Reflections on 3 months of the Zero Waste-ish Lifestyle

Wow!  It’s been already 3 months that we have been testing out the zero waste lifestyle.   I am very proud of all the changes that we have made as a family.  I wanted to share some comments, questions and feedback that I have received:

Share and Educate.  I spend a lot of time talking about my zero waste project.   Why? Because I think sharing and education are important complements to the zero waste lifestyle.

Whenever I go to buy something and hand my container to the person behind the counter, I like to say “Hi / Bonjour!  I am doing a zero waste project.  Here is my reusable container.  Can you please put X in it?”  One day, I hope it will be commonplace to bring your own containers to the cheese shop or the butcher.

Life is not perfect.     Last week, we had an end of semester fiesta for my Spanish class.  I brought reusable glasses and my homemade salsa in a bowl but the tortilla chips were in a non-recyclable plastic bag.  Plus, I forgot my reusable utensils so I had to use a plastic fork (insert SIGH here).  I felt pretty lousy about it all, however, I have to keep perspective.  Zero waste is an ideal and the mindset has to be about moving towards zero waste, in whatever way possible for you and your lifestyle.

How do you buy meat and fish?  For meat, I am going to an open-minded butcher (Mon Boucher in Ile Perrot).  My friendly butcher is willing to put my chicken and beef in my reusable containers.

Right now, I am still going to Metro as they have compostable bags for fish.  I have purchased some air tight, resealable metal containers for storage of the meat.  Now that I have the vendors and containers, this part of my zero waste lifestyle is relatively easy.

I am spending a lot of time in the kitchen.   Since I buy dried chick peas, black beas and red kidney beans instead of canned versions, I prepare these for the upcoming week every Sunday morning.  I also make homemade granola bars and salads for my daughters each week for their lunches.  I recently made my own BBQ sauce for a recipe.  Homemade food is much more flavorful than store bought.  Plus it is better for you.  The downside is that it requires a lot of time and energy to make all this food.  I don’t regret it but I do miss the days when I could relax on Sunday.  I don’t see how people say that zero waste saves you time.  Let’s be honest.  It doesn’t, but it is definitely better for the planet and all its inhabitants.

My mindset has changed.  For good.  A lot of people ask me what I am going to do when the year is over.  I doubt that I can go back to living the way I used to.  I like having my collection of glass containers neatly organized in my cupboards.   I feel proud to make my own food and products.  Finally, I love the many positive discussions that I have with people about this topic and seeing people thinking about the things that they can also do at home.

I avoid plastic.   When I first started reading about zero waste, I saw that plastics were getting bad press.  Having worked in the plastics industry for 10 years, I thought that this was a bit of an exaggerated over-reaction.  Plastics are lightweight and seal well.  Now, I keep reading articles about sea animals eating floating plastic bags, containers and dying from it.  My new approach is that animals won’t likely eat metal cans and bottles as these will tend to sink.  Consequently, I am slowing transitioning away from all plastic containers.  It is hard to do 100% because plastic is everywhere but definitely this is a trend that I am seeing in my new lifestyle.

No clothes shopping is easier than I expected it would be.  14 weeks and counting and still no clothes shopping!  This is my definite record and I am confident that I will be able to last the full year without shopping.  Strange thing about no clothes / shoe shopping is that it leads to no shopping other than for food.  The other day, I went to the pharmacy to buy some headache medication and it felt very strange to be in the store.  When I see the packaged goods, I cannot help but shake my head.  At this point, all the packaging in traditional stores simply discourages me from shopping.

Challenge for the Week:  Talk about zero waste with people that you meet to share the things that you are doing.  Encourage others to try something “zero waste-ish”, like bringing their reusable coffee cup to work and using it for a week; or experimenting with buying in bulk; or even something as simple as refusing a plastic bag at the store or a plastic straw at the restaurant.