Is Zero Waste Living a Realistic Goal | Jan 8th, 2021
Adapt a zero-waste lifestyle by Dif
What is zero waste? Put simply, zero waste means living in a way such that no items or products end up in an incinerator or landfill. The goals are to reduce the amount of products you buy, reuse purchases, and recycle or compost as much as possible once you can no longer reuse old items.
But the zero waste movement is about more than just reducing the amount of trash that ends up in the environment; it’s also about reducing the burden on natural resources and curbing pollution from manufacturing, distribution, and waste.
Thanks to social media influencers and bloggers, more people are learning about zero waste living and being inspired to lead greener lifestyles. But while all of this might sound amazing, how feasible is zero waste living really? Is zero waste living something that the average person can accomplish?
Is Zero Waste Realistic? Challenges to Consider
The process of becoming zero waste doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a gradual change that takes time, involves reassessing each item you use, and requires a commitment to changing the way you live day to day.
Here are some of the challenges of zero waste living:
The Zero Waste Learning Curve
When trying to start a zero waste lifestyle, you need to become familiar with concepts and methods of sustainable living. That includes learning about:
- Consumption habits — e.g., how much you purchase on average versus what you need.
- Types of products — e.g., fresh plastic versus upcycled products.
- Best practices — e.g., using a reusable cloth bag or water bottle instead of one-time-use disposable items.
- Your own personal ethics — e.g., whether you want to avoid animal products.
There is definitely a learning curve, and figuring out how to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle will take time and effort.
Assessing Items
In addition to figuring out creative ways to prevent waste from entering the trash, you need to assess every item that you use to make sure you make the least wasteful decision. Various factors will enter your purchasing decisions, and you might not have thought about some issues in the past.
For instance, if you are looking to purchase eco-friendly sustainable furniture, you’ll want to consider whether the material is sustainable, evaluate the potential lifespan (to reduce the need for new purchases), and perhaps even learn about the manufacturer’s production practices.
Lifestyle Changes
Transitioning to zero waste living often requires significant lifestyle changes. For instance, you might buy packaged foods for convenience. However, packaged foods are often incompatible with zero waste because of their packaging.
You might also find yourself spending a lot of time packing your own everyday products — such as filling up your own soap bottles — to avoid buying items that come in packaging that isn’t recyclable or compostable.
Accessibility
Although the goal of eliminating waste by reducing purchases and reusing, recycling, or composting items is great, for many people the transition is not realistic in the short-term. Some areas just don’t have bulk buy stores, and many places don’t provide affordable alternatives to single-use products. You might even discover that zero-waste versions don’t exist for certain products you rely on.
Is Zero Waste Right for You?
While some folks can afford to transition to a zero waste lifestyle rather easily, many others might not find zero waste living feasible at all. It depends entirely on your individual living situation.
For example, do you live near a store where you can easily and affordably purchase items in bulk with minimal packaging? Can you afford the more expensive alternatives to single-use products that are currently available?
Various factors will determine whether zero waste living is a realistic possibility for you. But you don’t need to take an all-or-nothing approach to sustainability. It’s okay if you can’t always be zero waste in every facet of your life; don’t give yourself a hard time if you can’t fit a year’s worth of trash into a mason jar.
You can learn to live an eco-friendlier lifestyle based on your budget and access to resources, even if you can’t reach 100% zero waste. Even focusing on purchasing products that are made more sustainably will help. Every little bit will make a difference, so it’s always worth doing the best you can to live more sustainably.
Alternatives to Zero Waste Living Practices
Trying to lead a zero waste lifestyle can be stressful, overwhelming, or just plain unrealistic for some folks. Thankfully, there are viable alternatives if you want to live more sustainably but can’t yet reach zero waste living:
- Support brands that take a sustainable approach to production, packaging, distribution, and waste disposal.
- Buy products from organizations that use natural, eco-friendly ingredients that are also non-toxic and cruelty-free.
- Stick with products that use the least amount of packaging.
- Whenever possible, opt for products packaged in recyclable glass rather than plastic.
- Consider shopping from businesses that upcycle.
- Stock your home with products that are designed to be reused.
- Limit your use of disposable products as much as possible.
- Set up recycling and composting bins at home to reduce plastic, paper, and food waste.
- Choose household products that are made from compostable materials or come in compostable packaging.
- Reduce energy consumption by doing things like driving your car less often and hanging your clothes to dry instead of using the dryer.
Whenever possible, use natural ingredients, such as coconut oil or white vinegar, to make beauty products and cleaning solutions at home.
Everyone Can Make a Difference!
From making simple changes in purchasing decisions to choosing to compost and recycle old items, there are a variety of ways to lead an eco-friendlier lifestyle. And supporting innovative, sustainable companies like Miniwiz is one of the best ways to do good for the planet.
At Miniwiz, we strive to transform single-use plastics and other common household waste products into sustainable materials and fabrics that can be used for everything from furniture to city building materials. Check out our solutions page to learn more!