Everyday,
you and I throw away shopping receipts, plastic containers, and used sheets of
paper without giving them a second thought. But though these bits of trash seem
trivial to us, they are drastically increasing the amount of waste on our
planet. To stop our garbage from consuming the Earth, we need to begin changing
our lifestyles as soon as possible. One way to do this is by joining the
Zero-Waste Movement.
The
Zero-Waste movement is a lifestyle where people aim to have no trash output so
that no garbage is sent to landfills, oceans, or incinerators. It began with a
book written by Bea Johnson: Zero-Waste Home. In this bestselling book, Bea
explained how her family reduced their annual waste to one jar of trash!
Now that
more people are joining this eco-friendly movement, maybe it’s time for you to
join, too. But where do you start?
You could
begin by counting each and every object you throw away. Then, find a way to
replace those things with reusable alternatives so you don’t end up dumping
them the next time around. This is an easy way to start and soon, you’ll find
that you hardly have any trash to take out!
If you have
enough time on your hands, you can make homemade products, too. This is a great
idea as it stops you from throwing away the plastic packaging, which
store-bought products come in. You can look online for simple recipes using
beeswax to make lip balm, body butter, lotion bars, etc.
However, if
you’re busy and don’t have a lot of time, you can use different methods to go
zero-waste. Here are some small changes that make a big difference.
1. Make
homemade gifts. When you make gifts for others, you can use resources that you
already have, instead of buying something new. For example, you can make
origami gifts out of old magazine paper. Remember to only wrap your gifts in
newspaper!
2. Replace
your plastic toothbrushes with bamboo ones, which can be planted once you’ve
used them.
3. When you
step out to buy takeaway food, carry your own reusable containers. If you are
buying a takeaway drink, check if you can have it in your own flask with a
metal or bamboo straw. And the next time you go shopping, carry a cloth bag
with you and avoid buying a plastic one.
Bring your own bottle!
4. You can also
visit zero-waste stores to buy items without plastic packaging, and
products like shampoo bars so you don’t end up throwing away used shampoo
bottles.
Products sold without packaging at a zero-waste store
These small
changes can be implemented in every household. As you dive deeper into this
movement, you will realize that you’re not only saving the Earth, but
safeguarding your health too. Organic products from zero-waste shops are much
safer to use than normal products. And drinking from a metal bottle is
healthier than drinking from a plastic one.
If you
begin living a zero-waste lifestyle, don’t get frustrated when things go wrong.
Just remember that everyday, you are making a positive impact on the world.
