How I got started with Zero Waste

I believe I started to live zero waste conscious in late 2014 – approximately 4 years. I’ll be honest and say that I don’t know exactly what my first steps were, but there’s definitely some guiding principles I’ve used over the years to support my lifestyle. And, guys, I even made it a fancy acronym. These are my…

Three Es of Zero Waste Living

Examine

Exchange

Existence

Just by the by, if you don’t want fancy you can also think ASL: Audit, Swap, Lifetime.

 

1. Examine: Audit, so you know what waste you’re making.

Between 2006-2007 Australians produced 2100 kg of waste per person (ABS, 2010). That’s the weight of a rhinoceros, or the weight of 24 men or 29 women. How much of that waste is yours? These photos highlight just how much rubbish a single individual produces in one week. And it also makes you realise that a single person changing their behaviours actually can make a difference.

Taking time to audit what my partner and I were producing made sure our steps to reducing waste were relevant to our personal lifestyle.

Turns out that the combined weight of The Bachelor contestants is similar to that of a grown rhino? Or Aussie waste per person.

To start with, my main focus has been my general waste bin which gets sent to landfill. One method shared by Craig Reucassel on the War on Waste series was to divide the week’s rubbish into four sections: soft plastic, recyclables, compostables and true landfill. This helps us learn how to manage our household’s current waste production better – i.e. compost and recycle.

Another method is to hold on to all of the rubbish I accumulated throughout the day while I was out of the house. For example, you go to a cafe and receive a paper serviette and a plastic straw? – stick it in your bag. You get coffee and a bottle of water at the coffee shop on your way to work? – pop the containers in your bag. You buy your brekkie from a food truck at the Sunday markets? – chuck the cardboard tray and disposable cutlery your bag too. Sometimes it’s not until you gather it all together that you realise how much rubbish you actually produce.

This was one rubbish check I did in 2017. All of it had been placed into our landfill bin but there was some I could divert elsewhere. Left to right, top to bottom: soft plastic, food waste, recyclable, landfill.

For me, as I rifle through my rubbish, I ask myself some questions:

• Where did I get it from?
• What is it? What did the packaging contain?
• Why did I buy it?

This has helped me identify habits that can be shifted.

Initially, learning to divert from landfill might mean you’re recycling more. If that’s because those recyclables would otherwise end up in landfill, that’s great! I’ll let you know, however, that the long play for a lot of zero waste-ers, including myself, is to eventually eliminate much of the recyclables too. Although the reason for that is a story for another day…

2. Exchange: Swap for sustainable alternatives.

Now that we’ve examined the where, what and why of the rubbish we produce, we can make some informed changes to how we consume waste.

Where did I get it from? 

I’ve been progressively making the switch to businesses that care about the ethics and sustainability of the products they sell. This makes it a lot easier to source zero waste options.

Maybe you’re buying from a shop that really only sells dodgy products that keep breaking, or items with excessive packaging. Try finding secondhand options at op shops or on local classifieds (Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace). Keep your eye out for bulk food grocery shops, and especially if you’re based in Brisbane, you have to check out Biome!

(I hope to write a ‘how I shop zero waste in Brisbane’ article if you’re interested…)

What is it? What did the packaging contain?

For me, I have progressively, one item at a time, been seeking alternatives to the wasteful options I was using. And throwing out something is the perfect time to be mindful and say, “I can replace it with something better.”

Google is my friend. As I near the end of a product’s life at home (e.g. shampoo, cleaning liquid, toothbrush) I do some googling to find out the zero waste alternative. Literally that simple.

Useful search terms: zero waste, sustainable, ethical, eco-friendly, recipe.

You’ll be amazed at the kind of products you’ll find, for example bamboo toothbrushes and hairbrushes. Or even recipes for hair care, skin care and home care. Pro tip: bicarb + vinegar + water can clean just about everything.

Why did I buy it?

This is where I find zero waste crosses into minimalism and being financially conservative.

Part of conscious living has also been questioning whether the item is needed in the first place. Why do I need to buy baking paper when I barely ever bake, and I can just grease up the pan? Why do I need a different cleaning product for every part of the house when vinegar can do the job?

But even more than that, what was the motivation for buying the product? Perhaps it was a mindless purchase during a shopping frenzy. Maybe it was an extra added to your online shopping cart so you could get the no shipping fee option. It could be the fifth time you’ve bought the cheapo option thinking, ‘I just need it in the meantime until I can get a better one.’ Maybe the item was part of an outfit worn to that one event, but there’s never been occasion to wear it since. Perhaps it was on special so you thought, ‘why not?’

I’ve found that answering these wh-questions about waste production has resulted in new and constantly changing lifestyle patterns. There’s always something I can learn, and reflecting and seeing differently has led me to notice the alternatives.

3. Existence: Consider the full lifetime of the product.

I acknowledge, this topic is a minefield. So I’ll leave this short to write another entry on another day. But honestly, I find this to be the number one most powerful reflective tool when it comes to living sustainably.

Every time I go to buy something, I consider where it’s been before me, and where it will go after me. The ultimate goal of this is that I try to ensure the items I buy will have as long a life with me as possible, that it’s come from materials causing minimal environmental impact, and after me it can either be reused, efficiently recycled or returned to the earth as compost.

Like I said, I’d like to devote more time to this topic in another blog. But if you take nothing else from all that I’ve written here, please consider this third principle alone.

I’d love to know what you’re thinking…

I hope you haven’t been too intimidated by this wall of text. I would have loved to make a youtube video on this topic (maybe I still can?) to reduce the mental load. But I hope you’ve still gained something from this regardless.

I’m also really curious to know what strategies, if any, you’ve tried for reducing waste. Are there other important principles that I’ve missed? What does this week’s waste audit tell you about your use of rubbish?

Thank you so much for reading!