Living a no-waste lifestyle can seem to a lot of people to be an impossible task. When we pay close attention to the amount of stuff we throw away, it doesn’t take long for most of us to realize that we throw away a lot of stuff on any given day and are easily able to fill our garbage cans on any given week. Everything we use, from food to clothing, electronics to sporting goods, seems to come in plastic wrap, have plastic tags, or come with at least something that needs to be thrown away or recycled.
This begs the question: If everything we buy requires us to throw something away, how is it possible to live a no-waste lifestyle? The answer to that is a tricky one, but with enough dedication, it can be done. And even if it can’t be done, striving to live a less wasteful lifestyle is something we all can and should do. It can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. In an effort to make reducing your waste a little easier, here are two simple and easy things you (yes, you) can do to reduce the amount of trash you throw away.
Replace Plastic with Something Reusable
There are a lot of plastic containers that we use that we can easily replace with other things. Reusable cloth shopping bags are a great place to start. Once you get the hang of that, you can keep your lunch in a lunchbox instead of using a paper or plastic bag each day. Investing in a reusable straw can be your next step. Most health foods stores let you bring glass containers to hold fresh peanut butter, juices, and other food products. Keep some re-usable bags in your car or purse to make things a little easier.
Make Your Own Products
From beauty products to laundry detergent, deodorant to toothpaste, a lot of the products we use every day without a second thought contain ingredients that are harmful to the environment and even to our bodies. These products share something else in common: They can all be easily made out of organic, zero-waste ingredients and instructions on how to find them can easily be found on the internet. A little research will prove that corn starch, baking soda, olive oil, and other ingredients can serve as effective and natural substitutes for everything from shampoo to face masks.
These two small changes are a great start for anyone who is hoping to reduce their impact on the environment but doesn’t know where to start. They may seem like small changes, and they are, but every step toward helping the environment is important, no matter how small it may be.
