No Packed Food, Use Your Own Bottle: Is Zero Waste Life Possible? Here's All You Need To Know

Picture all of the trash bags that your house alone has thrown away this week. Now imagine, the garbage every household generated in your neighbourhood for the entire week. This is just a couple of houses in an entire block in a district in a city in a country, that is in a world. Just imagine, how much of garbage the whole world is generating on a weekly basis.

It's as if 15 grocery bags filled with plastic trash piled up everyday on every single yard of shoreline in the world. Yes, that¡¯s how much land-based trash ended up in the world¡¯s oceans in just one year.

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The world generates at least 3.5 million tons of plastic and other solid waste a day, 10 times the amount a century ago, according to World Bank researchers. And, this is time to ask is 'zero waste life' possible, if yes, how. Let's dig a bit deeper.

What is 'Zero Waste'?

Zero Waste is a concept to reduce the amount one consumes and consequently throws away. Adopting a Zero Waste lifestyle is one of the most sustainable ways of living.

Zero Waste lifestyle choices influence all environmental areas by preventing resource extraction, reducing the amount of materials sent to the landfill or incinerator, and reducing pollution from producing, transporting, or disposing of materials.

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But, how to do it?

Zero Waste is often looked at as something not easily accessible (making your own soap just may not be practical in your life, for example), but it¡¯s actually very easy to take simple steps toward Zero Waste. In fact, not only will you reduce waste, adopting a Zero Waste lifestyle can often be more affordable.

Composting, buying second-hand, sharing when you can, or packing your own lunch are all simple steps you can take toward Zero Waste, all while saving money too!

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First up can be, buying things free of plastic packaging, or in recyclable or reusable packaging, but packaging waste forms only one part of the waste we generate. We need to consider managing the end-life of a product ¡ª whether it gets composted or recycled or dumped into a landfill. This is called downstream waste.

Managing YOUR waste

1. What you wear

We quite often tend to forget that there is waste produced in the manufacturing process of the things we consume. This is referred to as upstream waste. Maybe it isn¡¯t quite as ¡®grammable¡¯ as the typical zero-waste aesthetics of brown paper, glass, wood and unbleached cotton ¡ª but it would be a mistake to lose sight of it.

The shirt that you¡¯re wearing did not just come in the box or plastic wrapper that it came in. Assuming it¡¯s made of natural fibres, someone cultivated crops, tended to and harvested them. It was then turned into yarn, dyed and then woven into fabric. After the fabric was ready, it was tailored into a shirt and shipped to a warehouse before it reached you.

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After the shirt has worn out in years, it can be used as a night wear. Then, some years later, it can be repurposed to be made into a kitchen wipe or a mopping cloth instead of being tossed away.

But, all our attempts at recycling or responsibly disposing of the downstream waste still won¡¯t offset or make the upstream waste disappear. So, another option is to simply reduce the number of things we buy. It¡¯s fairly obvious if you think about it. By buying what we only absolutely need, and by looking for secondhand options wherever possible, we are reducing the demand for new products.

2. What you consume

Minimize Food Waste: Revive leftovers, repurpose food scraps into jams and sauces, and stretch your food dollar by meal planning.

Compostable Items: fruit and vegetable parts, eggshells, coffee grounds, unbleached paper, tea bags, disease-free houseplants, and much more.

Cook Up Biodiesel: We can¡¯t pour used cooking oil down the drain (it causes clogs) or compost it. However, you can donate cooking oil to be recycled into biodiesel fuel.

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Avoid Ordering Food: Bring you own lunch and utensils when in office. Disposable lunches (to-go packaging, traditional plastic utensils, etc) generate a lot of waste.

Water Bottles: Use metal or glass water bottles throughout the day for water or coffee.

3. What you use

Personal Care Swaps:

• Disposable razor can be swapped for a reusable razor
• Sheet face masks can be swapped for homemade face pack
• Shampoo and cleaners can be swapped for soap and shampoo bars
• Makeup removal wipes can be swapped for reusable fabric wipes
• Deo sticks in plastic can be swapped for alum, DIY and deo in paper tubes

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Ditch Plastic Packaging: Glass and stainless-steel containers of all shapes and sizes can be cleaned and reused over and over again, and easily transported. Instead, use regular reusable dishes. If you need a single-use option, several retailers offer certified compostable paper plates, bowls, cups and napkins.

Eliminate Disposable Paper Products: Rather than paper towels and napkins, choose reusable cloth versions. You¡¯ll quickly save money over costly disposables.

Avoid Plastic Bags: Start using big shopping bags made from canvas, mesh, cloth or recycled/recyclable plastic.

Use Glass Jars: Use reusable containers such as mason jars for bulk loose items such as rice, granola, grains, oatmeal, dried fruit, and beans.

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Separate Your Waste: Keep food and kitchen scraps, garden waste, and recyclables separate.

Some more tips: The 5 magical Rs

Tips everyone can use to move toward the Zero Waste concept:

Refuse what we do not need (for example, at restaurants opt to go strawless)

Reduce what we use, especially if we are not using it (like your wasted food)

Reusing and using what we have until it no longer works, not when it no longer is in fashion

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Repairing what we can

Recycling only when all previous options have been explored

It may appear a tall task to begin with. But with the way our environment is getting irreparably damaged, this is perhaps the last resort to save the planet.