Zero Waste Living: A Beginner's Guide

We have been bringing reusable shopping bags with us for years but I must admit this is out of convenience rather than good intentions. Our town, as well as several nearby areas' local governments, have prohibited the use of plastics. Shops, groceries, and other stores use paper bags or boxes to package one's purchases. Carrying paper bags can be quite difficult especially when commuting thus we bring shopping bags. But last July, our bringing of reusable shopping bags took a different meaning as J and I decided to pursue a zero waste living. 

Zero Waste, according to the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA), is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use. It involves lessening, recycling, and reusing one's leftovers and trash until you have achieved having no waste at all. 

A zero waste lifestyle requires a lot of planning, mindful choices, and discipline. It is a commitment to love and care for our planet more than we want our conveniences. It can be overwhelming because of the many changes one has to make but like any lifestyle changes, a zero waste living does not happen overnight. It is best achieved with small changes done over time until it becomes a natural extension of yourself. 

If you are considering to go zero waste but does not know where to start, fret not, let me help you with this beginner's guide. These are steps you can easily do to begin your zero waste journey. 

• Swap plastic shopping bags for reusable ones. Skip even the paper bags.

Instead of relying upon the stores to package your purchases, bring your own reusable shopping bags. Shopping bags made of sturdy cloth are the best. Make it a habit to have one with you all the time when you go out and not only on your market or grocery days just in case you need to do some impromptu shopping. Paper, even though biodegradable and compostable, can also be a waste especially if not re-used or recycled so start refusing the use of them. Simply tell the store personnel that you will use your own shopping bag. 

Our trusty reusable shopping bags. I always bring at least one with me. 

• Always bring a reusable water bottle or tumbler with you. Say no to disposable straws.

Invest in a tumbler that can be used both on cold and hot drinks so no need to bring two bottles with you. Zero waste living also aims to be economical and bringing a bottle of water with you will indeed help you save money. A small bottle of cold water can cost from 10 to 50 Php while 5 gallons of purified water is only 20 to 25 Php so your savings can be significant. 

If you are fond of visiting coffee shops for your caffeine fix, lessen your waste by either using their "for here" mugs or using your own tumblers. Some coffee shops even offer discounts when you use your own tumblers. Saying no to disposable straws is another simple way to lessen your waste. If you like frappuccinos or milk teas, you can invest in reusable bamboo or glass straws. Those straws are actually on my list of "to have soon" though J and I are both fond of hot drinks thus we rarely use straws.

Aside from a water bottle, these tumblers (which a friend gave to us years ago)
are always with us when we go out, just in case we need some caffeine fix. 

• Cook at home and bring lunch or snacks at work or school. 

Instead of buying take-outs, cook at home and bring your homemade meal packaged in reusable containers to work or to school for your kids. Aside from eliminating waste, you will also save money and ensure that you and your family will be eating healthier meals. 

• Bring your own reusable eating utensils and containers with you. Say no to disposable cutlery and straws. 

If you don't have time to cook or cooking is just not your forte then lessen your waste by bringing your own containers and utensils with you. Simply request the cafeteria staff to place your food into your own containers. Refuse disposable cutlery. You can also do this when buying from fast food chains.

We have invested in several sets of spoons and forks which we bring to almost every fellowship we attend at church. It is added work but thinking of all the disposable eating utensils we have prevented from going to the trash bin makes it worth it. Our next goal is to invest in plates. 

That is around 4 dozen pairs of spoons and forks.
No more disposable cutleries for us.

• Bring your own containers when shopping for meat and fish. Refuse single-use plastics. 

Even though the use of plastic is prohibited, there are exemptions like in packaging of meat, fish, and other wet products. Refuse single-use plastics by bringing your own containers to the market with you. We also bring our own container when buying eggs and even rice grains.

Plastic-free shopping.

For this step to be successful, meal planning is the key. By planning your meals and market list in advance, you can predict how many and what size of containers you will need to bring with you. Most electronic weighing scales have a tare option so the weight of your container won't be considered in the pricing. Invest in good quality freezable and microwaveable containers of various sizes.

This is how we buy eggs and rice grains.

• Opt for electronic billing statements. 

Go paperless and thus zero waste by subscribing to electronic billing statements instead. Almost all utilities and companies already have this option. 

• Buy in bulk.

Aside from the savings by buying bulk, bulk items also mean less packaging container thus less trash. But this step is only applicable to non-perishable items or those with long expiration dates. Avoid buying produce items in bulk.

• Eat more whole foods.

Whole foods are plant foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. These include whole grains, tubers, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. By undergoing no or little process, whole foods have fewer waste products and use less packaging than processed food items. 

• Prepare meals that you will be able to finish. 

I have the tendency to cook more than we can finish. We do keep the leftovers but a lot of times I forgot to serve them again thus they spoil and then we have to throw them. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally and yet one in every seven people in the world go hungry and more than 20,000 children under the age of 5 die from hunger daily. 

I'm training myself to cook meals with just sufficient amount of servings for our family. Meal planning and buying smaller pieces of ingredients help me do this. And if we do have some leftovers, either we will have a leftover night or we'll bring our leftovers to the nearby container for pig food that someone collects every day. 

• Re-use cans, plastic, and glass jars. 

Another important aspect of going zero waste is repurposing or reusing items. Glass and plastic jars can be used as containers for other objects. Cans can be used as pots for plants.  Be creative in repurposing these items.

• Replace paper napkins and towels with cloths. 

Use a handkerchief instead of facial paper tissues, table napkins made of cloth instead of paper, and kitchen towels instead of paper towels. This is also more economical in the long run. 

Kitchen towels make great gifts this Christmas season.
Most of our kitchen towels were gifts to us.

That's 11 steps you can do to start your Zero Waste Living. You don't have to do all of them at once. Start with one step; accustomed yourself to that step for two weeks. After two weeks, add another step. Take it one day at a time. Before you knew it, you are already doing all of them and even thinking of doing more. 

Our household is still far from being truly Zero Waste but every day we continue the good habits we have begun, make additional small changes, and learn from mistakes until we achieve our goal. Do you want a bonus step? 

• Share with others your Zero Waste journey through your social media accounts. 

Be vocal about your choices. Share the simple steps that you have done; not to brag but to influence others to do the same. If you can influence one other person to start going Zero Waste and that one person influences another person, the numbers will soon add up. 

Have you started eliminating your waste? What have been your challenges and struggles? Do share below and let's help one another in this worthwhile cause.  

Yours, 

Lady