Many may have heard about best-selling author Bea Johnson and how she created a zero-waste home; and many may have not. Her book stirred up a storm and she became a celebrity in no time. However, we aren’t going to review her here; instead, we urge you to take a zero-waste lifestyle seriously and start with your home, one step at a time. So, here are simple ways to make your home a zero-waste zone eventually transforming your lifestyle for the better and protecting the environment.
So, where do you begin to create such a home? You can start with small changes.
Make your own products
Learn to make your own personal care products such as cleaners, soap, shampoos. You may even opt for bar soaps instead of liquids as it would cut back on the use of plastic as they are stored in plastic containers. This helps in reducing the use of plastic dramatically.
Reuse, reuse, reuse
You may have heard it innumerable times, but have you actually applied it? If not, then start now; cut up old towels to be used as floor cleaners or use old clothes that can be reused by anyone as rags. This helps in lessening the landfill waste.
Upcycle or donate
Today, we buy clothes indiscriminately more than we ever did thanks to malls and continuous sales and discounts. Exercise control, donate your old clothes or if you do not wish to part with them, see how you can upcycle them. Reinvent them; spruce them up and you have a brand new wardrobe.
Save food and cook at home
If you big into takeaways, halt right there. Cook at home; not only it’s healthy, but you save up on your expenses and also the ecosystem. How? Since you would cook, there would be no unwanted containers and wrappings. Also, do not throw away food. Get innovative with leftover and finish them or better still give away to the needy.
Have houseplants and make compost
If you don’t have plants already, do get some for your home. As we know, they absorb toxins and keep the air clean. Besides, make compost at home. Simple use peels, fruit scraps, dry leaves, and other such leftovers for your plants. You’ll find them growing beautifully and healthier.
Chuck the mail
If you’re still receiving your bills in paper, opt for the digital version. Your phone, electricity, water bills, almost all have an e-version, so pick that over the paper one. This will greatly reduce the use of paper. Also, if you’re a bibliophile, get a library membership or swap books with another bookworm.
Besides, there are hundreds of other ways to make your home waste-free. Swapping plastic bottles, plates and cutlery for glass and steel ones, using cloth bags, totes and refusing plastic bags, which most of us have adopted today. However, if we pay attention to our homes, there’s a lot we can do to cut back on the waste we generate. Johnson’s family has apparently cut down on the annual expense by 40 percent due to their ‘zero-waste’ home. While we may have a long way to go to reach this, we can start small and get there in time.
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