I'm not zero waste, but I'm trying
Outside my home in Thailand
I'm not zero waste.
I would like to be though. For now, I'm working on making as many switches to sustainable practices and being as conscious and aware a consumer as I can. Even though I still produce trash, I identify as someone who lives a low-waste lifestyle.
For many years, without knowing there was a name for it, I've been experimenting with different ways to reduce my waste. I can spend hours in a secondhand bookshop, and I love discovering an amazing piece of clothing at a vintage store. I've switched most of my beauty products to come from companies that use natural ingredients. I stopped using shaving cream years ago because...why does it exist? You can easily use soap to shave. The only conventional cleaning chemical I have is a marseille soap laundry detergent, which sounds so far from conventional I'm not sure it even counts.
I will use something until it dies, but I still throw out the trash once it gets full (with old plastic bags from the supermarket from before I began using reusable produce bags). I love secondhand shopping, but in pinch I also buy fast-fashion (though I try to buy the higher quality fast-fashion, what I can imagine holding up for a while). I don't compost yet, but I hope to in the future when its possible for me. I know I'm going to be such a compost nerd; I can't wait. Same with bulk shopping. I borderline want an apartment just to have a place for a menagerie of secondhand canning jars full of dry goods.
I'm human. And I'm trying.
When I first read Bea Johnson's Zero Waste Home, I was inspired. I went on a frenzy, looking at all the ways I could reduce my amount of waste (this was concurrent with my Marie Kondo breakdown and I could talk forever about how the two theories are related). Some things stuck immediately: using reusable shopping bags at the supermarket, recycling every scrap of paper instead of putting it in the trash, and really trying to remember my water bottle so as not to be tempted to buy plastic ones while outside my house.
I also bought bamboo toothbrushes, switched to natural-ish bar soaps (I have different bars for everything - dishes, hand soap, shower soap), and clean my whole house with something I can make myself with a few ingredients from the supermarket. There are so many different recipes out there that you can search for. I use a baking-soda based deodorant (I buy it without packaging), a menstrual cup, and a safety razor, use washcloths in place of paper towels and dish sponges, and secondhand handkerchiefs instead of tissues. Yet it still doesn't feel like enough.
This is a deeply personal journey for many people, myself included. Our consumption and waste is about so much more than material items. At the same time, many of my decisions that can be classified as moving toward zero waste were originally motivated by something else entirely. For example: the less I buy the more I can spend on travel, I want to use natural beauty products because chemicals freak me out, clothes from thirty years ago were made with better quality fabric which is why they are still being sold today, etc. Though once I became educated about the waste crisis our planet is facing, I was of course horrified.
I know that I personally feel better when I buy less things and create less waste. I feel lighter, and everything that I do own has some purpose for me and value in my life. It took me years from when I first had an awareness of my waste problem to get to where I am now, and while I cringe thinking about my old ways, it was necessary for me to go through that. I have no desire to go back to that lifestyle. So, I'm moving forward, little by little.
There is still a long way to go. Here is what I'm working on:
reducing my consumption of processed food in packaging
buying in bulk and learning what exactly you're supposed to do with dry beans
using up old makeup and beauty products, and committing to only purchasing brands that are cruelty-free
making my own toothpaste and mouthwash (which I need to do very soon as I am about to run out and I refuse to buy more)
my hair, as usual
being proud of my choices and sharing my lifestyle
remembering that a baby step is still a step, trying to not be so hard on myself, and finding balance between aspiring to zero waste perfection and also not becoming a total psycho about it - what's the point of living if it isn't any fun?
love,
greer