Embarking on a Low-waste Journey

Introducing a low-waste lifestyle through my first-hand experience and the changes I have done in my personal life.

For the past couple of months, I stumbled upon a new concept: Zero/Low-waste lifestyle. Although in 2016 I had already learned about and adopted minimalism, zero/low-waste lifestyle took my lifestyle into another level.

Before telling you about my new mind-shift, I will briefly explain the concept. Low-waste lifestyle is basically being mindful and cautious about our habits and consumption in a way that would yield low waste in anything we do. On the other hand, minimalism is about living with less, and intentionally only bringing things into your life that brings you happiness and fulfillment. To put it in context, let’s say you went out and passed by a coffee shop. If you don’t have the “low-waste” principles in your mind, you would mindlessly purchase a coffee and, let’s say, a pre-packed sandwich. But if you practice a low-waste lifestyle, you would be taking your own reusable cup and some snacks with you, avoiding purchasing food that comes in a pre-packed package (which is usually in plastic).

Now let’s take a step back and understand what I’m talking about. In both scenarios, you did enjoy a cup of coffee. However, in the first scenario both items you purchased yield to disposable items; that is (1) the coffee cup, (2) the plastic lid that comes with the cup, and (3) the package that came with the sandwich (plastic/cardboard or both)

This is being “mindful and cautious”. Knowing that anything that you get in your life, whether it’s food, clothing, electronics – all come with some type of wasteful packaging. Practicing a low-waste lifestyle guarantees that you get the coffee you want but you use your own reusable coffee cup, only replacing it when it breaks.

You might have noticed that I have only explained “low-waste” and haven’t mentioned the “zero-waste”. Zero-waste is the next big step: not producing any waste. Looking into our convenience-driven world, where everything now is made with the idea of “how can we make it easy for consumers”, industries are putting little to no thought towards the environmental impact of the products they put on sale. This results in products that come in packages, stickers, or are made with materials that basically do not decompose or resourcefully deplete when recycled, making it difficult, or sometimes impossible, for the products to be reused. This means the only way to get rid of the item is by shoving it in the landfill.

In our modern society, aiming for a zero-waste lifestyle is a very noble and admirable thing to do. However, it’s very hard, resulting in steering people away from the idea, thinking that it’s too radical and extreme. One way to imagine it is going to the supermarket, walking and trying to find items that come in non-plastic containers. It’s a challenging and stressful endeavor.

Therefore, knowing all that, I have decided to embark on the journey of what is called eco-minimalism (combining minimalism and low-waste lifestyle). Of course, since I live with my family I started with myself, setting the example to make a change. I looked into the many aspects of my life and introduced many changes:

1. Avoided single-use plastics: as a first step, I avoided plastic bottles, disposable coffee cups, straws, plastic grocery bags, plastic bags used for fruits and veggies.
2. Swapped plastic-made/packaged products with compostable or recyclable elements. This meant swapping a plastic toothbrush with a bamboo toothbrush, a plastic hairbrush with a sustainable-wood brush, liquid soap (facial & hand) with solid soap, and a store-bought deodorant with a homemade one.
3. When needed, purchasing clothing that is made with sustainable, natural materials. I recently needed to purchase an everyday dress, so I took this opportunity to look for a piece that aligned with my new values, and I stumbled upon Linen Fox. Not only are their clothes made from linen (textile made from the fibers of the flax plant and one of the most biodegradable fabrics), all of their garments are made in Lithuania using only toxin-free certificated linen. They also run their business “according to fair trade principles & paying honest wages”. Not to forget that their packing is made from paper and is 98 % plastic-free.  A bonus point to their favor is that they sell their fabrics scraps and use the scrawls for packaging. This is one example of how I started looking for responsible and sustainable businesses that resonate with what I personally believe in.

I’m still at the beginning of my journey. It’s challenging but it’s interesting to learn every day about it through advocates on social media and from reading books. However, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a life journey, where sometimes you may slip and fall, knowing that it’s a process and that perfection is never in the picture. It’s about trying every day, with every action you do to keep reducing, to think of the bigger picture, and to remember that all this effort is to create and maintain our environment. To know that we live in one huge circle, that anything that goes around comes back around. The resulting pollution and waste are affecting us. Action has to be taken on the individual level. Change can be done, one day at a time, educating one person at a time.

Ready to get inspired? Check out these resources:

Books:

• Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki
• Don’t Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change by George Marshall

Instagram:

• @Healyourliving
• @simplybychristine
• @Anitafromaustralia
• @theminimalists
• @thegoodtrade
• @plantedinthewoods
• @greendreamerpodcast