Lately, you may have heard a few buzzwords around ‘Minimalism’ and ‘Simplifying’ your life. Sound familiar? These lifestyle choices are a quickly growing movement to a more minimalist approach to everyday life and consumerism, purchasing items that have a special meaning, will stand the test of time or simply choosing not to consume at all (or at least as little as possible – socks don’t last forever). These efforts are made to ultimately reduce “stuff” and waste.
So, have you heard of a movement called zero waste home… What is it? It is a concentrated effort to reduce your household waste to almost “zero”. A quick browse around the web and you will find many home blogs that have just one trash bag of garbage a month… or even a mason jars worth in a year! While this may sound completely out of reach, there are a few small steps to take to reduce your waste around the home (and out and about!).
Read on to see a few tips on how you can implement a few simple ideas into your everyday.
- Reduce everyday waste & recycling by bringing your own reusable bags to the grocery store.
- When stopping by your local Timmies for your morning coffee, consider bringing your travel mug from home. Most coffee stores offer a small discount if you do so.
- Ensure you are familiar with your local jurisdictions’ guidelines on recycling and composting. By following these guidelines, you will help reduce landfill waste.
- Purchase in bulk, and bring re-fillable containers from home.
- Eliminate paper products and napkins, and plastic cutlery. If you are entertaining large crowds, this is the perfect time to break out that old china. When else would you ever use it? Cloth napkins are a beautiful touch to any dinner and clean easily in the wash.
- Pre-make meals and stash them in the freezer. This will help eliminate the urge to call for takeout, thus cutting down on all that packaging and Styrofoam.
- Purchase items and clothing second hand. Giving old items a new lease on life is a great way to help cut down on things destined for the landfill.
- Purchase a set of stainless-steel straws to reduce plastic waste.