The truth about zero waste living
The zero waste movement has grown and become mainstream in the past few years. On the surface, it can look trendy, perhaps even expensive, and has also caused some controversy and questioning. So after living the zero waste lifestyle for five years, I decided to gather all your comments and questions about the lifestyle, and am taking a deep dive and spilling the tea on all things zero waste!
Find a summary below if you prefer a written out version, and a big thank you to Alter Eco for sponsoring this video - find more details on the bottom of this post for a discount code. You won’t be disappointed by their chocolate, it’s so good!
I also mention in the video that Peter (my husband) and I recently filmed a q&a for my Patreon community. Peter is not minimalist or zero waste by any means, so we were able to chat a bit about his perspective in that latest video. If you’d like to support my work, you can find that q&a and more exclusive videos on simple and sustainable living.
Your zero waste questions answered
Below are some of the questions you all had about zero waste living. If you’re new or old to zero waste living, I hope this brings a bit of insight on your sustainability journey!
How do you know if a company is greenwashing?
Greenwashing is a term used to describe brands that market their products as sustainable when in reality, they don’t have proper certification or practices
Be on the look out for third party certifications, affiliations or audits - B Corporation, 1% for the Planet, etc.
Determine if a company is going above and beyond the business of simply selling a product - do they have a repair program? Eco-friendly materials? Are they taking strides to influence their industry in a respective manner?
Is DIYing everything actually better?
DIY is a great way to learn about ingredients, and gives more control and customization to what we use on our bodies or home
Problem #1 is lack of education - do your research on specific ingredients and their effects, and consult your dentist or doctor about DIY options that are safe for your body
Problem #2 is packaging efficiency - if you don't have a zero waste store near you, it may be best to go with companies that manufacture these products will be more efficient with their packaging waste as they buy larger volumes of raw ingredients at a time
What's the deal with the mason jar full of trash?
Influencers in the zero waste space track their trash in tiny jars to demonstrate how little waste they could produce, yet this can send the wrong message and shouldn’t be the focus
Everyone's access to zero waste options will be different - not everyone has a local zero waste store, municipal composting solutions, etc.
The trash jar is also only part of the story - it doesn't reflect the amount of trash that is still generated upstream in the supply chain, which is about 7 lbs of waste for every 1 lb of waste we see as a consumer
How do you deal with products that come in plastic?
Terracycle is a great go-to solution for things that are tough to recycle - they have mail in and drop off options
It's unhealthy to put high expectations with living zero waste, especially when we live in a system that manufactures products for consumption with no clear end of life solution, so be patient with the process
How do I manage to declutter in a zero waste manner?
When decluttering, selling as much as possible to help retain the value of your belongings, whether it's on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, or eBay
Then consider gifting to community groups or a Freecycle page, or call homeless shelters and donation centers to see what they do need, and donate accordingly
If you have tough to recycle items, try out Terracycle, research end of life solutions on Earth 911 to find specific material recyclers in your area, or reach out to your product's manufacturers to determine an end of life solution
Is zero waste more expensive and time consuming?
Zero waste products are often more expensive than traditional ones, you may buy fewer things because of zero waste as a result of more conscious consumption
There's no need to go out and buy all the zero waste products to be sustainable - using what you have already is the most sustainable option - check out this post on reducing plastic on a budget
Low waste living does require more planning, research, and time to coordinate - so take it step by step and don't feel like you have to change everything overnight
What are you doing for indoor composting now?
I've gotten so many questions about my beautiful wooden vermicompost bin, which is no longer in our home - unfortunately, we had quite a few large spiders making their home in the bin once we moved into this apartment, which is never an issue we had in other homes
Currently, we freeze all our produce scraps and compostable materials and drop them off locally - you can find people in your neighborhood that compost with Share Waste
About Alter Eco
Alter Eco is a chocolate company and certified B Corp since 2009. They’re mission is to beyond organic, by ensuring responsible sourcing of all their ingredients, committing to recyclable and compostable packaging (including the first-ever compostable candy wrapper for their truffles), and being carbon-neutral certified.
They've also recently launched the Alter Eco Foundation: a new initiative to tackle climate change by helping transition 150 cacao farmers to a regenerative agroforestry model rather than the prevalent monoculture model in cacao production. If you're interested in learning more about Alter Eco or trying out their chocolate, be sure to use the discount code CHRISTINE20 for 20% off your order purchased on their website!