3 tips to start a zero-waste lifestyle
Your existence has an impact on planet Earth. That’s a fact. And to be honest, achieving a completely zero waste lifestyle is nearly impossible. But no worries, the good news is that you can minimize your negative environmental impact by starting to implement some easy habits in your day-to-day decisions. It’s all about decisions. And today you decided to read this blog so I'll show you some practical tips that you can use to start adopting to live more sustainably. And remember you can always adjust them to your personal lifestyle.
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#1: Take a dive into your garbage bins
Probably you’ve already asked yourself some questions such as: How can I help the environment with my daily actions? What can I do for zero waste?
Well, I’m glad to tell you that questioning yourself is the first step towards a zero waste lifestyle. The key is to make the unconscious, conscious.
Dare to rethink! All changes start here.
So here the first tip is: Take a dive into your garbage bins. What? Yep.
Take your time to identify what’s in there. Classify your waste if possible. This exercise is extremely helpful to decide where to start making changes. Notice, what product is generating so much unnecessary waste? I’d recommend writing down the types of waste on a list, from the biggest amount of waste generated, to the minimum. Then, you can select the top 3 and focus on that. You can try to redo this exercise on different days, to get better results. After this, you might have a better understanding of your relation with waste.
Now you’re ready for tip #2.
#2: Select one type of waste
Now that you've identified which type of waste you generate the most, the challenge is to choose only one product’s waste. For example, you identified that plastics are the most generated type of waste at home, but digging deeper, you realize that a big amount of those plastics comes from packed veggies. Well, you’ve found your starting point! In that case, you should focus on thinking on alternatives for buying veggies in a more sustainable way.
And, why choose only one type of waste? There are many things you can do to go zero waste, but starting with one simple and concise action will give you clarity, with the aim of doing it without getting frustrated. This will trigger your reward system and give you the persistence to continue in the future resulting in more positive changes.
#3: Take action
We’re almost there! Now it’s time to change a habit.
So, in order to know what to do, you can answer some simple questions that might help you to transition from waste to zero waste:
- Do I really need this product?
- Is this a product I can replace?
- Which is the most sustainable way I can get this product? (local market, packaging-free, short value chain production, fair trade, organic, etc)
- Is it economically viable for me?
By answering these questions, you’ll have a concrete action to implement in your lifestyle to live more sustainable. You can start with only one type of product, and progressively start with others.
This exercise is great, not only for zero waste beginners, but for any person interested in making positive changes in their lifestyle, and of course, in the environment.
If, after doing this exercise, you discover you don’t want to keep buying packed, ultra-processed, polluting, genetically modified products from the supermarket, then remember Ekoto is always a good idea. Here you can find veggies, grains, oils, teas, seeds, pulses, and more products, coming directly to you from the producer. Fresh, healthy, local, and of course in line with a zero waste life-style!
If you got any questions, we hope you reach out to us! :)
Are you ready to join change?