5 Small Steps To Reducing My Waste
For a little while now I have been slowly transitioning to a more sustainable lifestyle. Although I find it impossible to go completely zero waste, I am definitely going to try to reduce my waste as much as I can. Here are 5 easy things I have been doing to waste less:
1. USING A REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE - I bought a reusable water bottle by the brand 24 Bottles, and let me just say… it’s amazing. It’s a stainless steal water bottle that I bring everywhere. The best part about it… it keeps my water cold all day long (I think 24 hours), which has been a game changer. There’s nothing more refreshing than drinking cold water, even after it’s been sitting all day. I brought it camping with me… it was great. You should definitely invest in one of these water bottles if you’re interested in reducing your plastic bottle waste.
2. BUYING IN BULK/PLASTIC FREE - Now, I don’t buy all my food plastic free… but I have been buying more and more foods from the bulk store. I get most of my kitchen staples from the Bulk Barn (here in Canada), and they let you bring your own containers. I bring my mason jars to the cashier, she weighs them, and then I go about my business filling them up. I feel so good going around with my glass jars, knowing I am not producing any waste. Things I normally get at the bulk store: flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, cashews, nutritional yeast, turmeric, paprika, matcha powder, popcorn kernals, baking soda, sea salt, and many more. I plan to keep expanding what I get in bulk.
3. USING REUSABLE GROCERY/PRODUCE BAGS - Anytime I go grocery shopping I bring reusable grocery bags. It’s become second nature for me to bring my bags in the store. I also purchased reusable produce bags from a company called Planet E on Amazon.ca, and they have been so, so useful.
4. USING REUSABLE UTENSILS/STRAWS - I purchased bamboo utensils for on the go, by To-Go Ware. Although it’s not necessary to buy this set (’cause you can just bring your home silverware with you), I liked it because it comes in a little pouch that also has a clip so I can clip it onto my purse or backpack. I haven’t used these too much yet because I haven’t needed to, but plan to use them a lot in the summer. I also have stainless steal straws that I use everyday. It’s very refreshing drinking my lemon water out of them.
5. USING REUSABLE ZIPLOCK BAGS - These have been so handy to have. I used to put so many things in ziplock bags, and it was so wasteful. Now with the reusable ziplock bags i have, I don’t need to feel ashamed anymore. I pack a lunch everyday for work, and these things have been great. Between the ziplock bags and my containers, I have a zero waste lunch everyday.
There are a lot of other zero waste practices I am currently doing, but the above are the main ones. I will discuss them in another post in the future. It’s a process that takes time to get used to, but is beneficial in the end (also can save you money). So look out for more zero waste posts from me. I hope this has helped anyone that is interested in this lifestyle, and transitioning just like me.