Do you know that last year Kenya enacted one of the strictest bans on plastic bags in the world? It's unlike any ban that Indian states have put on the use of plastic bags that are killing our animals and environment. People in Kenya will now be punished and fined for using plastic!
We contribute to estimated 12m tonnes of plastic entering our oceans, polluting marine life, on a yearly basis, and that's just one part of the billions of tonnes of debris that we throw out every year. If we lived a zero-waste life, we would be helping to reduce that damage greatly. Simply put, a zero waste life is where you consume less, you discard less, you own less and you waste nothing.
You don't have to do everything at once - slow and gradual changes will do, but the key here is that you have to reach a point where you own very few things and then take things from here. Here are just a few points that will help you in cutting down on objects you own.
You really have to know that plastic is the root cause of many problems and diseases around the world. Everything plastic comes with a very tiny shelf life and gets thrown away after it is used - toothbrush, toothpaste, bottles, plates, glass, spoons etc.
You have to switch to things that are reusable - bags, jars, containers.
As we already discussed, disposables are what comes with the shortest shelf life and often land up in the sea, killing marine animals. The first and foremost step is ditching all the disposals - straws, napkins, paper bags everything.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins
Use bamboo or stainless steel straws.
Invest in reusable bags
Buying lunch outside is more dangerous to the environment than you think. You buy food that comes in some form of packaging, which will be thrown when you are done eating. Avoid this. Make your own food and use your own reusable jars to carry food around.
In fact, you can also carry a set of dishes with you to take your own takeaways without damaging the environment. A friend of mine carries her own steel coffee mug with a lid for takeaways - smart, isn't it?
No, it isn't as taxing as it sounds. First of all, the idea is not to buy plastic and not to buy and recycle it. However, there are other things than plastic that can be recycled and used over and over. For instance, you can recycle light bulbs, cartridges and many other electronic items.
Furthermore, there are a plethora of organisations out there who are ready to recycle your things. It's a win-win situation as you will get rid of things that you do not use anymore and they can recycle and sell those things.
Many offices across the country have turned into zero-waste areas where they segregate their waste and take it for composting in their own premises. All the wet waste like banana peels, food etc can be turned into manure using a machine. In fact, some of the packaging material too can be composed.
The manure then produced can be used to grow plants or sold.
Thinking that we do not have to worry about the food we throw away just because we can afford it is a stupid idea. Food is expensive and a limited resource. You may waste it now but it won't be available for throwing away forever. ?From leftovers to spoiled produce - everything counts.
Other than cooking, you can also plan your meals ahead and do things like - keep some snack handy, make a list and stick to eat, buy your own groceries, plan your own meals, freeze the leftovers and use them again, make a new dish out of what's remaining from the previous night. Even then if you end up with some food, you can give it to someone.
If you are dedicated to buying things from your local suppliers, it means that you are not contributing to transportation pollution, packaging pollution, you're reducing your carbon footprint and more. Going local means you're not buying stacks of vegetables and fruits coming wrapped in plastic or thermocol thermal boxes but you are taking your own bags to pick them.
Buying in bulk saves a lot of costs and rounds to the store. This also means you can pick however much you need and you can carry your own jars and rely on fresh produces.
A lot of things that we own come with a very short shelf life, but you can easily extend it by adding them to your DIY platform. Make pots out of discarded bottles, dusters out of waste cloth, bags out of discarded jeans, pots out of waste towels and more.
Put your imagination to use and incorporate these changes into your life.
Ensure that you have almost zero things coming in your post. We live in 2018 and almost everything is digital. Make sure that you do not take prints and rely heavily on the digital world. Do not invest in buying books, but buy a kindle using which you can have an endless collection at the tips of your fingers.
Use apps like Evernote and Google Keep to make a list and ditch the pen and paper
As materialistic animals, we have this tendency to hoard even when we don't need stuff. Just like you are learning to create your own healthy mental space, say no to things that you do not need to create a healthy environment/
Buy fewer clothes, buy fewer gadgets, declutter. Make sure you only invest in things that are eco-friendly, and will not harm the environment. Getting rid of things is difficult, but you wouldn't have to if you don't buy them.