The Truth About Zero Waste Living

I’m going to let you in on a little secret…. zero waste isn’t really ZERO waste. I don’t know what it is about the word zero, but man, it really scares people off.

Zero seems so finite, so absolute. But, when it comes to zero waste living, zero is just goal - something that can’t be reached because we don’t live in a perfect zero waste world.

Plastic, trash, waste - IT HAPPENS, and it’s completely out of our control.

In fact, trash is kind of like an iceberg. What we see is only 30% the other 70% is lost in manufacturing. So, even when we buy from bulk bins #plasticfree what we don’t see is the plastic bags that the product was in before it was put into the bins.

When you buy a nice reusable water bottle from the store, what you don’t see is the pallet they all came in that was wrapped with plastic.

Most of this is completely out of our control, and it’s why you shouldn’t beat yourself up for not being perfect. Zero waste living isn’t about being perfect, and it’s about so much more than mason jars full of trash and grammable reusables.

Zero waste is about moving to a circular economy. By living this way, we’re highlighting areas that need improving, and it’s another reason WHY it’s so important for us to be doing more like asking businesses to improve sustainability initiatives, asking for policy change, and educating our communities.

And, while we’re waiting for that perfect zero waste world to manifest, trash is going to happen. Plastic is going to happen.

And, I really haven’t had a solution to that other than… “welp *shrug* it happens,” but now you can actually offset your plastic footprint!

It’s similar to calculating and offseting your carbon footprint.

This post was sponsored by rePurpose. All thoughts and opinions are my own for more information please see my disclosure page.

Like with carbon offsets, the goal is of course to make sure that you are first reducing your plastic as much as possible and then offsetting what’s leftover.

why can’t I recycle?

I hear you, why can’t I just recycle my plastic? And, I wish it were that easy, but as of January 2018, China, the largest global buyer of plastic for recycling, stopped accepting it last year, and other countries are turning it away too.

Malaysia is actually sending 3,000 metric tons of plastic back to the US, UK, and Australia because it’s been illegally dumped in their country. We just have too much plastic to deal with.

Many of these countries that we dump our plastic into do not have proper waste management facilities to handle the influx of waste so a lot of it winds up in rivers thus the ocean.

how do I know my plastic footprint?

rePurpose has a tool to help you balance your plastic footprint. There’s a handy calculator where you can calculate your plastic footprint and then offset it.

I calculated both Justin’s and mine, and for about $2.30 a month we can offset our footprint! YAY! The quiz is super fun to take and very eye-opening because even if you buy mostly plastic-free there’s still a lot of secret plastic you might not be seeing.

how is it being offset?

I think this is the most important part! For as little as $3-5 a month, rePurpose will intercept & recycle an amount of plastic waste equivalent to your unique footprint calculated above.

rePurpose has partnered with three different organizations at this time, and when you offset with them you get real-time tracking of both your social and environmental impact (volume recycled, type of plastic, workers impacted) at the beginning of every month.

rePurpose focuses on lower-end, hard-to-recycle plastic instead of the more valuable plastic like PET.

Recycling PET isn’t a great choice for this program because these plastics have a high value by nature. They would have been picked up and recycled by workers anyway.

Instead, they offset low-value plastics and pay informal workers to intercept it before it reaches the ocean or landfills! Not only is this a great way to prevent more plastic from entering our ecosystems, it’s also adding a crucial income stream for pickers. You can learn more here.

Over 50 million informal workers worldwide spend their entire lives dealing with the consequences of our mindless consumption, all without recognition as environmental heroes or access to basic healthcare or education that traps them in a generational cycle of abject poverty.

In India, a waste picker on average spends 12 hours a day scavenging for recyclable waste in dumpsters and landfills, earning less than $5 from an exploitative supply chain.

rePurpose seeks to end this by paying a fair wage and partnering with organizations that have met a strict criteria:

1) organizational track record: amount recycled, years present in the cities, quality of operational infrastructure

2) implementational capacity: do they have the technical and human resource requirements in order to implement the offset

3) engagement with informal sector: are they engaged with waste pickers & local informal industries, and how genuine is that engagement? do they have the trust & goodwill of the communities?

LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR PARTNERS

it doesn’t stop there!

Another way that rePurpose sets themselves apart is that they don’t only focus on end-of-life/the waste that’s already been produced.

They also want to help you reduce the amount of plastic that you consume in the first place! After all REDUCE, REUSE then at the very, verrrryyy end RECYCLE. They send out a great newsletter to help make personalized changes in your life!

I would love to know how much plastic you’re responsible for? Mine came out to about 40lbs a year.

How to Choose Sustainable Flowers

Have you ever stopped to ask where your flowers come from? Currently, 80 percent of flowers sold in America are grown overseas. Not to mention most florists toss 40 percent of the stems they purchase!

It’s important we make better, more sustainable choices when it comes to flowers, but where do we begin? I decided to reach out to Chelsea Hohn, owner of Bhakti Flowers, a sustainable florist business in Michigan, to get some answers.

The long and short of it? Getting locally grown flowers from your local florist is so much better for the environment. But there’s way more to consider than just sourcing. Here’s how to get sustainable flowers, according to Chelsea.

choose local:

Whenever you buy flowers, it’s a good idea to support a local florist near you, rather than ordering online. This will help boost your local economy, and it also takes less time to get to you, resulting in less carbon emissions.

“Buying locally is always going to be more sustainable. You’re supporting your local economy and that is so, so important,” says Chelsea.

According to Chelsea, buying from your local florist is also better because it’s easier to communicate to your florist that you would like them to use sustainable practices for your order.

For example, if you’d like plastic-free flowers, you can simply ask your local florist to wrap them in butcher paper. This will create a demand for more sustainable practices and help you develop a rapport with your florist.

However, be sure to ask your florist if they have any locally sourced blooms on hand too. Not only should you head to a local florist, but you should also grab flowers that are locally grown!

“I typically define ‘local’ within 200 miles of my location,” says Chelsea. “Make sure to ask your florist where your flowers are coming from.”

Most florists source their flowers overseas, so don’t be surprised if your florist does the same. Still, it’s a good idea to ask your florist where they source theirs from, and make it known you’d prefer locally grown blooms.

When flowers are shipped overseas, they have a huge carbon footprint. For example, in America alone, the roughly 100 million roses grown, shipped and purchased on Valentine’s Day produces approximately 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Isn’t that insane?

Seeing as most flowers are grown overseas, it’s really important you ask your florist for more local options. Even if they don’t have any, it will put the idea in their head and possibly spur curiosity in them.

However, there’s several things to consider about local flowers too: Depending on where they’re being grown, and what the climate it like, you may not be able to get them year-round.

For example, in cooler climates like Michigan, it’s almost impossible to source flowers locally year-round. The growing season just doesn’t allow it.

“In a perfect world, we would be able to source locally year-round from growers using organic practices,” says Chelsea, “But the weddings must go on, even in the dead of February. So, when sourcing locally isn’t an option, it’s up to your florist to make some choices.”

Sourcing U.S. grown year-round is possible, which is a great option. Ultimately, the less time it takes for the blooms to get to your hands, the better.

That said, “even if [the flowers are] being shipped from Ecuador, know that those people need jobs too,” says Chelsea.

Bottom line: It’s always best to support your local florist shop or flower farm. And, ask for U.S. grown blooms as well.

ask about sustainable growing methods:

It’s important to start a dialogue with your local florist about their growing methods. Don’t be afraid to ask them if they use organic practices or synthetic pesticides.

“Letting your florist know that you value sustainability means that they might make a more sustainable choice down the road if they aren’t already,” says Chelsea.

Asking questions promotes conversation, which can lead to big changes in the future.

Since flowers are not an edible crop, they’re typically exempt from regulations on pesticide use. This means the cut flower industry is one of the biggest consumers of pesticides worldwide.

Pesticides are not only dangerous to us, but they’re also terrible for biodiversity!

If a bee or hummingbird tries to drink the nectar from a flower sprayed from pesticides, it could die. We need our pollinators alive and well, so creating a demand for organic, pesticide free flowers is important.

“Certified organic flowers aren’t really a demand at the moment, which is unfortunate,” says Chelsea, “But, there are lots of things that a grower can do to maintain integrity in the field.”

For example, Chelsea has committed to being no till, and she doesn’t use any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Instead, she sprays her plants with fish emulsion, which is a great way to get a healthy fertilizer into the plants.

Chelsea also has tons of creative, natural methods for pest control, like using diatomaceous earth and neem oil to fight off Japanese beetles. She even puts organza bags (those little drawstring bags that jewelry sometimes comes in) over the heads of every single dahlia flower to ward off pests.

“Using organic practices is a lot harder, and a lot more labor intensive, and most of it doesn’t happen overnight,” says Chelsea, “But commitment to the earth isn’t about taking the easy way out.”

Bottom line: Make sure to ask your florist what their growing methods are, and create a demand for greener practices.

ditch plastic:

You probably don’t need me telling you plastic is bad for the environment by now. Still, most flowers come wrapped in plastic cellophane wrap or use floral foam.

“Ask if [your florist] uses [floral foam], and hopefully the answer will be no!” says Chelsea, “Floral foam is made of carcinogenic materials that are harmful to florists and their customers. Plus, it breaks down to microplastics. Yuck!”

Thankfully, according to Chelsea, a lot of florists are getting out of the habit of selling designs that can only be achieved with floral foam. In fact, Chelsea says 90 percent of the designs you see on Pinterest can be made without foam.

“If your florist can’t find a way to create what you want without foam, find someone else who will!” says Chelsea. It’s not worth sacrificing your health, or the health of the earth, for one beautiful, ephemeral display.

There’s also the issue of flower bouquets being wrapped in plastic cellophane.

Remember how I mentioned 100 million roses were grown just for Valentine’s Day alone? Imagine each individual rose wrapped in plastic and how much waste that produces. And that’s just one day of the year!

“If you’re buying a bouquet, ask for it to be wrapped in paper instead of plastic, and reuse the rubber band,” says Chelsea.

You can ask for your flowers to be wrapped in butcher paper, tied together with twine, or put in a glass jar – get creative! The florist is supposed to satisfy the customer after all, so more than likely they’ll want to accommodate you.

“If you’re getting married, let your florist know that you would like them to use sustainable practices,” says Chelsea, “It is more work and requires more planning on the florist’s end, but it needs to become the new standard.”

Bottom line: Ask your local florist to omit the floral foam and plastic cellophane wrap when creating your floral designs.

Do you have any sustainable florists near you?

Guest Post: Ariana Palmieri is the founder of Greenify-Me.com, a blog dedicated to zero waste living and sustainability. Her work has been featured on MindBodyGreen, Green Matters, The Penny Hoarder and several other publications. Get her free e-book "10 Ways to Reduce Trash" by signing up to her newsletter and learn how to reduce your waste today.

10 Things I Don't Buy Anymore

Minimalism and zero waste share some core tennants, one of them being BUY LESS. After all the first word in the most popular eco-friendly phrase is REDUCE in Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I have saved so much money, by just not buying stuff and only opting to bring the items that I truly love and need into my life.

Please check out the video under the header image to learn more about the 10 Things I Don’t Buy Anymore.

Some of these links are affiliate links for more information please see my disclosure policy!

1. plastic water bottles:

I’ve been plastic water bottle free for four years and counting! I’m honestly embarrassed by how much money I used to spend on plastic water bottles in college.

Now, you’ll typically find me carrying an insulated Dopper Bottle or a Klean Kanteen!

2. kuerig pods:

I’ve never owned a kuerig, but my boyfriend in college did so I would buy myself hot chocolate pods to use when I was over at his apartment.

If you've got a Keurig, why not switch to reusable pods, you'll save a BUNCH of money and your coffee will taste better because it's fresh!

3. pads & tampons:

Omigosh, I’m saving so much money by switching to reusables. Whether you wear a cup, cloth pads, or my personal favorite Thinx! Then you know that you too can be saving a bunch of money.

And, you’ll never have to worry about running out products and having to run to the corner store at 11 pm on a Tuesday night.

If you’re interested in trying thinx, you can get $10 off with this link.

4. paper towels:

I have a great blog post and video on breaking up with paper towels. Because let’s be honest, paper towels are spendy!

Instead, I use cotton rags. I don’t recommend microfiber cloths because they shed micro-plastics in the washing machine. Check out my post The Problem With Microplastics.

Most people have a problem with reusable cloth towels because they push water around instead of absorbing it so my recommendation is to go for cloth towels with a wide weave .

Bar rags do a great job! Fold em up, store em in a tiny basket so they're super convenient for you!

RELATED: 6 Tips for Breaking Up With Paper Towels

5. plastic baggies:

BE GONE! There are SO many solutions to this simple plastic conundrum, here’s just a few:

• Stasher Bags

• Beeswax Wraps

• Metal Lunch Box

• Snapware

• Cloth Napkins

6. Spongeless:

Swapping out sponges has been one of the greates swaps I’ve made because the compostable counterparts aren’t only better for the environment, but they also slay on the savings side. The compostable scrubs last for years... YEARS - I TELL YOU.

Plus, you’ve got a lot of options!

• copper scrubbers

• loofahs

• a rag

• wooden bottle brush < ——— lasts 1-1.5 years

• wooden scrub <—— lasts a year!

• loofah sponges

• wooden pot scraper <—— had mine four years and going strong!

RELATED: The Ultimate Guide to Washing Your Dishes - the Zero Waste Way!

7. no more pre-packed "convenience" foods:

I broke up with pre-packed “convenience” foods. I put convenience in quotes because I’m not entirely sure how “convenient” these items really are.

I was constantly reaching for chips, oreos, and poptarts, but now I reach for things like apples, bananas, and oranges which are equally convenient and have a better nutrition profile!

That’s just one of t he ways that going zero waste helped to improve my health. That’s not saying I never snack.

I still buy treats at the bulk store and make homemade poptarts, but I’m very intentional about them rather than just snacking mindlessly.

8. broke up with fast fashion:

I said buh-bye to fast fashion. I realized that so many of my purchases were mindless, needless, and completely devoid of a plan. I still buy clothes, but opt for secondhand and ethical purchases. Now, when I buy, I’m very intentional about those purchases!

9. cotton balls/cloth pads:

Instead of letting my toner absorb into a reusable cloth pad, I put my toner in a spray bottle! Boom, less waste and one less thing to buy.

Pour your toner into a spray bottle, and then spritz your face and let it air dry. I used an old spray bottle, but also have several of these and LOVE them.

This one simple swap has doubled the life of my toner bottle! And, my skin care routine isn’t cheap so I love that I’m saving money and wasting less.

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10. aluminum foil:

I used to buy a lot of aluminum foil, I used it for everything from lining pans to tenting pies and wrapping up that lone pizza slice.

Thankfully there are reusable products when fill all of these voids.

For that lone pizza or pie slice beeswax wraps do the trick! To shield your pie crust try these. And, if you want something non-stick for baking check out Silpats they also work great for freezing!

These are the 10 things that I no longer buy. Do you have something you no longer buy since switching to a zero waste lifestyle?