smoothie🍊 I love this find from the opshop only $3! #zerowaste #zerowastewin #zerowastefood #zerowastehome #nowaste #noplastic #compost #sydneyfoodie #makethezwswitch #trashisfortossers #reusable #recycling #refuseplastic

[cheysiexoxo]

Breakfast time! This one was nice and quick. Some white peach on the bottom of the glass with Greek yoghurt, Organic Honey and strawberries, Chia seeds and @freshnessfinefoods muesli 😍 Trying to finish up some of my products I have in plastic before buying plastic free options. #thesimplethings #envyeatsclean #breakfast #cleaneating #greekyoghurt #organic #organichoney #sydney #sydneyeats #sydneyfoodie #zerowaste #nowaste #makethezwswitch #maketheswitch #noplastic #healthyfoodporn #vegeterian #chiaseeds #cleanliving #greeny #minimalist #healthyfood #healthygirls #healthyeating #healthyliving #freshnessfinefoods #muesli #zerowastehome #zerowastefood #healthyfoodshare

[cheysiexoxo]

Life seriously doesn't get much better than this. Morning coffee and breakky out on the balcony in the sunshine with my cat Ginny, the cockatoo Charlie and all my seeds and seedlings. And my funky new 2nd hand balcony table😎 🌱♻️☕️🍊 #envyeatsclean #gardeningsydney #randwick #organicgardening #organic #zerowaste #zerowastehome #zerowastelifestyle #nowaste #vegeterian #seedlings #gardening #balconygarden #sydneyfoodie #sydneygardens #cleaneating #coffee #coffeetime #cleaneats #veganfriendly #breakfast #healthyfood #healthyliving #herbs #homegrown #cleanliving #makethezwswitch (at Sydney, Australia)