Starting your Zero Waste Journey
Rethink ~ Refuse ~ Reduce ~ Reuse ~ Recycle
Taking yoga off the mat and living mindfully involves an awareness of our environmental impact and doing what we can to minimise that footprint. There is only one Earth, let’s look after her!
Rethink - do I actually need to buy this? Can you use something you already have? Or borrow the item?
Refuse - any items that aren’t eco-friendly -plastic bags, plastic cutlery, plastic straws - you get the idea!
Reduce - energy use. Switch off lights when you leave the room, minimise water use etc
Reuse- find reusable alternatives (see below for our favs!)
Recycle - even if you’re out in public, find the right bin for your waste or take it home with you.
Sadly, when we throw things away, there really is no ‘away’ - items end up in landfill or our oceans and leach chemicals into our precious atmosphere and waterways 😥
We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly.
We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.
~ Anne-Marie Bonneau
Here are some simple swaps you can make to minimise your waste this year! Most of them will actually save you money in the long run too.
Stainless Steel Water Bottle ($10-$30) like this Sistema one keep plastic bottles out of landfill and keep $$$ in your wallet.
If you buy 2 x $3.50 bottles of water per week = $360 per year!
NZ tap water is great - bottled alternatives are not necessarily better.
Keep Cup - even takeaway coffee cups marked ‘compostable’ have to be disposed of in industrial composting facilities - if you put it in the regular bin, it’ll go to landfill and WILL NOT COMPOST.
The other option is to have your coffee in house, in a mug.
Reusable Bag - keep one-two in your car/bag, refuse shop and supermarket bags (plastic, paper or otherwise) and enjoy not having to deal with the waste!
When buying fruit or veg - put them into your bag loose - you don’t need a mini plastic bag to transport it.
Bamboo Cutlery
I love my set that I got from Eco IQ NZ (@ecoiqnz on instagram). There’s even a bamboo straw included!
Just leave it in your handbag so when you get your lunch to takeaway you can refuse single use plastic (or wooden!) cutlery and use your own.
Safety Razor
No more disposable plastic razors going to landfill!
Safety razors are a great alternative - just buy the stainless steel blades.
Caliwoods NZ even have a collection scheme for the blades once you have used up all the sharpness. These are sharp though so don’t apply pressure when using!
Bamboo Toothbrush
I recently made the swap to bamboo toothbrushes when my (not so) trusty electric toothbrush broke. Bamboo is sustainable and biodegradable so you can compost the handle (just remove the bristles). I’ve seen them on sale in supermarkets in NZ or you can even sign up to a toothbrush subscription scheme with Toothcrush, who send you a new toothbrush every 2-3 months!
Makeup/Cleansing Pads
Another big source of waste comes from makeup removal! If you are still using disposable makeup wipes please stop! They are TERRIBLE for the environment and not that great for your skin either. Try a reusable alternative like these ones I found on Ethically SO NZ (low waste NZ online store). Just pop in the wash after use.
Hello Cup (Moon cup in the UK!)
I was very skeptical of these before I started using one, but now I am a total convert and would never go back to tampons! These are made in NZ, comfortable, healthier, can be reused for years and will save you a pretty penny over your menstruating lifetime! Check here for more info on these little wonders.
There are so many more changes we can make on the way to zero waste (or low waste) living and it can seem overwhelming if you are just starting your journey! Just start with a few small changes.
I also highly recommend reading Zero Waste Home by Bea Johnson. Its a very thorough, but easy book to read. Some of her ideas might seem pretty extreme if you are just starting out, but she has some really good tips about how to reduce your household waste (divided into Kitchen, Bathroom, Wardrobe, Holidays etc) with some simple changes.
You could also join the ‘Zero Waste in NZ’ Facebook group (or the ‘Living Consciously Crew’ in the UK) where people share ideas, inspiration and articles on zero waste living.
Do what you can individually, the collective impact is significant 🌏