Zero-Waste Living #02

Simple Zero-Waste tips that anyone can adapt to their lifestyle:

Making the effort to go zero-waste just takes a little commitment. Just bear in mind that there is no one correct way to do something. Rather, there is a multitude of ways ranging from best to better to not-so-good.

Weigh all of your options and be a conscious consumer. At the end of the day, reducing your consumption is the most important thing you can do for the planet.

You have to start somewhere. And don’t let only being able to do a little, prevent you from doing anything. All the little things add up to massive impact!

Here are 43 lifestyle changes, many of which I have actually incorporated into my daily life, without much disruption:

1.    Ask for no straw in your drink order when ordering out.

2.    Don’t leave your house without a full reusable water bottle.

3.    Pick up a lonely banana (unless you want a huge bunch, most people ignore single fruit like bananas which are then disposed of).

4.    Always say no thank you to free promotional items. They tend to be cheap and break easily.

5.    Donate unused or gentle-used items that are in good condition, to support the second-hand market.

6.    Think second-hand first when purchasing something. Carousell is a great app for this.

7.    Swap your plastic toothbrush for a biodegradable bamboo toothbrush. You can find a few on iherb.com or troveofgaia.com and they cost about the same, or slightly higher than its plastic counterpart.

8.    Try to avoid palm oil.

9.    Buy food without packaging or minimum packaging.

10.  Take your own cloth bag when out shopping and refuse any plastic whenever possible.

11.  Use bar soap instead of liquid soap, it tends to come with less packaging.

12.  Swap disposable pads and tampons for cloth pads or a menstrual cup. You can find these at troveofgaia.com

13.  Change your light bulbs to LEDs.

14.  Bring reusable produce bags for fruits and veggies.

15.  Turn the water off while brushing your teeth.

16.  Get rid of pests naturally.

17.  Unplug electronics when not in use.

18.  Make your own toothpaste to avoid un-recyclable toothpaste tubes.

19.  Repair something when it breaks.

20.  Compost

21.  Swap little plastic chapstick tubes for DIY lip balm.

22.  Surround yourself with tools and items that are meant to last a lifetime. The objective is to try to only buy objects once or less often.

23.   Try your hand at an easy, non-toxic multi-purpose cleaning spray.

24.   Find your local cobbler to repair broken shoes.

25.   Ask for no plastic and reused packaging materials for online orders

26.   Reduce your meat consumption. If you’re not ready to go vegetarian start small: try Meatless Monday, weekday vegetarian, or even weekday vegan.

27.   Ask for a real mug at the coffee shop when staying in.

28.   Most sunscreen causes coral bleaching, choose one that is coral friendly.

29.   Bring your own container when you order from the hawker centre or food court.

30.   Use cloth tea towels instead of paper towels.

31.   Bring your own to-go cup when getting coffee on the run.

32.   Learn how to repair a button or hem to extend the life of your clothing.

33.   Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposables.

34.   Keep a bucket in the shower to water plants or flush the toilet.

35.   Focus on experiences rather than things.

36.   Switch from a plastic disposable razor to a metal safety razor.

37.   Go paperless for all your bills.

38.   Swap don’t shop! Host a clothing swap with friends.

39.   Pick up litter when you’re out and dispose of it properly.

40.   Try to reduce the amount you recycle. Zero waste is about recycling less, not more.

41.   Use both sides of the paper

42.   Avoid receipts

43.   Swap tea bags for loose leaf tea

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To help you on your road to Zero-Waste Living, we’ve partnered with www.troveofgaia.com who are offering a discount code to our readers. This will entitle you to 5% off your purchase.

Discount Code: LC5OFF

This offer is valid until 31st Dec 2017.