Reflections on 9 months of Reduce our Waste Living

Fall is now in full swing:

On October 1st, I reached a milestone: 9 months of “reduce our waste” living.  I don’t like to call it zero waste living because that still seems too daunting.   We have not been able to keep our garbage small enough to fit into a jar.  That being said, we have dramatically reduced our garbage.  During my last weigh-in, our family of 4 had two weeks of garbage weighing 2.4 lbs:

This is an almost 80% reduction in our waste from the beginning of the year.  I am very proud of my family and I for this accomplishment.

At this point, our waste is mostly “verboten” packaging from snack food, parchment paper and bathroom waste from my husband and daughters.   My daughters told me that they couldn’t believe that we were almost “done” with our 1 year project.  Done?  Can I go back to the way I used to live?  I wanted to share some of my thoughts and reflections after 9 months of attempting to reduce our waste.

Not Zero Waste but Zero Plastic

I think one of my key epiphanies is that it is not about zero waste for me but rather zero plastic.  This year, there were several stories in the media about whales, one in Thailand (Whale dies from eating plastic ) and one in Spain ( Whale dies from eating plastic (Spain)) both of whom died after ingesting up to 30 kg of plastics. Albatross are disappearing as mothers feed plastic waste to their babies, who in turn choke and die.  Our oceans are becoming clogged with plastic.   The severity of the problem is becoming more evident each day.   Consequently, when I have to buy things that are wrapped in plastic, I really think twice.  Do I need this item?  Can I buy it somewhere else without plastic? While I try to use reusable containers wherever possible, I will always choose containers made of glass, metal or cardboard above anything plastic.  Like I always say, plastic floats and take over 250 years to degrade.   Even when it does degrade, it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.  Fish eat it.  Plastic is sadly now in our food chain.   On the other hand, cardboard or carton material will degrade in 1-3 years in the water and birds or fish will not eat glass or metal.

Recycling is the Fourth R

I have been giving a 5R (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot) presentation at work and I am always amazed by people who become very animated about recycling.  I recycle religiously! Manufacturers should only use recyclable materials for containers!  While these are good ideas, recycling remains the fourth R and we need to emphasize Refusing, Reducing and Reusing before we go the fourth R.  I think it will take some time for people to realize that recycling is not best option and that we need to dramatically change the way that we consume.

Reduce your Waste Saves You Money

While I did not start this project with the intention to save money, it has proven to be a surprisingly effective way to do so.  We have reduced our weekly grocery bill by 30% and not shopping for clothes every other week has easily allowed me to save $500 per month.  I like to share this information with others because it can be a motivator to adopt this lifestyle.   I also realize that we need very little to live and be happy.  People ask me what I am going to buy when my 1 year of no clothes shopping is done.  Honestly, I think that I could basically continue for another year without too much trauma.  I have so (too?) many clothes and I don’t feel the need to buy anything yet.   Only a few things are starting to wear out, like stockings and shoes.  My intention is to buy good quality items so that they will last longer.  Until that time, I am mending what I can or living with holes and general wear and tear.  I think I have got it under control but know that my friend and colleague Danny will tell me if I cross the line!

Be Realistic

I have considered this blog as documentation of my “52 week experiment” in zero waste living.  Some of the experiments have been a success and some have not.  My daughter Julie tells me that living the reduce our waste lifestyle is kind of like being on a diet.  There are some things that you will cut out but to be sustainable, but you still need to do things that make you happy.  Buying in bulk is something that I enjoy and will continue to do.  I love my crystal stone deodorant and plan to keep using it.  I know that I presented “natural” cleaners as effective.  The truth for me is that some of them do not work as well commercial cleaners.  Right now, I am tired of having streaks on my mirror and I have actually decided to use my leftover commercial glass cleaner for my mirrors.  I use it sparingly and only for my mirrors but it is a compromise, especially since the bottle is made of plastic :-(.  I will continue to look for a zero waste alternative.  That being said, I think it is important to be realistic about those things that you will do over the long haul and what you are not willing to do.   In my opinion, it is not about being “perfect” but being realistic and practical.

There is  No Turning Back

To respond to my daughters, I asked them: do you think we can go back to the way we used to live?  They understand that the changes in lifestyle that we have made are irreversible and we cannot go back to “before” once this 1 year “project ” is done.  Like Christine, the owner of the Vert Essentiel shop told me, we cannot unlearn what we have learned.

Thank you!

I wish to thank everyone who has read my blog and encouraged me in this project during the last nine months.  Thanks for listening to my all sermons and rants and standing by me, even when I am using the natural deodorants!   You are my inspiration to keep going.