Last week’s Zero Waste Week was absolutely full of amazing ideas and advice we can all look to in our plastic-free, waste-free journey! Below are our top five Zero Waste Week insights and some tips from us too:
1. There is no such place as ‘away’ …
It doesn’t exist! Think about it… ‘away’ is always somewhere. When we throw things ‘away’, chances are we’re sending it to landfill, our oceans and our atmosphere, doing incredible damage. By thinking about the journey our discarded things begin when we consider them at their end, we can take steps to make sure ‘away’ (i.e, the compost heap) is the best place for them – and the planet!
2. The game changers: Refuse and Reuse …
Refusing polluting and/or non-biodegradable materials, such as plastic, is the first step to breaking the chain! If there’s no demand, there’s no bad destination, or ‘away’. Refusing single-use containers, too, makes a huge difference – reuse jars, tins, wooden boxes and anything else (get creative!) you can find to carry and store stuff, including food. We sell a full range of sustainable and chemical-free alternatives in our shop.
Another great way to reuse is to re-purpose: grant a second, third or even fourth life to your existing plastic stuff (could that old shoe rack be upcycled and/or given to someone who really needs it, maybe a school?) as you move steadily away from plastic altogether. If it’s going to another good cause, even better!
‘Refuse and Reuse’ is a great motto we can use every day!
3. The future could be a hybrid …
Innovative tech, as long as it has a low carbon footprint, is one avenue to solving our plastic problem! For example, algae-based running shoes remove and re-purpose harmful algae from freshwater habitats, while new materials, such as fungi-based polystyrene substitutes, seek to replace plastic packaging. As long as it’s closing the loop responsibly, it’s positive!
4. A return to the natural, too …
Packaging is a big part of the plastic problem, and yet nature provides so many amazing containers! Coconut shells, bamboo stalks and banana leaves are all courtesy of Mother Earth.
Beyond packaging, choosing organic, all-natural cosmetics, for example, prevents harmful chemicals polluting our waters. Leading a more natural life goes hand in hand with eco-conscious, healthy living.
5. It’s all connected …
Zero Waste Week is one great effort to relieve stress on our beautiful, brilliant, planet. There’s so much more we can do! Say no to excess, share, ‘make do and mend’ – so many amazing ways to reduce, and one day eliminate, the materials and processes killing our world.
Waste is a big problem, but through small and simple changes in our daily lives, we can close the loop!
