Going waste free might seem impossible at this point in life. I mean, the human species depends on so much garbage in their day-to-day lives just to feel comfortable. There are no other species in the world that could create the amount of garbage that humans do. Not only that but the garbage we do create is killing off those other kinds of species.
It is also killing us. As the years continue on and our garbage piles grow, we are killing more and more of our environment, which in turn, will kill us. The government right now is not so concerned about the environment, so it falls on all the rest of us to take charge and change this world for the better.
If you are ready to go waste free and would like to see what the first steps are, here is a list of ten ways you can go waste free in 2020! It may feel impossible at first, but with just one step at a time, you can help clean this planet and save our future generation’s lives.
A wonderful first step to take when going waste free is to start growing your own food. Gardening is already so much fun, of course, that is an opinion of someone who loves to garden. But being able to put a seed in the ground and watch it grow and produce food is very fascinating.
Build yourself a garden box, preferably out of scrap wood so you are consistent with recycling. Fill it with enriching soil and then you can choose whatever kinds of fruits and vegetables you would like to grow. Make sure to research where to put the garden box and how to thoroughly take care of the plants. Yes, research can be boring, but this garden will be a main source of your food, so make sure it is taken care of well!
The great thing about this next step in going waste free is that it directly connects with the previous step! Composting is the recycling of food scraps, garden waste, and other organic waste. Another term you might see if you research more about composting is humus. Humus is the most important part of soils because it enriches your plants and is what your plants eat.
Composting not only will help your garden grow stronger, but it also helps you get rid of those pesky food scraps in an organic and waste free way! There are many different kinds of composting so make sure to look up which one will work for you.
You may not realize this, but many of the cleaning tools you use end up being waste as well. Whenever you use a sponge, you throw it away after so many uses. So, instead of going out and buy cleaning tools that will need to be thrown away after so much time, get yourself reusable cleaning tools like brushes and cloths.
Another way to go waste free when cleaning is to make your own cleaning solutions. Many of the cleaning solutions we use now are in plastic bottles that get thrown away after it is all gone, and they are also made up of very harmful chemicals. There are many recipes that you can find to make your own organic cleaning solutions instead of going out and buying them.
Do you ever notice during Christmas or birthdays how wasteful the wrapping paper is? It really only has one short purpose and that is to be torn apart and thrown away. Instead of creating all of that garbage for presents, start wrapping your gifts in cloth.
This does seem kind of odd, but like the picture below, you can make the wrapping look super cute. Cloths are not the only form of wrapping a gift either. If you are really against the look of the cloth wrap, there are other ways that are waste free and are also super cute!
When going out to restaurants, a waste free thing you could do is bring your own reusable utensils. The plastic ones are our worst enemy now, so to avoid using plastic cutlery, bring your very own with you when you plan on eating out.
Another thing that I know everyone’s heard about thanks to the VSCO girls is bringing metal straws with you. Now is the time to really take metal straws seriously and to bring one with you whenever you go to a restaurant. Some places have started using paper straws, but if you don’t drink all of your beverage in ten minutes, that straw is part of your drink now. So, I strongly suggest a metal straw!
Going waste free also means chucking the bottled stuff in your shower. Yes, it is time for organic soap to rule shower time. Your regular soaps and shampoos and conditioners contain so many chemicals that it is actually bad for your skin and hair. If you read the ingredients for your soaps, I am sure you wouldn’t know what anything means. It is okay, I don’t either!
Many soaps now are actually considered detergents because of the different kinds of chemicals used in them. With organic soap, you can actually know what you are washing your body with and it will not pollute the water like your other soaps do.
Many grocery stores have already banned the use of plastic bags and have charged a few cents for paper ones resulting in us using reusable bags. Using a cloth bag may seem odd for grocery shopping but it really isn’t all that bad.
Another waste free thing to do at the grocery store is to not put your produce in another plastic bag. Bring smaller cloth bags with you if you would like your produce separate from your other food. Just make sure to limit as much plastic and waste you can while shopping.
Waste free grocery shopping means buying in bulk and using mason jars when you do! I know Winco has a huge bulk section that allows customers to use their own containers to get their food. Cereal, trail mix, flour, sugar; all of this stuff should be in jars and bought in bulk to not only save you money and time but to also limit the amount of waste buying them in packages produce.
Just like the straws, we can thank the VSCO girls for making the metal water bottles huge. My parents still buy the bulk plastic water bottles packages at the store and it drives me crazy. We do drop them off at a bottle drop to recycle, but I know that it does not do nearly as much as just using a reusable water bottle.
A new trend I have been seeing is people will decorate their reusable water bottles with stickers. What a fun way to express yourself while also contributing to a waste free world!
Last but not least, thrift store shopping! This is literally my favorite part of going waste free because I love to go thrift store shopping. You never know what you are going to find and you are literally recycling other people’s stuff.
Most of the clothes I own are from a thrift store. You can find some really cute styles in a thrift store and another part about thrifting is you find a lot of vintage things which I think are very cool.
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