4 Steps to Reducing your waste

Spring is here and with the arrival of a new season, our thoughts also turn to personal changes.

My colleague Fany is a busy, working mother of two young girls.  The other day, she asked me to coach her on zero waste/reduce our waste living.  It can be overwhelming.  I used to be one of those who thought, well yes, zero waste is definitely something I want to do but it seems too difficult and I am not sure I can actually do anything that makes a difference. Where to begin?  Here my suggestions for those who are getting started in reducing their waste or those who want to push a little further.

STEP 1 Measure:  Much like I did in 2018, the best way to determine how you should reduce your waste is to look at what you are putting into the garbage (and recycling!).   Using the 80/20 rule, focus on the top sources of your waste. Plastic packaging from food? Diapers?  This will give you a good idea of where you should be reducing.

STEP 2 Inspire: Now that you have identified your largest sources of waste, think about how you can reduce it.  Personally, I like to use 5Rs as my guide for reducing waste.  Focus on the first three Rs:  Refuse, Reduce and Reuse.  For further inspiration, use the web. There are several good zero waste blogs out there (here are a few: www.goingzerowaste.com, https://www.paredownhome.com, www.zerowasterebel, ) but here is a quick list of a few key things that you can do to reduce your waste:

# 1 : Refuse all single use plastics.  This means refusing plastic bags at a store (make sure to carry your own reusable bags), refuse single use straws in drinks (always be sure to ask that a a server not give you a straw, remind them 2 or 3 times to be sure they remember), refuse plastic water bottles (carry your own reusable water bottle), refuse plastic utensils (and carry your own).

#2: Buy less. Buy quality. This means saying no to fast fashion, buying thoughtfully and generally less. The wardrobe that you already have is always the most sustainable option. And, if you do as Marie Kondo suggests, and surround yourself with items that you love, you will not feel the need to buy anything else.

#3: Buy fewer packaged goods. Since I have become zero waste/ reduce our waste, some of the items I no longer buy are gum, chips  and any pre-packaged foods like salads and meat.  My colleague Fany told me that she is too busy to go to different stores like the bulk store, butcher and cheese shop as I do.  I suggested that she bring her container to the grocery store for her meat and fish.  This is a great way to reduce your waste and prevent Styrofoam packaging from going to landfill.     

#4: Make it yourself. If you make something yourself (like a cleaning product or foodstuff), you will most certainly reduce your waste. To avoid buying packaged cereal and granola bars, I started making cereal and granola bars for my family. I was surprised at how easy it was and plus, it generally tastes better and is healthier too!

#5: Reuse: Before you throw something away (or recycle something), ask yourself, is there someone else I can use this item for? An old t-shirt can be cut up and turned into cleaning rags or even a bag for carrying produce (see here).

STEP 3 Commit: After identifying a few things that you think you can do, select one that you can commit to trying and try doing it for 30 days.  After 30 days, you will likely have adopted as a regular habit.  Right now, I am working on one new thing:  taking the bus.  My sustainable sister Nancy now takes the bus every day to work.  I have been feeling very guilty taking my gas powered car to work everyday (my husband and I agree that our next car will be electric).  I took the bus to work for the first time on Earth day in April 2018 but never again.  With a busy life and work and various obligations, taking the bus is not easy. However, as some thought, it turns out that Tuesdays are a good day for me to take the bus.  Dressed in my bus pants (shout out to Sheldon on Big Bang Theory):

I have successfully took the bus to work two weeks ago and I have been doing it once a week since then.

STEP 4 Evaluate: How is your new change of habit working for you? Is it something that you can keep doing? Or is the change something that is just not workable for you? Remember not to strive for perfection or something that does not fit your lifestyle. We still have to find happiness and joy during our time on this wonderful planet. It has taken me a long time to make the bus work but I think that I can continue to commit to taking the bus once a week and possibly work from home another day. This means two less days that I am driving my polluting vehicle. It’s a small change but I like to think that every little bit that we do helps.

Challenge for the Week: Is there one new thing that you are willing to change in your life to reduce your waste and your impact on the planet? Please share if there is anything that you are going to try out.