When we hear the phrase "zero waste lifestyle", we might at first say, "we certainly couldn't do that". But in small steps, we can achieve a significant, if not total, reduction in waste.
It all starts with shopping in the first round. Have you ever thought about how much you could save on plastic bags if you took a bag with you every time you went shopping? In our family, we noticed a few years ago that we had several bags of plastic bags in the house and they were taking up more and more space. Slowly we got ourselves to sort out the bags we could still use before we went shopping. Unfortunately, the quality of these bags was quite poor, so after 2 or 3 uses they ended up in the bin just like their previous counterparts.
As we progressed, we noticed that many of the bags were no longer strong enough to make the journey home, so we started buying stronger and stronger bags, for larger sums of money of course. The problem with these over time was that they could not be cleaned, so they ended up in the bin again.
The solution was to buy canvas bags, as they are strong, durable, long-lasting and washable.
Since we've been taking our canvas bags shopping with us all the time, there's no more plastic bags piling up, no more bags taking up half the apartment, and no more constant annoyance about torn tabs and shopping falling apart.
We therefore recommend starting a zero-waste lifestyle when shopping.
As a second step, if you already carry a shopping bag, you can add canvas bags. These bags can eliminate another annoying problem, the many used lunch bags in the home that, if not thrown out after the first use, can take up several drawers of space in the household. Needless to say, the quality of these has also steadily deteriorated over the years, with bags filled with fruit and vegetables often ripping open at the checkout.
The canvas bag you carry with you will not tear, its light weight means that the weight of the product you buy will not be significantly more, so you don't have to worry at the checkout. One side of the bag is transparent, so it's easy for the cashier to check that the bag is actually what it says on the label.
In a bakery, it's easier than that. When you buy bread or rolls, simply ask the shop assistant to put the desired quantity of bakery products in them. It's now accepted everywhere that if you don't want to take a lot of waste home with you when you go shopping, you won't be seen as odd for asking.
Other ways to reduce waste, but not limited to:
- washable face wash discs
- washable kitchen towels
- bamboo toothbrush
- cutlery holder, with bamboo or metal cutlery
- use metal or glass canteens instead of disposable bottles
- composting
- etc.
We hope that our article has given you some advice on why you should be more environmentally conscious in your shopping.
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