Easy Steps for Living a Zero Waste Lifestyle

This morning, as I was checking email and Facebook (like you do), I got sucked into a video on zero waste—which lead to another video on zero waste, and another. It got me thinking about how much trash (and recycling) I create in a given day.

What is Zero Waste?

Zero Waste is a philosophy in which you attempt to lessen the amount of trash sent off to the landfill. (The goal being absolutely none.) Instead, you focus on reusing and recycling.

• Minimize trash sent to landfills or incinerators. 
• Reduce overall consumption.
• Focus on products that can be reused or recycled back into the marketplace.

A few years ago, out of financial necessity, I accidentally attempted to live a zero waste lifestyle. Or, at least, what I thought at the time was a "zero waste" lifestyle. In fact it wasn't. But it was such a huge departure from the way I had been living, that it felt like it was.

I was still using electricity and running water. I still bought prepackaged food, still created a piles of trash that went to the landfill, still bought stuff and threw stuff out. And even though I wasn't living a completely "zero waste" lifestyle, I found it to be pretty difficult. In fact, it was really easy to fall back into old habits and patterns and still pat myself on the back because I was doing more than most people.

Some of the habits stuck with me, some didn't. I became more mindful about composting, but tended to do it only in the warmer months when it was easier to take stuff outside. I was more vigilant about recycling, proud of the fact that my recycling bin was always filled to capacity whereas my trash bin only had one-ish bags a week. Go Me!

Back to my morning of binge-watching You Tube videos (including the one above)... and realizing that, yes, I was doing a good job—but I could do better.

I know I'm never going to be someone who lives off-the-grid, going to the absolute zero extreme. But after watching these videos, it's clear that while I thought I was close to living this way, I'm SO not. There are a TON of things I can still do to reduce the amount of waste that comes into and goes out of our household.

It also occurs to me that these things will benefit the budget, so I'm going to do what Rob Greenfield (in the above video) challenges everyone to do—I'm going to make a list of changes I'd like to incorporate into my life and try to tackle them one week at a time.

List of Goals:

1. Swap out paper towels for reusable towels & napkins—I've been working up to this, but it might be time to make the leap.
2. Buy fewer packaged foods / items.
3. Stop using disposable produce bags—I saw someone at the grocery store last week with mesh bags like these (not an affiliate link).
4. Stop using (or greatly reduce usage of) plastic baggies—I know you can make your own out of oil cloth, or buy reusable (BPA free) versions.
5. Opt for reusable bowl covers or reusable beeswax wraps over Plastic wrap—This is another one of those things you can buy or make yourself.
6. Be better about bringing my own grocery bags into the store.
7. Buy more from the farmers market.
8. Grow more of my own food.
9. Be more vigilant about composting.
10. Opt out of junk mail.
11. Cancel phone book delivery.
12. Use more rain barrels / rain capturing systems for watering gardens.
13. Create a rain garden.
14. Stop buying beverages (including water) in plastic bottles.

What We're Already Doing:

1. Buying less food.
2. Using what we have.
3. Eating leftovers so there's little to no food waste.
4. Storing food in reusable (glass) jars and containers.
5. Using low-flow shower head and faucet nozzles.
6. Using Water Sense (lower-flow) toilets.
7. Composting yard waste.
8. Recycling (although it would be good to reduce the amount of plastics we put in the recycle bin).
9. Using washcloths instead of sponges.
10. Repairing items that break or tear.
11. Became a one-(hybrid)-car family.