Hi. Is there a way to stop contributing to landfills without being a hoarder?
Thereās a few ways. It can be difficult, and I advise people start in one or two areas of their life, and donāt strive for perfectionism. Unfortunately, I find some of the zero waste/low waste communities and groups can be a little intensive, and you have to be realistic and sustainable about what you can maintain doing, or youāre not going to do it long term.
Limiting waste at the entry point is usually a good start. I think we tend to think of how we can reuse or get rid of things sustainably, but also sometimes we can avoid this problem altogether from the start. I have reusable shopping bags I keep in my car and reusable produce bags (so Iām buying loose fruit and vegetables and not packaged things). I tend to keep a list of things I own like clothes, self care products (moisturiser, etc) and try not to overconsume or buy, or overcomplicate (like being realistic with myself I donāt need 12 different skincare products or 10 different jackets).
If I do really want something, I tend to give myself a few weeks before I purchase it, just to make sure itās not a novelty thing or Iām trying to temporarily make myself feel better in the moment (and then whatever I wanted ends up barely getting used or collecting dust).
Minimising waste at the other end can be tricky. Realistically, recycling isnāt perfect and we know in lots of places things end up dumped anyway, but I still encourage trying what you can, even if itās just one or two little things you add into your life routine. We have a soft plastic recycling scheme in Aotearoa, and I try to collect what I can, and then every 3-4 weeks drop it off. I also know people who do things like separate tetrapak recycling (the cardboard cartons that are lined, like milk), polystyrene, specific types of plastic, etc. It depends whatās available in your area and what you can realistically do (if you have to put a bunch of extra effort and resources in, like using gas to take something a decent distance away, it may not be worth it).
Sometimes teaming up with people can also be helpful too! A bunch of my friends and I often combine any broken electronics or used batteries once a year to get sent to specific recycling so itās one load instead of multiple little ones.
Reusing is a really important part of waste reduction, but you have to find a fine balance. If I canāt think of a use for something, itās probably not worth hoarding away until a day I might come up with something. If this is hard, you can always keep a 30 day period, and if you havenāt found a use for whatever youāre keeping you need to move it on.
An example in housing Iāve lived in is spice jars - we tend to buy the glass bottles initially and then refill them. But sometimes we do end up with double ups or one we donāt intend to use again, so thereās a limited time frame to see if we can use it, or else it needs to be recycled (alternatively, check in with your local thrift/op shops because some of them do actually take these)!
In terms of food waste, planning can be really hard to get into but also really effective. I have a bunch of staples, but going into each week with a basic meal plan/meal prep concept, I tend to only buy what I need for that, which means Iām not spending money on extra things, and not having extra food items I may not even get around to using, and therefore waste. Food scrap recycling is minimal but also I find just tends to make people feel a little better - I have a small worm farm! If youāre in a place you canāt have something like that though, sometimes seeing if thereās any local community composting can also be something people find encouraging.
If you have food you know youāre not going to use, thereās also giveaway groups or apps like Olio where you can see if anyone else is interested in it.
There is lots of little things you can do to reduce your overall consumption and waste output. I suggest just implementing little things you can, and seeing if you can maintain them. Realistically, individuals shouldnāt be shamed for their impact compared to large corporations and businesses, but I think itās also good to encourage social and environmental responsibility and consciousness.
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