One thing that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is how much plastic and paper waste a single person produces in a day. There are so many things that we use once and throw away without even thinking twice about it. Unfortunately we’re getting to that point where we really should be more conscious of what our consumption is doing to the planet. Especially during the holidays it’s hard to comprehend just how much plastic and paper is wasted and thrown into the landfill.
Luckily you don’t have to take it to extremes to make a dent in the waste that you are creating this holiday season. There is a powerful Zero Waste Movement happening right now that focuses on making simple swaps for every day items, which means less going into the garbage at the end of the day.
Here are some ideas to get you started being a more conscious consumer. Especially now that the holidays are upon us, a time when there is so much unnecessary waste.
Minimize Single Use Plastic
Simple things like having reusable travel utensils in your car so you don’t have to use plastic forks and knives at Starbucks (I’m totally guilty of that). Same goes for plastic straws, which are wreaking havoc on marine life. By getting some reusable stainless steel straws you can make a simple swap that also helps the environment.
More and more people recently have made it a habit to take their reusable grocery bags to the store, but have you ever though of how much plastic you are wasting with the produce bags you put your greens and other veggies in? Their lifespan is only as long as the veggies you put in them, then they go right in the trash. A smile solution is taking your own produce bags to the grocery store along with your own grocery bags. Same goes for Zip-lock bags, which I use almost every day when I go to work. Instead try using the cute Stasher Reusable Food Bag.
Many businesses and towns are even doing away with plastic bags and straws all together! My hometown got rid of plastic bags in grocery stores and charge people for each brown bag they use. Not only does it cut down on plastic bags which pollute out environment, but the extra charge (which was only like 5 cents or something) was enough incentive to try to remember my reusable bags each time I went shopping.
Another thing is to be aware of what you are purchasing, either as its or just in general. Are you getting gifts for people that come in a ton of plastic packaging or requires bubble wrap because of shipping? Note I’m a huge fan of online shopping for the sanity it saves me, but these are things to be aware of.
Waste Free Gift Wrapping
One of the biggest waste issues around the holidays is all of the gift wrapping and boxes that get thrown out. When I think about it I find it kind of insane that we will use expensive paper for the sole purpose of ripping it up and throwing it out after 5 seconds. I mean, I love how presents look all pretty and wrapped up, but there are more creative, and sustainable ways, to make presents look beautiful.
One way is to use reusable gift wrapping. I found these stretchy fabric bags that can fit around different size boxes and can be used over and over. If you’re not into reusable gift wrapping you can always skip the wrapping paper and reuse gift bags. I know in my family we never have to buy new ones because my mom has a whole closet full of saved gift bags that we just use year after year.
Get creative with brown paper bags. I love using brown paper bags from the grocery store (when I forget my reusable grocery bags of course!) and cutting them up to use as wrapping paper. They are a blank canvas for making fun art that makes each gift unique. Using paint, crayons, stamps, and stickers is a great way to decorate them for any season or holiday, and it’s free! One year my mom used brown paper to wrap all our presents and used Christmas-ey stamps and twine to make them look beautiful! It was an art project in itself, and made wrapping more enjoyable.
Action Step: Here’s something I want you to try…
Tomorrow from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep, notice how much you throw away, or how much unnecessary paper and plastic are a part of your everyday life. Paper towels, ziplock bags, the plastic wrap on food containers, junk mail, makeup remover pads, produce bags, receipts, all of it. Just by becoming aware of how much unnecessary waste you accumulate in one day can be a big motivator in making tiny changes.
And if you’re really interested in learning about more ways you can live a zero waste life (or close to it) is to check out the book, aptly named Zero Waste Home.
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