5 Ways You Can Participate in the Zero Waste Era

Wednesday, April 03, 2019

There are exciting activists who are promoting zero waste and that is a good thing. It's good for the environment and good for the next generation. The act is easily said but not easily done. It is very possible to go zero waste but requires commitment, focus and determination. If you are down for the cause and have a sense of pride and responsibility towards the environment, perhaps it might just be a breeze for you to go this route.

So how can you be less wasteful? In the era of seeing sea life dying by the thousands due to their consumption of plastic, we have to wonder has the plastic evolution reached it's peak and production gone to far. We all must think about our lifestyles and how we have contributed to this crisis. New York has just recently banned all plastic bags from retail stores. This is a start. How many plastic bags are in your cabinet right now? Probably too many to count. I think the New York legislation that just passed to ban plastic bags is a very good start. I believe even more states will follow.

We have to be more responsible and learn to bring our own reusable bags to the market. This simply makes sense and is more responsible and better for the environment. The good thing about it is when something is banned, it will place a demand on people to be responsible.

So, how can you leave a small footprint in this zero waste and enviro-friendly era?

Minimize paper towel usage. One easy way is to replace the paper towel habit is to use reusable towels. So many people are guilty of just grabbing more paper towels than we need then ditching them. It is so easy to dry off a plate, dry your hands, wipe down the counter and quickly throw 10-15 paper towels in the trash in seconds. Reusable paper towels are a great alternative to this over usage of virgin pulp paper which just so happens come from the trees manufacturers are chopping down.
How about as we previously discussed is to give up the plastic bags at the grocery store. Be a little more responsible and bring your own reusable bags.
What about not throwing away those foods scraps in the trash and instead put them in a compost bin to help fertilize your garden or yard.
Now this one might be a little tough, but ditch your dryer and instead use a clothes line to dry your clothes. You can save money, energy and electricity. Oh and your clothes will smell awesome too.
Make that switch to a water-saving shower head that is so good for the environment and saving a little cash. Showers just so happens to be one of the largest water usage sources in the home. Staying in the shower just 5 minutes can waste gallons upon gallons of water. There are many options of shower heads on the market to help you save water.

There are so many things that can be done to live more sustainably. To live zero waste is at a whole other level but is possible. Many people are making it happen today. They literally have no packaging whatsoever in their homes. They use jars, cans and reusable containers to keep things in. Your footprint is important. If we all take a small step to live in a way that can make a local difference, we can definitely soon make a global difference.