Baby steps to waste reduction.

You know the amazing zero waste people?  Whose entire waste for a year goes into a glass jar or a single small bin?  They amaze me.  Seriously I’m in awe of their waste reduction super powers.

But I’m not them.  Not that I wouldn’t like to be mind you.

So instead, like I do most things in life - I tackle the issue slowly.  Sometimes I even do it terribly.  This post is about the tiny baby steps we can all make that are worthwhile, even when we do them imperfectly.  It's about swapping one habit out for an equal habit in.

It’s easy to look at zero waste and think its all too hard.  That we could never get there so there is no point trying.  But like all small changes we make over a period of time, they slowly add up.  One day we look back and realize we have come a really long way.

In South Australia, there has been a plastic bag ban at the supermarkets for a long time now.  Instead I use cotton tote bags, and little cotton draw string bags for my veggies.  I have bought various items like my cotton veggie bags from HERE, Spiralgarden which is a fantastic, family owned business.  They are such a simple switch to make.  Even I can manage it and organisation is NOT my strong point.  After I unload my groceries I stuff all the bags into a bundle, then shove them into my handbag.  Then when I next go to the car next I bundle them with the rest of my cloth bags on the passenger seat.  I always keep a single reusable bag in my handbag for those purchases I make whilst on the run - the chemist, gifts, clothes what not.  It’s a pretty simple switch to make, and the bonus is it feels really good to know I'm not about to strangle a bird with a plastic bag that will eventually find its way into landfill.

To prove if I can manage to shift my daily habits to greener ones then anyone can.  This is Grant, looking for his Agriculture degree certificate.  In the kitchen dresser where I *may* have put it, with all the spare crockery....Because that's where one keeps their important paperwork right?  I mean, obviously.

This issue of the Great Pacific garbage patch WATCH HERE was the key motivator for me to try to change my habits.  I’m not perfect.  Not even close, but I sincerely believe if each of us makes a few small changes, slowly those changes will be come our new normal.  Then we make a few more changes and hopefully, over time they will all eventually snow ball into a massive culture shift.  Along with pressure on our Pollies to implement changes to legislation, new technology and improved recycling.....Hopefully one day we will actually halt this huge problem, and perhaps even reverse it.  (Big dreams I know.)

The thing is - our actions matter, and there is simple, ordinary stuff we can each do.  If we the consumer don't consume it, the manufacturers wont make it.  (Unless its Cadbury Caramilk chocolate, which was consumed with a cult like following and great gusto and then Cadbury ceased production.  What the deal Cadbury?!   I'm still mourning the loss....I'm not sure I'll ever truly get over the betrayal....But moving right along.....)

A few simple tips:

- Reusable Cotton bags.  This is an instant and direct swap.  There is no need for plastic bags the vast majority of the time.  None.  Except maybe laziness.  I’m not going to lie.  I too get caught out on occasion, usually because I couldn’t be bothered putting in the 30 seconds it takes to be slightly organised, then I kick myself and think of the video.  It motivates me to do better.

                               

Cloth shopping bags.  Fully bio-degradable, and pretty.  Win-win!

- Beeswax wraps or other reusable wraps instead of glad wrap.  These can be bought online, plenty of Eco stores sell them or there are plenty of Aussie homemakers making them who sell them via small ebay shops.  They are also simple enough to make if DIY is your thing. Biome is a large online retailer that sell all kinds of solutions to waste reduction and green living.  

Home made food.  Sourdough, Sauerkraut, bananna cake and kombucha.  My beeswax wraps are in constant use.   

- Using containers with lids to store left overs in.  Bonus is they stack, and if you buy glass you can reheat directly into the oven.  Also a direct swap in and out and I can throw them in the dishwasher.

- Purchasing the item in the cardboard/ paper option rather then the plastic when possible.  Ie; when I buy pasta from the supermarket, I buy pasta that comes in a cardboard box, with only a small plastic window.  I buy a block of butter and leave it on the bench to soften rather then in a plastic tub.  It's not perfect, but it’s still a better choice whilst being convenient.

- Baking a simple cake/slices for school lunches.  Home made popcorn and fruit make great snacks.  Fast, and cheap.  My kids still take some packaged foods to school, I’m not perfect at this.  But I can minimize it, plus its healthier.

- Get into the habit of bringing a drink bottle and a piece of fruit with you for those times when the kits get the dreaded "I'm hungry/thirsty I need to eat RIGHT NOW!"  I have a picnic hamper that fits all our drink bottles in it, plus a wet bag that carries spare cutlery and other little bag with cloth napkins in it.  The hamper stays packed, and I toss any last minute food/drinks in it as I leave the house.  I bring it inside after the outing, chuck the dirty stuff in the wash and re-pack it instantly so its always ready to go on a spur of the minute decision to head out.

Reusable women's sanitary items.  Even if we still use disposable items occasionally for the convenience factor, there is still a huge reduction in waste.  A solution doesn't have to be perfectly executed for it to still be better.  I use Hannah Pads.

- Saying “no” to the fad/collectible/cheap/crappy toys.  (Coles minis and happy meal toys anyone?)We love Lego, my kids love their action hero’s, we own a plastic doll, and far too many small plastic figures, Henry is obsessed with those magnetic plastic shapes you build with......BUT, we still say no to junky collectible mini things that are simply going to add clutter, break and irritate the crap out of me.  I try to avoid the re-peat of toys that are simply rehashed into what ever the newest and latest fad is.  I’m not too controlling of this as I know others like to gift things to them.  I value the relationship over the need to put my foot down over gift giving.  It’s simply not my way.  Though if I'm asked and I can gently and positively influence a gift choice I will.  My point is we can filter the things that we allow and choose to enter our home, every little bit helps. 

There are lots of "how to live zero waste" posts out there which are amazing.  But it can seem such an overwhelming goal.  Not all of us have the head space to make big drastic changes, or have the energy to cook everything from scratch, or are able to travel to a bulk food wholesaler.  But that doesn't mean we cant take baby steps.  Most of us can do that.

This post is about the simple baby steps.  None of us start at our destination.  Eventually these baby steps will add up, and who knows, perhaps one day as these changes will become our new norm, and as we continue to add more baby steps to our everyday routine we may too find our families wheelie bin is only half full at the end of the week.....and who knows where that could lead us?

Much love,
Emma
xx

NOTE:  I'm not affiliated in anyway shape or form with any of the companies I mentioned in this blog.  These are simply places and items I personally choose to support and products I use in my day to day life.  I have nothing but good experiences with these companies and am happy to recommend them.   

Simple waste reduction.

Zero waste....What an inspiring movment.  One that, at times, seems miles away from where I currently am.  But whilst I may not be able to identify as zero waste, we ARE strongly on the path of waste reduction.  We are activly making more environmentally/ethically aware choices, and long term changes of our families daily habbits.  Which already has, and will continue to reduce our waste footprint.

Which is awesome.  Small changes matter.   

There are loads of DIY tutorials online about making your own beeswax cloth to replace glad wrap.  There are loads of tutorials about making your own fruit and veggie bags too. I fully intended to make them.  I'm more then capable of making them. 

But I wasn't doing it. 

My time in this season is precious.  With family, work, study and the renovations on the little old cottage continuing in full swing, my craft game is weak.  Like, non-existant weak.  Eventually I decided the financial cost of out sourcing these things was less then the environmental impact of not doing it.  So I jumped on line and poked about to find a company that could provide me with the things I wanted at a fair price.  A company that was ethical, and supported other small business. 

I came accross an Australian business by the name of spiralgarden.  I have been SO impressed by their customer service I just had to share them here.  This is not a sponsered post, I simply want to show this business some support and appreciation for their desire to go above and beyond. 

A little while ago I put in an order for some things.  Beeswax wraps, mesh bags, large and small fair trade woven baskets and a fair trade "Jenga" style building set for Angus's 6 birthday.  There was a small technical glitch, as sometimes happens and which was no ones fault.  When I emailed to enquire the it was too late for the Jenga set to arrive for Angus's birthday.  They were also a little short on supplies of the large baskets after the big christmas rush.  I completly understood, and as we are also a small, family run business.  I understand all to well how frustrating supply issues can be! 

But what most impressed me was their desire to fix it above and beyond what was necessary.  They kindly offered me a beautiful larger, more expensive basket for the price of the one I enquired about and promised to post me a set of beeswax wraps on them when they arrived.  Which was completly unnecessary.  They also increased my post to express to ensure the birthday present arrived ASAP.  When my goods arrived I was very impressed with the quality, they are just beautiful.  I LOVE my large basket and comes in handy all the time for packing drinks, snacks and bits and bobs for when we are out and about.  This kind of customer service is rare these days.  I will certainly be going back in the future, and highly recommend others checking them out too.  They have a wonderful range of Zero waste producs and information, courses, books, eco-friendly/ethically made childrens toys.  There is a beautiful simplicity in the range of products they stock, and their products are an absoloute pleasure to use. 

This was my order, just so beautiful.  The boys have already mis-placed a wooden block, but at least it is a hit right?!  Im sure it will turn up soon enough!  ;)

Another simple way we reduce waste is to use cotton tote bags as shopping bags, here are just a few of my stash.  When these are worn out, they will be composted.

When cooking alot from scratch, food storage is another simple area where waste can be reduced.  I love these pyrex containers with their plastic lids.  Dishwasher safe, able to go from the fridge to the oven for re-heating and sturdy,  They stack well in the fridge and come in all kinds of shapes and sizes.  They are also affordable and easy to source.  I have a couple of sets of these and the rest are currently in the fridge.  They are in constant use here.   

Cloth napkins is another thing I have mentioned before.  This bundle is all op-shopped.  I love them, we dont iron them of fuss with them and it takes no extra effort but saves on wipes/napkins or other things people often have on hand. 

My waste reduction journey is not contained to one glass jar of rubbish for the year.  Though that movement greatly impresses me.  But these are a few simple changes we have made which significantly reduce the amount of disposable goods that are needed in our day to day lives.  Add recycling and making conscious choices to purchase things with the least packaging.....Well these things all begin to add up to a meaningful shift. 

What simple changes have you made that help reduce your waste footprint? 

Much love,
Emma
xx