Blending in: Zero waste for beginners
The whole concept of going zero waste is quite exhausting. For a family that empties out a bin or two of waste each day, going zero waste is like a utopian scheme. Some even feel that the waste they shell out will have to stink up their homes. But it’s not so! Just like the Rome was not built in a day, you can’t simply go from a hoarder to a minimalist in a day. Drastically changing lifestyle is not sustainable and might end up in quitting the motive at all.Therefore, we have chalked out four simple steps to begin with:
Quitting Single use Plastic
This one step brings the most drastic change and motivation to your zero waste goals. Besides it also does half of the good intended. Single use plastic is not just a landfill load; it often chokes up animals on land and in water
Start up with slipping a cotton carry bag into wallet or your bag where ever you go. It will take a few days to bring it into your habit. Say no, if someone offers a plastic bag and carry your own water bottle while stepping out, to avoid using packaged water or disposable glasses.
Shopping Choices
What you bring inside your homes greatly influences the garbage you later will have to deal with. So, next time before you get charmed by a fancy packaging, think of its final fatei.e. the garbage bin or say,a
landfill. If you don’t have a bulk store nearby, start with buying large quantities, such as quitting use of sachets and small sized multiple packaging.Things with longer shelf life can be bought more, especially non edible items. Prefer packaging that is recyclable or sustainable in nature. Paper is compostable and glass highly reusable and recyclable.
Have Plants
This one must come as a surprise. What has Gardening got to do with minimizing waste? But this is a crucial step in our plan. Potting plant around the house will generate requirement for compost and will let you have some soil inventory at your home. This will motivate you in the second stage of going zero waste where we introduce composting which eliminates 40-70 percent of garbage load. Plants move you close to nature, immensely decrease screen time of all age group in homes. Bring home the stress relievers.
The beginner’s stage more importantly aims at developing a lifestyle rather than reducing waste. The practices that you have started are slowly building a concern for nature, inside you. Now you think before you get a wasteful packaging inside your home, you prethink that packaging will be of use later or will be thrown away. You might have got aware of some zero waste shops and brands around you. Waste segregation puts a third thought over the things you bought, because now you have to deal with the glass metals and plastic scraps and decide their future. Once you spend a month spent successfully leading beginner’s life, adapting zero waste as a part of life become easy.
Waste Segregation
Almost every one of us segregates waste, especially because the municipality vehicle refuses to accept dry and wet waste clubbed together. But for a zero waster this segregation is a bit elaborate. We keep wet, dry and hazardous separate. For someone who is beginning with reducing waste generation, segregation is most important and probably the first step to learn. Start with keeping a seperate bin for organic waste. Rest dry scrap is either hazardous or recyclable, keep recyclabes apart and hazardous can be directly send to the waste collecter van.